East Star Resources Plc (LSE:EST) said it identified 22 gold targets for follow up work following a drone survey of the Apmintas licence in Kazakhstan.
Most of the targets are under just 10-30 metres of cover, the Kazakhstan-focused gold and copper explorer said in a statement.
Nine of the targets have historical gold occurrences, including Novoe, Southern Shabdar and Eshkilitau II, while another nine targets have existing historical geochemical anomalies of known gold indicators including arsenic, antimony, bismuth and copper.
"The Apmintas magnetic drone survey has delivered magnetic targets representative of classic orogenic systems over areas of known high grade gold such as Novoe and Southern Shabdar as well as several areas that have not been subject to historic drilling despite having recorded soil geochemical anomalies,” said chief executive Alex Walker.
“Historic exploration under relatively thin cover was limited and this offers a fantastic opportunity for the company to make significant new discoveries.”
The London-listed company said it plans to carry out infill soil sampling and close spaced ground magnetics to refine targets prior to drilling in the second quarter.