Alpha Exploration drills 11.03 g/t gold over 5 metres at Kerkasha, Eritrea
Alpha Exploration Ltd. [TSXV-ALEX] released final results from the first phase of its 2024 drilling program on its Aburna gold prospect on the 100%-owned, 771 km2 Kerkasha project located in Eritrea, Africa. Drilling consists of both reverse-circulation (RC) drilling and diamond core (DC) drilling.
Final assays have now been received for the remaining 16 drill holes drilled at Aburna in Q1 2024, and including five holes from Hill 52, five drill holes from Central area and a further six drill holes at Northeast area. All drill holes, except for DD (diamond drilling) holes ABD014, ABD015 and ABD016, were drilled as diamond tail extensions to existing RC drill holes completed earlier in March this year and were designed to test mineralization down plunge of the current mineralized lenses at all three prospects. Additional drilling results reported in this first phase program area are on the company’s website.
Highlights: Drill hole ABRD113: five metres at 11.03 g/t gold (Northeast area). Drill hole ABRD118: four m at 5.94 g/t Au (Central area). Drill hole ABRD105: 22 m at 1.71 g/t Au (Central area). Drill hole ABRD104: 18 m at 1.17 g/t Au (Central area). The first phase, 6,247-metre drilling program is now complete.
Alpha has now completed the first phase of a planned 20,000 metres, 2024 drilling program at Aburna. Drill hole ABRD113 was designed to test the main Northeast area mineralized shoot at depth and successfully intercepted the high-grade lens, including five m at 11.03 g/t Au. The width and grade of the intercept are consistent with the rest of the Northeast area footwall shoot that includes prior drill holes ABR037 (16 m at 14.07 g/t Au) and ABR078 (nine m at 5.99 g/t Au). Drill hole ABRD118 was designed to test down-dip potential at Central area and successfully intercepted four m at 5.96 g/t Au, extending known mineralization down dip.
Aburna is a major, district-scale orogenic gold prospect covering an area of at least 7 km long and 2 km wide, and is one of the three significant discoveries made by Alpha on the Kerkasha licence in the last three years. Exploration to date by Alpha on the project has defined six primary areas of interest at Aburna, and has established significant high-grade gold mineralized systems at Central area, Hill 52 and Northeast area.
Michael Hopley, Alpha president and CEO, said: “We are pleased to report further positive results from the first phase of our 2024 drilling program at Aburna. In particular, drill hole ABD113 in Northeast area has further confirmed the plunging high-grade mineralized orientation at Aburna, extending the principal shoot down plunge.
“Following receipt and interpretation of all assays now from this first phase program, and the successful conclusion of $7-million financing, where Alpha, in aggregate, raised $6.85-million, the company is now well funded to accelerate exploration on the Aburna gold prospect, as well at the other principal projects on our licence. We look forward to updating shareholders on our next work programs on Aburna in due course.”
The company commenced the first phase drill program in December, 2023. To date, 33 drill holes for 6,247 metres have been drilled at Central area (13 drill holes), Hill 52 (11 drill holes) and Northeast area (nine drill holes). Further assay results have been received from 16 of these 33 drill holes.
A significant interval is defined by consecutive one-meter intervals starting and ending at 0.20 g/t gold or better. A significant interval must be at least 3m long. Internal dilution is limited to 2 consecutive intervals of <0.20 g/t gold. Multiple internal dilutions are allowed. Single one-meter intervals of 1.00 g/t gold or greater are also considered significant. At this early stage of exploration, the true widths of intersections is not known but is estimated to be at least 80% of the reported intervals.
The Aburna Gold Prospect is a new gold discovery where recent drilling has established a high-grade discovery with grades including 18m at 15.33 g/t Au, 16 m at 14.07 g/t Au, 9 m at 10 g/t Au and 23 m at 6.74 g/t Au. The Anagulu Gold-Copper Prospect includes recent drilling intersections of 108 m at 1.24 g/t Au and 0.60% Cu and 49 m at 2.42 g/t Au and 1.10% Cu within a porphyry unit mapped over at a >2 km strike length. The Company is also advancing exploration of the Tolegimja volcanogenic massive sulphide copper-zinc-gold prospect and over 17 other gold and base metal prospects since listing in 2021.