Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX:TIE) has intersected shallow high-grade gold mineralisation in recent diamond drilling at Abujar-Pischon-Golikro (APG) deposit within the Abujar Gold Project in Cote D’Ivoire, West Africa.
The results from APG, which is about 7 kilometres south and along strike from the Abujar‐Gludehi (AG) high-grade 1.38 million ounce resource, points to strong potential for future resource growth.
Gold mineralisation at APG remains open over a 5-kilometre strike and down-dip of the current JORC inferred mineral resource of 11.2 million tonnes at 1 g/t for 350,000 ounces.
Best intersections include:
- 14 metres at 2.45 g/t gold from 50 metres;
- 28.5 metres at 1.04 g/t from 22 metres;
- 9 metres at 2.32 g/t from 160 metres, including 4.92 metres at 3.8 g/t; and
- 14.2 metres at 1 g/t from 34 metres.
Improved understanding
Managing director Caigen Wang said, “Our new diamond drilling has improved our understanding of the APG deposit and more importantly how APG could add value to a potential open pit operation at AG, which is only 7 kilometres to the north.
“Significantly, we are seeing higher grade shallow gold at APG which has the potential to drive further resource growth at this satellite deposit to our main AG resource.
“Although APG has a lower grade than AG it has a much deeper oxidation profile of around 40 metres.
“Our new drilling also shows that the mineralised system is about 90 metres wide with three internal high-grade structures.
“The plan at APT is to continue drilling to grow an inventory of shallow open-pittable oxide gold ounces that would complement potential high-grade open-pit operations at the AG and potentially enhance project economics given ultra-low exploration costs per ounce and expected very low mining costs.”
Exploration target defined
At APG around 1.5 kilometres of the 5-kilometre strike has yet to be drill tested and has been defined as an exploration target.
This exploration target is 9 million tonnes to 23 million tonnes at a grade ranging between 0.8 g/t to 1.1 g/t gold. The APG inferred resource is exclusive of the exploration target.
Tietto intends to test the exploration target with the drilling expected to extend over about six months.
Drilling ongoing
Exploration drilling at Abujar is ongoing and is expected to add to resources at very low exploration cost per ounce.
A 50,000-metre drill program is aimed at increasing the resource inventory of existing deposits as well as identifying new prospects within the Abujar project's 70-kilometre-long gold corridor, of which 90% of the strike length remains to be tested.
This program includes:
- The southern end of the AG deposit, with drill results anticipated shortly; and
- Initial round of drilling into regional exploration targets, located parallel to and within 7 kilometres of the existing AG resource.