Asara Resources has reported significant auger geochemistry results from its Kada Gold Project in Guinea, delineating an 18 km gold anomaly at Bamfele and a drill-ready 1 km target at Damissa Koura, extending beyond historical exploration limits.
- 18 km continuous >50 ppb gold anomaly defined at Bamfele
- 1 km >100 ppb gold drill-ready target identified at Damissa Koura
- Auger program returns locally significant gold grades up to 5.6 g/t
- Conditional acquisition of Ara Exploration’s parent company progressing
- Plans underway for infill drilling to test newly defined targets
Regional Auger Program Expands Gold Anomalies
West African gold explorer Asara Resources Limited (ASX:AS1) has announced the latest results from its regional auger geochemistry program at the Kada Gold Project in Guinea. The program has completed 651 auger drillholes totalling 9,399 metres across the Bamfele and Damissa Koura permits, with drilling ongoing at Damissa Koura. The results delineate a continuous 18-kilometre-long gold anomaly exceeding 50 parts per billion (ppb) at Bamfele, interpreted to align with the T1 mineralised corridor, a key structural feature in the region.
In addition, a cross-cutting northeast-trending anomaly consistent with the T2 high-grade mineralisation event has been identified at Bamfele. This structural intersection is analogous to that controlling higher-grade mineralisation at the nearby Massan deposit, underscoring the prospectivity of the newly defined target area.
Drill-Ready Target at Damissa Koura Extends Historical Footprint
At Damissa Koura, auger drilling has delineated a 1-kilometre-long anomaly exceeding 100 ppb gold, coincident with historical drilling conducted by Newmont between 2009 and 2012. Newmont’s drilling tested approximately 500 metres of strike and returned significant intercepts, but Asara’s auger results indicate mineralisation extends beyond these historical limits. The current program is extending coverage along strike by an additional 1.2 kilometres, targeting areas of artisanal mining and defining a drill-ready target.
The auger program, designed as a shallow soil geochemistry campaign with drillholes averaging 10 to 15 metres depth, has returned locally significant gold grades from 3-metre composite samples. Notable intercepts at Bamfele include 6 metres at 0.9 g/t gold and 3 metres at 1.2 g/t gold, while Damissa Koura has yielded higher-grade results such as 3 metres at 5.6 g/t gold from surface.
Strategic Acquisition and Next Steps
Asara is progressing a conditional Heads of Agreement to acquire Arafura Quest Pty Ltd, the parent company of Ara Exploration SARLU, which owns the Damissa Koura permit. Upon settlement, Damissa Koura will be integrated into Asara’s licence package, expanding the project footprint. CEO Matt Sharples highlighted the confidence gained from the shallow auger program’s ability to return significant gold grades, supporting the company’s strategy to rapidly advance these targets to drill testing.
Following completion of the acquisition, Asara plans to commence infill drilling across the main targets to further define mineralisation. The company is executing the auger drilling campaign with its own rig and in-house team, achieving a steady drilling rate of approximately five holes per 100 metres per day.
Context Within the Kada Gold Project
The Kada Gold Project, located in the Siguiri Basin of Guinea, hosts an Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 30.3 million tonnes at 1.0 g/t gold for 923,000 ounces, predominantly inferred. The project remains under-explored, with substantial potential for resource growth through discovery of additional oxide gold mineralisation. Recent drilling at the Massan deposit within the project has confirmed continuity and extensions of high-grade gold mineralisation, supporting ongoing resource growth efforts. This recent auger program complements those efforts by expanding the exploration footprint and defining new drill targets beyond the Massan area, as detailed in Asara’s recent extension of high-grade gold zones at Massan deposit.
Overall, the auger geochemistry results provide important new insights into the structural controls on mineralisation across the Kada Project and reinforce the prospectivity of the Bamfele and Damissa Koura permits. The integration of Damissa Koura following the acquisition will further consolidate Asara’s position in this under-explored gold province.
Bottom Line?
Asara’s latest auger results expand known gold anomalies and define drill-ready targets, but the conditional acquisition and true mineralisation widths introduce uncertainties that will be clarified with upcoming infill drilling.
Questions in the middle?
- How will the completion of the acquisition of Arafura Quest influence Asara’s exploration strategy and capital allocation?
- What are the expected timelines and scopes for the planned infill drilling at Bamfele and Damissa Koura?
- How might the true widths and continuity of mineralisation at the new targets compare to the downhole intercepts reported?