Desert Gold drills 3,900 metres at SMSZ Project, Mali
Desert Gold Ventures Inc. [TSXV: DAU; FSE: QXR2; OTCQB: DAUGF] reported results from its second phase drill program that was carried out in Q2, 2024. A total of 3,892 metres of exploration drilling in 65 holes was completed on its SMSZ Project in Mali, West Africa.
Jared Scharf, CEO, commented: “During the 2024 work season, the company successfully completed all geotechnical and metallurgical drilling as well as some exploration drilling to advance and enhance our ongoing PEA for the phase 1 mining study at the SMSZ project. The most recent drill results continue to advance the larger exploration goal which is to crack the 2-million ounce gold mineral resource threshold. We look forward to publishing the results of the PEA in early 2025 as well as following up with continued drilling at our best targets.”
Highlights of the Phase 2 Exploration Program:
Mogoyafara South – 3.81 g/t Au over 2.7 m from 74.0 m in hole KO-24-DD-001 – 60 m downdip extension.
Mogoyafara South – 5.64 g/t Au over 1.9 m from 249.4 m in hole KO-24-DD-001 – new lens.
Mogoyafara South – 0.86 g/t Au over 6.7 m from 170.2 m in hole KO-24-DD-002 – known zone.
Mogoyafara South – 2.00 g/t Au over 7 m from 25 m in hole KO-24-RC-007 – better than expected.
Mogoyafara South – 0.80 g/t Au over 9 m from 93 m in hole KO-24-RC-009 – 35 m downdip extension.
Frikidi – 6.35 g/t Au over 9.5 metres in hole FAW-24-DD-001 from 26.9 m, known zone.
Frikidi – 0.5 g/t Au over 6.85 metres, 0.5 g/t Au over 3.5 metres and 0.5 g/t over 5.25 m in hole FAW-24-DD-002 from 35.35 m, 65 and 129.5 m, respectively, historic target.
Barani Gap – 1.11 g/t Au over 8 m in hole FA-24-AC-059 from 9.0 m.
Barani Gap – 0.77 g/t Au over 9 m in hole FA-24-AC-057 from 28 m.
New Zone – 3.35 g/t Au over 3 m from 43 m in hole FA-24-AC-047 – Auger anomaly.
Kolon – 0.74 g/t Au over 9 m and 1.91 g/t Au over 3 m from 19 m and 33 m, respectively in hole SW-24-AC-021 – 100 m step-out from 3.68 g/t Au over 3 m.
The company tested for extensions of the gold mineralization at Mogoyafara South, Barani Gap, Frikidi, Kolon and Soa Zones. Mineral resources have been estimated at Mogoyafara South and Barani East (includes Barani Gap).
Mogoyafara South: The Mogoyafara Deposit comprises an inferred mineral resource of 412,800 ounces grading 1.05 g/t Au.
Additional drilling is required over the Mogoyafara Deposit area to continue to define the mineralized zone, test for extensions to known zones, test strong Au-in-auger anomalies and to test artisanal mine areas that returned good gold values (Figure 3), especially to the south of the resource area as there is a good correlation between open-pit constrained resources and the location of artisanal mine workings at Mogoyafara South.
Frikidi: A total of 17 AC (315 metres) and two oriented diamond drill holes (190 metres) totaling 505 metres were completed over the Frikidi area in 2024. Rocks in the Frikidi area are likely part of the same rock package that hosts the gold mineralization at the Mogoyarafa South, Gourbassi West and Gourbassi West North Zones,
The two core holes tested two areas of gold mineralization. Hole FAW-24-DD-001 was a vertical hole drilled to test for flat-lying zones adjacent to a previously drilled structure that had returned 6.67 g/t over 4 metres. The new hole, representing an approximate 9 m step-out to the south, returned 6.35 g/t Au over 9.5 metres. True width is estimated at ~4 metres. No significant flat-lying mineralization was intersected.
The second core hole was drilled to follow up on a historic intercept of 1.07 g/t Au over 26 metres located near a NW-trending magnetic break. This hole intersected numerous lower grade gold zones including 0.50 g/t au over 7.85 metres, 0.50 over 3.5 metres, 0.5 g/t Au over 5.25 metres and six additional, narrow intercepts grading > 0.3 g/t Au. Oriented core data suggest that the zones trend northwest, which supports an inferred NW-trending host structure as evident in the magnetic data. Additional holes are required along the NW trend to determine the potential of this zone. True widths are unknown.
The AC holes tested two areas along interpreted NW-trending structures that returned Au-in-auger anomalies of up to 8,650 ppb Au and 462 ppb Au. Low gold values, intersected in both areas likely explain the anomalous auger results with the best interval returning 0.68 g/t Au over 3 metres from hole FAW-24-AC-010.
More work needs to be completed over the Frikidi area to determine if there are sufficient volumes of mineralized rock to delineate a mineral resource.
Barani Gap Area: A total of 24 AC holes totaling 789 metres were completed in the Barani Gap area. This work results in the discovery of a new zone of gold mineralization and modest extensions to the Barani Gap mineralization. Six of the holes were drilled to test auger anomalies of 1,527 ppb Au, 633 ppb Au and 408 ppb Au.
Hole FA-24-AC-047, which tested a 1,527 ppb Au-in-auger anomaly, returned 4 intervals grading 0.57 g/t Au over 5.0 metres, 0.83 g/t Au over 6.0 metres, 1.11 g/t Au over 4 metres and 3.35 g/t Au over 3 metres. This target is believed to be a NE-trending zone of mineralization within a larger northerly-trending shear zone system. Additional drilling is required in this area. This is a new discovery.
Holes FA-24-AC-54, -57, -58 and -59, all drilled in the Barani Gap area, returned oxide gold intercepts of 0.49 g/t Au over 6.0 metres, 0.77 g/t Au over 9.0 metres, 0.44 g/t Au over 8.0 metres and 1.11 g/t Au over 8.0 metres, respectively, which resulted in extensions to one of the resource zones of 120 m and extended a non-modelled lens of gold mineralization by 100 metres to 270 metres. More drilling will be carried out into this area with a goal to expand and discover new mineral resources. True widths are estimated to be 70-90% of true widths.
Kolon to Soa Area: The Kolon to Soa area lies northeast, along strike of the Barani East Deposit and is likely controlled, in part, by the same northeast-trending structure that is related to the Barani East Deposit. In 2024, 21 holes, including 3 RC holes (328 metres) totaling 951 metres were completed over this area. The best results were returned from the Kolon (1.91 g/t Au over 3 metres) and Soa South (0.16 g/t Au over 28 metres) areas, where drilling extended the mineralized zones by 100 and 200 metres, respectively. Unfortunately, the RC holes did not return any significant results as they are interpreted as having been drilled mostly down-dip. Follow-up drilling is required to validate this interpretation.
Future drilling will focus on those areas proximal to the shear zones.
PEA Update: Metallurgical test work is continuing for samples from the Barani East, Gourbassi West and Gourbassi West North deposits. Test work results will be released in due course.