Aton drills high grade sulphide mineralisation at Rodruin , with 39.4 g/t gold and 26 1.7 g/t silver over 9.9 metres, within an overall intersection of 88. 6 metres grading 5.76 g/t gold, 42.0 g/t silver, 0.31% copper and 2.40% zinc
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aton drills high grade sulphide mineralisation at Rodruin ,
with 39.4 g/t gold and 26 1.7 g/t silver over 9.9 metres, within
an overall intersection of 88. 6 metres grading 5.76 g/t gold,
42.0 g/t silver, 0.31% copper and 2.40% zinc
Vancouver, May 10, 2022: Aton Resources Inc. (AAN: TSX -V) (“Aton” or the “Company") is very pleased to
update investors on the latest assay results from the Phase 2 diamond drilling programme at its advanced
Rodruin gold exploration project. Rodruin is located in the Company’s 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession
(“Abu Marawat” or the “Concession”), in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.
Highlights:
• Diamond drilling is ongoing at Rodruin, with 35 drill holes now having been completed to date, ROD-
048 and ROD-051 to ROD-084, for a total of 3,862 metres;
• Drill holes ROD -048, ROD -070, and ROD- 071 were drilled to test for potential deep sulphide
mineralisation to the north of the Aladdin’s Hill zone;
• Drill hole ROD-071 returned a mineralised intersection grading 5.76 g/t Au, 42.0 g/t Ag, 0.31% Cu
and 2.40% Zn over 88.6m , from 117.2m down hole depth, which included a very high grade zone
grading 39.4 g/t Au, 261.7 g/t Ag, 0.84% Cu and 3.55% Zn over 9.9m;
• The Au- Ag-Cu-Zn sulphide mineralisation in hole ROD -071 is hosted within heavily siliceous and
phyllic altered tuffogenic sediments;
• Other drill holes also returned significant mineralised intersections including 17.1m grading 1.07 g/t
Au and 15.7 g/t Ag (hole ROD-048), and 5.7m grading 4.21 g/t Au and 14.6 g/t Ag (hole ROD-070);
• These latest results indicate the potential for the development of significant high grade polymetallic
sulphide gold resources at Rodruin.
“To say that we are happy with these latest drilling results from Rodruin would frankly be a bit of an
understatement” said Tonno Vahk, Interim CEO . “The sulphide intersection from hole ROD -071 is by some
distance the best intersection Aton has ever drilled in Egypt, and is hugely encouraging for the deeper sulphide
potential at Rodruin. The mineralisation is hosted in very strongly altered sediments, associated with significant
copper and zinc sulphides, and appears to be the fresh unweathered precursor to the high grade mineralisation
that we intersected in the discovery hole ROP -003 at Aladdin’s Hill in 2018. Everything that we are seeing is
backing up our long held belief that the Rodruin deposit comprises zones of bulk mineralisation, containing
discrete very high grade zones. There are at least two distinct mineralisation styles at Rodruin – the first hosted
in sulphidic carbonates, which weather to gossans, and a second style of coarse gold bearing mineralisation
hosted in heavily altered sediment s. The identification of high grade primary sulphide-rich altered sediment
hosted mineralisation at depth is very important, and indicates the potential for Rodruin to become a really
significant sized deposit. The mineralisation at Rodruin is rather unusual, but its association with silver, zinc
and copper indicates a polymetallic association that is similar to what we see at the Abu Marawat and Hamama
deposits, and it is our belief that while apparently quite different, these three deposits are all genetically related.
Rodruin is clearly structurally complex, but we are very much moving in the right direction with the identification
of the high grade sulphide mineralisation, and we also continue to be very encouraged by the identification of
coarse visible gold in holes which we are currently drilling at Aladdin’s Hill.”
Figure 1: Geology plan of the Abu Marawat Concession showing the location of the Rodruin project
Rodruin diamond drilling programme
The Rodruin prospect was discovered in December 2017 by Aton geologists (see news release dated
December 14, 2017), and is located approximately 18km east of the Company’s Hamama West mineral
deposit (Figure 1). During 2018 Aton constructed a c. 4.5km access road to the prospect, and undertook a
highly successful 50 hole Phase 1 reverse circulation percussion (“RC”) drilling programme at Rodruin, which
returned numerous mineralised intersections including 36m grading 12.47 g/t Au and 9.3 g/t Ag, from 5m
downhole depth (hole ROP-003, see news release dated October 1, 2018).
The Phase 2 diamond drilling programme at Rodruin commenced in late November 2021, and results reported
to date include 48. 0m grading 1.97 g/t Au and 5.3 g/t Ag, from 27.0m, in hole ROD -052 (see news release
dated January 25, 2022), and 88.25m grading 1.74 g/t Au and 9.7 g/t Ag, from 25.75m, in hole ROD-055 (see
news release dated March 1, 2022).
After the completion of hole ROD-069 the drill rig was converted over to its standard steep hole configuration,
and holes ROD -070 and ROD -071 (Figure 2) were drilled to follow up on the primary carbonate-hosted
mineralisation intersected in RC hole ROP-050 (61m grading 1.55 g/t Au and 8.9 g/t Ag, from 111m, see news
release dated January 29, 2019) . Additionally, the vertical RC hole ROP -048 was re-entered and deepened,
and re-numbered as hole ROD-048. Collar and survey details of these holes are provided in Table 1.
Figure 2: Drill hole collar location plan, showing holes ROD-048, ROD-070 and ROD-071
Hole ID
Collar co-ordinates 1
Dip 2 Grid
azimuth 2
EOH
depth (m) Comments
X Y Z
ROD-048 552453 2913057 748 -88.1 125.0 219.60 Re-entry of RC hole ROP-048
ROD-070 552454 2913051 748 -55.4 183.8 177.20 Aladdin’s Hill North sulphides
ROD-071 552455 2913158 740 -68.0 188.0 246.40 Aladdin’s Hill North sulphides
Notes:
1) Collar co-ordinates as laid out using handheld GPS
2) Collar surveys of drill holes undertaken at c. 5-6m depth, using Reflex EZ-Trac survey tool
3) All co-ordinates are UTM (WGS84) Zone 36R
Table 1: Collar details of diamond drill holes ROD-048, ROD-070, and ROD-071
Discussion of results
All 3 drillholes were drilled on the north- south 552450E section at Rodruin (Figure 3). Hole ROD -070 was
drilled to test above the mineralised carbonate intercepted in RC hole ROP-050, whereas holes ROP-048 and
ROD-071 were designed to test under this zone. Hole ROD -074 and ROD-075 have also been subsequently
completed on this section, and assay results from these 2 holes are pending. Hole ROD -048 intersected a
wide zone of heavily sulphidic carbonate, similar to that identified in RC hole ROP-050, whereas neither ROD-
070 nor ROD-071 intersected this carbonate unit. ROD-071 intersected wide zones of heavily quartz-sericite-
pyrite (“phyllic”) altered rocks (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Schematic cross-section – 552450E
Holes ROD-048 and ROD-070 intersected carbonate- hosted gold-silver-zinc oxide mineralisation from
surface, with ROD -048 also intersecting deeper carbonate- hosted mineralisation at depth. Hole ROD -071
returned a long gold- silver-copper-zinc intersection associated with heavily sulphidic and silicified phyllic
altered sediments. Details of intersections are provided in Table 2.
Hole ID
Intersection (m) 1 Au
(g/t)
Ag
(g/t)
Cu
(%)
Pb
(%)
Zn
(%) Comments
From To Interval
ROD-048
0.0 2 17.0 17.0 2.21 6.8 0.43 - 5.98 Re-entry of RC hole
ROP-048, coring started
at 65.5m 48.0 53.0 5.0 0.78 2.8 0.02 - 0.26
116.7 133.8 17.1 1.07 15.7 0.01 0.03 0.33
178.8 183.9 5.1 0.64 22.2 0.83 0.03 7.45
ROD-070
0.00 5.7 5.7 4.21 14.6 0.11 0.07 1.64
18.4 20.6 2.2 3.35 8.5 0.03 0.14 0.96
ROD-071 58.9 75.3 16.4 1.20 23.2 0.03 0.10 0.09
117.2 205.8 88.6 5.76 42.0 0.31 0.03 2.40
incl. 138.1 148.0 9.9 39.40 261.7 0.84 0.02 3.55
Notes:
1) Intersections calculated at a nominal cutoff grade of 0.3 g/t Au in runs of continuous mineralisation
2) Intersection previously reported – see news release dated January 29, 2019
Table 2: Mineralised intersections from diamond drill holes ROD-048, ROD-070, and ROD-071
ROD-071
Hole ROD-071 returned an intersection of 88.6m grading 5.76 g/t Au, 42.0 g/t Ag, 0.31% Cu and 2.40% Zn
from 117.2m depth, including a bonanza grade interval from 138.1m, grading 39.4 g/t Au, 261.7 g/t Ag, 0.84%
Cu and 3.55% Zn over 9.9m. All the assays from this intersection are provided in Appendix A. This polymetallic
mineralisation is associated with a unit of dark grey, highly altered and siliceous rock, consisting primarily of
quartz, sericite and sulphide and sulphosalt minerals. All original texture in the rock has been destroyed, but
this unit is interpreted as consisting of very heavily altered sedimentary rocks. The mineralised interval is not
believed to represent true thickness, but the orientation of the mineralised zone is not yet determined.
The mineralised interval is strongly sulphidic, carrying approximately 10% pyrite, and up to 20% very pale grey
sphalerite in places, with locally very high concentrations (Figure 4). The highest bonanza grade intersection
is notably elevated in both copper and zinc (Appendix A), and there appears to be a good correlation between
copper with the highest grades of gold (up to 140.5 g/t, between 140.1-142.1m) and silver (up to 1105 g/t, over
the same interval). It is noted that the strongest gold mineralisation appears to be associated with an increase
in the level of silicification of the rock , as well as copper . It is also noted that coarse visible gold is typically
associated with copper and lead/arsenic oxide minerals from the near-surface Aladdin’s Hill zone in drill core
and outcrop, eg. in hole ROD-055 (see news release dated March 1, 2022).
The heavily phyllic altered unit that hosts the mineralised intersection is fault -bounded to both the south and
the north, and also above by the South Ridge Thrust (“SRT”), a prominent structural feature which outcrops
along the south side of the South Ridge and which dips to the north at about 40 °. Hole ROD-071 intersected
a separate sequence of heavily foliated quartz -sericite-pyrite rock above the SRT, which also returned a
mineralised intersection grading 1.20 g/t Au and 23.2 g/t Ag over 16.4m , from 58.9m down hole on its
northern faulted margin.
ROD-048 and ROD-070
Both holes ROD-048 and ROD-070 intersected gold-silver-zinc mineralisation immediately from surface, with
ROD-048 returning 2.21 g/t Ag, 6.8 g/t Ag and 5.98% Zn over 17m (see news release dated January 29, 2019),
and ROD-070 returning 4.21 g/t Ag, 14.6 g/t Ag and 1.64% Zn over 5.7m, in gossanous carbonate host rocks.
Hole ROD-070 passed into unmineralised sediments above and below the SRT, and did not intersect further
mineralisation below 20m depth. Hole ROD -048 also intersected several deeper zones of mineralisation
including 1.07 g/t Au and 15.7 g/t Ag over 17.1m, from 116.7m downhole depth , in a sulphide-rich carbonate-
silica-talc unit.
Figure 4: ROD-071 drill core from 138.02-143.46m (note the chalcopyrite at approximately 140.3m, and
the network veins of pale grey sphalerite, prominent at about 138.4 and 141.0m)
Discussion
The sulphide mineralisation intersected in hole ROD-071 appears to be the primary sulphide equivalent of the
block of fault -bounded coarse gold bearing oxide mineralisation seen at Aladdin’s Hill. The deep sulphide
mineralisation intersected in ROD -071 is hosted within a fault -bounded block of highly siliceous and altered
rock, which is apparently bounded above by the SRT . This block is open at depth and along strike, and is
effectively ‘blind’ as it is located directly under both the SRT and Upper Thrust (“UT”) structures (Figure 3).
These blocks of heavily phyllic altered rocks , and the associated polymetallic mineralisation, are interpreted
as being fault-bounded and controlled.
The regional stratigraphy consists of a sequence of predominantly tuffogenic sedimentary rocks (slates and
tuffogenic sandstones), and carbonate- silica-sulphide(±talc) rocks, of undetermined origin, which host much
of the gossanous mineralisation that outcrops over wide areas of the South Ridge at Rodruin. Mapping of this
stratigraphy indicates that it has been heavily folded and faulted, as well as being cut by at least 2 shallow
north-dipping structures – the SRT and the UT. The UT, which is roughly parallel to and controls the mountain
slope on the northern flank of the South Ridge (Figure 3), appears to be a significant structure, and outcrops
to the northwest of and bounds the main mineralised area at Rodruin. Its hangingwall sequence appears to
consist predominantly of a series of unmineralised carbonate altered sediments. It is likely that the mineralised
sequence in the footwall of the UT, which is exposed at surface on the South Ridge at Rodruin, continues to
the northwest, and could be continuous at very shallow depths beneath the hangingwall sequence of rocks
above the UT.
Aton believes that there is potential to identify very significant volumes of additional mineralisation at Rodruin,
as the current drilling continues to indicate that it is effectively open in all directions, at depth and along strike,
as well as there being potential for further blind mineralisation under the UT. The identification of the high
grade primary polymetallic sulphide mineralisation associated with the phyllic altered sediments at depth is
particularly significant.
The current diamond drilling programme at Rodruin was designed with the objective of testing and quantifying
the potential near surface open pittable resources at Rodruin, as well as testing the deeper primary
mineralisation identified during the Phase 1 RC drilling programme. The original programme has now been
extended beyond its original planned meterage. Additional drilling (holes ROD-074 and ROD-075, Figure 3)
has intersected further Cu- Zn sulphide mineralisation at depth, and Aton will continue to release new drill
results as the assays become available.
Sample processing and analytical procedures
Drill core was logged by Aton geologists, and marked up for cutting and sampling at the Rodruin core farm.
Samples were typically selected over nominal 1m intervals, but as determined by the logged lithologies. The
core was half-cut by Aton staff at the onsite Rodruin sample preparation facility.
The split half-core samples were collected and bagged up in cloth bags, weighed and crushed to -4mm onsite,
and split to a nominal c. 250-500g sample size. The coarse crushed reject samples are retained onsite at the
Rodruin sample prep facility.
QAQC samples are inserted at a rate of approximately 1 certified reference material (or “standard” sample)
every 30 samples, 1 blank sample every 15 samples, and 1 duplicate split sample every 15 samples.
The c. 250-500g dried, crushed and split samples were shipped to ALS Minerals sample preparation laboratory
at Marsa Alam, Egypt where they were pulverised to a size fraction of better than 85% passing 75 microns .
From this pulverised material a further sub-sample was split off with a nominal c. 50g size, which was shipped
on to ALS Minerals at Rosia Montana, Romania for analysis.
Samples were analysed for gold by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (“AAS”) finish (analytical
code Au-AA23), and for silver, copper , lead and zinc using an aqua regia digest followed by an AAS finish
(analytical code AA45). Any high grade gold samples (>10 g/t Au) were re-analysed using analytical code Au-
GRA21 (also fire assay, but with a g ravimetric finish). Any high grade Ag and base metal samples (Ag >100
g/t, and Cu, Pb and Zn >10,000ppm or >1%) were re- analysed using the ore grade technique AA46 (also an
aqua regia digest followed by an AAS finish).
About Aton Resources Inc.
Aton Resources Inc. (AAN: TSX-V) is focused on its 100%
owned Abu Marawat Concession (“Abu Marawat”),
located in Egypt’s Arabian -Nubian Shield, approximately
200 km north of Centamin’s world-class Sukari gold mine.
Aton has identified numerous gold and base metal
exploration targets at Abu Marawat, including th e
Hamama deposit in the west, the Abu Marawat deposit in
the northeast, and the advanced Rodruin exploration
prospect in the south of the Concession. Two historic
British gold mines are also located on the Concession at
Sir Bakis and Semna. Aton has identi fied several distinct
geological trends within Abu Marawat, which display
potential for the development of a variety of styles of
precious and base metal mineralisation. Abu Marawat is
447.7 km2 in size and is located in an area of excellent
infrastructure; a four -lane highway, a 220kV power line,
and a water pipeline are in close proximity, as are the
international airports at Hurghada and Luxor.
Qualified person
The technical information contained in this News Release
was prepared by Javier Orduña BSc (hons), MSc, MCSM,
DIC, MAIG, SEG(M), Exploration Manager of Aton
Resources Inc. Mr. Orduña is a qualified person (QP) under
National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for
Mineral Projects.
For further information regarding Aton Resources Inc.,
please visit us at www.atonresources.com or contact:
TONNO VAHK
Interim CEO
Tel: +1 604 318 0390
Email: [email protected]
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements. Since forward-looking statements
address future events and conditions; by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results
in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.