Altus Strategies drills 21.9 g/t gold over 10.2 metres at Diba, Mali
Altus Strategies PLC [ALTS-TSXV; ALTUF-OTCQX; ALS-AIM] reported intersected high grades from diamond drilling at its 100%-owned Diba gold project in western Mali, West Africa. Diba hosts a shallow-dipping, near-surface gold deposit and a number of other prospective targets.
Intersections from the Diba Deposit (down-the-hole and not true widths) include 21.9 g/t gold over 10.2 metres from 28 metres (including 72.2 g/t over 3.0 m from 31.0m); 2.0 g/t gold over 25.4 metres from 43.4 metres (including 3.2 g/t gold over 12.3 m from 56.5m); 1.4 g/t gold over 26.7 metres from 17.3 metres (including 4.1 g/t gold over 3.0 m from 32.2 m).
Combined 10,100 metres of diamond drilling (DD) and reverse circulation (RC) drilling is underway which is designed to expand the current Mineral Resource Estimate of the Diba Deposit, test the strike and down dip potential of the Diba NW discovery and test the extent of the high-grade zone within the Diba Deposit.
The current program will be supplemented by up to 2,500 metres of air core (AC) drilling. Diba is strategically located in a world-famous gold belt that hosts numerous open-pit mines.
Steven Poulton, CEO, commented: “A near-surface intersection of 21.9 g/t over 10.2 metres represents an outstanding start to the current drilling campaign at the Diba gold project in western Mali. The drilling will comprise up to 10,100 mteres of DD and RC and will be supplemented by up to 2,500 metres of AC drilling. These programs are designed to test the potential down-dip and along-strike extensions of the Diba Deposit, as well as increase the resource confidence. At the Diba NW discovery, the drilling will test the strike extent and down dip continuation of the mineralisation. We look forward to updating shareholders on the results of this programme when they are received.”
The DD program will primarily test the extent of the high-grade zone within the mineralization subject to the current MRE as well as the down-dip extension of the mineralised lenses. In addition, the DD program will produce orientated core to enable a better structural understanding of the Diba Deposit, as well as density measurements to understand any variations between oxide, transitional and fresh rock domains.
The RC program will primarily target expansion of the known lenses of mineralisation at both the Diba Deposit and Diba NW prospect. The holes will target the along-strike and down-dip extension to previously defined mineralisation. In addition, drill holes will test the potential for further lenses of mineralisation to occur beneath the currently modelled lenses.
The 81 km2 Diba project (Korali Sud licence) is located in the Kayes region of western Mali, approximately 450 km northwest of the capital city of Bamako. The project is 5 km west of the company’s Lakanfla gold project, which is under joint venture with ASX-listed Marvel Gold Limited, and approximately 13 km south of the multi-million ounce Sadiola gold mine and 35 km south of the multi-million ounce Yatela former gold mine, both owned by Allied Gold Corp.
Diba hosts a deposit for which an MRE of 217,000 ounces at 1.39 g/t gold (Indicated) and 187,000 ounces at 1.06 g/t gold (Inferred) in both oxide and fresh domains has been made.