Mako Gold Ltd (ASX:MKG) has kicked off the first phase of a planned 10,000-metre reverse circulation (RC) drill program testing high-priority targets along the 30-kilometre-long Napié Shear at the 90%-owned Napié Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire.
Two rigs have started the program at Gogbala South target on 400-metre spaced fences of holes testing four multi-kilometre-long and up to 300-metre-wide targets identified in a recently completed auger drilling program.
Seeking further gold
The object is to discover additional gold deposits to the existing 545,000-ounce deposit at Tchaga while this work will also target expansion of this resource which together with Gogbala form the maiden 868,000-ounce Napié resource.
A total of 6.8 kilometres of high-priority auger anomalies will be tested leaving the company with a further 11 significant auger targets to test.
Mako’s managing director Peter Ledwidge said: “We are excited to be commencing the RC drilling program on some of the best targets identified from our recent auger drill program.
"The object of the drill program is to intersect significant gold mineralisation on the first of many new targets to discover more deposits equal to or larger than Tchaga.
“The auger program delivered 15 significant drill targets along the 30-kilometre Napié Shear which shows strong potential to host multiple deposits within the permit.
"By drilling the first four of these targets, Mako is embarking on the first step in our goal to expand our current 'proof of concept' 868,000-ounce maiden resource, in line with our near-term goal of outlining a multi-million-ounce gold camp at Napié.”
RC drill targets at the Napié Project shown in pink.
Artisanal pointers
All targets except the Tchaga Western Extension Target (NYSE:TGT), host new artisanal mining sites.
Mako views artisanal sites as areas of significant gold anomalies since artisanal miners only mine gold they can see without the aid of a hand lens.
Gogbala South target will be tested first with 22 planned RC holes on 400-metre spaced fences.
This target, which is along strike of a new artisanal mining site, has a very strong auger anomaly with widths up to 300 metres and a length of 1.4 kilometres.
Previous drilling of six holes at the north end intersected high-grade mineralisation, including 6 metres at 5.05 g/t gold. These results contributed 20,000 ounces of gold to the mineral resource estimate (MRE).
Other targets
The RC drilling campaign will also target the Tchaga Northern Extension and Tchaga North targets which cover a strike length of 3.2 kilometres.
The main shear at Tchaga North will be drilled on 400-metre fences, over a 1.6-kilometre-long strike length trending N to NNE while the western auger anomaly, which trends NE and is more than 2 kilometres long and up to 200 metres wide, will be drilled on three fences testing 800 metres.
Tchaga Northern Extension target follows the trend from the Tchaga resource area to Tchaga North and is on the Napié Shear. It is outside the Tchaga MRE and has not been previously drilled.
Two fences of drill holes spaced 400 metres apart will test widths up to 250 metres.
Diamond drill plans
Once all assays have been received, Mako plans to carry out diamond drilling in strategic locations to test between the 400-metre-spaced fences and provide structural information for resource estimates.
After results are received from the phase 1 RC program, areas will be ranked and the most promising areas selected for a multi-rig resource drill-out.