Cora Gold Limited has reported further drill results from its 2026 mineral resource estimate growth programme at the Sanankoro Gold Project in southern Mali, with new intercepts at the Selin deposit adding to the case for resource expansion.
The latest assays come from drilling at Selin, described by the company as the largest and most continuous of the project’s mineral resource estimate deposits, with a strike extent of more than 2.75km. The 2026 programme at the deposit comprised 21 reverse circulation holes for 3,748m, focused on extending mineralisation outside the current mineral resource estimate and testing the ‘blind’ western zone, which remains relatively untested.
According to the results, the Selin drill programme met its objective by defining new extensions to mineralisation outside the mineral resource estimate and showing grade continuity. The company also said more drilling will be needed in future because mineralisation remains open at depth beyond the current limits of the model.
Key intercepts at Selin
Among the best intercepts reported from Selin were 17m at 1.65g/t gold from 113m in hole SC0725 in the western zone, 23m at 1.34g/t gold from 38m in SC0726 in the main zone, and 18m at 1.03g/t gold from 111m in SC0728 in the western zone.
Other notable results included 14m at 1.33g/t gold from 146m in SC0729, 12m at 1.34g/t gold from 185m in the same hole, 16m at 1.32g/t gold from 177m in SC0730, 13m at 1.25g/t gold from 169m in SC0743, 15m at 1.76g/t gold from 143m in SC0744 and 22m at 1.28g/t gold from 135m in SC0745.
The full table also lists several additional intersections, including 3m at 4.98g/t gold in SC0728 and 23m at 0.85g/t gold in SC0747. Three holes – SC0722, SC0746 and SC0749 – did not intersect mineralisation.
Western zone and deeper extensions
The company said the results continue to show the continuous nature of mineralisation and gold grade. New intervals were also intersected along the interpreted extensions of the ‘blind’ western zone, which Cora Gold sees as an important future resource growth target.
Hole SC0725, drilled into that western zone, returned 17m at 1.65g/t gold from 144m and a second deeper interval of 9m at 0.93g/t gold from 144m. Both intervals sit within the previous 2025 mineral resource estimate reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction pit shell, but outside the mineralised grade shell. Cora Gold said that once the new mineralisation is re-modelled, it is expected to add resources to the next mineral resource estimate update.
Deeper drilling in the main zone also returned results that remain open at depth. Hole SC0729 recorded 14m at 1.33g/t gold from 146m and 12m at 1.34g/t gold from 185m. The company said the mineralised zones remain open at depth for future resource growth.
In the central area, surrounding holes also intersected mineralisation beneath the base of the 2025 mineral resource estimate model. Cora Gold said this should allow the updated pit optimisation to go deeper and add more resources where the north and south reserve pits join.
Another hole, SC0747, targeted shallow extensions to the main zone and returned 23m at 0.85g/t gold from 109m. The company said this supports continuity of mineralisation and is expected to allow the model to be extended to the same depth as to the north and south of the hole.
Management comment
Chief executive Bert Monro said: “Good mining operations are built around grade consistency and Selin continues to deliver as a robust gold deposit that will underpin the early years of our mine plan.
“It’s exciting to see the targeted drill programme intersect extensions to the relatively untested western zone. This is significant because any new resources defined at this zone will also help deepen the resources in the main zone by decreasing the strip ratio.
“These results build on the encouraging initial assays from Zone B. With assays pending from six drill areas and diamond drilling just starting, we believe that we are only just beginning to tap into the immense exploration potential at Sanankoro.”
Programme status
The drill programme was 89% complete at the end of September and remains ongoing, with the diamond drill rig now onsite to complete deeper holes at Zone B. Assays are still pending from Zone A, Zone C, Dakounkoura, TRA07, Kary in Zone B south/west and the remaining drill holes at Zone B.
Cora Gold said the new results build on recent high-grade intercepts from Zone B and add confidence in the potential to materially expand the project’s current mineral resource estimate inventory of 1.044 million ounces and life of mine of 10.2 years.
