Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX:PDI) has fielded positive diamond drill results from its September-October exploration, which consisted of 51 holes for 10,122 metres of infill and grade control drilling at the Bankan Gold Project in Guinea.
The company is conducting a blitzkrieg of drilling at the project, where it is working on various resource development and exploration programs.
There are eight active drill rigs on site including five diamond drill rigs, a multipurpose diamond and reverse circulation rig and two power auger rigs.
Drilling continues to focus on the NE Bankan deposit, in line with the company’s strategy to increase the size and quality of the existing mineral resource, which is estimated at 79.5 million tonnes at 1.63 g/t for 4.2 million ounces in the inferred category, including 3.9 million ounces at NE Bankan deposit.
High-grade infill results
Assays confirmed significant wide and high-grade intersections from NE Bankan’s US$1,800-per-ounce optimised resource pit shell.
Best diamond drill results include 38 metres at 7.18 g/t gold from 541 metres, 22 metres at 5.34 g/t from 286 metres and 49 metres at 2.04 g/t from 288 metres.
The results set the Bankan Project on a pathway from future mineral resource upgrade to the indicated category, with assays for additional drill holes below the optimised pit shell still on the way.
RC grade-control drilling
Reverse circulation (RC) drill hole results are part of a dedicated 10-metre by 10-metre grade control program and to infill the existing mineral resource at NE Bankan.
Best results from this RC drilling include 57 metres at 1.97 g/t from 9 metres and 26 metres at 2.82 g/t from 47 metres.
The RC grade control program at NE Bankan has now wrapped up.
NE Bankan long section showing newly reported DD and RC holes in the optimised pit shell in red. Shown in blue are previously reported DD holes below the optimised pit shell.
Upgrading the resource
Extensive diamond and RC drilling continues at the Bankan Project, focused on the company’s strategy to increase the size and quality of the mineral resource. An updated estimate is targeted for the first quarter of 2023.
CSA Global recommends that an 80-metre x 40-metre drill spacing will be sufficient to upgrade the mineral resource to the indicated category.
The company has also renewed the permit that hosts NE Bankan and Bankan Creek, known as the Kaninko Permit.
"Underpin consistency"
Managing director Andrew Pardey said: “These excellent results from our infill and grade control drilling program at NE Bankan further underpin the consistency and extent of this extraordinary orebody.
“These results are from within the optimised resource pit shell and are aimed at providing further certainty of the tonnes and grade ahead of ultimately building and mining the NE Bankan deposit.
“Encouragingly, we continue to see strong continuity in the high-grade plunging shoot in the middle to lower parts of the optimised pit shell.
“Completion of the RC grade control program has generated valuable information for future drilling and resource modelling purposes, including a target spacing of 80 metres by 40 metres to achieve the Indicated category.
“Drilling is continuing to target resource extension and infill drilling, including in the area down-plunge of the initial underground resource where a number of deeper holes returned high-grade intercepts.
“With eight drill rigs currently operating on site, we are well placed to update the mineral resource estimate during the first quarter of 2023, including a partial upgrade to indicated and an extension of the initial high-grade underground mineral resource.”