Dalaroo Metals has hit the go button on its Bondoukou Gold Ridge project in Côte d’Ivoire, adding a night shift as first samples from the 7km gold corridor land in the laboratory for assay.
Gold Ridge comprises three priority hotspots strung along the corridor: the 1.5km Mag target in the north, the 3.5km Wilfred prospect in the centre and the 2km by 1.2km Ali structure in the south. Drilling is advancing at Wilfred, the largest of the trio.
The opening 24-hole reverse circulation (RC) program spans 11 drill fence lines across all three targets, with holes planned to depths of 150m to 250m. Selected areas are being drilled from opposing northeast and southwest directions to establish the orientation of targeted structures and reduce the risk of drilling parallel to them.
So far, 430m of the initial 4200m orientation program is complete. The first hole finished at 250m and the second has reached 180m of its planned 250m depth.
Early logging from that hole revealed several zones of quartz veining similar to veins exposed in nearby artisanal workings. According to Dalaroo, the observation fits its structurally controlled orogenic gold model, where faults and shear zones can provide pathways for mineralising fluids. The RC samples collected so far have been shipped off to the laboratory to determine whether gold is present and, if so, its grade and significance.
The campaign is the first drill test of Gold Ridge since Dalaroo expanded the prospect earlier this year from an initial 2.5km target into a coherent 7km gold-in-soil corridor. Soil values peaked at 23.26 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and selective rock chips reached 17.95g/t, while soil and auger geochemistry, mapping, structural interpretation, magnetics and artisanal workings combined to shape the drill targets.
The move to two shifts follows an opening phase spent establishing safety and sample-handling procedures and training local support personnel, clearing the decks for a faster drilling tempo.
Dalaroo Metals Côte d’Ivoire exploration manager Frank Twum-Berima Bosompem said: “This is a dynamic, geology-led campaign designed to respond quickly to emerging information. If the initial RC drilling delivers the results we are targeting, we will be well positioned to advance priority areas through additional RC drilling and potentially deeper diamond drilling.”
The company says further samples will flow progressively to the laboratory, with assays to be returned as they clear turnaround and quality-control checks. The results will then be fed back into Dalaroo’s geological model for Wilfred, Mag and Ali, helping shape the next holes as the campaign unfolds.
Collectively, results from the opening 24 holes will determine whether the company rolls straight into another 78 RC holes for 7800m, potentially stretching the campaign to 102 holes and 12,000m. Meanwhile, community, landholder and stakeholder engagement will continue alongside the drilling.
Any future diamond campaign will be guided by success in the ground and separate technical, budgetary and board approval. Even so, Dalaroo says it's laying the groundwork for a potential next phase, with discussions underway with contractors over potential rig mobilisation before year-end. Selected RC holes may also be cased for possible diamond tails to test the depth continuity and structural controls of any significant mineralisation uncovered.
The project sits in Côte d’Ivoire’s prolific Birimian terrain, 35km from Endeavour Mining’s monster five-million -ounce Tanda-Iguela gold discovery, which management points to as regional evidence of the district’s capacity to host large gold systems. Gold Ridge itself lies across folded volcanic and sedimentary rocks, where shear zones, structural intersections and quartz veining provide the geological plumbing Dalaroo believes could have focused gold-bearing fluids.
Dalaroo secured the right to acquire up to an 80 per cent interest in Bondoukou under a binding agreement struck in February with local permit holder Goldridge SARL, with the deal tied to staged exploration spending and project milestones.
Dalaroo has raced from surface clues to its first subsurface test in less than a year. With the rig now doing its work, the assays will deliver the next verdict. They will decide whether Gold Ridge earns a much bigger drilling assault.
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By Penny Taylor
