- Perseus Mining (PRU) says latest drill results from the Yaouré gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire confirm significant gold mineralisation and resource upgrade potential beneath the CMA open pit
- Infill and step-out drilling has been ongoing since last year and is focusing on the CMA structure to upgrade its inferred mineral resource to the indicated category
- Latest infill intercepts include 8.1 metres at 7.27 g/t gold from 328.1 metres, complemented by step-out assays including 11.1 metres at 3.39 g/t from 450.4 metres
- The drill results and upgraded resource will support a pre-feasibility study to be completed by late June this year
- PRU shares are 1.32 per cent lower to $1.50
Perseus Mining (PRU) has continued to carve out high-grade gold hits from an ongoing drilling campaign focused on the mineralised structure below the existing CMA open pit at its Yaouré gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
The company said drilling data from the infill and down-dip extension program would go towards upgrading the inferred mineral resource estimate for the CMA Underground prospect to indicated status, which would then enable it to undertake a pre-feasibility study.
In August last year, Perseus tabled the inferred CMA Underground resource estimate of 1.8 million tonnes grading an impressive 6.1 grams per tonne gold extending to 275 metres down dip beneath the open pit resource. It said there was potential to extend mineralisation beyond that depth.
Among the most recent array of stand-out infill drill results from CMA Underground, the company reported intersections including 10 metres at 6.61 g/t from 236 metres, six metres at 7.57 g/t from 304 metres and 8.1 metres at 7.27 g/t from 328.1 metres.
Step-out drilling on the down-dip extensions of the CMA structure also returned encouraging intercepts including 11.1 metres at 3.39 g/t from 450.4 metres depth that contained a five-metre interval at 7.16 g/t from 452 metres, and five metres at 3.93 g/t from 605m.
Perseus said the recent assays confirmed the “strong potential” for further mineral resources beneath the CMA open pit and were consistent with previous results from the area.
“Our latest infill and step-out drilling results from below Yaouré’s CMA open pit confirm previous drill results that indicated that material quantities of additional indicated mineral resources, capable of being economically mined using underground mining methods, may be delineated,” Managing Director Jeff Quartermaine said.
The PFS to evaluate the potential development of an underground mining operation was slated to be completed by late June this year.
PRU shares were trading 1.32 per cent lower at $1.50 at 11:30 am AEDT.