Fortuna Mining drills 14.2 g/t gold over 16.8 metres at Kingfisher, Seguela Mine, Ivory Coast
Fortuna Mining Corp. [TSX-FVI; NYSE-FSM] provided an update on its exploration programs at the Seguela mine in Ivory Coast.
Seguela mine exploration highlights: Paul Weedon, senior vice-president of exploration at Fortuna, commented: “Kingfisher is rapidly shaping up as a substantial prospect for Seguela, with a drill defined strike now over 2 km in length, and it remains open at depth. Recent drilling highlights include 14.2 g/t gold over an estimated true width of 16.8 metres from 100 metres from drill hole SGRC1865, with mineralization remaining open at depth.” Weedon continued, “In addition to exploration success at Kingfisher, infill and depth extension drilling at the Sunbird deposit continues to support underground mining potential, with results including 8.8 g/t gold over an estimated true width of 6.3 metres from 301 metres from drill hole SGDD140.”
A further 58 holes for 6,966 metres (m) was completed at the Kingfisher prospect, defining continuous mineralization over more than two kilometres (km) of strike and merging the previous three separate lodes into a single zone of continuous mineralization. Drilling is continuing, testing the depth potential along this zone with additional exploratory drilling planned to the south, where only minimal surface geochemistry is available. Kingfisher was a “blind” discovery with one to two m of transported cover giving rise to very muted or no geochemical signature. Kingfisher remains open at depth for most of the drilled two km strike, with the deepest drilling only testing to approximately 200 m below surface.
Drilling is scheduled with two drilling rigs to continue throughout the remainder of 2024, with the aim of expanding the strike and depth potential of Kingfisher and supporting a maiden inferred resource early in 2025.
Sunbird Deposit drilling highlights include 8.5 g/t gold over an estimated 5.6 metres estimated true width from 375 metres and 8.8 g/t gold over an estimated true width of 6.3 metres from 301 metres.
At Sunbird, results from the first five holes, totalling 2,010 metres of a planned 12,000-metre drilling program, have been received, including 8.8 g/t gold over an estimated true width of 6.3 metres from 301 metres in drill hole SGDD140. The program is designed to infill and extend the current mineralized footprint as part of a program to evaluate underground mining potential, with mineralization remaining open 600 m below surface or more than 800 m down-plunge from the margin of the planned open pit.
This work will continue for the remainder of 2024, supported by preliminary underground mining studies.
Fortuna Mining has five operating mines in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mexico and Peru, as well as the preliminary-economic-assessment-stage Diamba Sud gold project, located in Senegal.