Ariana Resources PLC (AIM:AAU) has released promising drilling results from the Hizarliyayla area of its Salinbas Project, revealing potential mineralisation akin to the nearby (and globally significant) Hod Maden gold and copper deposit.
Intercepts included 0.5 meters at 3.96 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 28.65g/t silver from 540.5 meters in drill hole HZR010, and 0.7 meters at 1.16% copper, 0.72% lead, and 29.39g/t silver from 293.3 meters in HZR009. Another notable result is 0.4 meters at 10% zinc, 2.38% lead, and 317.01g/t silver from 662.3 meters.
The latest data, combined with geophysical surveys, suggest a structural setting that may indicate proximity to a mineral-rich porphyry system.
Ariana is continuing its exploration efforts with an additional 3,000 meters of diamond drilling planned for the Salinbas and Ardala areas.
"This was always an ambitious and challenging exploration programme. Still, these results have shown genuine potential in this location for mineralisation akin to the nearby and world-class Hod Maden deposit, located 8.5 kilometres south," said managing director Kerim Sener.
"The opportunity at Hizarliyayla is therefore upgraded from a simple test of the geological model to a demonstration of targets."
Sener highlighted a key new target on Hizarliyayla's western flank, where geophysical data suggests the presence of a mineralised porphyry intrusion. He emphasised that this data will guide future exploration efforts to further define and enhance the geological model in this area.
Hod Maden is a world-class gold-copper deposit located in northeastern Turkey. It is known for its high-grade mineralisation and is one of the most significant undeveloped gold-copper projects globally, with substantial resources of both metals.
The project has a proven and probable mineral reserve of 8.7 million tonnes at an average grade of 8.8 g/t gold and 1.5% copper for 2.45 million ounces of gold and 287 million pounds of copper.