Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX: PDI) has confirmed a significant new gold discovery from the recently completed diamond drilling program at the Ouarigue South prospect of its Ferkessedougou North Project (Toro JV), located in northern Cote D’Ivoire.
The company announced the completion of a nine-hole DD program totalling 1,059m at the Ouarigue South prospect.
PDI said that the results exceeded expectations, with thick gold intercepts and high-grade intervals in a body that is up to 100m wide and at least 210m long, open to the south and at depth.
Some of the notable intersections include 45.3m at 3.16g/t gold from 45.9m, including 9m at 10.31g/t gold; 45m at 1.52g/t gold from 42.1m; and 59.7m at 1.35g/t gold from 49.5m, including 4.5m at 5.83g/t gold.
The company reported that there is excellent potential to find more mineralised bodies like Ouarigue South within the 17km-long gold-in-soil Ferkessedougou North gold-in-soil anomaly, which is largely untested by drilling.
The Toro JV
Predictive has a 30% interest in the Ferkessedougou North project via the Toro joint venture. The 2019 Toro Joint Venture Cote D’Ivoire exploration program is currently focused on the Ferkessedougou North and Boundiali Projects.
Discoveries have now been made at the Nyangboue prospect on Boundiali and Ouarigue South prospect on Ferkessedougou North.
It may be noted that PDI has interests in approximately 5,000km2 of prospective landholdings across the world-class Birimian greenstone belts of Cote D’Ivoire.
Diamond drilling program
PDI reported that the diamond drilling (DD) program was carried out by West African-based contractor Energold and the drill samples were analysed by fire assay at ALS, Loughrea in Ireland.
The DD program was designed to explore the shape and grade distribution of the Ouarigue South gold mineralised body, which was initially encountered in reconnaissance RC drilling and trenching programs.
To date, a total of 7,107m of trenching, 80 RC holes (for 4,989m) and 9 DD holes (for 1,059m) have been completed on the Ferkessedougou North Project.
PDI said that the results from 8 holes have been reported, which includes numerous plus 1g/t gold intercepts. Results are still pending from the last DD hole, which was drilled 220 metres northeast of the mapped gold mineralised granite.
Significant intersections from 8 Holes
The significant gold intersections include
- 45.3m at 3.16g/t gold from 45.9m including 9m at 10.31g/t gold, 10.9m at 1.94g/t gold from 95.7m, and 4.7m at 6.14g/t gold from 134m.;
- 45.0m at 1.52g/t gold from 42.1m;
- 16.5m at 2.43g/t gold from 24m including 4.5m at 5.50g/t gold;
- 15m at 2.06g/t gold from surface, 10.5m at 1.71g/t gold from 34.5m, and 59.7m at 1.35g/t gold from 49.5m including 4.5m at 5.83g/t gold;
- and 34.9m at 0.98g/t gold from 12m, 39.7m at 3.54g/t gold from 51.4m including 4.5m at 11.00g/t gold.
What’s next?
PDI said that with the DD-confirmed discovery of Ouarigue South, the joint venture’s objective is now to find more gold-mineralised bodies of this type to attain a target resource inventory of 1-2 million ounces or more.
To this end, the immediate work focus is expected to be on finding more of this style of mineralisation, prior to carrying out the next large drill program.
The company said that following the rainy reason that is expected to start shortly, field work will focus on identifying more sub-cropping Ouarigue South-style gold mineralised bodies.
PDI reported that the first step will be close spaced soil sampling followed quickly by an extensive trenching program following up all promising anomalies. This is a repetition of the simple but successful approach that discovered Ouarigue South and will be followed up by drilling the promising new targets.
PDI said that work is on ongoing across the Boundiali Project with results pending from 4,577m of trenching completed on the Boundiali North Permit and follow-up RC drilling in progress. Currently, results are pending from the final 16 holes of the 31-hole RC infill drill program on Nyangboue.
Management comments
Predictive Discovery Managing Director, Paul Roberts said: “These results are a significant improvement on the initial reconnaissance RC results1 at Ouarigue South and suggest that overall gold grades are higher at depth i.e. below the near-surface weathered zone.