Tiogo Gold Corridor Now Spans 5.5km Following Soil Sampling Expansion

Soil Sampling Reveals Significant Extension of Tiogo Gold System

Desert Metals Limited (ASX:DM1) has dramatically expanded the known footprint of its Tiogo gold corridor at the Tengrela South project in northern Côte d'Ivoire. A comprehensive 2026 soil sampling program collected 1,774 samples across six grids, revealing a new coherent gold-in-soil anomaly; dubbed Tiogo North; extending more than 3km north of previous drilling. This pushes the total strike length of the Tiogo system to over 5.5km, a substantial increase from the 1.5km previously drill tested.

The Tiogo North anomaly boasts a peak soil gold value of 617 parts per billion (ppb) within an 800m by 400m halo of 10–50 ppb gold, indicating a structurally controlled system analogous to the existing Tiogo mineralisation. This anomaly remains completely untested by drilling, presenting a fresh, high-priority target for Desert Metals’ upcoming exploration phases.

Geological Setting and Comparison to Previous Drilling

Situated within the Birimian metasedimentary rocks of the Syama–Boundiali Greenstone Belt, Tiogo North shares the same north-northeast structural orientation as the original Tiogo corridor. This alignment supports the interpretation that Tiogo North is a direct northern extension of the Tiogo gold system. Previous aircore drilling along the Tiogo corridor, which has been reported in detail in Desert Metals’ high-grade aircore hits, returned significant intercepts including 8m at 6.47 g/t and 12m at 4.20 g/t gold, underscoring the prospectivity of this geological setting.

The scale and intensity of the Tiogo North soil anomaly closely mirror the pre-drill soil anomaly at Tiogo, suggesting similar potential for mineralisation at depth. Desert Metals’ Managing Director Stephen Ross highlighted the significance of the 617ppb peak and its coherent anomalous footprint as classic surface expressions of a buried, structurally controlled gold system.

Next Steps in Exploration and Drilling Plans

With the Tiogo North anomaly now drill-ready, Desert Metals plans to initiate aircore drilling to test the upper oxide zone and evaluate the continuity of gold mineralisation across this newly defined 3km extension. This will be complemented by infill and step-out aircore drilling along the main Tiogo corridor to close existing line gaps and extend strike coverage.

Beyond aircore, the company is preparing for deeper reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling to depths of 150m to 250m, aiming to test the bedrock expression of the Tiogo system beneath the current aircore depths of approximately 50–60m. These staged efforts aim to transition the project from surface geochemical anomalies to a more defined mineral resource.

These developments build on Desert Metals’ recent capital raising activities, including the fully underwritten entitlement offer to fund drilling programs in Côte d’Ivoire, which has supported ongoing exploration momentum across its gold prospects option entitlement offer. The company’s strategy reflects a methodical approach to unlocking value in a highly prospective West African gold belt.