Exploration Delays Loom as DeSoto Awaits Permits and Assays at Timbakouna

New Soil Anomalies Highlight Untapped Gold Potential

DeSoto Resources (ASX:DES) has spotlighted two promising gold target areas at its Timbakouna Project in Guinea’s prolific Siguiri Basin. The company’s regional soil sampling program, conducted on a 200m x 200m grid, revealed an 800m-long anomaly in Area A and two extensive anomalies in Area B measuring up to 950m each, all exceeding 25ppb gold. These coherent soil anomalies lie adjacent to significant artisanal workings, which have historically seen limited modern exploration despite high-grade intercepts such as 18m at 11.8g/t Au recorded by prior drilling.

The identification of these anomalies follows extensive groundwork that included over 14,000 soil and BLEG stream samples across multiple project areas, underpinning DeSoto’s systematic approach to uncovering gold trends along major shear zones. This latest update builds on the company’s broader regional momentum, including the recent significant 532km2 acquisition that expanded its footprint in the Siguiri Basin and identified high-grade artisanal zones nearby.

Strategic Exploration Steps to Unlock Bedrock Mineralisation

With infill soil sampling across the new targets now complete and assays pending, DeSoto is preparing for a power auger drilling campaign aimed at piercing the lateritic cover to access saprolite samples derived from underlying bedrock. This method is critical in the regolith-dominated environment of the Siguiri Basin, where surface sampling often struggles to reflect bedrock mineralisation. The upcoming airborne magnetics survey, expected to commence soon, will provide key structural data to refine drill targeting.

The company’s methodical exploration strategy is supported by its ongoing conversion of Reconnaissance Authorisations into formal Exploration Permits, which will enable more advanced drilling programs. Notably, DeSoto’s portfolio now encompasses more than 16 active projects, backed by a robust A$10 million cash balance, positioning the company to advance a pipeline of drill-ready targets across the region. This approach aligns with the company’s recent high-grade channel sampling results at Timbakouna, which reinforced the potential for significant gold mineralisation along major shear zones.

Geological Setting and Regional Significance

Timbakouna sits on the eastern margin of the Siguiri Basin, an extension of the Birimian Gold Belt renowned for world-class orogenic gold deposits. The project area is structurally complex, dominated by weathered metasedimentary rocks and intersected by major NNW trending fault zones that host sheeted and stockwork quartz veins. The presence of over 6km of continuous artisanal workings, with pits and shafts extending more than 30m deep, underscores the gold-rich nature of the terrain despite its underexplored status.

DeSoto’s exploration philosophy leverages a mineral systems approach developed by its leadership, including Chairman Paul Roberts and Dr Barry Murphy, to prioritise targets with structural preparation conducive to gold mineralisation. This strategic framework has guided the company’s aggressive ground acquisition and exploration programs, situating Timbakouna and its neighbouring projects as compelling prospects within a globally significant gold province.