Aurion Resources (TSX-V:AU) Ltd has said the winter drill program at its joint venture (JV) with B2Gold (TSX:BTO) in Finland was "highly successful" such that the exploration budget for 2022 has been increased by C$3.5 million to C$13.5 million, and which will include 17,000 metres (m) of drilling.
The venture, in which Aurion has a 30% stake, with operator B2Gold owning 70%, covers around 331 square kilometers (sq km) along the Sirkka Shear Zone in the Central Lapland greenstone belt and includes discoveries such as Helmi, Kutuvuoma, Soretiavuoma and Kettukuusikko.
Aurion has now posted the results for the final 12 holes from the winter 2022 program, including six at the Helmi Discovery and six scout holes testing selected regional targets.
"The winter drilling program was highly successful with gold mineralization intersected in 17 out of 18 holes drilled along the Helmi structural trend and in 5 out of 11 scout holes testing regional targets," Matti Talikka, Aurion's CEO, told investors in a statement. "These results extended the mineralized envelopes at Helmi and identified several new zones of gold mineralization approximately 1 km west-northwest of Helmi."
READ: Aurion Resources reveals new high-grade gold results from winter drilling program at Helmi
"In addition, recently intersected sediment hosted gold mineralization with significant width and grade may represent a new and important dimension to the already impressive discovery at Helmi," he added.
Talikka also noted that the "ongoing" summer drilling program aims to further extend mineralization at Helmi and to test regional targets along an 8km long structural trend.
Among the highlights were new gold intercepts at the Helmi Discovery, including 1.46 grams per ton (g/t) gold over a length of 33 meters (m) from 175m depth and 2.11 g/t gold over 21.7m from 216m depth in one hole.
At Helmi, mineralization was also extended along strike to the west and up and down dip, noted Aurion.
Scout drilling also hit new zones of gold mineralization, the company said, with assays including 5.70 g/t gold over 2m from 20.10m depth in one hole.
The Helmi Discovery sits around 1.3km west of Rupert Resources' 3.95 million ounce Ikkari Discovery, along an around 8km long sequence of prospective geology in the eastern part of the JV property extending from the Ikkari Discovery to the Kutuvuoma test pit.
It was discovered in the second half of 2021 and a maiden drilling program of 20 holes, totaling 5,201.5m, returned a number of significant intercepts including 1.84 g/t gold over 52.40m and 1.42 g/t of the yellow metal over 30.70m.
In all, 29 holes for 6,552.40m were drilled at Helmi and nearby target areas from February to April this year.
Aurion is a well-funded Canadian exploration group and says its current focus is the flagship Risti and Launi projects, as well as its joint venture properties with B2Gold and Kinross in Finland.