PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner Perseus Mining has announced an increase in the underground ore reserve of the CMA deposit, at its Yaouré gold mine, in Côte d’Ivoire, of some 300 000 oz.

The ASX- and TSX-listed company on Wednesday said that the underground ore reserve, which is beneath the existing openpit, was now estimated to stand at 4.9-million tonnes, grading 3.51 g/t gold for 559 000 oz of gold.

The CMA orebody remains open down plunge and down dip below the current indicated mineral resource, and further extensions to the underground ore reserve are expected with further drilling in 2024.

“Since pouring first gold at Yaouré, this mine has repeatedly exceeded our expectations on almost every measure and made a very significant contribution to the success of our company,” said Perseus MD and CEO Jeff Quartermaine.

“The discovery of extensions to the CMA orebody at depth and confirmation that these mineral resources can be economically developed is further evidence that not only is the Yaouré gold mine an outstandingly good operation, but that it will also continue to contribute benefits to all of our stakeholders, well beyond our initial estimates.”

Quartermaine said that the results announced on Wednesday were associated with the first 400 m down dip from the base of the CMA openpit. Three-dimensional seismic surveys have confirmed that the CMA and associated structures continue at depth for a much greater distance underground and would require further drilling to confirm that these structures are mineralised with economically mineable grades at depth.

“However, based on what we have seen to date, we are optimistic that once established, the underground operation at Yaouré will continue for many years into the future,” he added.

“The Yaouré underground mine is Perseus’ first foray into underground mining, with all previous operations having been opencut operations. While this represents a new style of mining and a new challenge for us as a company, it is certainly not new to many of the technical staff that are currently employed by Perseus who are very keen to demonstrate their skills in an underground mining setting. This depth of talent within our existing ranks gives us every confidence that the Yaouré underground operation, when it commences, will be every bit as successful as the openpit operation that has preceded it.”