TSX- and ASX-listed gold miner Endeavour Mining has recorded successful exploration drilling results, including delineation of high-grade zones, at its Agbaou gold mine, located about 200 km north of Abidjan, in Côte d’Ivoire.

The drilling programme confirmed extensions of mineralisation in the West pit area and has delineated the higher-grade zones at Beta and Gamma.

“The majority of this new mineralisation at Agbaou is gold oxides and the next phase of our 2015 programme will focus on ensuring that these zones are brought into reserves at the end of this year,” says Endeavour CEO Neil Woodyer.

He also notes that the company is continuing to test strike extents as intersecting high-grade mineralisation, including 16.47 g/t over 8.3 m at Beta and 12.15 g/t over 9.4 m at Gamma, confirm the “exciting potential” Endeavour has to continue to extend the mine life at Agbaou.

Woodyer points out that, of the 220 holes totalling 22 004 m completed in the current drilling programme, 78% intersected mineralisation.

“These results demonstrate continuity of grades and widths and have confirmed the interpretation of the Omega and Sigma mineralised zones as extensions of the mineralisation along the same structures that host the West pit mineralisation,” he states.

Oxidation extends to between 40 m and 60 m depth throughout much of the area.

The Beta and Gamma zones were initially identified during Endeavour’s 2014 exploration programme. The Beta zone extends south-west of the North pit and drilling highlights include 8.3 m at 16.47 g/t gold (including 2.1 m at 42.43 g/t gold), 13.1 m at 3.95 g/t gold, including 3.6 m at 10.6 g/t gold, 26.7 m at 3.6 g/t gold (including 5.3 m at 10.9 g/t gold) and 16.9 m at 2.4 g/t gold (including 2.7 m at 8.4 g/t gold).

The Gamma zone is a result of follow-up drilling of widely spaced holes, which were also completed in 2014 on a subparallel mineralised trend. The Gamma zone is about 600 m long, moderately to steeply dipping south-east.