UK-based miner identifies potential gold in Matebeleland North

United Kingdom-based miner Ariana Resources Plc has announced promising developments at its Dokwe Gold project located in the Tsholotsho District, approximately 110 kilometers west of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The company has identified significant potential for increasing the project's resource base through further drilling.

The Dokwe Gold Project, which consists of Dokwe North and Central deposits, was initially discovered by Rockover in 2002. The site utilizes innovative soil geochemical exploration methods capable of detecting mineralization beneath the surface, with the first drill tests conducted in 2004. Ariana Resources currently holds 100% ownership of the project, which is recognized as the largest undeveloped gold project in Zimbabwe.

Ariana's Managing Director, Kerim Sener, stated that the review of exploration data and geological assessments has revealed several zones with substantial resource upside potential. "Based on our current assessments, we are targeting an enhancement of the resource to at least 2 million ounces of gold," he said.

At Dokwe North, Sener noted that a detailed reassessment of the geology and structural controls on mineralization has enhanced their understanding of potential exploration opportunities. Notably, several high-grade zones have been identified, displaying good strike continuity and trending northeast-southwest, suggesting further exploration opportunities at the southern end of the deposit.

In addition, deeper drilling in the northwest has indicated the possibility of encountering prospective stratigraphy, particularly dacite and tuff, on the northern flanks of the deposit, which may lead to further mineralization discoveries.

At Dokwe Central, Ariana has demonstrated the potential for defining additional mineralization over approximately 1 kilometer along a faulted contact between volcanic and sedimentary units. Historic drill hole intercepts suggest the presence of a well-defined mineralized zone near the fault zone, trending broadly east-west.

Sener highlighted a historic intercept of 7.3 meters at 6.63 grams per tonne of gold from 32.2 meters depth, which identified gold mineralization within the Archaean units beneath the cover sequence. This promising finding has yet to be followed up with additional drilling.

"In summary, there is excellent potential at Dokwe North and Central to continue growing the resource base significantly, and we are designing new drilling programs accordingly. We look forward to updating the market on this work in due course," Sener concluded.

Ariana Resources is currently listed on the UK's Alternative Investment Market (AIM), a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that enables smaller, growing companies to raise capital by floating shares. The company recently announced plans for a secondary listing on the Australian Securities Exchange by the end of the year, further expanding its market presence.