Dalaroo Metals Scales Up Bondoukou Drilling as First Samples Head to Lab
Key Takeaways
- Dalaroo has escalated its maiden RC drilling campaign at Bondoukou Gold Ridge to two-shift, six-day-per-week operations, with approximately 430 metres completed across two holes of a planned 24-hole, ~4,200-metre orientation program.
- First RC samples from BDRC001 have been dispatched to SGS's Yamoussoukro laboratory, with assay results anticipated in October 2026 — the first laboratory test of the 7km gold corridor.
- Geological logging of BDRC001 to 250 metres identified quartz, quartz-sulphide, and quartz-carbonate veining with characteristics similar to nearby artisanal workings, including a notable 4-metre milky quartz vein interval at 168–172 metres depth.
- Subject to encouraging results, the program could expand to 102 holes total — adding 78 RC holes (~7,800 metres) beyond the current orientation phase — with diamond drilling also under contractor discussion for potential mobilisation before end of 2026.
- The project sits within the Birimian Greenstone Belt and is underpinned by surface geochemistry that returned a peak soil assay of 23.26g/t Au across the target corridor, providing the geochemical rationale for the current drill placement.
Dalaroo scales up Bondoukou drilling as first samples head to the lab
Dalaroo Metals has moved its maiden Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling campaign at the Bondoukou Gold Ridge Project in Côte d’Ivoire to two-shift (day and night) operations, following the completion of an initial training and familiarisation phase. The first batch of RC samples has been dispatched to SGS’s Yamoussoukro laboratory, with assay results anticipated in October 2026.
The operational ramp-up is deliberate and systematic. The company prioritised establishing safe work procedures and training local support personnel before expanding the schedule, and the rig is now expected to operate six days per week. Approximately 430 metres have been completed to date across two holes, as part of a 24-hole, ~4,200-metre orientation program.
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What the first drill hole revealed
Geological observations from BDRC001
Preliminary logging of BDRC001, completed to a final depth of 250 metres, identified several zones of quartz veining with characteristics similar to veins observed in nearby artisanal workings. These observations are visual and preliminary in nature; laboratory assays are required to determine whether gold mineralisation is present and, if so, its grade and significance.
Vein types logged include quartz, quartz–sulphide and quartz–carbonate veins, with visually estimated vein abundances of 0.1% to 0.4% per logged interval. A notable 4-metre downhole interval of milky quartz vein was recorded from 168 to 172 metres (true width not known). The veining is hosted within foliated and sheared volcaniclastic and rhyolitic (felsic volcanic) units below approximately 43 metres, with no veining logged within the basalt unit from 127 to 153 metres.
Pyrite is the only sulphide logged, occurring as both massive and disseminated pyrite within the RC chips. Visually estimated pyrite abundances range from 0.1% to 0.6% per logged interval, with the highest reading (0.6%) between 172 and 181 metres.
Cautionary statement: Visual estimates of mineral abundance should never be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analyses where concentrations or grades are the factor of principal economic interest. Visual estimates also potentially provide no information regarding impurities or deleterious physical properties relevant to valuations.
Table 1 below sets out visual estimates of vein and sulphide abundance in BDRC001, from surface to end of hole at 250 metres.
| From (m) | To (m) | Lithology | Alteration (intensity) | Vein type | Vein (%) | Sulphide | Sulphide (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | Laterite / ferricrete | Hematite (strong) | – | – | – | – |
| 1 | 35 | Saprolite | Limonite / goethite (intense) | Quartz | 0.1 | – | – |
| 35 | 43 | Saprock | Chlorite (pervasive) | – | – | – | – |
| 43 | 52 | Volcaniclastic with quartz veining | Silicification and potassic (localised)* | Quartz–sulphide | 0.3 | Pyrite | 0.4 |
| 52 | 54 | Rhyolite / felsic volcanic (faulted) | Silicification (pervasive) | Quartz | 0.4 | Pyrite | 0.2 |
| 54 | 60 | Volcaniclastic | Silicification (pervasive) | Quartz | 0.4 | Pyrite | 0.1 |
| 60 | 115 | Rhyolite / felsic volcanic, minor sandstone | Silicification (intense) | Quartz–sulphide | 0.1 | Pyrite | 0.2 |
| 115 | 127 | Volcaniclastic | Chlorite (moderate) | Quartz–sulphide | 0.1 | Pyrite | 0.2 |
| 127 | 153 | Basalt / mafic volcanic (strongly magnetic) | – | – | – | – | – |
| 153 | 168 | Volcaniclastic with quartz veining, minor deformed sandstone | Chlorite (pervasive) | Quartz | 0.1 | Pyrite | 0.4 |
| 168 | 172 | Quartz vein (milky)† | – | Quartz vein | 0.1 | – | – |
| 172 | 181 | Volcaniclastic (sheared) | Chlorite (strong) | Quartz | 0.1 | Pyrite | 0.6 |
| 181 | 190 | Rhyolite / felsic volcanic | Silicification (pervasive) | – | – | Pyrite | 0.2 |
| 190 | 193 | Volcaniclastic | Chlorite (intense) | – | – | – | – |
| 193 | 202 | Rhyolite / felsic volcanic, minor sandstone | Silicification (pervasive) | – | – | – | – |
| 202 | 207 | Volcaniclastic (fractured) | Chlorite (moderate) | Quartz | 0.1 | Pyrite | 0.1 |
| 207 | 234 | Rhyolite / felsic volcanic (crushed 228–234 m) | Chlorite (strong) | Quartz–carbonate | 0.1 | – | – |
| 234 | 250 | Volcaniclastic | Chlorite (strong) | – | – | Pyrite | 0.2 |
*Notes: Visual estimates are the logging geologist’s estimates of percentage by volume for each logged interval. “–” = not observed. *Alteration type not recorded for this interval; description from the geologist’s comments. †Interval logged as a milky quartz vein (downhole width 4 m; true width not known). Pyrite occurs as massive and disseminated pyrite within the RC chips. Vein orientations and true vein widths cannot be determined from RC chips. Laboratory assay results for BDRC001 are anticipated in October 2026.*
Cautionary statement: Visual estimates of mineral abundance should never be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analyses where concentrations or grades are the factor of principal economic interest. Visual estimates also potentially provide no information regarding impurities or deleterious physical properties relevant to valuations.
Frank Twum-Berima Bosompem, Exploration Manager – Côte d’Ivoire
“Early drill returns include features that will help us refine our understanding of the structures, alteration and geological controls across the Gold Ridge target corridor. These observations remain preliminary, and laboratory assays will ultimately determine the presence and grade of any gold mineralisation.”
What is RC drilling — and why does it matter for junior gold explorers?
Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling is a method that uses compressed air to push rock chips up to the surface through an inner drill rod, allowing geologists to sample rock at depth quickly and cost-effectively. Chips are collected at one-metre intervals, giving the team a continuous geological record from surface to the bottom of the hole.
For orogenic gold exploration (gold deposits formed by ancient tectonic activity and fluid movement along fault systems), RC drilling is the standard first-pass tool. It covers ground efficiently, produces representative samples across large target areas, and generates the geological framework needed to plan deeper and more expensive diamond drilling.
Critically, what visual logging cannot tell you is whether gold is actually there. That requires laboratory fire assay analysis, which measures gold concentration in parts per million with analytical precision. Observations of quartz veining and pyrite are geological indicators that can accompany gold mineralisation, but they are not proof of it. Only the laboratory results will determine whether Dalaroo’s geological observations translate into economically relevant grade.
The company is also applying a scissor-drilling approach, testing priority areas from opposing northeast and southwest directions. This is designed to reduce the risk of drilling parallel to the structures being targeted — a bias that could cause a drill hole to miss mineralisation that runs along a fault plane rather than across it.
The road ahead — assays, diamonds and a 102-hole vision
The immediate next step is straightforward: wait for the laboratory. Initial assay results for BDRC001 are anticipated in October 2026, subject to laboratory turnaround times, sample preparation, and completion of the company’s QA/QC review and validation processes.
The full program scope is substantial:
- 24-hole orientation program (~4,200 metres) currently underway, with ~430 metres completed to date
- Subject to results, an indicative follow-up of 78 RC holes (~7,800 metres)
- Total indicative program: 102 holes
- Rig operating six days per week, two shifts
Beyond RC drilling, Dalaroo is already in discussions with contractors regarding the potential mobilisation of diamond drill rigs to Bondoukou before the end of 2026, subject to encouraging geological observations and assay results from the RC program. Diamond drilling is not included in the current RC program budget and would require separate Board approval. Selected RC holes may also be cased to preserve the option of completing future diamond tails.
John Morgan, CEO
“We deliberately took the time at the beginning of this campaign to make sure the right systems, procedures and training were in place. … Having completed that initial training and familiarisation phase, we have now introduced a nightshift. The rig is expected to operate six days a week, balancing efficient progress with respect for local customs and community practices.”
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About the Bondoukou Gold Ridge Project
The Bondoukou Gold Ridge Project is located in north-eastern Côte d’Ivoire, within the Birimian Greenstone Belt of West Africa — a geological terrane that hosts several of the continent’s significant gold deposits. Dalaroo has entered into an earn-in arrangement with Goldridge SARL to acquire up to an 80% interest in exploration permit PR-825 through staged expenditure and project advancement milestones.
The geological setting targets structurally controlled orogenic gold mineralisation along a corridor defined by soil, auger, magnetic and geological surveys. That surface work has already returned meaningful results, including a peak soil assay of 23.26g/t Au from a previously reported approximately 7km gold corridor (as reported in the 15 June 2026 ASX announcement). The current RC program is the first drilling to test this corridor.
The technical team previously executed an extensive 9km soil sampling program to map these structures, generating the geochemical anomalies that guide the current drill placement.
Ready to Learn More About Dalaroo’s Bondoukou Gold Ridge Drilling Campaign?
With two-shift RC drilling now underway across a 24-hole, ~4,200-metre orientation programme, Dalaroo Metals is systematically testing a ~7km gold corridor in the prospective Birimian Greenstone Belt of Côte d’Ivoire. First assay results from SGS’s laboratory are anticipated in October 2026, with diamond drilling potentially to follow before year’s end.
Explore the full details of the Bondoukou Gold Ridge Project and Dalaroo’s staged exploration strategy by visiting the Dalaroo Metals investor profile on Discovery Alert.