Desert Gold Reports Drill Results on Its SMSZ Project; Including 23.7 Metres of 1.49 g/t Gold
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For Immediate Release
Desert Gold Reports Drill Results on Its SMSZ Project; Including 23.7 Metres
of 1.49 g/t Gold
Delta, British Columbia, October 1 , 2019. Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (“Desert Gold” or “the
Company”) (TSX.V: DAU, FF: QXR2, OTC: DAUGF) is pleased to announce results from a recently
completed drill program carried out on the Farabantorou Concession portion of its SMSZ Project. The
SMSZ Project is named after the Senegal Mali Shear Zone (“SMSZ”), which is related to 5 large gold
mines located both to the north and south, along strike, including B2 Gold’s Fek ola Mine, Barrick’s
Gounkoto and Loulo Mines and AngloGold Ashanti/Iamgold’s Sadiola and Yatela Mines. The Barani
East Zone control structure intersects the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, a feature in common with most of the
large mines in the region.
During the period from June 25 to July 31, 2019, 45 holes comprising 4,676.2 metres of drilling were
completed consisting of 11 air core holes, 27 RC holes and 7 combined RC/core holes. In addition, 4,857
metres of auger drilling in 645 holes were completed over select areas. Drilling was successful in
extending the Barani East Zone to depth and along strike and returning signifi cant drill intercepts fro m
two, previously untested, recently sampled and mapped artisanal mining areas; Frikidi and Linguekoto
(see Figure 1). Auger drilling highlighted a number of gold -enriched areas that require drill testing. A
summary of significant results by zone follows with details presented at the end of the release (see Table
1).
Summary Results*
Barani East
➢ 1.49 g/t gold over 23.7 metres
➢ 4.49 g/t gold over 2.85 metres
➢ 9.03 g/t gold over 2.0 metres
➢ 2.74 g/t gold over 2.4 metres
➢ 1.31 g/t gold over 8.8 metres
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➢ 1.13 g/t gold over 7.45 metres
➢ 1.39 g/t gold over 6.5 metres
Frikidi
➢ 6.67 g/t gold over 4 metres
➢ 7.41 g/t gold over 1 metre
➢ 7.50 g/t gold over 1 metre
➢ 0.99 g/t gold over 5 metres
➢ 2.75 g/t gold over 2 metres
➢ 1.69 g/t gold over 8 metres
➢ 1.04 g/t gold over 6 metres
Linguekoto
➢ 12.23 g/t gold over 1 metre
➢ 0.75 g/t gold over 9 metres
➢ 1.69 g/t gold over 3 metres
* True widths are estimated at 80-90% of drilled width
In addition to encouraging drill results, drilling has inter sected gold-mineralized felsic and mafic
intrusions, which suggest that the Barani East and Linguekoto Zones likely have additional potential at
depth and along strike and are suggestive of more robust mineralization systems.
Jared Scharf, Desert Gold’s President & CEO commented, “the recent drill program has materially added
to our Barani East Deposit and highlighted three new areas where additional drill testing and target
development is warranted. Soon we will embark on our larg est exploration program to date on our ,
recently expanded, 407 km2 land package, that now spans a 38 km segment of the prolific Senegal Mali
Shear Zone . Work on these areas , and others, will continue in Q4, 2019 and well into 2020. We will
provide detailed guidance regarding th e up-coming exploration program in a subsequent release. ” Mr.
Scharf, also added, “ to my knowledge , our Senegal Mali Shear Zone project now encompasses the
largest, contiguous, non-major mining company holdings along the Senegal Mali Shear Zone. This is a
significant accomplishment.”
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Figure 1. Drill Summary and Location Map
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Description of Results
Barani East
During the early summer drill program, 20 holes were drilled on and near the Barani East Zone , which is
centred approximately 1,900 metres east of the interpreted location of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone.
Nine holes were completed to specifically target down -plunge, down-dip and along-strike extensions of
the mineralization. This drilling was successful in extending the Barani East Zone down -plunge a further
90 metres, at least another 50 metres to depth on six sectio ns and a further 250 metres along strike (see
Figures 2 and 3), with all holes drilled outside of the current resource pit (Indicated Mineral Resource of
45,250 ozs gold grading 1.99 g/t gold and Inferred mineral resources of 73,170 ozs gold grading 2.15 g/t
gold – NI 43-101 compliant resource report filed on SEDAR, 2014 ). This work suggests that the Barani
East Zone is shallower plunging than previously believed and as such, additional holes are proposed (see
Figure 2) to further test the inferred higher-grade portion of the zone at shallower depths, especially down
plunge of a 2018 hole that returned 6.3 g/t gold over 13 metres . To date, the central, 450 -metre long
portion of the zone has been tested to 150 to 200 metres depth with the remaining holes generally testing
to less than 100 metres depth. Recent highlight drill intercepts include 1.49 g/t gold over 23.7 metres
including 2.87 g/t gold over 4.8 metres and 4.49 g/t gold over 2.85 metres. Gold mineralization is related
to a northeast -trending, cross -cutting structure with altered limestone, siltstone, granite and mafic
intrusions hosting the gold.
Eleven air core holes were drilled to test the northeast strike extension of a parallel zone of gold
mineralization returning a best intercept of 0.47 g/t Au over 5 metres. As well, one of the combination
RC/diamond drill holes intersected this horizon and returned 9.02 g/t Au over 2 metres . Previous holes
along this trend have intersected up to 2.22 g/t gold over 17 metres. Additional holes are planned along
this trend.
As part of the testing at Barani East, auger drilling of 473 holes totaling 4,013 metres, were carried out
over a laterite plain where it was inferred that the Barani East, Barani and Keniegoulou gold
mineralization trends would intersect (see Figu re 2) . This program was successful in delineating
interpreted strike extensions of all three zones and identifying additional, gold enriched targets up to 150
metres wide (see Figure 3). Gold-in-auger values returned a high of 1,840 ppb gold with 22 sites returning
in excess of 100 ppb gold . For reference, one of the auger anomalies, which returned 1,010 ppb gold, is
associated with a drill intercept that returned 1.97 g/t gold over 7 metres. Most, if not all of the >100 ppb
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auger anomalies will be tested i n the next drill program with a preference for those demonstrating
interpreted strike extent.
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Figure 2. Barani East Area Summary Compilation
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Figure 3. Barani East Long Section – Grade x Width color-contoured
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Frikidi Area
As a first pass drill program, a total of 21 RC holes were drilled to test a n open-ended, recently-defined,
2,400-metre long by 700-metre wide area that hosts numerous northeast- and northwest-trending, perhaps
stock-work like, sandstone-hosted, gold-bearing structures where grab samplin g returned 92 samples >1
g/t Au including 5 samples containing >100 g/t Au (see Figure 4) . Ten of the holes were drilled to test
below specific artisanal workings w here grab sampling returned high gold values. An additional eleven
holes were drilled, as a fence across, what appears to be, only part of the area hosting gold mineralization.
All holes intersected from 2 to 13 individual pyrite and quartz mineralized stru ctures. Significant results
include 6.67 g/t gold over 4 metres, 7.41 g/t gold over 1 metre , 7.50 g/t gold over 1 metre , 0.99 g/t gold
over 5 metres , 2.75 g/t gold over 2 metres , 1.69 g/t gold over 8 metres and 1.04 g/t gold over 6 metres
(see Figure 4). All of the mineralized lenses are open along strike and to depth. An induced polarization
IP survey is being considered to trace the gold-bearing pyrite mineralization along strike and across strike
and to search for area s with wider mineralized zones. Soil anomalies to 442 ppb gold, suggest the
presence of additional gold mineralized structures in untested, laterite -covered areas to the southwest and
northwest of the area.
In addition to the RC holes, 19 auger holes were drilled to test below a large laterite plateau, located in the
north central part of the area. The auger holes returned 4 contiguous sites with >100 ppb gold with one
site returning 8,650 ppb gold, the best auger result of this campaign. These sites will be tested during the
next drill program.