JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – A partially completed drilling programme at Toronto-listed Aureus Mining’s Ndablama gold project, in Liberia, has confirmed continuity of the mineralised system down dip for another 300 m beyond the limits of the initial maiden resource, more than doubling the down-dip extent of the mineralised system, the explorer said on Thursday.

The programme, which included some 19 000 m of reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling, targeted the infill areas between diamond holes previously drilled, with the new diamond holes testing for down-dip and strike extensions to the current mineralised system.

Drilling was undertaken on the down-dip and northern extensions to the current inferred mineral resource of 451 000 oz at 2.1 g/t gold, with intercepts including 2.4 g/t over 30 m from 211 m and 2.4 g/t over 28 m from 238 m.

Intercepts started from 90 m below surface to a maximum of 240 m below the surface. All drill holes had intersected the mineralised system and confirmed the shallow westerly dip of less than 30°. The mineralised zone was still open in all directions.

The full Phase 4 RC and diamond drilling programme was expected to be completed by the end of July, as the rainy season had now started. To date, over 90% of the drilling programme had been completed.

Upon receipt of all the results for the Phase 4 drilling programme, the company would undertake a new resource estimate for Ndablama in the fourth quarter of the year.

Commenting on the latest drilling results, Aureus Mining president and CEO David Reading said the programme had further underpinned management's belief that Aureus had another prospective goldfield beyond the New Liberty area. 

“The results demonstrate that there is gold mineralisation throughout the pressure shadow zone and that there is continuity of grade between the holes drilled earlier this year. We look forward to receiving the assay results for the remaining holes drilled to date, completing the drilling programme and updating the resource estimate before year end,” he noted.

Ndablama is located within the northern block of the company's 100%-owned Bea Mountain mining licence, in Liberia, 40 km north-east of Aureus' flagship New Liberty gold project.