Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX:TIE) has added further high-grade gold intersections at its 3.35 million-ounce Abujar Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire, including 2 metres at 102.39 g/t gold.
The latest infill drilling at AG Core section of the Abujar-Gludehi (AG) prospect returned:
- 7 metres at 30.67 g/t gold from 125 metres, including 2 metres at 102.39 g/t;
- 8 metres at 5.95 g/t from 79 metres, including 6 metres at 7.82 g/t;
- 7 metres at 2.13 g/t from 48 metres, including 3 metres at 4.5 g/t; and
- 11 metres at 1.25 g/t from 163 metres.
A drilling program is being conducted with the aim of converting a portion of AG’s indicated resources - currently standing at 35 million tonnes at 1.5 g/t for 1.65 million ounces - to the measured category.
AG big part of Abujar potential
Tietto managing director Dr Caigen Wang said the stream of high-grade results from the AG prospect was giving the company plenty of confidence in the overall Abujar project.
“Our fourth batch of results from our infill drilling program at Abujar is delivering more high‐grade gold intercepts that continue to de‐risk open pit mining at Abujar,” he said.
“The infill program is designed to convert indicated resources to measured resources, which are scheduled to be mined within the first two years of production.
“These impressive results follow hard on the heels of our definitive feasibility study earlier this month that confirmed Abujar’s potential to be one of the largest gold producing mines in Côte d’Ivoire with more than 260,000 ounces of gold expected to be produced in the first year and 1.2 million ounces of gold in the first six years.
“These results validate our strategy of using our own diamond drill rigs drilling at 10,000 metres a month to deliver a constant flow of high‐grade gold intercepts from within AG Core.
“We are confident the Abujar Gold Project will continue to enjoy growth in both resources and reserves through our continued large‐scale drilling program, and we are focused on advancing Abujar towards becoming West Africa’s next gold mine.”
The Abujar DFS demonstrated robust financial results and estimated gold production of 260,000 ounces in the first year and 200,000 ounces per year over the first six years of Abujar’s 11‐year mine life.
AG drilling program
These were the fourth batch of assay results received, totalling nine holes for 1,681 metres drilled, from a 30,000-metre infill diamond drill program on 25-metre line spacing.
To date, results from 78 holes for 13,028 metres have been reported.
The company is awaiting assays for a further 80 holes drilled for 15,684 metres, and the remaining 1,287 metres of infill drilling is expected to be completed by the end of October 2021, with a resource update by the end of this year.
Tietto is targeting first gold at Abujar production in Q4 next year.
- Daniel Paproth