Aurion Intersects High Grade Gold at Kaaresselka, Risti property
Strike length nearly doubles as high-grade gold intercepts validate Finnish Lapland expansion.
The news release dated January 19, 2026, reports high-grade gold intercepts at the Kaaresselkä area of the 100%-owned Risti property in Finland. Key results include hole KS25141, which returned 10.93 g/t Au over 5.0m from 289.9m depth. This release confirms that the mineralized strike at the Vanha prospect has been extended to 1,400m (up from 600m in early 2025) and remains open. Additionally, the company announced that partner KoBold Metals has completed its minimum $1 million USD exploration expenditure requirement, transitioning into the next phase of its earn-in agreement for critical minerals.
- Exploration Success: The strike length has more than doubled in 12 months (600m to 1,400m). The consistency of high-grade intercepts (e.g., 10.93 g/t Au and 4.42 g/t Au over 32.55m in previous releases) suggests a robust mineralized system rather than isolated pockets.
- Depth Extension: Mineralization is now confirmed to at least 250m depth, showing potential for an underground or significant open-pit resource.
- Partnership Validation: KoBold Metals (backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures/Bill Gates) reaching the $1M expenditure mark validates the base metal/critical mineral potential of the eastern Risti block, effectively de-risking exploration for non-gold commodities while Aurion retains gold rights.
- Grade Continuity: The intercept of 10.93 g/t Au over 5m is significantly higher than the average grades typically seen in large-scale deposits in the region, providing "sweeteners" for potential project economics.
Aurion Resources is a Canadian exploration company focused on the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt in Finland. Its flagship is the 100%-owned Risti Project (160 sq km), which includes the Kaaresselkä (Vanha prospect) and Aamurusko targets. The property is situated near major deposits such as Rupert Resources’ Ikkari and Agnico Eagle’s Kittilä mine. The project is characterized by orogenic gold mineralization, often free-milling (>93% recovery in tests), and is part of a district seeing significant major-minor consolidation.