Royal Road Minerals Ltd (TSX-V:RYR, OTC:RRDMF) has decided to focus its exploration efforts on the Jabal Sahabiyah project in Saudi Arabia, following the relinquishment of its rights to the Al Miyah tender area.
The decision, made in collaboration with its joint-venture partner MIDU Company Ltd, was approved by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.
Jabal Sahabiyah spans nearly 284 square kilometers in Asir Province and includes three exploration licenses granted to RRA after a competitive licensing round in early 2024.
RRA has identified multiple prospects within this area, including Jabal Muwayqirah and Hanash South, which show promise for copper, gold, zinc, and silver mineralization.
At Jabal Muwayqirah, RRA's recent geochemical and drone magnetic studies have outlined a promising drill target. Surface samples returned gold grades as high as 7.5 grams per tonne and copper levels up to 5%, according to a statement from Royal Road. The company plans to conduct further auger sampling and is in the permitting process for drilling, expected to start in early 2025.
In the Hanash South prospect, earlier work by Riofinex identified mineralized gossans along a 1.6-kilometer strike. Anomalies identified through magnetics and induced polarization surveys led to the drilling of sulphide-rich zones in the 1970s, with notable intersections of copper and zinc. RRA is advancing exploration here, aiming to confirm the site’s potential with updated analytical methods.
"Systematic exploration work at Jabal Sahabiyah is identifying local and district-scale potential at several localities,” Tim Coughlin, Royal Road’s CEO said in a statement.
Coughlin noted that the economic potential of Jabal Muwayqirah has been boosted by repeated geochemical sampling using modern techniques to better assess gold content. Analysis revealed that adding gold from grab samples has raised copper equivalent grades to as high as 16.5%.
At Jabal Sahabiyah and other sites, testing beneath transported cover and within wadis is proving crucial for uncovering mineralization potential, according to Coughlin.
“We now have several examples of gossan occurrences occurring as erosional remnants along the immediate banks of wadi's or as sub crop from within the wadi itself. In the case of Hanash South, Riofinex collared all of their drill holes from within the wadi and at Jabal Muwayqirah our immediate targets are evident as subtle auger anomalies and drone magnetic responses from beneath three meters of transported cover.”