# 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. Systematic soil sampling has defined a significant new target—the **Tiogo North** gold target—extending the known Tiogo gold corridor to more than 5.5km in strike length. With only 1.5km of that corridor drill-tested to date, this announcement signals a meaningful step-change in the scale of the gold system under investigation.
## Key Highlights
* **Significant Soil Sampling Campaign:** 1,774 soil samples collected across six grids at Tengrela South in March–April 2026.
* **New Target Defined:** Tiogo North is defined by a coherent gold-in-soil anomaly extending over 3km north of the northernmost aircore drilling line.
* **High-Grade Soil Anomalism:** Peak soil value of **617 ppb Au**, with secondary cluster values of 327 ppb Au and 151 ppb Au confirming spatial coherence.
* **Corridor Extension:** The Tiogo gold corridor is now confirmed at +5.5km in total strike length (only 1.5km has been drill-tested so far).
* **Immediate Next Steps:** Aircore drilling of Tiogo North is planned as the immediate next step, alongside infill, step-out, and deeper RC/diamond drilling at the main Tiogo prospect.
> "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... To find this scale of anomalism positioned more than 1.8km north of our 2025 drilling lines is an outstanding outcome."
> — *Stephen Ross, Managing Director*
## The 2026 Soil Programme Details
The 2026 soil sampling programme systematically tested six previously untested grid areas across the Tengrela South permit. Samples were collected at a depth of 40cm, processed without sieving, and assayed by fire assay at Intertek in Tarkwa, Ghana (lower detection limit of 5 ppb Au).
The programme delivered two key findings:
1. **Tiogo North Target:** A coherent gold-in-soil anomaly extending +3km north of the northernmost drilling line, featuring a 617 ppb Au peak and an 800m x 400m anomalous halo (10-50 ppb Au).
2. **Tiogo Corridor Extension:** The main corridor is now confirmed to extend semi-continuously for +5.5km.
## Why This Soil Signature Matters: The Tiogo Analogue
The Tiogo North soil anomaly shares a nearly identical profile to the original Tiogo anomaly before it was drill-tested. In 2025, first-pass aircore drilling at Tiogo returned high-grade intercepts including **8m @ 6.47 g/t Au** and **12m @ 4.20 g/t Au** (reported in May 2026), confirming gold mineralisation over a 1.5km strike length.
| Feature | Tiogo (Pre-Drill) | Tiogo North (Current) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Peak Soil Value** | Comparable anomaly | 617 ppb Au |
| **Anomalous Halo** | Coherent, NNE-trending | 800m × 400m, NNE-trending |
| **Structural Setting** | Birimian metasediments | Same geological package |
| **Drill-tested?** | Yes (confirmed mineralisation) | No (drill-ready target) |
| **Best Intercept** | 8m @ 6.47 g/t Au; 12m @ 4.20 g/t Au | Pending |
## Next Steps
Desert Metals has outlined a clear, multi-stage drilling programme:
* **Tiogo North (First-Pass):** Aircore drilling to test the soil anomaly in the upper oxide zone to evaluate continuity across the +3km northern extension.
* **Main Tiogo Prospect:** Infill, step-out, and deeper RC/diamond drilling to further define the known 1.5km mineralised zone.
