Desert Minerals (ASX:DSM) is preparing to begin maiden drilling at its Mt Monger Gold Project in Western Australia in August 2026.
The company has secured approvals and access arrangements and appointed a contractor for the approximately 1,000m reverse circulation drilling program.
Drilling will test shallow extensions to the existing Providence mineral resource estimate, which remains open to the northwest and southwest.
Providence hosts a JORC Code 2012 inferred resource of 204,700 tonnes @ 2.5 grams per tonne gold (Au) for 16,400 ounces, about 45km southeast of Kalgoorlie.
The company notes historical drilling at the prospect returned 8m @ 31.84g/t Au from 66m, including 1m @ 190.06g/t, and 8m @ 16.15g/t Au from 60m, including 1m @ 111.4g/t.
Meanwhile, at the Divine prospect, 330m west-southwest of Providence, historical drilling intersected 3m @ 17g/t Au from 97m.
Executive Chairman Peretz Shapiro says the program is designed to expand the Providence resource and assess nearby targets.
“We are very pleased to be commencing drilling at Providence. This is a high-grade, shallow gold resource sitting in a proven producing corridor next to operating mines, and it remains open in multiple directions. The program is designed to grow the existing 16,400-ounce inventory and test several compelling nearby targets,” Shapiro says.
Providence lies near Black Cat Syndicate’s (ASX:BC8) Wombola operations, with the Wombola and Wombola Dam open pits about 900m and 1,700m away, respectively.
Desert Minerals’ Mt Monger South tenements also border Vault Minerals’ (ASX:VAU) Daisy Milano Mining Complex.
The project contains additional targets at Divine, Hoffmann, and Samocynda, identified through historical drilling, trenching, and recent geochemical surveys.
Desert Minerals notes drilling remains subject to contractor mobilisation, with assay results to be reported as they become available.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Desert Minerals
