Desert Gold begins follow-up drilling at SMSZ, Mali

Desert Gold Ventures Inc. [DAU-TSXV; DAUGF-OTC; QXR2-FSE] has begun a follow-up drill program that will test the strike extent of the new Gourbassi West North gold discovery in its earlier 2021 drill program on its SMSZ Project in in Western Mali, West Africa. The discovery, comprises three closely spaced gold-bearing lenses (across 125 metres of strike) totalling an estimated combined true thickness of 90 metres with a weighted average grade of 0.96 g/t gold. Most of this mineralization is oxide and has been traced from surface to 35 to 40 metres depth and is open to depth and along strike.

Desert Gold plans to test the Gourbassi West North target area for 1,500 metres along strike with 9 air core fences comprising 66 holes totalling 3,300 metres. These drill fences are designed to both test for the strike extent of the gold zone and the continuity of the gold mineralization.

Desert Gold’s President and CEO Jared Scharf commented, “After being chased out by the rains last season and only being able to complete one fence of drilling on this target, we are very pleased to be back drilling again so soon. This target is an exciting one as it appears to be the widest gold zone we’ve seen anywhere on the property package. This initial program should wrap up quickly with results released as soon as they are available.”

Desert Gold anticipates that its initial NI 43-101 compliant resource for the SMSZ Project will be released in January 2022.

Once the drilling has been completed at Gourbassi West North, drilling will next advance to the nearby Mogoyafara South and Linnguekoto West Zones as part of the phase one exploration program.

Ten, 50 metre long, air core holes, in two fences, 600 metres apart, were drilled to test the gold-in auger anomalies. Of these, seven of the holes intersected potentially economic gold grades. Note that further studies will be required to determine if any of the gold mineralization could be deemed economic.

The northernmost fence comprised seven holes which are interpreted to have intersected three gold-bearing lenses across a 125-metre-wide area with a best intercept of 1.13 g/t gold over 42 metres, including 1.62 g/t gold over 13 metres. The interpreted true width of these three lenses totals approximately 90 metres with the widest interpreted to be 45 metres wide.

The southernmost AC fence comprised three, 50 metre holes, one of which intersected 0.64 g/t gold over 24 metres (FR-21-AC-019). Additional, untested auger (31 ppb) and soil (111 ppb) lie to the west of the drilled area. This mineralized area, may also be open to the east as at least one additional hole is required to close off the auger anomaly.

Desert Gold Ventures holds two gold exploration permits in Western Mali (SMSZ Project and Djimbala), its Anumso project in Ghana’s Ashanti Belt and its Rutare gold project in central Rwanda.