Reunion Gold Corporation (TSX-V:RGD, OTCQB:RGDFF) has announced results from an additional 38 holes drilled on its Oko West project in Guyana, South America, including 39.5 metres (m) at 11.04 grams per tonne (g/t) gold.
The company said the drilling, which totalled 14,965m included additional diamond drilling within the Block 4 zone, extending the known extent of mineralization down dip and along strike, while also demonstrating the potential for higher grade, structurally controlled shoots within the broader mineralized system.
It noted that drilling within Block 4, which increased the mineralized extent at depth to over 970m, was designed to provide a sufficient drill density for a maiden resource estimate in mid-2023, and continues to intersect highly encouraging intervals.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Reunion team to help advance this very exciting new discovery,” the company's recently-appointed CEO Rick Howest said in a statement. “We continue to have success through the drill bit, which is showing significant growth and continuity of the mineralized envelope.”
READ: Reunion Gold appoints veteran mining engineer Richard Howes as CEO and president
Drilling highlights included:
- 39.5m at 11.04 g/t gold (Au) in hole D-185;
- 37m at 4.66 g/t Au in hole D-182;
- 107.3m at 2.74 g/t Au in hole D-187; and
- 86m at 2.75 g/t Au in hole D-176, all using a 0.3 g/t Au cut-off.
Due to the commencement of deeper drill holes with a more acute angle of intersection of the drill hole to the plane of mineralization, the company said it is now reporting Estimated True Thickness (ETT) for all significant intervals within and near Block 4 based on an average dip/dip direction of -65° / 095° to represent the orientation of the mineralized zone.
“The intercepts in holes D-185 and D-182 indicate the potential for higher-grade shoots within this mineralized envelope,” Howes said. “The two deep holes, D-200 and D-203, show the potential to extend the mineralization by over 400m to a depth of almost 1 kilometre. This will be an exciting year for the company as we continue to expand the resource, move towards a maiden resource estimate and complete a PEA (preliminary economic assessment) study of the Oko West project.”
Reunion Gold said it continues to intersect higher-grade intervals within the current Block 4 drill program and believes these zones relate to potential higher-grade and structurally controlled shoots. The narrower but higher-grade zones intersected to date demonstrate the potential to define mineralized volumes at a significantly higher cut-off, in turn allowing for exploration upside within deeper portions of Block 4.
Intersects that highlight these zones included 17.6m at 21.32 g/t Au in hole D-185, 41m at 5.71 g/t Au in hole D-187, and 22.9m at 7.36 g/t Au in hole D-176.
The company said it believes that such higher-grade zones may be controlled by the intersection of two local foliations, resulting in potential steep northerly dipping intersection lineations.
Two drill holes, D-200 and D-203, targeted the deeper extension of Block 4 and each encountered broad zones of mineralization, extending the known down-dip length of mineralization by over 400m from the deepest previously reported drilling (to 970m below surface). Significant intervals include 20.6m at 3.03 g/t Au (13.3m ETT) in hole D-203.
The company said it continues to follow up reverse circulation drill results from Blocks 5 and 6, located along strike and to the south of Block 4, with diamond drilling. Highlights from recent drilling include 61.0mat 0.93 g/t Au in D-196 from Block 6, and 42.5m at 0.86 g/t Au from D-206 from Block 5.
Exploration priorities for 2023
Reunion Gold said its exploration efforts for 2023 will be focused on two main initiatives. The first is to continue the step-out drilling on the Kairuni zone in support of a maiden resource estimate in 2023. This includes both ongoing expansion drilling in Block 4 to approximately 575m depth and step-out drilling along strike and to depth in Blocks 1, 5 and 6.
The company said it will also continue to investigate the potential for higher grade zones associated with structural intersections, within Block 4 in particular. The second priority is to explore areas that lie outside of the current resource definition drilling program, but within the Oko West permit, to identify additional new zones of gold mineralization.
This latter program will include:
- Follow-up exploration and drill testing on the Takutu zone to investigate areas of anomalous gold identified by the initial wide-spaced RC drilling program;
- Conduct ground magnetics (mag) surveys over the area proximal to the main shear zone (Carole Zone), to identify additional zones that may have a similar mag signature to Blocks 1, 4, 5 and 6. This work includes the area immediately west of the current definition drilling where narrow gold intersects in earlier RC drilling indicate the possibility of parallel shears within the mafic volcanics; and
- Approximately 8,000m of scout RC drilling using a smaller rig designed to drill 30 to 40-m deep holes over the Bryan Zone, to build a more comprehensive geochemical anomaly map of the west of the permit where duricrust and alluvial cover prevent the use of shallow soil surveys. Downstream alluvial working in particular points to the potential for gold sources in the topographically higher areas capped by duricrust. Follow-up of any generated targets will be conducted in the second half of 2023.
“In striving to achieve a more sustainable project, we intend to evaluate new and innovative approaches,” Howes concluded. “One of the new technologies we are evaluating with Instream Energy is run-of-river hydropower generation as a potential green energy source for the project. I look forward to engaging with all stakeholders on this very exciting journey to create a project with a positive social and economic impact in an environmentally and socially responsible way.”
Reunion Gold is a leading gold explorer in the Guiana Shield in South America. In 2021, the company made an exciting new gold discovery at its Oko West project in Guyana.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com