Desert Metals Limited's maiden drilling at the King Kong prospect in Côte d'Ivoire confirms a significant high-grade gold system, setting the stage for expanded exploration in 2025.
- Maiden diamond drilling at Adzope returns 17m at 7.5g/t gold
- High-grade gold mineralisation confirmed over a 3.0km northeast-southwest corridor
- Further drilling and geophysical surveys planned for H1 2025
- Patrick Flint appointed as new Chairman following board reshuffle
- Tengrela South project shows promising parallel gold anomalies for upcoming aircore drilling
Maiden Drilling Confirms High-Grade Gold Potential
Desert Metals Limited (ASX: DM1) has delivered encouraging results from its maiden diamond drilling program at the King Kong prospect within the Adzope gold project in southern Côte d'Ivoire. The reconnaissance program, comprising nine holes totaling 1,714.4 metres, tested a +3.0km northeast-southwest anomalous corridor defined by coincident geophysical and gold-in-soil anomalies.
Notably, hole 24ADDD007 intersected 17 metres at 7.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, including a 5-metre section grading 23.1 g/t gold, while hole 24ADDD006 returned 13 metres at 1.64 g/t gold. All holes intersected gold mineralisation above a 0.5 g/t cutoff, confirming the presence of a significant high-grade gold system hosted within multiple parallel structures.
Geophysical and Soil Sampling Corroborate Mineralisation
The drilling results align with previous soil sampling and ground geophysics that identified a strong +2.4km chargeable zone coinciding with gold-in-soil anomalies. These findings suggest a robust correlation between sulphide mineralisation, chargeability, and gold presence, providing a compelling framework for targeting future exploration.
Additionally, artisanal pits in the area have yielded grab samples with peak gold values up to 8.40 g/t, underscoring the prospectivity of the region. Desert Metals plans to expand its exploration efforts with further diamond drilling, dipole-dipole ground geophysics, and gradient array induced polarisation (IP) surveys to delineate the mineralised lodes in three dimensions.
Tengrela South Project Shows Parallel Gold Anomalies
Beyond Adzope, Desert Metals’ Tengrela South project continues to demonstrate promise. Soil sampling at the Tiogo and Kakologo prospects revealed two distinct north-south gold corridors measuring 3.6km and 2.1km respectively, with multiple high-grade soil assays exceeding 1 g/t gold. The company intends to undertake up to 100 aircore drill holes totaling approximately 3,500 metres in the first half of 2025 to test these anomalies.
Corporate Update and Financial Position
In corporate developments, Patrick Flint was appointed Chairman in November 2024 following the resignation of Mark Stewart. Flint brings 25 years of resources sector experience and a strong governance background to the role.
Financially, Desert Metals reported exploration and evaluation expenditure of $367,000 for the quarter, with a closing cash balance of $983,000. The company acknowledges the need to raise additional funds in H1 2025 to support its expanding exploration programs, leveraging its track record of successful capital raises.
Desert Metals continues to seek joint venture partners for its Western Australian assets, with plans to relinquish non-core tenements to manage costs effectively.
Looking Ahead
The confirmation of high-grade gold mineralisation at Adzope’s King Kong prospect marks a pivotal milestone for Desert Metals. The upcoming exploration activities in 2025, including detailed geophysical surveys and expanded drilling campaigns, will be critical in defining the scale and economic potential of these gold systems.
Bottom Line?
Desert Metals’ 2025 exploration campaign will be a key test of its ability to convert promising drill results into a viable gold resource.
Questions in the middle?
- Will further drilling at King Kong extend the high-grade gold corridor beyond 3.0km?
- How will Desert Metals secure the necessary funding to sustain its aggressive exploration plans?
- What potential does the Tengrela South project hold compared to the flagship Adzope project?