Defiance cuts Tasiast high-grade at depth

Reverse-circulation drilling has cut some high-grade intersections beneath the Piment Central deposit on Defiance Mining‘s (DM-T) Tasiast gold project in Mauritania.

Drilling beneath the Piment Central pit (Pit S3) traced the northern-most of two known high-grade shoots to a vertical depth of 230 metres. Selected drill results include:

• Hole 647 — 12 metres (from 247 metres below surface) grading 7.3 grams gold per tonne;
• Hole 650 — 9 metres (from 240 m) running 18.2 grams gold; and
• Hole 652 — 11 metres (from 224 m) of 10.7 grams gold.

The three remaining holes generally returned around 4.4 grams gold over widths of 4 and 11 metres.

Defiance says the shoot stretches over at least 150 metres of strike, and remains open at depth. The company also says that grades appear to increase, as widths decrease with depth.

The latest round of drilling also tested a “hump” situated between the two high-grade shoots in the centre of Pit S3. The holes confirmed low-grade and patchy mineralization. The area divides the pit into two sub-pits at depth requiring an additional ramp. Still, Defiance says the drilling may allow it to reclassify some inferred resources as indicated; it also say the results may slightly lower the strip ratio of the pit.

Meanwhile, five holes were sunk to test an anomaly some 2.5 km to the north of Piment North-South Extension. Better results include:

• Hole 664 — 9 metres (from 28 m) averaging 4.2 grams gold; and
• Hole 665 — 6 metres (from 56 m) of 6.9 grams gold.

Finally, several condemnation holes along a pyrite band at the proposed waste dump site confirmed the lack of economic mineralization.