Aircore Drilling Yields 8m at 6.47g/t and 12m at 4.20g/t Gold in Côte d'Ivoire

Exploration Breakthrough at Tengrela South

Desert Metals Limited (ASX: DM1) has announced encouraging results from its first-pass aircore drilling program at the Tengrela South gold project in northern Côte d'Ivoire. The highlight comes from the Tiogo prospect, where two drill lines spaced 900 metres apart returned significant gold mineralisation, including 8 metres at 6.47 grams per tonne (g/t) from 6 metres depth and 12 metres at 4.20 g/t from 32 metres. These results suggest the presence of a potentially continuous gold corridor extending over 900 metres within the weathered oxide layer.

The Tiogo discovery is particularly notable given its proximity, just 30 kilometres south, to Perseus Mining’s operating Sissingué gold mine, a well-established producer in the region. The mineralisation is interpreted to be associated with quartz veins in saprolitic bedrock, with fresh bedrock beneath yet to be tested, opening the door for deeper exploration upside.

Complementary Results at Kakologo and Adzope

Alongside Tiogo, the Kakologo prospect on the same Tengrela South permit also delivered promising results, including an 18-metre intersection grading 1.02 g/t gold from 38 metres depth. These wide-spaced drill lines confirm the presence of two parallel north-south gold anomalies, reinforcing the structural controls typical of the Birimian gold belt.

Meanwhile, at the Adzope gold project in southern Côte d'Ivoire, Desert Metals has completed dipole-dipole induced polarisation (DDIP) geophysical surveys and auger sampling at the King Kong prospect. These efforts aim to refine drill targets ahead of a planned diamond drilling campaign scheduled to commence later this month, following up on high-grade results from previous drilling.

Next Steps and Strategic Implications

Desert Metals plans to initiate gradient array induced polarisation (IP) ground geophysics in Q2 2025 to better define both oxide and bedrock targets at Tiogo and Kakologo. This will be followed by infill and extensional drilling to delineate the geometry and continuity of the mineralised zones. The company’s Managing Director, Stephen Ross, emphasised the significance of discovering wide, high-grade gold mineralisation in previously untested soil anomalies, highlighting the potential for a new gold corridor in a highly prospective region.

The strategic location of these projects within the Syama-Boundiali Greenstone Belt, known for hosting multi-million-ounce orogenic gold deposits, adds further weight to Desert Metals’ exploration potential. The proximity to existing mines and recent lithium discoveries nearby also underscores the region’s growing importance as a mineral hub.

While these early results are promising, the true scale and economic viability of the mineralisation remain to be confirmed through deeper drilling and comprehensive resource modelling. The upcoming geophysical surveys and diamond drilling programs will be critical in unlocking the next phase of exploration and potential development.