FOR IMMEDIAT E RELEASE Aton announces the start of a 10,000m RC exploration drilling programme at Abu Marawat
FOR IMMEDIAT E RELEASE
Aton announces the start of a 10,000m RC exploration
drilling programme at Abu Marawat
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA , May 19 , 2023 : Aton Resources Inc. (AAN: TSX -V) (“Aton” or the
“Company") is pleased to announce that it has now commenced a 10,000m programme of reverse circulation
percussion (“RC”) exploration drilling at its 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession (“Abu Marawat” or the
“Concession”), in the Eastern Desert of Egypt (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Geology and prospect plan of the Abu Marawat Concession
“I am very pleased to be able to announce that Geodrill have now started on our highly anticipated regional
RC exploration drilling programme” said Tonno Vahk, Interim CEO. “We are delighted to finally be in a position
to get out and drill some of our regional targets for the first time at Abu Marawat. We have no doubt that we
have one of, if not the most prospective package of gold exploration projects in Egypt. The team on the ground
has worked hard to get this programme together, and are very excited to be finally starting drilling at some of
these great targets. We are absolutely confident that the results of the drilling will speak for themselves in the
coming months.”
2023 Abu Marawat RC drilling programme
Aton signed a contract with Geodrill’s Egyptian branch, Geodrill for Leasing and Specialized Services Freezone
LLC, for 10,000m of RC drilling at the Abu Marawat Concession in April 2023 (see news release dated April
20, 2023). Geodrill’s X900 multi -purpose drill rig arrived at the West Garida prospect on May 18, 2023, and
commenced drilling on the first hole of the programme, WGP-006 (Figure 2). The powerful X900 multi-purpose
rig carries a 1200cfm/430psi onboard compressor, and an additional service unit equipped with a
1200cfm/430psi auxiliary compressor and 1800cfm/900psi booster pack. The X900 rig has a rated RC depth
capacity of 400m.
Drilling has commenced at the West Garida prospect (Figure 1), which is only 3 km away from the Company’s
Hamama West deposit. A short programme of 19 holes has been planned at West Garida, for a total of 1,370
metres to follow up on a previous drill intersection of 41.7 g/t Au, 263 g/t Ag and 2.08% Pb over a 1m interval
(see news release dated September 1, 2022 ). Mineralisation at West Garida is associated with narrow high
grade quartz veins.
Figure 2: Collaring off the first hole WGP-006 at West Garida, 18 May, 2023
After the completion of the West Garida programme the rig will then be mobilised to the Abu Gaharish prospect
(Figure 1), where a temporary exploration camp has been erected to service the drilling. Drill pad construction
is almost finished at the prospect, and is expected to be completed in the coming days. Abu Gaharish is located
approximately 16km east northeast of the Company’s main exploration camp at Rodruin, and is accessed by
rough desert tracks. A provisional programme of 28 holes has been planned for a total of 4,040 metres at Abu
Gaharish. The Company believes that Abu Gaharish is an analogue of the world -class Sukari deposit,
approximately 200 km south of Abu Marawat, and where artisanal miners have recently exploited a highly
prospective structural system consisting of numerous mineralised veins and structures along a c. 3 km strike
length on the southeastern margin of the Gaharish granite pluton . Aton has carried out extensive surface
sampling at Abu Gaharish with samples grading up to 157 g/t Au (see news release dated October 28, 2021).
A further programme of 17 holes for a total of 3,600m has been designed at the Semna prospect, which will
be drilled after Abu Gaharish, and where drill access road and pad construction is also well advanced. Semna
is located approximately 10 km nort hwest of Abu Gaharish (Figure 1) . The Semna area has a long history of
gold mining, during both ancient and modern times, dating back as far as the Old Kingdom period, over 4,500
years ago. Semna was exploited by 2 British companies between 1904 and 1906, who reported that Semna
had the widest vein mined during the British phase of mining in Egypt in the early 20th century, reaching up to
6m in width in places. The British reported mining grades of over 2 ounces per ton. Reports from the British
Mining Journal from 1905 indicated that some pillars from the ancient Pharaonic era stopes assayed up to 5.5
ounces per ton gold. Mineralisation is associated with at least 4 sub -parallel structures at Semna, and Aton
has returned channel sampling intercepts in cluding 5.17 g/t Au over an interval of 9.7m at surface , and
individual channel samples grading up to 18.05 g/t Au (see news release November 22, 2017).
Further drilling programmes are being developed to also test the Zeno, Sir Bakis and Bohlog areas (Figu re 1)
in the current RC programme.
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 the
Hamama deposit in the west, the Abu Marawat deposit in
the northeast, and the advanced Rodruin exploration
prospect in the south of t he Concession. Two historic
British gold mines are also located on the Concession at
Sir Bakis and Semna. Aton has identified 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 km 2 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 In c.,
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.