Desert Metals Uncovers New +3km Tiogo North Gold Target at Tengrela South

Desert Metals Uncovers a New +3km Gold Target at Tengrela South, Extending the Tiogo Corridor to +5.5km

Desert Metals Limited (ASX: DM1) has delivered a compelling exploration result from its Tengrela South gold project in northern Côte d'Ivoire, with systematic soil sampling defining a significant new target — Desert Metals new Tiogo North gold target at Tengrela South — that extends the known Tiogo gold corridor to more than 5.5km in strike length. With only 1.5km of that corridor drill-tested to date, the announcement signals a meaningful step-change in the scale of the gold system under investigation.

The key development: a 617 ppb gold-in-soil peak surrounded by a well-defined 800m × 400m anomalous halo has been identified 1.8km north of the company's most recent aircore drilling lines at Tiogo — an area never previously drill-tested and now classified as a high-priority, drill-ready target.

Key highlights at a glance:

• 1,774 soil samples collected across six grids at Tengrela South in March–April 2026
• New target Tiogo North defined by a coherent gold-in-soil anomaly extending +3km north of the northernmost aircore drilling line
• Peak soil value of 617 ppb Au, with secondary cluster values of 327 ppb Au and 151 ppb Au confirming spatial coherence
• Tiogo gold corridor now confirmed at +5.5km in total strike length — only 1.5km has been drill-tested
• Tiogo North shares the same NNE structural orientation as the drill-confirmed Tiogo gold corridor, interpreted as a northward continuation of the same system
• Aircore drilling of Tiogo North is the immediate next step, with infill, step-out, and deeper RC/diamond drilling also planned at the main Tiogo prospect

Managing Director Stephen Ross said: "The 617ppb gold-in-soil peak, sitting within a coherent 800m by 400m anomalous footprint, is often the surface expression of a buried, structurally controlled gold system — the same signature that defined Tiogo itself before the first drill holes. To find this scale of anomalism positioned more than 1.8km north of our 2025 drilling lines is an outstanding outcome and confirms that the Tiogo corridor extends well beyond the area tested to date. We now have a clearly defined, high-priority drill target at Tiogo North that we are moving to test as quickly as possible."

What the 2026 Soil Programme Revealed

The 2026 soil sampling programme was designed to systematically test six previously untested grid areas across the Tengrela South permit. Sample spacing was set at 50m on all grids, with line spacing varying between 300m, 400m and 600m depending on target priority and terrain.

All 1,774 samples were collected at 40cm depth, processed without sieving, and assayed by fire assay at Intertek in Tarkwa, Ghana, with a lower detection limit of 5 ppb Au.

The programme delivered two key findings:

1. Tiogo North defined as a new target: A coherent gold-in-soil anomaly extending +3km north of the northernmost aircore drilling line, characterised by a 617 ppb Au peak value and a robust anomalous halo of 10–50 ppb Au across an 800m × 400m footprint. A secondary cluster of 327 ppb Au and 151 ppb Au within the same envelope confirms the anomaly is spatially coherent rather than isolated.

2. Tiogo corridor materially extended: The main Tiogo gold corridor, previously defined by drilling over approximately 1.5km, is now confirmed to extend semi-continuously for +5.5km in strike length, with Desert Metals new Tiogo North gold target at Tengrela South representing the northern extension of the same structural system.

The programme also incorporated 54 QAQC samples (blanks, duplicates, and standards), and no QAQC issues were encountered, lending confidence to the dataset's integrity.

The Tiogo Analogue: Why This Soil Signature Matters

One of the most important aspects of this announcement is the direct comparison Desert Metals draws between the Tiogo North soil anomaly and the Tiogo anomaly before it was drill-tested.

The Tiogo soil anomaly, which shares a nearly identical profile — a coherent high-value peak surrounded by a well-defined moderate-to-strong anomalous halo — was subsequently tested by aircore drilling in 2025. It returned first-pass intercepts including 8m at 6.47 g/t gold and 12m at 4.20 g/t gold, reported in May 2026, confirming gold mineralisation semi-continuously across a 1.5km strike length.

This comparison is not a guarantee of equivalent results at Tiogo North — exploration carries inherent uncertainty — but it provides a meaningful and geologically grounded analogue that justifies the high-priority status assigned to this new target.

Understanding Gold-in-Soil Anomalies: A Primer for Investors

What Is a Gold-in-Soil Anomaly?

When gold mineralisation exists beneath the surface, weathering and erosion processes over millions of years gradually disperse gold particles into the soil above. Geologists collect soil samples across a grid pattern and measure gold concentrations in parts per billion (ppb). A spatially coherent zone of elevated gold in soil — particularly one with a distinct high-value peak surrounded by a broader halo of moderate values — is interpreted as a surface expression of a gold source below.

Why Does the Size and Coherence of the Anomaly Matter?

A disorganised scatter of elevated gold values across a wide area may simply reflect transported material or background noise. By contrast, a well-defined, spatially coherent anomaly — especially one with a clear peak, a structured halo, and an orientation consistent with known local geology — is more likely to reflect an in-place or near-in-place gold source.

Furthermore, at Desert Metals new Tiogo North gold target at Tengrela South, the 617 ppb peak surrounded by a 10–50 ppb halo across an 800m × 400m footprint, trending NNE in alignment with the known Tiogo structural corridor, satisfies all of these criteria.

Key Terminology Explained

• ppb (parts per billion): A unit of gold concentration in soil. Values above approximately 20–30 ppb in appropriate geological settings are typically considered anomalous.
• g/t (grams per tonne): The standard unit for reporting gold grades in drill samples. Higher g/t values indicate more gold per tonne of rock.
• Aircore drilling: A drilling method that uses a hollow drill bit to bring rock chips to the surface using compressed air, typically used for initial, shallow testing of targets to depths of 50–60m.
• Strike length: The horizontal distance along which mineralisation or an anomaly extends at the surface or in the subsurface.
• Birimian metasediments: Ancient, transformed sedimentary rocks of the Birimian Supergroup in West Africa — a geological sequence that hosts numerous world-class mountain-building gold deposits.
• Mountain-building gold deposit: A type of gold deposit formed during major tectonic events, typically controlled by geological structures and hosted in quartz veins.

What Comes Next: A Defined Exploration Roadmap

Desert Metals has outlined a clear, multi-stage drilling programme to systematically test both the new Tiogo North target and expand coverage at the main Tiogo prospect. The company's next phase of exploration is well-defined and purposefully sequenced.

Tiogo North — First-Pass Drilling

• Aircore drilling to test the Tiogo North soil anomaly in the upper oxide zone
• Objective: evaluate continuity of the Tiogo gold system across the full +3km northern extension
• This mirrors the exploration approach that successfully confirmed mineralisation at Tiogo in 2025

Main Tiogo Prospect — Infill and Extension

• Aircore infill drilling to close remaining line gaps within the 1.5km drill-tested corridor
• Step-out drilling to extend strike coverage both north and south of the current drill envelope
• Planning underway for reverse circulation (RC) and/or diamond drilling to depths of 150m–250m, targeting the bedrock expression of the Tiogo gold system below the current aircore depth of approximately 50–60m

This sequenced approach is consistent with industry best practice for early-stage exploration: establish anomaly geometry with shallow drilling, confirm mineralisation continuity, then drill deeper to test the primary gold source below the weathered oxide zone.

The Investment Case: Scale, Geology, and Proximity to Proven Gold

Desert Metals holds an 80% interest in the Tengrela South project, which sits within the Syama–Boundiali Greenstone Belt — a geological corridor that hosts some of West Africa's most significant gold deposits, including Sissingué, Syama, and Tongon.

The Tengrela South permit is located 30km south of Perseus Mining's Sissingué gold mine, which has produced over 500,000 ounces of gold since 2018. This proximity to proven, producing operations provides important geological validation for the broader region.

The investment case for Desert Metals at this stage of exploration rests on several reinforcing elements:

1. A demonstrably productive gold system: Tiogo aircore drilling has already confirmed gold mineralisation in every drilling line across a 1.5km strike length, with high-grade intercepts validating the geological model.

2. Substantial untested strike length: The Tiogo corridor now extends for +5.5km, with less than 30% of it drill-tested. Desert Metals new Tiogo North gold target at Tengrela South alone represents +3km of untested strike.

3. High-quality geological setting: The project sits within the Birimian metasedimentary package of the Syama–Boundiali Greenstone Belt — the same geological province responsible for multiple multi-million-ounce gold deposits in the region.

4. Proven soil-to-drill analogue: The Tiogo North soil anomaly is geologically comparable to the Tiogo anomaly prior to drilling, which returned meaningful gold intercepts on first-pass testing.

5. Low-cost, systematic exploration methodology: The use of aircore drilling as a first-pass tool allows cost-effective, wide-spaced testing of large target areas before committing to more expensive RC or diamond drilling.

6. Large permit footprint: Desert Metals controls 1,074km² of granted mineral permits and permit applications across Côte d'Ivoire through its joint venture arrangements, providing a broad exploration pipeline beyond Tengrela South.

Why Investors Should Keep Watching Desert Metals

The significance of this announcement lies not just in the individual soil results, but in what they reveal about the scale of the Tiogo gold system. A corridor now confirmed at +5.5km in strike length, with only 1.5km tested and strong geological evidence of continuity, represents a substantial exploration opportunity at an early stage.

The upcoming aircore drilling programme at Tiogo North will be a pivotal catalyst. If it returns results analogous to the 2025 Tiogo drilling programme — where every line intersected gold mineralisation — the case for a large, continuous gold system at Tengrela South will strengthen considerably.

Simultaneously, the planned RC and diamond drilling at the main Tiogo prospect to depths of 150–250m will begin to answer a critical question for any potential resource: does the high-grade gold mineralisation confirmed in the shallow oxide zone persist into fresh bedrock at depth?

Key Takeaway: Desert Metals has materially expanded the known footprint of its Tiogo gold system at Tengrela South, defining a new high-priority target — Tiogo North — across a +3km soil anomaly that mirrors the surface signature of the already drill-confirmed Tiogo discovery. With the total corridor now extending +5.5km and less than 30% drill-tested, the upcoming aircore programme at Tiogo North represents a near-term catalyst with the potential to demonstrate that the Tiogo gold system is significantly larger than currently understood. Investors watching early-stage gold exploration in one of West Africa's most prolific geological belts should keep a close eye on Desert Metals' next drill results.

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