Marmota reveals 165 g/t gold assay at Aurora Tank discovery

Marmota’s (ASX:MEU) best ever 1m intersection of 165 grams per tonne (g/t) gold at 66m rockets past previous top intercepts at Aurora Tank of 120 g/t, 105 g/t and 93 g/t.

Initial 4m composite results from the September 2020 drilling program were first reported to the ASX in November, but the new detailed results have only just been released.

“This is particularly pleasing given that this result was obtained in a predominately extensional program, testing out new ground along the north-west flank,” Marmota chairman Dr Colin Rose says.

Drilling has returned impressive assay results for the Aurora Tank discovery, Image: company supplied

Five separate samples returned top results

Marmota collected five separate ‘spearings’ of the drilling sample for the 1m intersection that yielded 165 g/t gold and assayed each one to ensure accuracy in the assay tests.

The five separate spearings returned grades of between 119 g/t gold to 223 g/t gold, yielding an average of 165 g/t gold, and each of the five spearings returned grades of more than 100 g/t gold.

The drilling program is the fourth to return intersected grades of ~100 g/t gold over 1m for the Aurora Tank discovery.

Marmota said it has been fortunate to intersect very high gold grades close to the surface at typically just 20m to 50m.

The Aurora Tank project area has continued to expand and now covers an area three times its original size of 15 months ago.

North-west flank of Aurora Tank discovery remains open

“Even more exciting is that the north-west flank remains open, both to the north where the last hole drilled yielded 30 g/t over 1m, and to the west and at depth with a reconnaissance hole returning our first high-grades at depth, namely 36 g/t at 120m downhole,” said Rose.

The intersection of 36 g/t gold suggests the presence of high-grade shoots of gold to the west and at depth of the Aurora Tank discovery, said the company.

“We are fortunate that Aurora Tank combines high-grade intersections that are close to the surface, with excellent metallurgy, making the discovery potentially amenable to low cost low Capex open pit heap leach mining methods, which are our clear focus,” said Rose.