Ariana Resources (LON:AAU) plans to start drilling soon at the Karakavak and Kepez West prospects at the Red Rabbit project after exploration identified new gold targets, it said.
The results are from soil and rock-chip work and show several further gold-silver mineralised vein systems at Karakavak and soil anomalies along the whole 1,800m strike length of Kepez West.
The numbers underpin the broader resource potential of the wider Red Rabbit project, which has a current JORC resource of 475,000 ounces of gold equivalent.
Dr Kerim Sener, Ariana's managing director, said the work further demonstrated "the value of the Red Rabbit project for shareholders".
" Both Kepez West and Karakavak contain several important drilling targets for the company, as it grows its resource base at the Kiziltepe Sector ahead of first production next year.
"By increasing our resource base, we can extend both the life of mine and the gold output from the planned Kiziltepe operation, which would clearly add considerable shareholder value. Kepez West and Karakavak are located 12km and 27km by road from Kiziltepe respectively and represent high priority resource development areas.
"We have now completed detailed planning for drilling programmes on these prospect areas, which we aim to initiate during the construction phase of the Kiziltepe Mine which is expected to start soon.
"Many of the targets identified are located in areas outside of forestry and can be drill-tested without delay."
Last month, Ariana received a crucial forestry permit, allowing it to shift its focus towards production at the Kiziltepe site, which is set to produce 21,000 ounces of gold each year, with a first gold pour earmarked for the second half of 2016.
Ariana shares are unchanged at 1.06p.