Drill Results Desert Gold’s SMSZ Project, Mali 3.09 G/T Gold Over 25 Metres* And 2.54 G/T Gold Over 15 Metres* And 4.76 G/T Gold Over 13.5 Metres*
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For Immediate Release
Drill Results
Desert Gold’s SMSZ Project, Mali
3.09 G/T Gold Over 25 Metres* And 2.54 G/T Gold Over 15 Metres* And
4.76 G/T Gold Over 13.5 Metres*
Delta, British Columbia, August 31, 2020. Desert G old Ventures Inc. (“Desert Gold” or “the
Company”) (TSX.V: DAU, FSE: QXR2, OTC: DAUGF) is pl eased to present the results of a recently
completed, 2,138.5 metre drill program comprising 4 core holes and 10 reverse circulation (RC) holes on
its SMSZ Project in in Western Mali, near the border with Senegal.
The ~410 km 2 SMSZ Project is both named after, and, overlies a 38 km section of the Senegal Mali Shear
Zone (see Figure 1), which is related to 5 large gold mines located both to the north and south, along strike,
including B2 Gold’s Fekola Mine, Barrick’s Gounkoto and Loulo Mines and AngloGold Ashanti/Iamgold’s
(now Allied Gold’s) Sadiola and Yatela Mines 1. To the Company’s knowledge, the SMSZ Project is t he
largest, contiguous, non-producer land package over this very prospective structural feature. Explorat ion
targets within 5 km of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, are considered by management, to be high priority
exploration targets.
Desert Gold carried out a 51-hole drill program dur ing June and July, 2020. Model driven targets were
tested at the Gourbassi East, Gourbassi West and Ba rani East Zones (see Figure 2). This news release
includes results from 14 RC and core holes completed over these three zones. Results for the 34 AC totalling
1,621 metres and 1,065 auger holes are still pending.
A summary of the drill highlights* are as follows (see Figures 3-6 for more detail and Table 1, at end):
Barani East
4.76 g/t gold (3.81 g/t gold cut to 30 g/t gold) ov er 13.5 metres and 2.49 g/t gold over 5.1
metres
Gourbassi East
3.09 g/t gold over 25 metres and 2.54 g/t gold over 15 metres
1.66 g/t gold over 14 metres
1.34 g/t gold over 5 metres
Gourbassi West
1.02 g/t gold over 15 metres
1.68 g/t gold over 6 metres
0.75 g/t gold over 20 metres
* Estimated true widths for the holes is from 65 to 90% of the intercept width.
Jared Scharf, Desert Gold’s CEO comments “During tw o drill campaigns in the recent drill season, we
completed approximately 40% of approximately 20,000 metres of proposed drilling. This work has resulted
in the discovery of at least five new areas of gold mineralization, validation of the updated mineralization
models at the Gourbassi and Barani East Zones and further increased the scope of the SMSZ Project. With
this exploration base, the Company is prepared to e xecute the largest exploration program it has ever
undertaken, over which, management believes, is some of the most prospective ground in West Africa.”
1 Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby pr operties is not necessarily representative of miner alization hosted on the
Company’s SMSZ Property.
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Figure 1 – SMSZ Project Location, Regional Geology and Major Deposits in Western Mali and Eastern
Senegal
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Figure 2 - Property Scale Compilation Map**
**All gold grades over width, with the exception of t he Soa, Berola and Gourbassi prospects, represent d rill holes with the true
widths, for most holes, ranging from 65 to 95%. Est imated true widths for the Soa and Berola prospects are unknown. Estimated
true widths at the Gourbassi Zones are estimated to range from 60% to 90%.
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Technical Details
The phase 2 drill program was carried out to test model-driven targets at Gourbassi West, Gourbassi East
and Barani East zones. Significant amounts of gold mineralization were intersected at all three zones, which
will require additional follow-up drilling.
Gourbassi East
Five RC and 2 core holes were drilled to test an up dated mineralization model at Gourbassi East (Figure
3). Four of the holes intersected significant amounts of gold mineralization. With a highlight of 3.09 g/t Au
over 25 metres.
The RC drilling was successful in extending two of the mineralized trends to the south. The best resul ts
were returned from RC hole, FR-20-RC-002, which was drilled to the east to test for the southward
extension of the main mineralized corridor. This hole, which was is a 75 metre south step out, intersected
two intercepts of 2.54 g/t gold over 15 metres starting at 75 metres down hole and 3.09 g/t Au over 25
metres starting at 103 metres down hole. Additional drill ing is required to the north and south of this
intercept to better define this unexpectedly strong zone of gold mineralization. A second hole, on this drill
section, FR-20-RC-003, which was drilled to the wes t to confirm the updated mineralization model,
intersected a third, gold-bearing intercept that re turned 0.71 g/t gold over 8 metres, where expected, at a
vertical depth of approximately 100 metres.
FR-RC-20-001, which tested the north end of the min eralized trend, was drilled 26 metres below an
intercept of 1.71g/t Au over 7 metres. One narrow i ntercept of 0.75 g/t Au over 1 metre was intersecte d
near the top of the hole. A working theory indicates that this hole was drilled below the plunge of the zone.
RC hole, FR-20-RC-004, intersected 1.66 g/t gold ov er 14 metres starting at 42 metres and a 2 nd , deeper
intercept of 1.34 g/t Au over 5 metres starting from 154 metres down hole. This west facing hole was drilled
to cut across a previous hole that appeared to dril l partially down dip and to test a 2 nd parallel lens of
mineralization with a 75 metre south step out. This hole was deemed a success as it both extends and
validates a parallel system of gold mineralization to the west of the initial Gourbassi East Zone discovery.
FR-RC-20-009 was drilled to test the northern strik e extension of the western most Gourbassi East gold
lenses. It intersected two narrow gold zones, where expected, that returned 0.78 g/t Au and 0.66 g/t Au each
over 1 metre.
Hole FR-20-DD-001, tested approximately 58 metres b elow intercepts of 1.96 g/t Au over 8 metres and
0.77 g/t Au over 11 metres. This hole succeeded in intersecting the two zones with weaker intercepts o f
1.25 g/t Au over 1.5 metres and 0.19 g/t Au over 15 meters. This hole again supports the theory that
individual gold lenses have a flat plunge and that the hole was drilled below the plunge of the higher grade
portion of the zone.
Hole FR-20-DD-002, was drilled to test for parallel mineralized lenses located to the east of the main gold-
bearing lens. This 280-metre long hole intersected 10 mineralized intervals with 4 of the lenses returning
assay composites greater than 0.5 g/t Au. The initi al intercept returned 1.46 g/t Au over 9.3 metres
(estimated 6.5 metres true thickness) from 89.9 metres. This intercept correlates with nearby intercepts of
7.29 g/t Au over 3 metres and 1.54 g/t Au over 7 me tres in holes 25 metres to the north and south,
respectively. This lens of gold mineralization has been traced for 175 metres along strike and is open to the
north. It appears to represent a northerly-trending splay off of the central part of the north-northwe st-
trending Gourbassi East Zone. The 2 nd strong intercept in this hole returned 2.38 g/t Au over 5.2 metres
(estimated 3.6 metres true thickness) from 175.5 metres. This intercept correlates with an intercept of 5.48
g/t Au located approximately 40 meters up dip. This lens has been traced for approximately 150 metres
along strike and is open to the north. The 3 rd material intercept returned 1.26 g/t Au over 2.6 metres. This
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gold mineralization has not been modelled. The 4 th intercept returned 0.91 g/t Au over 3 metres. It correlates
with nearby intercepts of 2.84 g/t Au over 6 metres located 15 metres above and 2.45 g/t Au over 5 metres
located 45 metres below. This mineralization appear s to be part of the central part of the Gourbassi E ast
Zone.
Figure 3 – Gourbassi East Drill Plan
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Gourbassi West
Four RC holes and 1 core hole, were drilled at Gourbassi West during the recent drill program (see Figure
4 – for locations). Three of the five holes interse cted significant gold mineralization with a best intercept
of 1.02 g/t Au over 15 metres.
Two of the holes FR-20-RC-005 and 006 where drilled to test the strike extension of a drill intercept that
returned 3.52 g/t Au over 33 metres in hole GWRC305. Hole 006 intersected four intervals grading better
than 0.5 g/t Au with the best interval returning 0.75 g/t Au over 20 metres, at a deeper than expected depth
of approximately 70 meters vertical. This interval is assumed to correlate with the strong, at surface
intercept in hole GWRC305. Assuming this interpretation is correct, then hole FR-RC-20-005, may have
been collared too far to the east and overshot the target and hole FR-RC20-006, may have drilled below the
assumed, flat-plunging, best part of the zone. Hole s will be planned to test behind FR-RC-20-005 and i n
front of FR-RC-20-006, to intersect the zone closer to surface, to test these inferences.
Hole FR-20-RC-007 was drilled to confirm the update d geological model and to cut across a previous,
assumed down-dip intercept of 1.05 g/t Au over 63 metres. This hole intersected a near surface interval that
returned 1.23 g/t Au over 15 metres, where predicted on the contact of a 75-metre wide, granitic intrusion.
Hole FR-20-RC-008 was drilled to test the southern strike extent of a modelled western lens of gold
mineralization. This hole intersected two mineralized intervals which returned 1.91 g/t Au over 3 metr es
from 61 metres and 1.68 g/t Au over 6 metres from 1 10 metres. These two intercepts correlate with two
sets of moderate-west-dipping mineralized lenses located 50 metres to the north. There are no holes to the
south. These two lenses trend northeast and appear to be parallel to a geological structure immediately to
the west of these zones.
One core hole, FR-20-DD-003 was drilled to test the northern strike extension of the central part of t he
Gourbassi Zone. This hole intersected a near surface zone that returned 1.23 g/t Au over 5.7 metres, but did
not intersected three other modeled lenses. It is suspected that the hole was drilled below the plunge of the
zones.
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Figure 4 – Gourbassi West Drill Plan
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Barani East
A single core hole and an RC hole, were drilled to further test the Barani East Zone (see Figures 5 and 6).
Both holes intersected significant amounts of gold mineralization with the core hole returning three, closely
spaced intercepts of 0.86 g/t Au over 4 metres, 4.76 g/t Au (3.81 g/t Au cut to 30 g/t Au) over 13.4 metres
and 2.49 g/t Au over 5.1 metres (true widths are estimated to be 85-90% of drilled length). These intercepts
are located approximately 100 metres down-plunge of an intercept of 6.28 g/t Au over 13 metres and 50
metres up-dip of an intercept of 1.13 g/t Au over 7.5 metres (see long section Figure 6).
This limestone-hosted gold zone has been traced for approximately 450 metres down a shallow, southwest
plunge and is open down plunge. Additional plunging lenses of gold mineralization are being targeted along
strike of this central lens. This mineralized system appears to be related to near surface, limestone-hosted,
AC hole, gold intercepts of 1.36 g/t Au over 6 metr es and 3.03 g/t Au over 10 metres (Figure 5), which
could extend the Barani East Zone another 800 metre s to the south. More drilling is required both alon g
strike and down-plunge of the Barani East zone.
An RC hole, BERC0015, was drilled to test down plunge of an en-echelon gold-bearing lens. It intersected
0.75 g/t Au over 4 metres (Figure 5 and 6). Based on modelling, this hole just clipped the lower edge of the
gold lens. Follow-up drilling is planned.