Aurion Resources drills 1.46 g/t gold over 33 metres at Helmi, Finland
Aurion Resources Ltd. [AU-TSXV; AIRRF-OTCQX] reported results for the final 12 holes from the winter 2022 drilling program, including six drilled at the Helmi discovery and six scout holes testing selected regional targets on the Aurion Resources (30%)/B2Gold Corp. [BTO-TSX; BTG-NYSE American; B2G-Namibia](70%) joint venture, operated by B2Gold, in the Central Lapland greenstone belt in northern Finland.
New gold intercepts at the Helmi Discovery include 1.46 g/t gold over 33.00 metres from 175.00 metres and 2.11 g/t gold over 21.70 metres from 216.00 metres (IKK22034); 1.40 g/t gold over 9.75 metres from 147.25 metres and 2.82 g/t gold over 4.80 metres from 184.35 metres (IKK22033). Mineralization was xtended along strike to the west and up and down dip. Significant gold mineralization was encountered in mafic-ultramafic and sedimentary rocks across the domain boundary.
Scout drilling intersects new zones of gold mineralization, including 5.70 g/t gold over 2.00 metrres from 20.10 metres (KUE22017); and 1.64 g/t gold over 5.20 metres from 192.80 metres (KUE22013). New zones of gold mineralization were ocated 950 to 1,250 metres west-northwest of the Helmi Discovery.
There is $3.5 million increase to JV Exploration budget for 2022, total budget $13.5 million. A total of 17,000 metres of drilling (inclusive 6,552.40 metres drilled) planned for 2022. The summer drilling program is ongoing.
Matti Talikka, Aurion’s CEO, said, “The winter drilling program was highly successful with gold mineralization intersected in 17 out of 18 holes drilled along the Helmi structural trend and in 5 out of 11 scout holes testing regional targets. These results extended the mineralized envelopes at Helmi and identified several new zones of gold mineralization approximately 1 km west-northwest of Helmi.
“In addition, recently intersected sediment hosted gold mineralization with significant width and grade may represent a new and important dimension to the already impressive discovery at Helmi. Considering the scale of the opportunity, the JV has increased the exploration budget for 2022 to CAN$13.5 million including 17,000 m of drilling. The ongoing summer drilling program will aim to further extend the mineralized footprint at Helmi as well as continue to test regional targets along the highly prospective 8 km long structural trend.”
The Helmi Discovery is located approximately 1.3 km west of Rupert Resources’ 3.95-million-ounce Ikkari Discovery, along an approximately 8 km long sequence of prospective geology along a domain boundary in the eastern part of the JV property extending from the Ikkari Discovery to the Kutuvuoma test pit.
The Helmi Discovery was made during the second half of 2021 and the maiden drilling program of 20 holes, totaling 5,201.5 metres, which returned a number of significant intercepts including 1.84 g/t gold over 52.40 metres, 1.73 g/t gold over 44.95 metres, 1.42 g/t gold over 30.70 metres, 1.42 g/t gold over 30.60 metres, 1.46 g/t gold over 28.70 metres and 1.11 g/t gold over 45.80 metres.
The mineralized zones at Helmi are open along strike and at depth. The Helmi area covers approximately 1.5 km strike length of the 8 km long structural corridor of which the majority remains untested.
A total of 29 holes, 6,552.40 metres, were drilled at Helmi and nearby target areas from February to April 2022. The program was designed to test the continuity of gold mineralization encountered in the maiden drill program as well as test additional targets to the north and northwest of the Helmi Discovery, identified by geophysics and base of till sampling. The winter drilling program returned a number of intercepts of wide and consistent gold mineralization including 2.05 g/t gold over 77.50 metres, 2.44 g/t over 43.45 metres, 1.46 g/t gold over 39.00 metres, 1.45 g/t over 35.50 metres, 2.05 g/t over 18.30 metres and 1.42 g/t over 15.90 metres.