Erdene Resource Development Corp has commenced its 2017 drill program at the Bayan Khundii Gold Project in southwest Mongolia. The program will consist of approximately 20,000 metres of diamond drilling at Bayan Khundii and an additional 4000 metres on the neighbouring Altan Nar and Altan Arrow gold projects.

Two Longyear 44 drill rigs will be operating. The first commenced drilling last week and will focus on delineation and expansion of the gold mineralised zones within the known Bayan Khundii target areas - Gold Hill, Striker, and the recently announced discovery at Midfield.

On January 10, the company announced the discovery of the Midfield Zone under younger cover with results including 41 metres of 5.2 g/t gold and 72 metres of 4.0 g/t.

The second drill rig, expected to be operational on May 1, will test multiple exploration targets throughout the larger, 1.8km by 1km Bayan Khundii trend, as well as the new high-grade target discovered at the Altan Nar Gold-Polymetallic Project, 16km northwest of Bayan Khundii, and the Altan Arrow Gold-Silver Project, located 3.5km north of Bayan Khundii. The Altan Nar drilling program is scheduled to be 3000 metres with 1000 metres planned at Altan Arrow.

A follow-up drill program will be implemented in quarter 4, based on a review of the current phase I results.

Erdene’s 2017 exploration program will also include additional metallurgical testing as well as hydrogeological, environmental, geotechnical and preliminary economic studies related to the Bayan Khundii and Altan Nar projects.

The 20,000 metre drill program at Bayan Khundii has two objectives. The first is to increase confidence in areas with established resource potential within the Striker, Gold Hill and Midfield zones and to simultaneously expand the perimeter of these zones. The second objective is to test new areas within the larger 1.8km by 1km trend in order to establish additional extensions or identify new mineralised zones, which require definition drilling.