Montage Gold Corp has announced exciting developments at its Petit Yao exploration target, with recent drilling results indicating the potential for a substantial high-grade satellite deposit. The target, situated just 7 kilometers from the company's Koné processing plant in Côte d'Ivoire, has yielded multiple impressive gold intercepts that suggest significant mineralization.
Impressive Drill Results Revealed
The initial drilling program at Petit Yao has produced several high-grade intercepts that have captured the attention of the mining industry. Among the most notable results are 6.0 meters at 7.26 grams per tonne gold from 55 meters depth, including even higher-grade sections of 1 meter at 13.84 g/t Au and 1 meter at 16.40 g/t Au. Another significant intercept showed 6.0 meters at 5.09 g/t Au from 59 meters, containing an exceptional 1-meter section grading 23.0 g/t Au.
Additional promising results include 5.0 meters at 5.12 g/t Au from 43 meters, 14.0 meters at 1.44 g/t Au from 53 meters, and 13.0 meters at 1.50 g/t Au from 67 meters. These findings demonstrate consistent mineralization across multiple drill holes.
Expanded Exploration Program
Encouraged by these initial results, Montage Gold has significantly accelerated its exploration efforts at Petit Yao. The company has already completed 4,068 meters of drilling this year, with half of that total drilled during October alone. The exploration program is now being expanded substantially, with plans to complete an additional 6,800 meters of drilling before the end of the year.
Beyond the immediate Petit Yao target, the company is also initiating 1,000 meters of scout auger drilling on a soil geochemical anomaly located northeast of the main discovery area. This indicates the company's confidence in the broader potential of the region.
Strategic Importance and Next Steps
Silvia Bottero, EVP Exploration of Montage, expressed considerable excitement about the discovery, stating that Petit Yao shows potential to become one of the highest-grade deposits of scale at the Koné project. The location's proximity to existing infrastructure, including the haulage road and processing plant, adds significant value to the discovery.
Mineralization at Petit Yao has been confirmed over a strike length of more than 1.1 kilometers and to depths of approximately 150 meters, with the mineralization remaining open in all directions. This suggests considerable potential for expansion as drilling continues.
The company plans to publish a maiden starter resource estimate for Petit Yao upon completion of the current drilling program. This will be accompanied by resource updates for several other deposits within the Koné project area, including Gbongogo South, Koban North, ANV, Yeré North, Lokolo Main, Sena, and Diouma North.
Montage Gold trades on the TSX under symbol MAU and on the OTCQX under symbol MAUTF, with the latest developments expected to generate significant investor interest as the company continues to unlock value at its Côte d'Ivoire operations.
