Amid intersecting “significant” gold mineralisation at the Podio prospect on the Tengrela South permit in northern Côte d’Ivorie, Desert Metals (ASX:DM1) is shifting its focus onto on-ground exploration at the Adzope Gold Project.
The company plans to begin on-ground exploration next month, starting off in the northeast area of the project area. Exploration work will comprise mapping, channel sampling of the artisanal pits, and soil sampling.
Desert Metals, which has a market capitalisation of $6.63 million, will also conduct a program of auger and aircore drilling across certain sections of the weathered pits and alluvial plains.
Reverse circulation drilling will also be carried out across areas that exhibit wide zones of mineralised quartz veins, as determined by mapping, channel sampling, and drilling into the weathered material.
These activities will begin immediately and will be carried out for the remainder of this year.
Meanwhile, at the Podio prospect, assay results from infill and extension drilling returned 13m @ 1.85 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, including 1m @ 13.34g/t gold; and 3m @ 6.19g/t gold, including 1m @ 17.49g/t gold.
Desert Metals says these results show that the gold mineralisation in the stacked quartz veins at Podio is consistent along strike to the south.
As a result, the geological confidence in Podio has increased, and a potential mineral resource can be calculated.
Managing Director Stephen Ross says the first drilling program at Podio has delivered “high-grade” gold intercepts within broader, stacked quartz veins consistent with the previous historical drilling.
“By completing infill and extensional drilling, we can work towards a mineral resource that is only 28km from Perseus Mining’s (ASX:PRU) Sissingué operating gold mine,” Ross says.
“Podio gold mineralisation remains untested along the interpreted 12km corridor to the north towards the Tigo gold anomaly, where recent soil sampling has highlighted two significant, distinct, parallel, north-south +100 parts per billion gold anomalies.
“After the wet season, aircore drilling is planned along this corridor and at the Tiogo anomaly in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025.”
Desert Metals is a mineral explorer and developer that acquired seven gold and lithium projects in 2023, covering 2,769km2 of granted mineral permits and permit applications in Côte d’Ivorie.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Desert Metals