Oklo Resources Ltd (ASX:OKU) has received further high-grade gold results in final assays from drilling before the wet season at its flagship Dandoko Project in west Mali, Africa.
The gold explorer uncovered further encouraging results of up to 19 metres at 2.42 g/t gold from 12 metres including 3 metres at 4.88 g/t from 17 metres during resource growth drilling along strike and adjacent to its Seko mineral resource.
All results from the previous drilling program, which concluded in July, have now been received, while the 2022 field season will kick off later this week.
Oklo intends to complete 9,000 metres worth of aircore, diamond and reverse circulation drilling across the Seko, Disse and Koko properties, targeting resource growth opportunities.
“Significant growth potential”
Oklo managing director Simon Taylor said the company was pleased to report final assay results from a very productive 2021 field season.
“The latest results continue to highlight the growth potential of Seko and SK1 South in particular, where significant mineralisation was intersected outside of the pit shell which constrained the resource to a vertical depth of 125 metres.
“These latest results, coupled with the recently announced extensions at Koko South and Disse, provide the company with a strong platform to add to the Seko resource base during the forthcoming field season.
“The board has approved an initial budget for the 2022 field season and with our technical team back on site, we anticipate the resumption of drilling by the end of this week.
“The program will test the high-grade gold targets at Disse and at depth under SK2 with further deep drilling planned on other targets at Seko once the processed results from the 3D IP and passive seismic survey are available to assist in defining potential high-grade feeder mineralisation in fresh rock below the extensive oxide mineralisation.”
The results are in
Since announcing the initial mineral resource estimate in March 2021, Oklo has completed the first phase of resource growth drilling.
The company targeted extensions along strike and at depth from Seko and tested several geochemical and induced polarisation geophysical targets along the 15-kilometre Dandoko gold corridor and within the adjoining Sari and Kandiole project areas.
The 2021 resource growth program resulted in new discoveries at Sari, Kandiole and further success at Koko South and Disse, with all areas targeted for follow-up drilling during the upcoming 2022 field season.
In the last round of drilling before the wet season, Oklo completed 13 diamond and 37 reverse circulation holes at SK1 South, SK1 Central, SK2 and SK3.
Another 288 shallow reconnaissance aircore holes, testing regional induced polarisation and geological targets around Seko, including SK4 and SK5, were also completed.
During step-out and infill drilling at SK1 South and Central, Oklo intersected further zones of shallow gold mineralisation, including:
- 19 metres at 2.42 g/t gold from 12 metres, including 3 metres at 4.88 g/t from 17 metres;
- 23 metres at 1.27 g/t from 23 metres, including 2 metres at 6.08 g/t from 25 metres;
- 4 metres at 6.41 g/t from 72 metres, including 1-metre at 23.90 g/t from 73 metres; and
- 10 metres at 1.62 g/t from 20 metres, including 3 metres at 3.90 g/t from 20 metres.
The explorer also discovered potential depth extensions at SK1 South outside of the existing resource pit shell.
This was highlighted in the following holes:
- 28 metres at 1.46 g/t gold from 93 metres, including 2 metres at 4.88 g/t from 93 metres and 6 metres at 2.96 g/t from 102 metres;
- 6 metres at 1.96 g/t from 133 metres, including 1-metre at 9.05 g/t from 138 metres;
- 2 metres at 2.90 g/t from 167 metres and 5 metres at 1.03 g/t from 180m;
- 5 metres at 1.09 g/t from 168 metres; and
- 5 metres at 2.37 g/t from 186 metres, including 2 metres at 4.33 g/t from 187 metres.
In addition, infill drilling at SK2 returned 10 metres at 2.12 g/t gold from 11 metres, including 4 metres at 3.01 g/t from 11 metres and 1-metre at 7.69 g/t from 18 metres.
Finally, shallow reconnaissance aircore drilling at SK5 — immediately outside of the existing resource in close proximity to SK1 South — returned the following encouraging widths of anomalous to low-grade gold mineralisation:
- 31 metres at 0.71 g/t gold from 11 metres, including 8 metres at 1.05 g/t from 23 metres;
- 8 metres at 1.32 g/t from 14 metres, including 3 metres at 2.19 g/t from 16 metres;
- 4 metres at 2.15 g/t from 45 metres, 3 metres at 2.60 g/t from 75 metres and 3 metres at 2.78 g/t from 90 metres; and
- 15 metres at 0.50 g/t from 45 metres and 9 metres at 0.53 g/t gold from 15 metres.
Next on the agenda
Oklo will restart drilling this week at Seko’s Disse prospect as part of its 2022 field program.
The Oklo board has greenlit an initial 9,000-metre drilling program that will evaluate resource growth opportunities along strike and at depth at Seko, Disse and Koko.
Further deep drilling will be informed by the 3D induced polarisation and passive seismic geophysics, which were completed over the wet season.
In the meantime, other work programs in progress include scoping and environmental studies.
Oklo vows to detail its plans for the forthcoming field season in the near future.