Highlights

  • Initial drilling shows mineralisation extends beyond the existing Dokwe Central resource envelope.
  • DRC9 intercepts indicate potential for further resource growth, with follow-up drilling planned January 2026.
  • 3,317m of RC drilling completed to date; 1,320 samples dispatched with additional results expected early 2026.

Ariana Resources plc (LSE:AAU) has released the first laboratory assay results from its ongoing exploration drilling at the 100% owned Dokwe Gold Project in Zimbabwe. The results focus on the Dokwe Central area, where initial drilling confirms that mineralisation extends beyond the current resource envelope.

The DRC9 hole, drilled southwards through Dokwe Central, intersected multiple gold-bearing zones, confirming that the South Zone remains open further south. Key intercepts from DRC9 include:

  • 4m @ 1.98g/t Au from 188m
  • 9m @ 1.33g/t Au from 194m
  • 11m @ 1.37g/t Au from 206m
  • 14m @ 2.17g/t Au from 220m, including 6m @ 4.15g/t Au

Other notable intercepts within DRC9 include 19m @ 0.87g/t Au from 90m (North Zone) and 29m @ 0.88g/t Au from 156m (South Zone).

Exploration Programme to Continue
To date, the 2025 RC drilling programme has completed 3,317m across multiple target areas, with 1,320 samples dispatched for assay. Drilling is scheduled to resume in early 2026 following the year-end camp closure. Future drilling will include both RC and diamond methods to support feasibility studies and metallurgical testwork.

Geological Overview
Dokwe Central consists of steeply plunging mineralisation within sheared volcanic rocks along the Dokwe Shear Zone. Mineralisation occurs in the North Zone, a tabular body with ~75m strike length extending to 350m depth, and the South Zone, extending ~50m strike length to 150m depth. The two zones currently host an Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.93Mt @ 1.61g/t Au, equivalent to 100,000oz Au.

The DRC9 drilling targeted the continuity between the North and South zones, confirming mineralisation beyond current limits. Further holes drilled west and south of Dokwe Central will test geological offsets and potential extensions.

Next Steps
Further assay results from other holes drilled in the 2025 RC programme remain pending. The exploration team plans additional drilling in early 2026 to test features identified during the current programme, providing data to support ongoing feasibility studies.

Share Price Snapshot
AAU was trading at GBX 1.50 per share as of 23 December 2025.