Cora Gold Ltd today announced it would start its largest single drill campaign at its flagship Sanankoro gold project in the Yanfolila gold belt, southern Mali.
The $3.7 million programme will be for an initial 22,000 metre reverse core, diamond drilling which has been awarded to Capital Drilling Mali SARL.
Cora said it expected the drilling to reach 35,000m by end of July 2021 when the company will assess the resources.
Drilling will focus on building resource along with infill drilling to convert existing inferred resources to indicated.
The junior miner added that rigs were arriving at the site and drilling was due to start within the coming days.
During 2019 and 2020 the company drilled circa 18,000m on the Sanankoro permit, and this year’s campaign could nearly double the depth.
In December 2019, SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd identified a mineral resource estimate (MRE) for Sanankoro of 5.0Mt at 1.6 g/t Au for a contained 265,000 ounces including 4.5Mt of oxide material (comprising hardcap, saprolite and saprock material) at a grade of 1.6 g/t Au, and 0.5Mt of sulphide material at 1.8 g/t Au.
Across the deposit, the base of oxidation ranges from 30m-125m, with an average depth below surface of approximately 65m.
Cora said that the open pit shells used to constrain the resource extend to a maximum depth of 130m below surface highlighting the significant potential upside to the current resource.
“This drill programme will be the largest single programme that Cora has ever completed,” added chief executive Bert Monro.
“If expanded to 35,000m it will represent an almost doubling of the drilling on the Sanankoro permit over the previous two years.
“This is an extremely exciting time for the company and all the team are fully focussed on delivering this programme.
“The company looks forward to this drilling programme both increasing the size of our resources but also increasing their confidence as we aim for maiden indicated resources.”
Cora Gold, operating in Mali and Senegal in West Africa, believes Sanankoro has the potential for a standalone mine development.