Aurum Resources Ltd (ASX:AUE) has delivered another round of high-grade gold results from the BDT2 deposit within its 3.22-million-ounce Boundiali Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire, including a standout intercept of 1.7 metres at 70.35 g/t gold from 276.5 metres.
The result formed part of a broader intercept of 6.54 metres at 13.36 g/t gold from 272 metres, including 3.70 metres at 23.32 g/t gold from 274 metres in hole DSDD0445, with the latest assays coming from 26 diamond drill holes for 8,720.23 metres.
Aurum said the drilling confirmed mineralisation outside current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) boundaries at BDT2, supporting the company’s view that the gold system remains open and has further growth potential.
High-grade results outside resource boundaries
The latest BDT2 drilling was designed to both upgrade Inferred Resources to Indicated status and test the limits of known mineralisation at depth and along strike.
Other notable results included:
- 21 metres at 1.12 g/t gold from 228 metres, including 1 metre at 14.99 g/t gold in DSDD0447.and
- 2.80 metres at 4.39 g/t gold from 220.70 metres, including 0.90 metres at 12.68 g/t gold in DSDD0476.
Additional intersections included 9 metres at 1.84 g/t gold from 263 metres, 13.18 metres at 1.06 g/t gold from 420.82 metres, and 5 metres at 2.19 g/t gold from 391.50 metres.
The high-grade DSDD0445 intercept sits around 40 metres down-dip from earlier drilling included in the current MRE, while the latest batch of drilling has extended gold mineralisation to about 410 metres below surface.
Boundiali scale continues to build
BDT2 sits within an underexplored 13-kilometre by 3-kilometre mineralised corridor at Boundiali, where mineralisation is hosted in a north-south trending sandstone unit between hanging wall and footwall volcano-sedimentary rocks.
The deposits remain open along strike and at depth, with drilling so far focused on the most obvious outcropping anomalies. The company believes there is still strong potential for blind discoveries across the broader project area.
Aurum managing director Dr Caigen Wang said the results again demonstrated the company’s ability to grow resources cost-effectively at Boundiali.
“These BDT2 results again demonstrate our team's ability to cost-effectively grow Mineral Resources at Boundiali at a rate our peers cannot match,” Wang said.
“Deeper holes confirm the gold system remains open at depth, with most intersecting multiple zones of thick mineralisation — including the standout result of 3.70m @ 23.32 g/t Au from 274m, including 1.7m @ 70.35 g/t Au (DSDD0445).”
AUM's Boundali Project.
Funded for drilling and development
Aurum has 4.4 million ounces in combined group gold resources, comprising the flagship 3.22-million-ounce Boundiali Gold Project and the 1.16-million-ounce Napié Gold Project.
The company is also well-funded, with $61.5 million in cash at March 31, 2026, supporting ongoing exploration and project development work.
Aurum currently has 16 diamond drill rigs operating across the Boundiali deposits, with 130,000 metres of drilling planned across Boundiali and Napié during calendar year 2026.
The company has also recently advanced Boundiali on the development front, following environmental approval in May, delivery of pre-feasibility study results and maiden ore reserves in June, and key appointments to support the Definitive Feasibility Study and project execution.
What’s ahead
Aurum plans to continue multi-rig drilling through 2026, with work focused on resource conversion, resource growth and economic de-risking.
At Boundiali, a major MRE update is targeted for the end of the third quarter of calendar year 2026, while the DFS is expected in late 2026.
At Napié, a 30,000-metre diamond drilling program is underway to grow the 1.16-million-ounce resource, while regional scout drilling is planned across the BD, BM and BST tenements to test targets generated from soil anomalies and geological mapping.
The company is targeting first gold production from Boundiali in the first half of 2028.