Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX:PDI) has recorded a whopping 41.5-metre hit grading 5.2 g/t gold during diamond drilling at the Bankan Gold Project’s NE Bankan deposit in Guinea.
The gold explorer reported assays from seven diamond holes covering 4,668 metres drilled across the 3.3-million-ounce NE Bankan gold footprint, which makes up 91% of the Bankan project's overall resource.
Best results include:
- 41.5 metres at 5.2 g/t gold from 598 metres, including 8.7 metres at 14.9 g/t from 605 metres;
- 14.2 metres at 6.8 g/t from 627 metres, including 7.8 metres at 10.7 g/t from 631 metres, 12.7 metres at 0.9 g/t from 648 metres and 17 metres at 1.7 g/t from 664 metres; and
- 5 metres at 3.4 g/t from 550 metres, including 1-metre at 12.1 g/t from 553 metres and 3.9 metres at 6.7 g/t from 635 metres, including 0.9 metres at 22 g/t from 635 metres.
Current and planned drilling at the gold deposit will underpin an updated mineral resource estimate, slated for completion next quarter.
The news comes soon after Predictive kickstarted a rapid ecological assessment at Bankan, designed to enhance its understanding of the surrounding habitat and inform the mitigation strategies it plans to incorporate with the project’s design.
“Potentially a tier-one gold mine”
Speaking to the findings at NE Bankan, Predictive Discovery managing director Andrew Pardey said: “These new results demonstrate the consistency of grade and mineralisation which evidently continues significantly beyond the bottom of the NE Bankan pit shell, further underpinning Predictive’s view that Bankan is potentially a tier-one gold mine in the making.
“In addition, the results confirm significant reconciliation with the company’s geological interpretation of the high-grade zone, including location, widths and grade as well as from multiple stacked lodes identified in previous drilling results.
“Predictive is now entering a new phase of its exploration with a greatly expanded drilling program and the improved geological understanding that flows from it.
“These prospects are expected to add significantly to the Bankan Project’s mineral resource inventory.”
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Diamond drilling at NE Bankan
Bankan currently hosts an inferred 72.8-million-tonne resource grading 1.56 g/t gold for 3.65 million ounces.
The drilling included in today’s announcement targeted below the current deeper high-grade core at the NE Bankan deposit, which remains open at depth and along strike.
Predictive hopes to increase the resource base through an aggressive drilling campaign over the next 12 months.
Other notable results from the diamond drill holes include:
- 20 metres at 0.8 g/t from 380 metres, including 6 metres at 1.4 g/t from 383 metres and 10 metres at 1.1 g/t from 414 metres;
- 0.6 metres at 30 g/t from 81 metres and 24.3 metres at 1.4 g/t from 508 metres;
- 26.8 metres at 1.7 g/t from 626 metres, including 9 metres at 3 g/t from 635 metres and 3 metres at 1.5 g/t from 662 metres; and
- 24.7 metres at 1.4 g/t from 594 metres, including 5 metres at 2.9 g/t from 608 metres.
NE Bankan NS longitudinal projection showing new drill results in red.
Two of the holes intersected some of the deepest intersections reported at NE Bankan, intersecting broad zones of gold more than 250 metres down-dip from the bottom of the US$1,800/ounce resource pit shell.
The strong assays to date, located near the base of and below the current resource pit, have inspired further extensional drilling, which will be incorporated into the drill program this quarter.
As part of its review program, Predictive has awarded a new drilling contract to Capital Drilling.
At least four drill rigs are expected on-site in the near future, ramping up exploration across the gold property.
Rapid ecological assessment
It’s not just about turning the soil at NE Bankan: Predictive has appointed a global environmental firm to lead its rapid ecological assessment.
Pardey explained: “The company is also balancing more aggressive exploration with a best practice biodiversity management program to ensure our stakeholders have the confidence we will develop this project in a way that mitigates any negative impacts.
“This includes defining a robust biodiversity management plan given Bankan’s proximity to the Upper Niger National Park and other sensitive sites.
“As part of this process, we are developing a detailed biodiversity management roadmap. We have activated a Rapid Ecological Assessment, which is being conducted by leading ecological specialists and coordinated by a globally significant environmental firm.
“This work will provide a broad understanding of the environment surrounding the Bankan Project and will ultimately inform a more detailed environmental and social impact assessment in due course.”