West African gold explorer Aurum Resources has struck high-grade gold, including some bonanza hits, right outside the boundaries of its mammoth 3.22-million-ounce Boundiali gold project in Côte d’Ivoire.
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Resources → strike → d’Ivoire
The latest batch of assays received are from 60 diamond drill holes over 12,251 metres, split between infill, step-out and extensional drilling at the BMT1 deposit and the BMT2 prospect.
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batch → receive → deposit
Both targets sit in the northern half of Aurum’s BM tenement, in which it holds an 80 per cent interest.
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it → sit → interest
The results are part of a massive 100,000m diamond drilling campaign and included a stunning 2.38-metre intercept grading 22.01 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 277m, which housed an even higher-grade 1-metre core at a stellar 51.38g/t gold.
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which → include → gold
Other notable results from the 19 holes and 3790.9- metres of diamond drilling at the BMT2 prospect include a shallow hit of 1.5m assaying a rich 41.78g/t gold from just 27m downhole, with another hole delivering a wider 14.2m section going 2.36g/t gold from 205.8m and further hole landing 5.15m grading a solid 5.85g/t gold from 110m.
‘Boundiali continues to grow in both scale and confidence and today’s results reinforce that trajectory.’Aurum Resources
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results → include → trajectory
Significantly, the headline hit came from the BMT2 prospect, which currently sits outside the project’s defined resource, suggesting Aurum is onto a new zone of mineralisation that could potentially swell its already impressive resource base.
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that → come → base
The company says the gold system at the new ground remains open in all directions.
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system → say → directions
Additionally, 8460.65m of diamond drilling across 41 holes at the BMT1 deposit, host to 320,000 ounces of the global Boundiali resource, also delivered the goods.
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m → deliver → goods
Top hits included a shallow intercept of 1.35 metres at a bonanza 43.32g/t gold from only 17 m, featuring a richer section of 1m at an eye-watering 47.56g/t gold from 182m.
The drill bit also punched into several broader zones of mineralisation at BMT1, returning assays of 19m grading 1.90g/t gold from 243m and 13.45m going 1.31g/t gold from 171.8m.
Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “Results from both areas will be assessed for the next Boundiali Mineral Resource update, which is targeted for early in the December quarter.
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which → include → quarter
It will then feed into the DFS due late this year.”
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It → feed → DFS
Aurum has the drill bit running hot across its West African gold portfolio in 2026, unleashing a colossal 130,000m drilling blitz, with 100,000m of diamond core aimed at fattening up Boundiali and another 30,000m set to put the drill bit to work at the neighbouring Napié project.
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m → have → project
A key plank of the company’s strategy has been its ownership of a fleet of 16 diamond drill rigs, giving it the horsepower to explore faster and more cost-effectively than many of its peers.
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plank → give → peers
Adding to Boundiali’s momentum, the company was granted environmental approval for a six-million-tonne-per-annum gold mine in May.
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company → add → May
This was followed by a prefeasibility study in June, which projected an 11-year mine life delivering an estimated 1.5 million ounces of gold and a big maiden reserve of 1.21 million ounces.
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which → follow → ounces
For now, the current exploration push at Boundiali is designed to feed into a looming resource update, which is targeted for early in the fourth quarter of this year.
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which → design → year
The results will then be incorporated into a definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the project, expected in late 2026.
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results → incorporate → 2026
The company appears to be well-funded for its ambitious plans, holding a healthy $54.6 million in cash at the end of June.
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company → appear → June
Alongside its flagship Boundiali play, Aurum owns 100 per cent of the nearby 1.16-million-ounce Napié project, which it picked up through a 2025 takeover of Mako Gold.
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it → own → Gold
The acquisition brought another serious chunk of gold into the fold and helped swell Aurum’s global resource to a hefty 4.4 million ounces - a gold endowment that would make many of its peers blush.
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many → bring → peers
Napié features more than 26km of undrilled gold-bearing shear, with the 30,000-metre drilling program set to kick off in the December quarter this year.
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program → feature → quarter
With 16 drill rigs turning, a war chest of over $54 million and a clear pathway to a DFS, Aurum looks to be picking up the pace to build its impressive resource base as it continues the march toward its goal of becoming a major West African producer in the first half of 2028.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting?
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company → turn → something
The Aporia
