MetalsGrove Mining has advanced exploration at its Central West Gold Project, upgrading key drill targets and initiating a major auger drilling campaign following extensive soil sampling and mapping.
- 18km gold anomalous corridors delineated at Zuénoula
- Six priority drill targets refined, with T1 at Fifty-Five Prospect highest priority
- 10,000m auger drilling commenced post-quarter
- 35km² gold anomaly identified at Vavoua’s Dubaso Prospect
- Board change with new Non-Executive Director appointed
Exploration Advances at Zuénoula Permit
MetalsGrove Mining (ASX:MGA) made significant strides in its Central West Gold Project during the June quarter, particularly at the Zuénoula Permit in Côte d’Ivoire. The company completed most of a staged infill soil sampling program integrated with regolith mapping and high-resolution LiDAR-orthophoto surveys, which collectively refined its geological understanding and exploration targeting.
This work delineated approximately 18 kilometres of northeast-trending gold anomalous corridors composed of multiple coherent soil anomaly clusters. From these, three exploration prospects; Fifty-Five, Central, and South East; were defined, each hosting clusters with soil gold values exceeding 30 parts per billion (ppb), signalling potential for bedrock-hosted mineralisation.
Six drill targets emerged from integrating infill soil geochemistry, regolith interpretation, and LiDAR data. The standout is Drill Target T1 at the Fifty-Five Prospect, which was upgraded to the company’s highest-priority target after the gold anomalous corridor extended to 3.3 kilometres with a peak soil assay hitting 1,324 ppb (1.324 g/t) gold. The anomaly remains open to the northeast, underscoring the prospect’s exploration upside.
Initiation of 10,000m Auger Drilling Program
Shortly after the quarter’s end, MetalsGrove commenced a two-stage 10,000-metre auger drilling campaign aimed at systematically testing the six refined drill target areas across the Fifty-Five, Central, and South East prospects. This auger drilling will penetrate transported cover and sample the upper saprolite horizon, providing valuable geological and geochemical data to sharpen targets for future Aircore, Reverse Circulation, or Diamond drilling programs later in the year.
Vavoua Permit Exploration Progress
At the Vavoua Permit, MetalsGrove completed initial wide-spaced soil sampling and orientation termite mound sampling, designed to assess sampling effectiveness across varying regolith conditions. This work identified a 35 square kilometre gold anomaly at the Dubaso Prospect, characterised by a cluster of low-order soil anomalies with a peak assay of 90 ppb gold. Geological mapping confirmed the prospect sits within a 4.5-kilometre-wide northeast-trending belt of sheared intermediate volcanic rocks containing multiple quartz-vein zones, a favourable setting for gold mineralisation.
Termite mound sampling proved particularly effective in the southwest part of the permit, where deeply weathered regolith reduces the efficacy of conventional soil sampling. This technique uncovered two additional gold-anomalous target areas along a major regional shear zone, highlighting potential concealed mineralisation. Follow-up programs including infill and step-out soil sampling, continued geological mapping, rock-chip sampling, and reconnaissance auger drilling are planned to refine and prioritise drill targets.
Corporate Update and Financial Position
On the corporate front, MetalsGrove announced a board change with the resignation of director Haidong Chi, replaced by Haobo (Andy) Yuan as Non-Executive Director. The company ended the quarter with $1.98 million in cash, having spent $376,000 on exploration and evaluation activities. There was no production or development activity during the period.
Managing Director Lijun Yang highlighted the quarter’s achievements as “another important step towards generating high-quality drill targets” and advancing both permits towards more advanced drilling later in 2026.
Bottom Line?
MetalsGrove’s systematic approach and upgraded drill targets set the stage for critical drilling results later this year, with permit approvals and auger drilling outcomes poised to influence the next phase of exploration.
Questions in the middle?
- How will the forthcoming auger drilling results impact the prioritisation of AC, RC, or diamond drilling?
- What is the expected timeline for granting the Kounahiri West and Vavoua West permits, and how might this affect project advancement?
- Can termite mound sampling unlock further concealed targets in deeply weathered areas beyond Vavoua’s southwest?