Aton Resources Inc. (TSXV:AAN) has announced the final assay results from its latest diamond drilling program at the Hamama site, situated within the company’s wholly-owned Abu Marawat Concession in Egypt’s Eastern Desert (Figure 1). The drilling initiative at Hamama resumed in mid-January 2023 and concluded on March 11, 2023, during which a total of 1,612.7 meters were drilled.

Tonno Vahk, Interim CEO, commented in a press release: “These final results from the Crocs Nose exceeded expectations, and we are very pleased with them. The Crocs Nose Zone represents a structural offset of the main mineralised zone at Hamama West and was not included in the 2017 mineral resource estimate. The grades intersected in this programme are notably higher than the overall grade of the Hamama West oxide resource, and this zone should be a nice sweetener to the planned starter open pit mining operation at Hamama. We are also pleased to have now signed the RC drilling contract with Geodrill and look forward to starting the drilling at West Garida in May. We believe there is good potential to rapidly add significant near-surface ounces from the high-grade quartz veins we drilled at West Garida last summer to the overall resource base at Hamama.”

Hamama’s mineralization is contained within a stratiform silica-carbonate horizon (SCMH) that spans approximately 3.2 kilometres in strike length and varies in thickness. At Hamama West, the SCMH exceeds 60 meters in thickness in certain areas, presenting iron oxide-rich and gossanous characteristics at the surface and throughout the oxide zone. The 2023 Hamama diamond drilling program involved drilling 15 shallow holes (HAD-041 to HAD-055) at the CNZ, totaling 545.8 meters (refer to Table 1 and Figure 3). The final assay results from these latest holes are now accessible.

The CNZ mineralization seems to be situated in a faulted offset of the primary mineralized zone at Hamama West (Figures 2 and 3). This fault offsets the SCMH sinistrally by approximately 150 meters to the south, terminating the outcropping mineralization to the west. At CNZ, this fault serves as the footwall of the mineralized block, while at Hamama West, the mineralization continues along strike to the west beneath this structure. Recent intersections at Hamama West include 1.57 g/t Au, 29.99 g/t Ag, and 1.92 AuEq over a 47-meter interval, starting from a 26-meter depth (hole HAP-192, as reported in the October 20, 2022 news release). The CNZ mineralization was not accounted for in the initial Hamama West mineral resource estimate (refer to the January 24, 2017 news release).

The SCMH-hosted mineralization at CNZ is visible on the surface along the northern and western edges of the Cretaceous Nubian Sandstone (NS) outlier, which unconformably overlies the Neoproterozoic rocks containing the Hamama mineralization (Figure 3). Surface trenching of the unconformity has clearly demonstrated that the mineralization extends underneath and immediately below the NS outlier.

Past diamond drilling at CNZ has yielded intersections such as 2.46 g/t Au, 157.3 g/t Ag, and 4.73 g/t AuEq over a 19-meter interval from a 12-meter depth (hole AHA-046, as reported in the June 9, 2015 news release, and Figure 3), 2.05 g/t Au, 168.9 g/t Ag, and 4.48 g/t AuEq over a 12-meter interval from a 27-meter depth (hole AHA-045, also reported in the June 9, 2015 news release), and 1.65 g/t Au, 82.7 g/t Ag, and 1.92 g/t AuEq over a 28-meter interval from a 7-meter depth (hole HAD-007, as reported in the May 18, 2017 news release). Earlier surface trenching at CNZ also revealed outcropping mineralization at the surface, including 3.47 g/t Au, 118.2 g/t Ag, and 5.35 g/t AuEq over a 26-meter width.

Highlights from the results are as follows:

• A total of 545.8 metres was drilled from 15 shallow holes at the Crocs Nose Zone (“CNZ”) at Hamama West, completing the short Hamama 2023 diamond drilling programme. The programme was designed to test for potential near-surface oxide gold-silver mineralisation that had been previously intersected in a limited number of holes;
• Results from the programme included the following mineralised intersections:
• 1.57 g/t Au, 230.6 g/t Ag, and 4.28 g/t Au equivalent (“AuEq”), over an interval of 20.78m from 12.66m downhole depth (HAD-054);
• 1.84 g/t Au, 62.20 g/t Ag, and 2.57 g/t AuEq, over an interval of 24.55m from 6.45m downhole depth (HAD-052);
• 1.37 g/t Au, 52.81 g/t Ag, and 1.99 g/t AuEq, over an interval of 34.80m from 2.00m downhole depth (HAD-042);
• 1.63 g/t Au, 7.01 g/t Ag, and 1.71 g/t AuEq, over an interval of 16.30m from surface (HAD-049), and;
• 1.23 g/t Au, 41.01 g/t Ag, and 1.72 g/t AuEq, over an interval of 18.90m from 0.80m downhole depth (HAD-045);
• Preparations are well underway for the upcoming RC exploration drilling programme, with drilling expected to commence within the first fortnight of May at West Garida.

Table 1: Collar details of diamond drill holes HAD-041 to HAD-055

The recent drilling has confirmed the presence of outcropping gold-silver mineralisation at the CNZ, with all holes intersecting mineralisation, as expected. Details of all mineralised intersections are provided in Table 2, and selected intersections are shown below:

• HAD-054: 1.57 g/t Au, 230.6 g/t Ag, and 4.28 g/t AuEq, over a 20.78m interval, from 12.66m depth
• HAD-052: 1.84 g/t Au, 62.2 g/t Ag, and 2.57 g/t AuEq, over a 24.55m interval, from 6.45m depth
• HAD-042: 1.37 g/t Au, 52.81 g/t Ag, and 1.99 g/t AuEq, over a 34.80m interval, from 2.00m depth
• HAD-049: 1.63 g/t Au, 7.01 g/t Ag, and 1.71 g/t AuEq, over a 16.30m interval, from surface
• HAD-045: 1.23 g/t Au, 41.01 g/t Ag, and 1.72 g/t AuEq, over an 18.90m interval, from 0.80m depth

Table 2: Mineralised intersections from the Crocs Nose Zone (Hamama West)