Ariana Resources (LON:AAU) is to adopt a new exploration strategy for its Red Rabbit prospect in Turkey, a move it hopes will dramatically increase the prospectivity of the core Kiziltepe sector.
The new approach follows a comprehensive evaluation of high-grade gold and silver occurrences at Kiziltepe.
A recent desk study to amalgamate all previous exploration data identified a number of clear spatial trends for high-grade gold-silver prospects. The trends identified a large, near complete circular structure, with a diameter of approximately six kilometres (km).
It added that the new exploration model explains the distribution of high-grade gold-silver veins better than any previous model for the region and had established a link between gold-silver mineralisation and high-level sub-volcanic intrusions.
The focus of the new exploration strategy will be to map and sample the high-grade radial vein trends and their associated alteration.
Ariana hopes the new strategy will double the potentially mineable resources at Kiziltepe over the next two years by focusing initially on existing exploration targets.
Kerim Sener, Ariana’s managing director, said: "This recent work is highly significant for Ariana, and dramatically increases the overall prospectivity of the Kiziltepe sector.
"It is now apparent that the gold-silver bearing vein-swarms at Kiziltepe and Karakavak sit either side of a volcanic feature, which is centred on a large structurally-controlled clay alteration zone.
"Along the margins of this feature are situated the Kepez quartz-sulphide veins, which are in places hosted by resurgent volcanic domes.
"The coincidence of these features in an area of approximately 30km2 and their possible link to a volcanic caldera increases the overall prospectivity of the Kiziltepe Sector considerably.
There is also longer-term scope to define an associated mineralised porphyry system in the vicinity of Kiziltepe.”
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