Aim-listed GoldStone Resources has provided the assays from the first three holes of the diamond drilling (DD) programme, announced on August 30, with the company highlighting “very encouraging results”.
These holes are the first in a programme designed to probe the southward extension of the high-grade orebody exploited in the Akrokeri mine, in Ghana, down to a depth of about 70 m vertical and along initial strike distance of around 600 m.
The drill programme is in line with the company’s strategy to advance additional high-priority gold targets towards production to augment current production from its Homase openpit mine.
The drilling confirmed continuity of the mineralised zone at vertical depths of between 36 m and 65 m and extending a minimum of 180 m beyond the known southern limit of the mine.
These results and the ongoing drill programme underpin GoldStone’s focus on delineating near-surface resources that can be exploited in the near future.
“The ramp up of gold production at Homase is gaining momentum and we are now increasingly contemplating our longer-term production profile.
“A key feature of this expansion plan is the delineation of potentially high-grade resources along strike and down dip of the Akrokeri orebody.
“Historically, the Akrokeri mine yielded 75 000 oz gold at an average grade of 24 g/t and, more recently, has returned some exceptional results from exploration activities,” comments CEO Emma Priestley.
She adds that, although the evidence from the old Akrokeri mine indicates that the orebody should extend to a vertical depth of about 150 m, the company’s focus will be on identifying relatively near-surface resources that can be exploited in the foreseeable future.