Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX:TIE) continues to add more high-grade hits to its gold kitty, this time from the latest step-out drilling completed at seven of the company’s prospects at the 3.45 million-ounce Abujar Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
Best intersections include:
- 4 metres at 24.73 g/t gold from 85 metres, including 0.5 metres at 195.53 g/t;
- 1-metre at 27.91 g/t from 151 metres;
- 0.50 metres at 48.81 g/t from 104.9 metres; and
- 5.50 metres at 3.81 g/t from 81 metres, including 3 metres at 6.48 g/t.
The 1-metre result was from AGM deposit while the others were from the SG area and all outside the SG inferred resource of 1.6 million tonnes at 1.2 g/t for 60,000 ounces.
Ongoing step-out drilling continues to extend the limits of known gold mineralisation at Abujar.
Moving forward, the company’s eight diamond rigs are actively drilling, with more than 100,000 metres of drilling forecast this year.
MRE expected end of year
Tietto managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “Our exploration team has delivered near‐surface, high‐grade gold at the SG deposit (over 3 kilometres north of AG Core) with 0.50 metres at 195.53 g/t gold within 4 metres at 24.73 g/t gold from 85 metres at ZDD1319 from shallow step‐out drilling.
“We are reporting results for drilling at seven prospects, four of which are located along strike from high‐grade gold mineralisation at AG Core, while three prospects are located on the western corridor.
“This drilling program was designed to allow for further increases to our open‐pit gold resource inventory in the next MRE expected towards the end of CY22.”
Forward plan
Tietto is on track to realise its first gold production by the December quarter this year and produce 260,000 ounces of gold in 2023.
The company continues to deliver project milestones with Abujar’s maiden measured gold resources of 7.7 million tonnes at 1.4 g/t gold for 350,000 ounces.
It will deliver an update on Abujar’s LOM production plan this quarter using the updated mineral resource estimate, increased mill throughput and higher gold prices, targeting a material increase to existing LOM production.
Tietto has expanded this to incorporate a scoping study to determine the economic benefits of a heap leach operation at APG running in parallel to the Abujar CIL operation.
What’s more, the company aims to complete 100,000 metres of drilling in 2022 with its fleet of eight rigs in operation at Abujar.