Desert Gold Outlines New Exploration Targets Proximal to the Senegal Mali Shear Zone
Delta, January 30, 2020 - Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DAU) (FSE: QXR2) (OTC Pink: DAUGF) ("Desert Gold" or "the Company") is pleased to present, recently acquired and reviewed, geophysical data over the Company's SMSZ Project in Western Mali, near the border with Senegal.
The ~400 km2 SMSZ Project is both named after, and, overlies a 38 km section of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone (see Figure 1), which is related to 5 large mines located both to the north and south, along strike, including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine, Barrick's Gounkoto and Loulo Mines and AngloGold Ashanti/Iamgold's (now Allied Gold's) Sadiola and Yatela Mines[1]. To the Company's knowledge, the SMSZ Project is the largest, contiguous, non-producer land package over this very prospective structural feature. Exploration targets within 5 km of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, are considered by management to be high priority, exploration targets.
Induced Polarization (IP) surveys were carried out over the project area in 2011 for TransAfrika Resources, a precursor to Desert Gold. This work led to the definition of 15 strong anomalies that are presented in Figures 2 and 3, along with select drill results, the inferred location of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone and select geological data. Of these anomalies, 4 anomalies, B, E, F and I, are deemed to be tested with each of the 4 related to known gold zones. The remaining 11 geophysical anomalies have either not been adequately tested or tested at all. A summary of the anomalies is presented in Table 1. Testing of these geophysical anomalies is planned to begin in 1H, 2020.
Jared Scharf, Desert Gold's CEO comments "This newly evaluated geophysical data, further emphasises the potential of the SMSZ Project. We are defining new targets in a great structural setting, in generally, laterite and/or overburden-covered areas, that would not have been picked up by conventional soil sampling and mapping. As well, most, if not all of these anomalies are of sufficient scale for the discovery of a new, significant, gold deposit."
Figure 1 Property Scale Compilation Map*
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*All gold grades over width, with the exception of the Soa prospect, represent drill holes with the true widths, for most holes, ranging from 70 to 95%. **The Soa Prospect result is from a trench with true widths unknown. Estimated true widths for the Berola Prospect are unknown. True widths at the Gourbassi Zones range are estimated to range from 60% to 90%.
Figure 2 Colour-contoured IP Chargeability Inversion data for -168 metre level
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Figure 3 Colour-contoured IP Resistivity Inversion data for -168 metre level
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Technical Details
Induced Polarization surveys were carried out over an approximate 3 km by 8 km part of the project area in 2011 for TransAfrika Resources, a precursor to Desert Gold. The geophysical surveys consisted of a Time Domain, Pole-Dipole IP survey that was conducted with 6 x 100 metre dipoles. The results were modelled using the Geotomo Software inversion package. This work led to the delineation of 15 anomalies with color-contoured inversion data presented at the approximate 168-metre vertical level, well below the base of oxidation (see Figures 2 and 3).
The IP summary data presented in Figures 2 and 3 also show three critical, regional scale geological features, including the Senegal Mali Shear Zone in the lower left portion of the figures, a northeast-trending shear zone corridor and two, larger granodiorite intrusions in the upper right of the figures. Regionally, the Senegal Mali Shear Zone is associated with 6, >1 million-ounce gold deposits that are located within 5 kilometres to the east of the shear zone. The inferred location of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone is based on an abrupt change in resistivity across the projected structure. The granodiorite intrusion may have been emplaced in an area where the dominantly north-trending Senegal Mali Shear Zone, locally trends more northwesterly. The northeast-trending shear zone, which controls the location of the carbonate-hosted Barani East Zone and a few other gold zones, appears to offset the granodiorite intrusion, in a left lateral sense, by 500 to 1,000 metres.
A potential geological scenario, is early movement on the Senegal Mali Shear zone, emplacement of the granodiorite intrusions, which are in turn are both cut by the Northeast Shear Zone, which is in turn cut by the reactivated Senegal Mali Shear Zone and a series of related north- to northwest-trending splay structures. Second and third order shears appear to have developed as splays off of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone and are focussed along, and locally within, the granodiorite intrusion. Gold mineralization is hosted by siltstones, sandstones, carbonates, felsic intrusions and gabbroic intrusions, or essentially any rock types that are intersected by stronger shear structures. Alteration consists of typical carbonate sericite zones with disseminated to veinlet pyrite, quartz veining and local hematization and tourmalinization. Both iron-(hematization) and tourmaline-enrichment are associated with most of the large deposits in the region and thus are viewed as positive aspects in this overall target area.
IP chargeability anomaly highs appear to indicate increased in pyrite content as evidenced by increased pyrite content in the known gold zones, which are associated with chargeability highs. However, chargeability highs can also be related to other conductive materials, like graphite, which may or may not be related to gold mineralization. Resistivity highs in this area denote intrusive rocks or general rock type changes proximal to the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, and areas of abundant quartz veining. Resistivity lows can represent graphitic shear zones. While gold zones, related to the IP chargeability highs, would be the easiest to follow, gold zones can also occur on the flanks of the geophysical anomalies.
Table 1 - IP Anomaly Summary
| IP Anomaly | Chargeability | Resistivity | Strength | Length (m) | Comment |
| A (Target Area 58) | high | Low to flank | strong | 1,500 | May be western contact of GD. Strongest at depth. Open to North. |
| B (Target Area 37) | high | Flank to high | Mod to strong | 2,100 | Barani East Zone. Deviates from NE trend north toward GD. Northern portion not tested. |
| C (target Area 56) | high | Low to flank to high | Weak to strong | 3,200 | Recently tested with 2 RC holes. May be two anoms. Northern half aligned along western GD contact |
| D (Target Area 57) | high | moderate | medium | 600 | Parallel trend to Barani East Zone. Not tested. |
| E (correlates with Barani Zone) | high | moderate | Medium to strong | 4,000 | Northern half correlates with Barani Zone. Southern half not tested |
| F (correlates with Barani Zone) | moderate | low | moderate | 850 | Part of Barani Zone, open off grid to north. Good correlation with drill intercepts |
| G (Target Area 55) | moderate | Low to flank | moderate | 2,400 | Not tested. Consider auger line |
| H | moderate | Flank to high | moderate | 260 | Likely a shear in the GD. Intrusion-hosted-type target. Open to North. |
| I (correlates with Keniegoulou Zone) | strong | Wk to mod to flank | moderate | 2,500 | Eastern flank of Keniegoulou Zone, partially tested. Patchy assoc Au. AC holes tested northern portion |
| J (Target Area 59) | moderate | Moderate to flank | moderate | 1,300 | Not tested, open to South. Appears to cut GD. May be related to Target Area #3 |
| K (Target Area 51) | strong | strong | strong | 1,600 | Not tested. Seems to lie immediately to west of SMSZ |
| L (Target Area 48) | moderate | Moderate to flank | moderate | 2,300 | Partially tested, weak auger correlation, Au to 4.88 g/t over 2 m. parallels target area #2. Could use a few holes to test. |
| M (Target Area 49) | Moderate to strong | moderate | moderate | 2,400 | Not tested, may be strike continuation of K, but, N-trending vs NW, on west side of SMSZ? |
| N (Target Area 53) | moderate | moderate | moderate | 1,000 and 300 | Not tested. May be southern strike extend of anomaly G, splay off SMSZ? Anomaly pair |
| O (Target Areas 1 and 52) | moderate | Weak to flank | moderate | 500 and 750 | Not tested. Eastern anom correlates with at zone wt tour. Target area #1. West anom correlates with 380 ppb Au soil. May extend to south for another 1,400 m |
Exploration Plan
These target areas will be evaluated in a sequential fashion. Wide-spaced auger lines will initially test for gold enrichment along the IP anomalies that are covered by laterite. If anomalous gold values are delineated over the anomalies, then more systematic auger drilling will be carried out to better define the gold anomalies prior to first pass testing by AC drilling. IP anomalies that have been validated by existing soil surveys and/or geological mapping, will be tested by AC if the rocks are weathered (saprolitic) and RC if the rocks are fresh.
Additional drilling is planned both to depth and along strike of known zones with a goal to delineate mineral resources. Recent work at the Barani and Keniegoulou Zones suggests a flat plunge, which would support continuing to test high grade zones, along strike, at or about the same vertical level. The Barani East Zone, which is controlled by a different structure, appears to plunge moderately to shallowly to the southwest, with new drilling targeting down plunge of the known lenses and along strike, with a goal to discover additional lenses.
The company, also plans to extend the IP geophysical surveys to the north, since many of the anomalies are open to the north and the favorable northwest orientation, of the Senegal Mali Shear, appear to persist for approximately an additional 2 km before appearing to trend northeast for approximately 4 km and after that, northerly.
This press release contains certain scientific and technical information. The Company is solely responsible for the contents and accuracy of any scientific and technical information related to it. Don Dudek, P.Geo a director of Desert Gold and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release.
[1] Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily representative of mineralization hosted on the Company's SMSZ Property.
About Desert Gold
Desert Gold Ventures Inc. is a gold exploration and development company that holds 3 gold exploration projects in Western Mali (SMSZ, Segala West and Djimbala) and its Rutare gold project in central Rwanda. The Company's current focus is its 391 km2 SMSZ Project that spans approximately 38 km of the prolific Senegal Mali Shear Zone.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
"Sonny Janda"
____________________
Sonny Janda, Chairman
Contact:
Jared Scharf, President & CEO
Email: jared.scharf@desertgold.ca
Tel. No.: +1 (858) 247-8195
For further information please visit our website www.desertgold.ca or information available on www.SEDAR.com under the company's profile.
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