Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX:TIE) has filed multiple, high-grade gold hits, including some with bonanza grades, as part of infill drilling at Abujar-Gludehi (AG) deposit within the Abujar Project in West Africa.
The precious metal explorer unearthed as much as 3 metres at 35.65 g/t gold including 1-metre at 98.03 g/t during the program, which aims to convert a portion of the 3.35-million-ounce Abujar Project’s indicated resources to the measured category.
Today’s results mark the first in a long line of of assays, with results from 63 holes still anticipated and 15,000 metres of drilling still to come.
Abujar’s definitive feasibility study is due by the end of this quarter, while the next resource update is pencilled in before year’s end as Tietto prepares for first gold in quarter four of 2022.
“Meat of the deposit” yet to be tested
Tietto Minerals managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “Our infill drilling program at Abujar has delivered more high‐grade gold intercepts that will further de‐risk open pit mining at Abujar.
“The program has been designed to convert indicated resources scheduled to be mined within the first two years of production to measured resources.
“We have assays outstanding for 63 holes that have been drilled and there is another 15,000 metres remaining to be drilled for the infill program at AG Core.
“We have not yet drilled into the meat of the deposit so we expect to see more high grades as results from these holes start to come in from the lab.”
Infill drilling campaign
As part of its broader drilling program at Abujar, Tietto has completed 87 holes to date, 24 of which were reported on in today’s announcement.
The diamond drilling program is aiming to upgrade a portion of Abujar’s mineral resource — ore which will be targeted in the first two years of production — to the measured category.
Apart from the bonanza grades in the 3-metre intersection, other strong hits include:
- 7 metres at 12.48 g/t from 66 metres, including 4 metres at 21.45 g/t;
- 19 metres 2.33 g/t from 143 metres, including 1-metre at 23.17 g/t;
- 17 metres at 1.68 g/t from 93 metres, including 7 metres at 2.84 g/t; and
- 7 metres at 3.66 g/t from 34 metres, including 2 metres at 11.93 g/t.
Infill drilling over the AG deposit is taking place on 25-metre line spacing and reaching around 120 metres vertical depth.
Notably, gold mineralisation remains open at depth at AG’s core — well below the current open pit limits.
As a result, further drilling is required to assess the potential for underground mining below the planned open pit.
All up, assays for 63 holes, or 11,198 metres, are still awaited, while a further 15,000 metres of drilling still needs to take place.
The infill campaign should conclude in quarter four, 2021.
Next steps
Tietto intends to execute 100,000 metres of diamond drilling at Abujar this year using its six wholly-owned drill rigs.
Drill testing will focus in on an 8.5-kilometre strip of the fertile Abujar main shear, which is along strike from the existing AG and APG deposits.
The explorer will also hone in on high-priority regional targets as it advances the s gold asset towards first production at the end of 2022.
Speaking to the company’s future activity, Dr Wang continued: “The results from the infill drilling program will be incorporated into the next resource model update currently slated for the end of quarter four, 2021.
“Work on the DFS is progressing with delivery of key findings expected by the end of the September quarter.
“Mine engineers have incorporated the recently updated resource model into mine optimisation, detailed design and scheduling in preparation of what we expect will be a material update of the Abujar ore reserves.
“We have a target of first gold in quarter four, 2022, from Abujar, to be West Africa’s next gold mine.
“We are funded to complete our twin strategy of maintaining our aggressive exploration program while developing a gold mine at Abujar.”
At the end of FY21, Tietto had $45 million in the bank to fund future operations.