by Greg Klein | July 17, 2017

Following a $10.1-million private placement that closed the previous business day, Aurvista Gold TSXV:AVA greeted July 17 with a backlog of long-awaited assays from its Douay gold project in Quebec. The results wrap up a 59-hole, 23,965-metre campaign on Abitibi’s Casa Berardi deformation zone. Forty holes targeted the property’s four-kilometre-long porphyry trend, extension targets and mineralized zones parallel to the core porphyry system, the company reported.

Aurvista last released assays in early May.

Some high-grade highlights of the current batch came from the main porphyry zones, including the Porphyry, 20, 10, Central and new North zones:

Hole DO-17-197A

• 0.51 g/t gold over 23.9 metres, starting at 80.4 metres in downhole depth

• 13.35 g/t over 1.2 metres, starting at 130 metres

DO-17-200

• 4.68 g/t over 4.5 metres, starting at 285 metres
• (including 6.01 g/t over 1.5 metres)
• (and including 7.16 g/t over 1.5 metres)

DO-17-202

• 4.53 g/t over 9 metres, starting at 255 metres
• (including 15.7 g/t over 1.5 metres)
• (and including 6.86 g/t over 1.5 metres)

True widths were estimated at 90%.

DO-17-200 and 202 demonstrate additional potential along the North zone, while several strong intercepts from DO-17-187 expand known mineralization at the southern edge of the Porphyry zone, Aurvista stated.

Wide intervals were numerous too, with some standouts including 2.2 g/t gold over 23.1 Metres, 2.11 g/t over 20.6 metres, 0.89 g/t over 36 metres and 0.79 g/t over 34.5 metres. The program also expanded known mineralization between the Porphyry and 20 zones, as well as one hole that extended mineralization past 600 metres in depth.

Looking at a final hole on Douay West, Aurvista sees potential to more than double the zone’s original footprint, making it a priority for further drilling. Twenty stepouts, meanwhile, confirmed the porphyry system extends northwest, the company added. Another 11 exploration holes tested VMS-style mineralization, finding results that included 1.81 g/t gold over 1.5 metres and 2.77% zinc over 6.4 metres.

The campaign naturally encourages speculation about the resource, last updated in March with a 0.5 g/t cutoff showing a total for seven zones:

• inferred: 83.3 million tonnes averaging 1.05 g/t for 2.81 million gold ounces

Aurvista’s technical committee plans an early August site visit to help guide its next drill program, buoyed by $10.1 million in fresh financing.