Mako Gold Ltd (ASX:MKG) continues to firm up the potential of Tchaga North prospect to grow the 868,000-ounce maiden resource of the flagship Napié Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire with a new high-grade zone discovered by geologists.
The new Central Zone has returned further strong rock chip results, including bonanza- and high-grade assays, which have further confirmed Tchaga North as a high-grade drill target.
Rock chip results include 76.10 g/t, 24.34 g/t, 12.95 g/t, 6.92 g/t, 5.49 g/t, 5.11 g/t and 4.55 g/t gold complementing previous results of 79.50 g/t, 60.66 g/t, 44.73 g/t, 22.46 g/t, 16.78 g/t, 12.85 g/t, 9.47 g/t, 9.40 g/t, 7.45 g/t and 6.29 g/t.
“Pointing to new standout”
Mako’s managing director Peter Ledwidge said: “We are thrilled with the discovery of yet another high-grade zone on Tchaga North, with early indications from rock chips pointing towards this area being a new standout.
"Detailed geological mapping is continuing to yield excellent results, including this newly discovered zone which adds to the inventory of high-grade gold at the prospect.”
Sampling program
The majority of the samples which returned high-grade gold were collected from quartz veins associated with the recently identified east-west structural trends which have yet to be tested by drilling.
There was one andesite sample (volcanic rock) which returned 2.96 g/t. This indicates that the host rock is also mineralised and that mineralisation is not restricted only to quartz veins, which provides upside to the potential scale of the deposit.
A deep artisanal mining site which returned rock chip assays up to 24.34 g/t in miners’ spoil piles. The workings are oriented SE in the direction of the newly discovered Central Zone 1.2 kilometres away.
Samples were mostly collected at small artisanal mining sites as they are usually the only source of outcrop on the property with some samples gathered from miners reject piles, including one that returned 24.34 g/t taken from a reject pile at the deep artisanal mining site 1.2 kilometres to the northwest.
High-grade rock chips at Tchaga North have now been collected on a 6-kilometre-long area and are generating new drill targets with the aim of increasing the 868,000-ounce maiden resource on the Napié Project.
Trenching program
Mako Gold has started a mechanical trenching program at Tchaga North where detailed geological mapping and rock chip sampling discovered three high-grade gold zones along a 6-kilometre-long corridor.
An excavator commencing the trenching program at Tchaga North.
In addition to the Central Zone, the Ladder Zone and the Double Zone were also discovered during the intensive mapping program.
The logical next step is to trench these areas in order to map and take continuous samples of host rock and quartz veins. Results of the trenching program will assist in planning a drill program at these locations to target high-grade gold.
"We are also very pleased to announce the commencement of the trenching program on the Central Zone as well as the Double Zone and Ladder Zone at Tchaga North,” Ledwidge said.
"This is the natural progression leading up to a drill program targeting high-grade gold in the recently discovered east-west structures which have never been drilled.”