Exploration by Ariana Resources PLC (AIM:AAU)'s subsidiary Western Tethyan Resources (WTR) has confirmed a porphyry mineral system at the Hertica project in Kosovo plus a potential new system in another area of the country.
At Hertica, almost 1,400m of diamond drilling indicated a new porphyry-style copper-gold-molybdenum alteration system.
Meanwhile, at the Cecelia-Popova-Lluzhan license, WTR found multiple samples with grades between 12-19 g/t gold and 22-684 g/t silver in the best examples, indicative of potentially another porphyry-style system on its acreage.
Ariana added that 2,000 meters of sampling work is also underway at Slivova, another of its licenses in the region. Recently, work has focused on an environmental study (ESG), but a drilling program is now planned to build on the previous JORC resource estimate.
WTR, 76% owned, has now collected more than 1,000 Bulk Leach Extractable Gold (BLEG) samples across Kosovo, with several significant mineralized districts defined, Ariana added.
Kerim Sener, Ariana’s managing director said: "This is a great set of exploration results from WTR. A new copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry system was confirmed at the Hertica Project in Kosovo, with further drilling earmarked to further test the target area.
"We have also recognised an opportunity to identify another porphyry system in the Cecelia-Popova-Lluzhan licence package.
Mentor Demi, WTR’s managing director, added: "We are pleased with the results of the inaugural drilling program at the Hertica project in Kosovo.
"Two deep drill holes totalling 1,390 metres have confirmed the presence of a porphyry system at Hertica.
"We are now preparing for follow-up drilling aimed at exploring the system. The follow-up programme will target areas of coincident high chargeability, magnetic and geochemical anomalies.
"Our field crew are conducting grassroots exploration efforts across our licences in Kosovo and into North Macedonia.
"The BLEG and reconnaissance teams have identified multiple promising areas and targets, and we are currently preparing new licence applications in Kosovo and our first applications in North Macedonia.
"Furthermore, we are advancing our earn-in at the Slivova Gold project in Kosovo. Environmental and social baseline studies are well underway, and exploration has commenced on ten new targets outside the main resource area."