Ariana Resources PLC (AIM:AAU) said diamond drilling has got underway at the Hertica project in Kosovo.
The junior, which holds a 75% stake in the prospect through subsidiary Western Tethyan (WTR), said the drilling will comprise of five holes over 3,200 metres and will focus on two main gold, copper, and molybdenum anomalies delineated by geochemistry and geophysics.
Funding will come from a US$2.5 million exploration funding agreement with mining giant Newmont.
Kerim Sener, Ariana Resources' managing director, commented: “Several geological, geochemical, and geophysical factors point to the potential for a buried porphyry system, which will now be tested through an initial drilling programme."
Mentor Demi, managing director of WTR, added: "This represents a significant development in the WTR/Newmont/Ariana relationship with the Newmont Alliance funding of this drilling program on this exciting project. While the initial surface exploration within the licence area is promising for an epithermal alteration system, our aim with the deep drilling program is to test the existence of a porphyry system at deeper levels.”