Asante Gold Corporation has announced results from its ongoing exploration drilling programme at the South Russel and Aboduabo prospects located on its Bibiani-Chirano mines corridor on the Sefwi Greenstone Belt in Ghana.
The Sefwi Greenstone Belt is host to significant gold mining operations including the Bibiani and Chiranomines which have produced +8Moz to date.
Asante controls 53 km strike length of the corridor which includes the Bibiani and Chirano shear zones, where gold mineralization is typically hosted in shear faults and veins. The Company’s Bibiani and Chirano gold mines have current mineral reserves of ~ 2.8Moz and Measured and Indicated resources of over 4.5Moz.
The immediate exploration focus for Asante is to “aggressively explore our proven mineralised trends to discover new mineable deposits and grow our mine and near mine resources and mine life”, a statement said.
South Russel Prospect
The Company previously outlined the strike length of gold mineralization at South Russel as 200m, in its press release of August 17, 2022.
New drilling results have now extended it to 500m. Drill intercepts confirm high-grade mineralization from surface, consistent in width and grade to previous intercepts.
The gold mineralised system remains open along strike and to depth. The South Russell prospect is located just 2 km south of the Bibiani Process Plant.
Highlights
• Recent drill intercepts include 21.5m downhole grading 3.37 g/t Au; of which 13.5m grades 5.05 g/t
• Footprint of gold mineralization now tested and confirmed amounts to approximately 500m strike
length and remains open along strike and to depth
• Assay results continue to confirm significant intercepts from surface
• All drill results are outside of the current mine plan mineral resource
• Follow-up drill holes are planned to the south and north along strike of the recent intercepts
• Selected intercepts include:
• MGDD22-194 – 21.5m @ 3.37 g/t Au from 22.0m to 43.5m
o Includes 13.5m @ 5.05 g/t Au from 24m to 37.5m
• MGDD22-182 – 14m @ 4.49 g/t Au from 216m to 230m
o Includes 12m @ 5.20 g/t Au from 218m to 230m
• MGRCD22-066 – 11.9m @ 3.22 g/t Au from 174.1m to 186m
o Includes 4m @ 7.53 g/t Au from 180m to 184m
• MGRCD22-164 – 8m @ 3.36 g/t Au from 195m to 203m
• MGDD22-105 – 7m @ 3.26 g/t Au from 171m to 178m
• MGDD22-119- 5m @ 3.62 g/t Au from 177m to 182m
• MGDD22-103 – 10m @ 1.86 g/t Au from 181m to 191m
Aboduabo Prospect
The Aboduabo prospect is located approximately 5km north of the Chirano Process Plant and 10 km south of the Bibiani Process Plant. It lies within the Bibiani trend, is hosted in Birimian sedimentary rock
sequences, and is different in style compared to the Chirano gold deposits which are hosted in Birimian volcanic and granitoid sequences along the sub parallel Chirano trend.
The historical exploration of the Aboduabo project comprised of 54 holes that delineated a mineralised strike of 1.3km and 500 meters wide. Significant gold assays. at shallow depth from surface, were noted in previous drilling programs. Some of the historical drill results include:
Highlights
• 24m down grading hole 4.31 g/t Au
• 25m down hole grading 2.95 g/t Au
• 23m down hole grading 2.65 g/t Au
• 23m down hole grading 2.41 g/t Au
• 32m down hole grading 2.17 g/t Au from CHRC1054 CHRC798D CHRC723 CHRC720 and
CHCH009A, respectively.
Exploration activities at Aboduabo were initiated “immediately after our recent acquisition of Chirano, with drill results acquired to date confirming that the mineralised system at Aboduabo is open for extension at depth and along strike”.
Drill results from the first hole of the current programme have intersected 21.5m @ 2.99 g/t Au including 11.35m @ 4.73 g/t Au.
The current drilling programme was initiated in September 2022 and has been accelerated as Asante intends to prepare a maiden resource by Q4 2023 and, if warranted a starter pit soon thereafter.
Current Drill Highlights
• CHDD3339 – 21.5m @ 2.99 g/t Au
o Includes 11.35m @ 4.73 g/t Au
• CHDD3341 – 22.0m @ 1.31 g/t Au
o Includes 12.0m @ 1.72 g/t Au
• CHRC3343D – 4.05m @ 5.56 g/t Au
• CHDD3344 – 17.6m @ 1.2 g/t Au
• CHDD3345 – 9m @ 2.93 g/t Au
• Assay results continue to confirm significant intercepts near surface
• All drill results are not included in the current mine mineral resource
• Follow-up drill holes are planned to test depth extensions of the recent intercepts
Dave Anthony, President, and CEO stated: “We are pleased to report the assay results from our exploration drilling program at South Russel and Aboduabo where drilling to advance the two targets to resource stage is continuing. Strike length of South Russel mineralisation has been extended from 200m to 500m supporting our view that the 53 km long Bibiani – Chirano gold corridor is very prospective for discovery of new resources and remains key to the organic growth of the two mines”.
Asante plans to initiate a Feasibility Study after the maiden resource has been prepared, to consider development of a starter pit. We anticipate a starter pit will be initiated in Q4 2023.
Exploration activities at both mines have achieved significant success over the past 12 months. Drilling at the Walsh satellite pit at Bibiani increased reserves currently being mined from about 20,000 ounces to over 100,000 ounces.
Brownfields exploration drilling completed in 2022 proximal to the existing pits at Chirano have also delivered positive results, in line with our intention to replace reserves currently being mined at Chirano. We remain on track at both mines, to complete exploration drilling to extend Life of Mine to +10 years.”
—classfm—
