- 0156m at 3.87g/t gold, incl. 16m at 10.19g/t, beneath Woulo Woulo's pit.
- 02Results test a 700m shoot and may grow its 1.7Moz resource.
- 03Six deeper holes underway.
Turaco Gold (ASX: TCG) has intersected high-grade gold beneath the existing open-pit design at the Woulo Woulo deposit within its Afema project in Côte d’Ivoire.
The standout diamond core intercept returned 56 metres at 3.87 grams per tonne gold from 266m, including 16m at 10.19g/t from 304m.
The latest five holes tested a higher-grade shoot interpreted to extend about 700m along strike within the approximately three-kilometre-long deposit.
Three of the five holes drilled within the interpreted shoot returned broad mineralised intervals, while the remaining two holes were drilled outside that zone.
Turaco believes the results support potential expansion of Woulo Woulo’s existing mineral resource estimate of 1.7 million ounces, and could inform both open-pit and underground development options.
Deeper Gold Shoot Drilling
Alongside the standout intersection, drilling delivered 59m at 1.67g/t gold from 255m and 67m at 1.03g/t from 369m, including 26m at 1.45g/t.
The other two holes returned 68m at 0.79g/t gold and 59m at 0.60g/t, illustrating the variation in grades across the broader deposit.
An earlier deep test had already extended higher-grade mineralisation more than 250m vertically below previous drilling, with an unconstrained interval of 100m at 1.06g/t from 495m.
Turaco estimates the true thickness of the latest downhole intersections at 65% to 75% of their reported lengths, an important qualification when considering the widths.
An additional specialised diamond core rig has arrived on site and a further six-hole program has commenced to test deeper extensions of the interpreted shoot.
Complex Internal System
The mineralisation is hosted in fractured rhyolite near the western margin of Woulo Woulo, where a south-plunging flexure is interpreted to concentrate higher gold grades.
A secondary shallow north-plunging structural trend appears to focus the strongest grades within that broader corridor, giving the shoot a more complex internal geometry.
“Woulo Woulo is a very large, robust gold system with mineralisation over 3km and widths of up to 50,” managing director Justin Tremain said.
“16m @ 10.19g/t gold within 56m @ 3.87g/t gold is arguably the best drill result we have seen at Woulo Woulo to date.”
“We look forward to results from the next phase of deeper drilling at Woulo Woulo currently underway.”
Resource Growth Timetable
Woulo Woulo currently contains 53.5 million tonnes at 1.0g/t gold for 1.7Moz, reported within an open-pit shell at a 0.5g/t cut-off grade.
That resource comprises 35.9Mt in the Indicated category and 17.6Mt in the Inferred category, with the deeper drilling aimed at mineralisation below the existing resource envelope.
Across Afema, the current MRE stands at 4.65Moz, while the project has a separate probable ore reserve of approximately 1.91Moz, based on a US$2,000-per-ounce gold price assumption.
Resource extension drilling is continuing at the Asupiri-Adiopan and Begnopan deposits, with an updated Afema MRE scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 to underpin the definitive feasibility study.
Turaco also expects to submit the project’s environmental and social impact assessment to the relevant environment department later in October, alongside its continuing technical work.
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