TNM Drill Down: Burkina Faso delivers top drill assay of Dec. 9-16

Our TNM Drill Down features highlights of the top gold assays of the past week. Drill holes are ranked by gold grade x width, as identified by our sister company Mining Intelligence.

This week’s top drill assay comes from Burkina Faso, where West African Resources (ASX: WAF) reported that drill hole M1SRD_0207 at its Sanbrado gold operations returned 25 metres grading 90.17 grams gold per tonne from 353 metres depth, for a width x grade value of 2,254. This result also included 6 metres at 344.03 grams gold per tonne. Other significant results included 24 metres at 38.56 grams gold from 382 metres, with 5 metres at 118.7 grams and 10 metres at 34.42 grams gold; 26 metres at 21.86 grams gold from 214 metres, including 7 metres at 54.98 grams gold; and 20 metres at 19.47 grams from 321.5 metres, including 6.5 metres at 51.04 grams gold. West African executive chairman Richard Hyde said this drilling followed up on historical drilling results, including 23 metres at 11.26 grams gold per tonne. The executive said in a news release that scoping studies investigating the potential for a second underground mine at Sanbrado will be completed in 2023, with an updated resource estimate, ore reserves and a 10-year production outlook due to be released by March. West African poured first gold at Sanbrado in March 2020, with this year’s production forecast at 220,000-240,000 oz. The company aims to be a multi-project, more-than 400,000 oz. per year gold producer by 2025. 

This week’s second-best drill assay comes from OceanaGold (TSX: OGC), which reported that drill hole WKP109 at the Wharekirauponga project in New Zealand returned 12.9 metres grading 73.4 grams gold per tonne from 448.7 metres depth, for a width x grade value of 947. Conversion drilling at the advanced exploration project continues to define strong intercepts within the high-grade East Graben Vein Zone. Notably, drilling to date has defined only a portion of the East Graben Vein Zone which remains open in multiple directions and, with two parallel veins having seen limited follow-up drilling, highlighting the upside potential of the deposit. The Wharekirauponga low-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver vein system is about 10 km north of the company’s Waihi gold mine.

Emmerson Resources (ASX: ERM) reported the week’s third-best drill assay, featuring bonanza grades in an emerging new ore zone at Tennant Creek in Australia’s Northern Territory. Hole GFRC063 returned 28 metres grading 28.3 grams gold per tonne from 141 metres depth for a width x grade value of 792. According to the company, the latest assays indicate a significant expansion of the high-grade gold mineralization to the north of the historical Golden Forty mine. The host to this mineralization has also been intersected at Golden Forty 40 East (G40E) and within the mine environment, which depending on the results of the next batch of assays, suggests an emerging and more significant, high-grade gold project. Emmerson notes the mineralization remains open in all directions.