• Desert Gold (DAU) has launched an exploration program at its flagship Senegal Mali Shear Zone Project (SMSZ Project) in western Mali
  • The company plans to drill an initial 20,000 metres, focusing on discovering and developing a standalone deposit
  • Auger and IP surveys will also be carried out, along with soil sampling, geological mapping and prospecting
  • At 410 square kilometres, the SMSZ Project is one of the largest exploration projects in West Africa and is surrounded by a number of major producing operations
  • Desert Gold is currently steady at C$0.14 per share

Desert Gold (DAU) has launched an exploration program at its flagship Senegal Mali Shear Zone Project in western Mali.

Covering a total of 410 square kilometres, the project is both named after and spans a 38-kilometre portion of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone – a formation related to five large producing mines to the north and south, and along strike.

These include B2 Gold’s Fekola Mine, Barrick Gold’s Gounkoto and Loulo Mines, and Allied Gold’s Sadiola and Yatela Mines.

Desert Gold said it plans to drill an initial 20,000 metres, focusing on identifying and developing a standalone deposit.

Much of the drilling will follow-up at the Gourbassi West, Gourbassi East and Barani East zones, while further exploration will seek to trace gold mineralisation from Barani East northeast to Soa and south to Keniegoulou.

In addition to the drilling work, the fully-funded program will also include auger and IP surveys, as well as soil sampling, geological mapping and prospecting.

“This project will be our main focus this year as it hosts a myriad of highly prospective, advanced and early-stage targets in the right regional setting,” said Jared Scharf, President and CEO of Desert Gold.

“Looking forward into 2021, we expect consistent news flow throughout the year as results are published while we continue developing new and existing targets,” he added.

Desert Gold says it is also planning to complete a 43-101 compliant report in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The report had been planned for late this year, but given the upcoming exploration work, it was decided that the most prudent course of action would be to delay the publication until after the company had reviewed the results of the field program.

Desert Gold is currently steady at C$0.14 per share, as of 1:05pm EST.

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