Ariana Resources Commences Drilling at Dokwe Gold Project in Zimbabwe
Ariana Resources PLC has provided an exploration update for its 100%-owned Dokwe Gold Project in Zimbabwe, confirming the start of drilling at both Dokwe North and Dokwe Central, alongside regional exploration that has identified new high-potential targets.
Highlights:
o Exploration drilling commencing imminently at the Dokwe North and Dokwe Central areas and their extensions; regional exploration across the project area has outlined several additional targets.
o 10,086 soil samples collected for multi-element portable XRF (“pXRF”) and detectORETM gold analysis on a 50m by 100m grid across the entire project area totalling 44km2.
o Drilling planned for follow-up of historical intercept of 7.3m @ 6.63g/t Au from 32.2m at the Sinkwe prospect.
o Drilling planned for follow-up of the historical intercept of 0.5m @ 81.09g/t Au from 243m at the Siduli Pan prospect.
o Gold mineralisation at Dokwe North, Central and Siduli Pan are hosted by shear zones which juxtapose distinct litho-structural domains, separating volcanic and sedimentary units.
o Prospective shear zones have a combined strike length of at least 12km within the project area and remain largely untested.
A comprehensive project-wide soil sampling programme has been completed, with 10,086 samples collected across a 44km² area. These samples are being analysed using multi-element pXRF and detectORE™ gold analysis to refine target definition.
Follow-up drilling is planned for the Sinkwe prospect, where historical intercepts returned 7.3 metres at 6.63 g/t gold from 32.2 metres, and the Siduli Pan prospect, which previously yielded 0.5 metres at 81.09 g/t gold from 243 metres.
The company noted that several prospective shear zones, with a combined strike length exceeding 12 kilometres, remain largely untested, presenting significant potential for further resource growth.
Ariana said the ongoing programme is designed to expand the known mineralised footprint and advance the Dokwe project toward defining a major new gold resource in Zimbabwe’s underexplored greenstone belt.
Dr. Kerim Sener, Managing Director of Ariana Resources, commented:
“Over the course of several months, the Dokwe site team have completed an extensive new soil geochemical programme over the entire project area, covering 44km2 and undertaken on a tight grid. This work, in addition to an extensive assessment and re-processing of previous geological, geophysical and geochemical data, has resulted in a much-improved understanding of why the gold deposits at Dokwe North and Central are located where they are.
“Major shear zones, which separate broadly ENE-WSW trending litho-structural domains comprising an alternating sequence of volcanic and sedimentary units, host the known mineralisation at Dokwe North and Central. Our mission is to commence drill testing at certain locations along over 12km of strike of these shear zones in the broader project area. Given that there is over 1Moz of gold contained within only about 10% of this strike length, with the rest remaining essentially untested by drilling, suggests there may be considerable upside and discovery potential elsewhere in the project area.
“We have already identified a number of target areas along these shear zones or their related structural splays, including the newly named Sinkwe, Wabayi and Mpunzi prospects, which have yielded anomalous gold grades in prior exploration. Some of these targets, along with the Siduli Pan prospect, are due to be tested in upcoming exploration drilling.”
