Aton reports further results from the Abu Marawat diamond drilling programme, including 3.62 g/t Au and 47.2 g/t Ag over an interval of 27.60 metres
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aton reports further results from the Abu Marawat
diamond drilling programme, including 3.62 g/t Au and
47.2 g/t Ag over an interval of 27.60 metres
Vancouver, British Columbia, March 11, 2025: Aton Resources Inc. (AAN: TSX-V) (“Aton” or the “Company")
updates investors on the results of its ongoing diamond drilling programme at the Abu Marawat deposit, located
within the retained exploration areas of the Company’s Abu Marawat Concession (“Abu Marawat” or the
“Concession”) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.
Highlights:
• To date 66 diamond drill holes have been drilled at Abu Marawat, for a total of 5,468m. All holes have
been drilled horizontally or at shallow angles to test previously undrilled near-surface mineralisation in
an area of steep and mountainous terrain that is hard to access for conventional drilling rigs;
• Results for a further 31 holes, AMD-115 to AMD-145, are now available, with significant high grade
polymetallic mineralised intersections including:
• 3.62 g/t Au, 47.2 g/t Ag, 4.15 g/t AuEq, 0.32% Cu and 0.63% Zn over a 27.60m interval on the
CVZ, from 34.40m downhole depth (hole AMD-142);
• 4.53 g/t Au, 68.5 g/t Ag, 5.29 g/t AuEq, 0.42% Cu and 1.65% Zn over a 16.85m interval, on the
CVZ, from 32.15m downhole depth (hole AMD-131);
• 6.64 g/t Au, 135 g/t Ag, 8.15 g/t AuEq, 0.45% Cu, 0.39% Pb and 4.85% Zn over a 3.75m interval
on the Fin Vein, from 55.85m downhole depth (hole AMD-117);
• 3.70 g/t Au, 113 g/t Ag, 4.95 g/t AuEq, 0.30% Cu and 2.47% Zn over a 5.90m interval, on the
Fin Vein, from 83.60m downhole depth (hole AMD-118).
“I am happy to be able to update investors on the ongoing diamond drilling at Abu Marawat, as well as the
commencement of field programmes on the Hamama West PFS over the last few months” said Tonno Vahk,
CEO. “The drilling has been proceeding steadily at Abu Marawat where we are looking to bring the resource
up to indicated category, and we are very pleased as it continues to deliver more encouraging high grade gold-
silver intersections from the Fin Vein, as well as significant near surface widths of polymetallic mineralisation
from the CVZ, at very respectable gold equivalent grades of greater than 4-5 g/t. At the same time we are
moving forwards with fieldwork on the Hamama West PFS, commenced in 2024. We have completed a short
programme of infrastructure sterilisation and resource delineation RC drilling, as we switch the focus of the
PFS to a modular CIL processing route, instead of the originally planned heap leach ing. We are also
particularly encouraged by the positive results from follow-up groundwater exploration drilling at Hamama. And
with the commencement of another phase of RC drilling at Semna in February, the team continue to be very
busy on the ground as Aton pushes ahead towards the development of the next gold mines in Egypt.”
Abu Marawat gold-silver-copper-zinc deposit
The Abu Marawat gold-silver-copper-zinc deposit is located approximately 35km northeast of the Hamama
West deposit and 10km north-northeast of the Semna gold mine project, and is accessed via a well maintained
desert track from the Qena-Safaga highway, approximately 25km to the north (Figure 1). On March 1, 2012
Aton Resources, when formerly named Alexander Nubia International Inc, announced a maiden NI 43-101
compliant Inferred Mineral Resource at Abu Marawat, prepared by Roscoe Postle Associates Inc., in
compliance with the requirements set out in Canada’s National Instrument 43 -101. The resource was
subsequently restated in an updated Technical Report without amendment (see news release dated January
24, 2017), and which is available online at Aton’s website at https://atonresources.com/investors/reports-and-
presentations. This Inferred Mineral Resource was based on 98 diamond drill holes totalling 19,573 metres.
19 of these holes were drilled by a former property owner, Minex Minerals Egypt, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Greenwich Resources Plc during the late 1980’s, and the remainder were drilled by Aton in 2011. The
Inferred Mineral Resource comprises 2.9 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.75 g/t Au, 29.3 g/t Ag,
0.77% Cu and 1.15% Zn, containing 162 thousand ounces of gold, 2.7 million ounces of silver, 49 million lbs
of copper, and 73 million lbs of zinc, and was based on net smelter return (“NSR”) cut-off grades.
Figure 1: Geology plan of the Abu Marawat Concession, showing the location of the Abu Marawat deposit
The polymetallic mineralisation at Abu Marawat is interpreted as being mesothermal in origin, and occurs in a
series of discrete and roughly parallel N-S to NNW-SSE trending veins and structures, of which the Fin Vein
and the Central Vein zone (“CVZ”) are the most significant, hosted within a sequence of intensely
hydrothermally altered, felsic metavolcanic rocks (Figure 2). The Fin Vein and the CVZ are about 50-100m
apart and have been traced for at least 800m in surface outcrop and drill holes. Aton’s previous drilling has
demonstrated that these structures extend to at least 200m in depth.
The mineralisation at Abu Marawat comprises a series of steep to near vertical finely brecciated quartz-
carbonate-sulphide “veins”. At surface the Fin Vein and CVZ are expressed by quartz-rich gossans, and all
the larger structures display development of quartz-sericite-hematite±carbonate wallrock alteration in outcrop.
Several of the veins, notably the CVZ, were mined at surface in ancient times, apparently primarily for copper.
The main ore minerals present are sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, electrum, gold, and a number of gold and
silver tellurides such as petzite and hessite. The gangue minerals comprise quartz, limonite, ankerite, pyrite,
magnetite and hematite. Close to the surface the carbonate minerals have been leached, and the sulphides
are largely replaced by hemimorphite, willemite, chrysocolla, malachite, limonite and hematite. In the oxidised
material, the gold occurs as minute free grains in limonite or malachite. In the fresh sulphide mineralisation
gold is associated with tellurides, chalcopyrite and sphalerite.
To its north, the Abu Marawat deposit is truncated by a large WNW-ESE trending fault postulated to run
beneath wadi sediments. To the east a prominent ridge composed of altered ultramafic rocks (listwaenites) is
thought to represent a significant geological terrane boundary (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Geology plan of the Abu Marawat area, showing the location of pre-2024 Aton drill holes
The bulk of the Inferred Mineral Resource at the Abu Marawat deposit encompasses parts of the CVZ and the
Fin Vein, but there are also multiple, subparallel veins to the east and to the west of these structures, such as
the J Vein, the JVZ structure, the V Ridge Vein and the Valley Vein zone that are largely undrilled to date. The
mineralised system at Abu Marawat currently remains open both laterally and at depth.
Abu Marawat diamond drilling programme
The current diamond drill programme started at the beginning of June 2024, and represents the first significant
new fieldwork that Aton has carried out at Abu Marawat since 2011. To date 66 diamond drill holes (holes
AMD-101 to AMD-166) have been completed, for a total of 5,468m. All the holes have been drilled horizontally
or at shallow angles to test previously undrilled near-surface mineralisation at the Abu Marawat deposit in an
area of steep and mountainous terrain.
Assay results are now available for a further 31 holes, AMD-115 to AMD-145, and the collar details of these
holes are provided in Table 1. The holes variously tested the Fin Vein, the JVZ structure, the CVZ and the
Valley Vein zone (“VVZ”) in the southern and central eastern areas of the Abu Marawat deposit (Figure 2).
Hole ID
Collar co-ordinates 1,2 EOH
depth (m) Dip Grid
azimuth Target
X Y Z
AMD-115 563860 2932840 672 100.7 -0.3 263.3 Fin Vein, JVZ structure
AMD-116 563860 2932840 672 150.4 -31.3 263.6 Fin Vein, JVZ structure
AMD-117 563890 2932810 667 64.6 0.3 269.6 Fin Vein
AMD-118 563890 2932810 667 106.9 -31.0 271.0 Fin Vein
AMD-119 563888 2932774 657 73.4 -0.3 288.9 Fin Vein
AMD-120 563888 2932774 657 86.8 -37.2 289.3 Fin Vein
AMD-121 563879 2932736 653 98.4 -0.1 267.7 Fin Vein, JVZ structure
AMD-122 563879 2932736 653 126.7 -37.6 273.0 Fin Vein, JVZ structure
AMD-123 563869 2932703 650 89.8 -5.7 280.5 Fin Vein
AMD-124 563869 2932703 650 57.1 -37.4 282.8 Fin Vein
AMD-125 563902 2932920 667 126.3 -0.6 280.2 Fin Vein
AMD-126 563902 2932920 667 140.8 -25.1 288.7 Fin Vein
AMD-127 563888 2932773 657 47.5 -0.5 259.9 Fin Vein
AMD-128 563888 2932773 657 81.0 -37.5 262.4 Fin Vein
AMD-129 563948 2932985 658 67.3 -0.4 238.9 CVZ
AMD-130 563948 2932985 658 56.1 -37.5 239.0 CVZ
AMD-131 563934 2933012 655 67.6 -3.4 256.9 CVZ
AMD-132 563934 2933012 655 72.7 -32.2 259.3 CVZ
AMD-133 563997 2932978 655 101.4 -11.0 98.5 VVZ
AMD-134 563991 2932950 655 101.5 -0.2 254.6 CVZ
AMD-135 563991 2932950 655 91.3 -30.5 255.7 CVZ
AMD-136 563993 2932948 655 69.0 -9.8 238.6 CVZ
AMD-137 563993 2932948 655 73.4 -26.9 239.8 CVZ
AMD-138 564004 2932951 655 66.0 -35.8 95.2 VVZ
AMD-139 564010 2932897 644 36.2 -36.3 89.7 VVZ
AMD-140 564006 2932854 640 48.1 -36.5 90.6 VVZ
AMD-141 564003 2932805 637 68.1 -10.7 68.8 VVZ
AMD-142 563931 2933016 655 69.0 -0.5 281.3 CVZ
AMD-143 563931 2933016 655 69.6 -30.3 281.9 CVZ
AMD-144 563934 2933012 655 59.8 -0.3 231.0 CVZ
AMD-145 563934 2933012 655 67.5 -25.9 228.1 CVZ
Notes:
1) All co-ordinates are UTM (WGS84) Zone 36R
2) Collars have all been surveyed using handheld GPS
3) All drill holes were downhole surveyed using a magnetic survey tool
Table 1: Abu Marawat diamond drill hole collar details, holes AMD-115 to AMD-145
Figure 3: Geology and drill hole collar plan of holes targeting the Fin Vein and the JVZ structure,
AMD-115 to AMD-128
Holes AMD-115 to AMD-128 were drilled on westerly azimuths to test the Fin Vein from the east (Figure 3),
with 4 of these holes being extended further west to additionally test the JVZ structure (holes AMD-115, AMD-
116, AMD-121 and AMD-122),
Holes AMD-129 to AMD-132, AMD-134 to AMD-137, and AMD-142 to AMD-145 were also drilled on westerly
azimuths from the eastern flank of the main Abu Marawat hill, to test the near surface extent of the southern
NNW-SSE striking extent of the CVZ (Figure 4).
Holes AMD-133 and AMD-138 to AMD-141 were drilled on easterly azimuths to test the VVZ (Figure 4), which
has been mapped at surface as quite a wide copper-bearing gossan over a strike length of about 300m (Figure
2).
Figure 4: Geology and drill hole collar plan of holes targeting the southern extent of the CVZ
and the VVZ, AMD-129 to AMD-145
Hole ID
Intersection (m) Au
(g/t)
Ag
(g/t)
AuEq
(g/t) 1
Cu
(%)
Pb
(%)
Zn
(%) Comments
From To Interval
AMD-117 55.85 59.60 3.75 6.64 135 8.15 0.45 0.39 4.85 Fin Vein
AMD-118 83.60 89.50 5.90 3.70 113 4.95 0.30 0.10 2.47 Fin Vein
AMD-131 32.15 49.00 16.85 4.53 68.5 5.29 0.42 0.03 1.65 CVZ zone (includes
1.8m NSR)
AMD-135 49.90 53.70 3.80 6.22 46.9 6.74 0.85 0.28 1.99 CVZ zone
AMD-138 0.00 5.80 5.80 2.07 6.8 2.14 0.07 0.03 0.01 Valley Vein zone
AMD-142 34.40 62.00 27.60 3.62 47.2 4.15 0.32 0.04 0.63 CVZ zone
Notes:
1) Gold equivalent calculated using Au and Ag only, with a Au:Ag ratio of 90
2) NSR = no sample recovery (possibly due to ancient mining voids?)
Table 2: Selected intersections from the Abu Marawat diamond drilling programme, AMD-115 to AMD-145
Discussion of results
All intersection details from the currently reporting holes AMD-115 to AMD-145 are provided in Appendix A,
with selected intersections shown in Table 2, above.
The programme continued to return significant polymetallic mineralised intersections from the Fin Vein,
carrying notably high grades of silver, including 6.64 g/t Au, 135 g/t Ag, 8.15 g/t gold equivalent (“AuEq”,
calculated using Au and Ag only, with a Au:Ag ratio of 90), 0.45% Cu, 0.39% Pb and 4.85% Zn over a 3.75m
interval, from 55.85m downhole depth, from hole AMD-117; 3.70 g/t Au, 113 g/t Ag, 4.95 g/t AuEq, 0.30%
Cu, 0.10% Pb and 2.47% Zn over a 5.90m interval, from 83.60m downhole depth (hole AMD-118); and 3.34
g/t Au, 182 g/t Ag, 5.37 g/t AuEq, 0.39% Cu, 0.23% Pb and 5.54% Zn over a 4.00m interval, from 75.50m
downhole depth (hole AMD-120). Please refer to the news release dated November 7, 2024 for further details
about the Fin Vein.
The 4 holes that were extended to test the JVZ structure all intersected moderate widths of mineralisation, but
this was again typically somewhat sporadic and low grade. The JVZ structure returned mineralised
intersections including 1.18 g/t Au, 58.7 g/t Ag, and 1.83 g/t AuEq over a 3.50m interval, from 84.60m downhole
depth (hole AMD-122), and 0.88 g/t Au, 18.9 g/t Ag, and 1.09 g/t AuEq over a 6.50m interval, from 73.30m
downhole depth (hole AMD-116). Please again refer to the news release dated November 7, 2024 for further
details about the JVZ structure.
The CVZ is manifested by similar mineralisation to that seen in the Fin Vein, consisting of brecciated quartz-
carbonate-sulphide “veins”, with abundant iron oxides and oxide copper and zinc species, where drilled in the
near-surface oxide zone. Copper seems to be relatively elevated compared to zinc in the CVZ mineralisation,
and silver grades while still high, are generally lower than in the Fin Vein. The CVZ appears to consist of 2
reasonably well defined but discontinuous “boundary” structures, approximately 20-25m apart, which display
variable degrees of lower grade “stockwork” style mineralisation between them. The highest grades, often
associated with ancient mining workings, typically occur on the margins of either one, or both, of the 2
“boundary” structures. At the southern end of the CVZ the recent drilling suggests that the mineralised zone is
reasonably persistent between the 2 “boundary” structures over an overall width of 25 -30m, although the
grades within this zone do appear to be highly variable over quite short lateral and vertical distances. As per
the Company’s previous interpretation the grades appear to be diminishing southwards, with the mineralisation
pinching out south of the area tested by the holes currently being reported.
This first series of holes testing the CVZ returned several high grade mineralised intersections, sometimes
over quite significant widths including 3.62 g/t Au, 47.2 g/t Ag, 4.15 g/t AuEq, 0.32% Cu and 0.63% Zn over
a 27.60m interval, from 34.40m downhole depth (hole AMD-142); 4.53 g/t Au, 68.5 g/t Ag, 5.29 g/t AuEq,
0.42% Cu and 1.65% Zn over a 16.85m interval, from 32.15m downhole depth (hole AMD-131), 6.22 g/t Au,
46.9 g/t Ag, 6.74 g/t AuEq, 0.85% Cu and 1.99% Zn over a 3.80m interval, from 49.90m downhole depth
(hole AMD-135) and 0.71 g/t Au, 15.2 g/t Ag, 0.88 g/t AuEq, 0.16% Cu and 1.10% Zn over a 34.70m interval,
from 24.00m downhole depth (hole AMD-129).
5 holes were also drilled on the VVZ, AMD-133 and AMD-138 to AMD-141, which has been mapped over a
300m strike length as a quite wide, but rather discontinuous copper-bearing gossanous zone, located to the
east of the southern end of the CVZ (Figure 2). Surface sampling has returned sporadic low grade gold and
silver, as well as copper grades from the VVZ. The 5 holes failed to interest any significant mineralisation
associated with the VVZ, although hole AMD-138 intersected 2.07 g/t Au and 6.8 g/t Ag (2.14 g/t AuEq) over
a 5.80m interval, from surface, associated with a subsidiary NNE-SSW striking mineralised structure, located
approximately 25m to the west of the main VVZ (Figure 4).
Activity Update
• The Company has recently switched the focus of its Hamama West Pre-Feasibility Study (see news
release dated November 8, 2024), being conducted by Wardell Armstrong International (“WAI”) to a
modular CIL processing route, which will allow for the later processing of material from the high grade
Semna deposit, as well as the Rodruin and Abu Marawat deposits. The Company is undertaking ongoing
discussions with its JV partners at the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (“EMRA”), and the Ministry
of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, with regards to the proposed changes to the originally envisaged
heap leach processing route, as outlined in Aton’s 2023 submission to EMRA (see news release dated
August 24, 2023).
• Work on the Hamama PFS is well underway, with the Company having completed a short programme of
reverse circulation percussion (“RC”) drilling at Hamama West, including infrastructure sterilisation drilling
for the proposed sites of the modular CIL plant and dry stack tailings facility, as well as additional resource
delineation drilling at the Crocs Nose zone and Hamama Central. The results of this programme will be
reported separately in due course.
• The Company has carried out further RC drilling to follow up on its successful 2023 groundwater
exploration drilling programme (see news release dated October 11, 2023), with positive results. The new
RC drilling, conducted in January 2025, has confirmed that the Nubian Sandstone aquifer in the vicinity
of the borehole HAW-01 (see news release dated October 11, 2023) has sufficient properties to yield
adequate water for the Hamama West mine project (WAI internal technical note, 17/2/2025). The next
step will be the construction of a 300mm diameter pump test well, with the initial drilling and construction
of a c. 300-350m deep monitoring well planned to commence in April 2025.
• Environmental monitoring programmes for the Hamama West Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment, also being undertaken by WAI, have commenced at Hamama West.
• In February 2025, the Company also commenced the phase 3 RC drilling programme at the Semna
deposit to follow up on the 2023 phase 1 RC and 2024 phase 2 diamond drilling programmes, which have
confirmed the presence of high grade gold mineralisation at Semna. This initially planned c. 5,000m RC
programme will continue to run concurrently with the diamond drilling at Abu Marawat.
Sampling and analytical procedures
The Abu Marawat diamond drill holes were drilled at a combination of either HQ3 size (61.1mm diameter)
and/or PQ3 size (83mm diameter). Core was loaded into metal core boxes by the drill crew under supervision
of Aton geologists. The core was metre marked onsite at the Abu Marawat camp, with basic geotechnical
measurements (total core recovery, solid core recovery, and rock quality designation) undertaken by Aton
geologists, as well as specific gravity measurements. It was also photographed in both wet and dry states at
Abu Marawat. The core was then carefully packed and transported to the Rodruin exploration camp, where it
was geologically logged by senior 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. After the core had been
cut, the relevant cut intervals were then photographed again.
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. 500-1,000g sample size. The coarse crushed reject samples are retained onsite at
the Rodruin sample preparation facility.
QAQC samples were inserted into the sample runs 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 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