Ariana Resources PLC (AIM:AAU) has revealed significant progress in its drilling program at Salinbas and Ardala in Turkey and updated on exploration across the wider project area.
The mineral exploration and development company with gold mining interests in Europe said it completed the deepest hole drilled into the Ardala Porphyry to date, reaching a depth of 745.3 metres (m). The hole yielded a significant intercept of 461.8m containing 0.22% copper, 0.23 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 155 parts per million (ppm) molybdenum from 283.5m.
Additionally, it said, a new "contact-mineralisation" was discovered on the periphery of the Ardala porphyry, with an 8.2m intercept containing 1.27% copper, 0.95g/t gold, 22.4g/t silver and 0.16% zinc.
Ariana added that infill drilling within the Salinbas resource area is progressing well, with notable results including intercepts of 12.8m at 1.34g/t gold and 3.3g/t silver, 10.7m at 1.19g/t gold and 16.50g/t silver and 5.8m at 1.43g/t gold and 25.0g/t silver.
The drilling program has completed over 12,000m since its commencement in late 2021.
In a statement, Dr Kerim Sener, managing director of Ariana Resources, commented: "These results represent another major development for the Salinbas Project as a whole. We have now confirmed the presence of a significantly gold-rich core to the Ardala Porphyry system in the deepest and one of the most well-mineralised holes drilled on the project to date, yielding almost half a kilometre of continuous copper, gold and molybdenum mineralisation, to a total depth of approximately three-quarters of a kilometre, ending in mineralisation.
"Importantly, this mineralisation is partly encountered outside of the zone previously identified as the high-grade potassic core of the porphyry, suggesting that our understanding of the overall potential is only just beginning."
He added: "We are now about halfway through a substantially expanded drilling programme which allows for up to 22,000m of drilling. Drilling also remains underway at Hizarliyayla using a second drill-rig and the initial results of this drilling will be reported on separately from this release."
Ariana operates Salinbas in partnership with Proccea Construction Co. and Ozaltin Holding A.S., with Ariana owning 23.5%.