Aurum Resources Limited (ASX:AUE) has announced further wide gold intercepts from step-back diamond drilling at BD Target 1 as part of ongoing diamond drilling at its Boundiali Gold Project in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. The drilling, consisting of 14 holes for 4,485m, has returned shallow, wide gold hits, including 40m @ 1.03 g/t Au from 136m inc. 5m @ 1.70 g/t Au (DSDD0076), 11m @ 2.15 g/t Au from 169m inc. 4m @ 4.14 g/t Au, and 10m @ 2.02 g/t Au from 322m inc. 2m @ 9.18 g/t Au (DSDD0062). The gold mineralisation remains open at BD Target 1, along strike and down dip, with mineralisation intersected down to 385m below the surface. Aurum is actively drilling at BD Target 2 and Boundiali BM tenement, with assay results expected soon. The company is also utilizing a second assay lab to improve assay turnaround time and has increased its fleet to six diamond rigs, targeting a drilling rate of ~10,000m per month for CY2024.
Aurum's Managing Director Dr. Caigen Wang expressed satisfaction with the latest shallow, wide gold intercept at BD Target 1. He highlighted that the gold mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, with intersects as deep as 385m below the surface. Dr. Wang emphasized that every hole drilled helps the company understand the controls on the high-grade gold shoots found within these wider intercepts. He also mentioned that the new IP survey and structural data are guiding their drill targeting. With two new NOCK1300 diamond drill rigs operational, the company is eager to test BD Target 1 down to approximately 900m. Dr. Wang further stated that with six rigs on site, they expect to achieve ~10,000m drilling per month, systematically exploring the full potential of the 13km by 3km target zone at BD and their other tenements within the Boundiali gold project. He also highlighted the company's efforts to improve operations with new vehicles, a centralised camp, and the use of a second laboratory to enhance efficiency and assay turnaround times. Dr. Wang concluded by mentioning that the company is well-funded with ~$20 million cash at bank, allowing them to accelerate drilling and build on these encouraging results. They are targeting an inaugural JORC resource for Boundiali by late 2024.
Aurum Resources Limited is actively pursuing aggressive exploration at its Boundiali Gold Project, with ongoing scout and step-back diamond drilling at the BD tenement aimed at further delineating the extent of gold mineralisation and identifying new targets with the aid of the newly completed IP survey. The company also plans to continue exploration drilling at the early-stage BM tenement to test for potential new discoveries. Utilizing a second assay laboratory based in Côte d'Ivoire is expected to improve assay turnaround time and reduce the existing backlog of assays. With six of its own diamond drill rigs soon in operation, Aurum is targeting a drilling rate of ~10,000m per month and expects to drill more than 45,000m of diamond core at Boundiali this year. This increased drilling capacity will significantly contribute to Aurum's goal of delivering an inaugural Mineral Resource Estimate by the end of CY2024. The company is well-funded to accelerate exploration drilling at Boundiali with ~$20M cash at bank and is confident in the potential of the Boundiali Gold Project to deliver value for its shareholders.