Aurum Resources has reported further gold mineralisation across three Boundiali targets, including a high-grade 5.85-metre intercept at BMT3. The 60-hole program is designed to expand the resource, upgrade confidence and support a maiden estimate for BMT2 ahead of an early fourth-quarter update.
- 60 diamond holes returned assays across 10,649.85 metres
- BMT3 delivered 5.85m at 8.77 g/t gold, including 3.85m at 13.02 g/t
- BMT2 drilling is intended to support a maiden Inferred Resource
- Boundiali mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth
- Updated resource estimate is targeted for early Q4 2026, with DFS due late 2026
60 holes add weight to Boundiali resource case
Aurum Resources (ASX:AUE) has put another 10,649.85 metres of diamond drilling into the queue for its next Boundiali resource estimate, reporting assays from 60 holes across BMT1, BMT2 and BMT3 in Côte d’Ivoire. The results extend mineralisation beyond the current resource and leave the company’s BM tenement system open along strike and at depth.
The standout numbers came from BMT3, where Aurum reported 5.85 metres at 8.77 grams per tonne gold from 335.15 metres, including 3.85 metres at 13.02 g/t. Other notable BMT3 results included 18.5 metres at 2.54 g/t from 49.5 metres and 5.84 metres at 5.58 g/t from 141.56 metres. The intercepts are downhole lengths, with true widths estimated at roughly 60% to 85% of those figures.
BMT2 drilling targets first resource estimate
BMT2 is the more consequential resource story in the batch. Aurum currently defines no resource there, but the latest 11 holes produced several mineralised zones, including 7.46 metres at 1.34 g/t, 9.49 metres at 0.94 g/t and 5.15 metres at 1.52 g/t. The company says the drilling was designed to establish enough density to support a maiden Inferred Resource.
That work builds on the earlier BMT2 drilling, which identified high-grade gold outside the then-current resource boundary. The latest release does not assign ounces to BMT2; whether the prospect converts into a reportable resource, and at what grade and scale, remains a question for the upcoming estimate.
BMT1 and BMT3 offer conversion and expansion potential
At BMT1, which carries an existing resource of 8.8 million tonnes at 1.1 g/t for 320,000 ounces, the program was aimed partly at converting Inferred material to Indicated. Hole MBDD481 returned separate intervals of 29 metres at 2.08 g/t and 29.38 metres at 1.08 g/t, while MBDD462 produced 6 metres at 3.11 g/t, including a one-metre section at 16.57 g/t.
BMT3 already hosts an 18.6-million-tonne resource at 1.3 g/t for 750,000 ounces. The latest drilling is intended to improve confidence as well as test extensions, rather than simply chase headline grades. Aurum says the results will be assessed alongside additional assays and geological data for inclusion in the next major Mineral Resource Estimate.
Resource update now sits alongside DFS timetable
Aurum is targeting the updated Boundiali estimate for early Q4 2026, using drilling completed by 30 September as the cut-off, and expects to deliver a Definitive Feasibility Study late in the year. The company says 16 self-owned diamond rigs are supporting a 150,000-metre Boundiali program in 2026, while a separate 30,000-metre Napié program is due to begin this quarter.
The development schedule has been reinforced by the A$52.5 million placement, which the company says leaves it with more than A$95 million in unaudited cash. Aurum has also said it is targeting mining licences, construction commencement in early 2027 and first gold in the first half of 2028. Those milestones remain dependent on permitting, funding and the results of the DFS; the drilling itself is encouraging, but it is not yet a revised resource or a production decision.
Bottom Line?
The next resource estimate will have to show whether open mineralisation and BMT2’s emerging system translate into additional ounces, higher confidence or both.
Questions in the middle?
- Will BMT2 receive a maiden Inferred Resource in the early Q4 update, and how large will it be?
- How much of the new drilling outside existing resources will be converted into reportable tonnes and ounces?
- Can Aurum secure mining licences and complete the DFS on schedule while continuing its unusually large drilling program?