Stellar AfricaGold finalizes 5,000-metre Phase II drill program at Tichka Est
(TheNewswire)
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Vancouver, BC – August 11, 2026 – TheNewswire - Stellar AfricaGold Inc. (TSXV: SPX) ("Stellar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that hole-by-hole targeting has been finalized for the fully funded 5,000-metre Phase II diamond drill program at its Tichka Est Gold Project, Morocco. (See news release March 3, 2026.) Drill targeting is the direct outcome of an integrated technical program completed during the first half of 2026. The Company also reports the assay results for the concluding holes of its Phase I drill campaign.
Highlights
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Phase II drill program finalized at 24 diamond drill holes totalling approximately 5,000 metres across Zone B (10 holes / 1,995 meters See Figure 1 below), Zone C (9 holes / 2,055 meters) and a new target area together with regional targets (5 holes / 950 meters). This program is fully funded.
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Additional drill holes including structural tests along the Arg-Erdouz corridor and new dyke zone are secondary targets held in abeyance to be added promptly if initial drilling confirms mineralization.
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Phase II targeting integrated three independent datasets completed in the first half of 2026: a high-resolution satellite remote-sensing study (Viridien), a 90-sample pathfinder lithogeochemical survey, and a structural review and 3D litho-structural model (Arethuse Geology).
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The Phase I drill program was completed at 11 diamond drill holes totalling 1,579.0 metres all within Zone B. Assays from the last holes include 0.2 meters grading 18.03 g/t Au at the bottom of hole TCK-010, abandoned at 30.2 metres for technical reasons while still in mineralization, and 3 meters grading 1.76 g/t Au in hole TCK-008, extending mineralization to the southwest of the main Zone B drill area.
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From the integrated dataset field crews identified a new target area. A seven-trench program (approximately 217 metres) and detailed structural mapping will be completed prior to drilling. Results will be reported once received, validated and interpreted.
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The competitive tender for Phase II drilling services (AO 01-2026) has been issued. Drilling is planned to commence this month, subject to contractor mobilization.
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A high-resolution drone magnetic survey over Zones A, B and C is planned in September, 2026.
Phase I Completed — Final Results
The Phase I diamond drill campaign was completed during the first quarter of 2026 with a total of eleven (11) holes for 1,579.0 metres, all on Zone B. Results for holes TCK-001 to TCK-006 were reported in the Company's press release dated February 3, 2026, including 12 meters grading 6.62 g/t Au (including 2 meters at 22.28 g/t Au) in hole TCK-001.
The table below shows significant results from the Phase I drill campaign including significant results for the previously unreleased holes TCK-008, TCK-009, TCK-010 and TCK-010B. Significantly, hole TCK-010 was abandoned at 30.2 metres for technical reasons while still in mineralization with the 0.2 meters at the end of the hole grading 18.03 g/t Au.
Table of Phase I Significant Assay Results
|
Hole |
From (m) |
To (m) |
Interval (m) |
Au (g/t) |
Host / Notes |
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Previously released assay results (news release, February 3, 2026) — recomputed at the disclosed parameters below (**) | |||||
|
TCK-001 |
76.0 |
79.0 |
3.0 |
0.46 | |
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TCK-001 |
83.0 |
99.0 |
16.0 |
1.61 |
Diorite; including 5.0 m @ 4.08 g/t Au from 93.0 m |
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TCK-001 |
125.0 |
137.0 |
12.0 |
6.62 |
Diorite (silicified); including 2.0 m @ 22.28 g/t Au from 125.0 m |
|
TCK-002 |
73.0 |
74.0 |
1.0 |
0.87 | |
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TCK-002 |
79.0 |
80.0 |
1.0 |
0.35 | |
|
TCK-003 |
179.0 |
182.0 |
3.0 |
0.22 | |
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TCK-003 |
204.0 |
209.0 |
5.0 |
0.17 |
*Previously released. See news release February 3rd, 2026
** Composites were calculated at a 0.20 g/t Au cut-off with maximum 3.0 metres internal dilution, uncut and length-weighted. Reported intervals are downhole lengths; true thicknesses are not yet determined.
Spring-Summer Exploration Programs.
An Integrated Targeting Model: Three Independent Datasets, One Answer
During the first half of 2026 the Company completed three complementary technical programs designed to convert the Phase I discovery into a ranked pipeline of drill targets:
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Satellite remote sensing (Viridien). A study covering the entire mining domain (~65 km²) integrating WorldView-3 high-resolution multispectral imagery (0.31 m panchromatic; 8 SWIR bands), a ~1 meter digital surface model and ASTER regional data. Deliverables included a 1:10,000 structural interpretation, a supervised lithological classification, mapping of dyke populations, and hydrothermal alteration mapping (Fe-OH, carbonate and clay mineral ratios). The study confirms that the Tizgui (NE-SW) and Arg-Erdouz (WNW-ESE) fault systems control the architecture of the project, identifies previously unrecognized faults and dyke populations, and maps a continuous alteration halo along Structures B and C extending beyond known mineralization. One spectrally distinct dyke class is strongly associated with known mineralized corridors, and a second, previously untested class coincides with a rock sample grading 10.79 g/t Au.
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Pathfinder lithogeochemistry. Ninety (90) diorite outcrop samples were analysed by ultra-low-detection ICP-MS (ALS ME-MS61L, four-acid). Zonation analysis of pathfinder elements (Mo-Sn core; As-Sb-Tl halo; Mn-Zn distal margin) resolves a single, zoned, intrusion-centred hydrothermal system and defines a compact internal target of approximately 300–500 metres diameter surrounded by a 0.5–1 km alteration halo providing an independent geochemical vector on the mineralized system at depth.
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Structural review and 3D model (Arethuse Geology). A seven-day field mission (May 2026) covering Zones A, B and C and surrounding areas produced 330 structural measurements and 43 rock samples including samples from outside the known zones returned up to 24.52 g/t Au and identified a previously unmapped 10-metre-wide diorite dyke north of Zone A carrying semi-massive arsenopyrite in laminated veins. All Phase I core was re-logged with systematic alpha-angle measurements to constrain the orientation of mineralized structures. A 3D litho-structural model integrating 1,486 structural measurements now underpins hole-by-hole targeting: gold distribution is controlled by a NNE axis corresponding to the Tizgui structure, with the highest grades (>5 g/t Au) hosted by altered diorite sills and their margins within the carbonate-mudstone package.
Phase II Drill Program
The Phase II program comprises 24 diamond drill holes totalling approximately 5,000 metres, ranked in priority order, with an extension allowance of approximately 5%:
|
Target |
Holes |
Meters |
Objective |
|
Zone B |
10 |
1,995 |
Depth and strike extensions of the mineralized sill stack beneath trenches MT1, T9B and the TCK_001 area. See Figure 1 below. |
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Zone C |
9 |
2,055 |
First drill test of trench-defined mineralization at the intersection of fold axial traces and the Arg-Erdouz corridor. |
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New target area / regional |
5 |
950 |
Drill testing subject to results of the planned trenching and sampling program. |
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Total |
24 |
~5,000 |
Most holes are planned at inclinations of approximately 55° to intersect the shallowly dipping diorite sills at a high angle and are sequenced so that early results inform later holes. In addition to the base program, the Company has designed further drill holes including structural tests along the Arg-Erdouz corridor at Zone B and new dyke zone which are held in abeyance to be added to the program promptly should drilling confirm mineralization in the corresponding sectors. The tender for drilling services (AO 01-2026) has been issued to qualified contractors, with a contract structure providing performance-based requirements.
A seven-trench program totaling approximately 217 metres and detailed structural mapping will be conducted over the interpreted new target prior to planning an anticipated drilling. Results trenching and mapping will be reported once data is received, validated and interpreted. Based on these results a drill plan will be finalized. Subject to contractor mobilization, access and weather conditions, drilling in this new area may commence as early as Q4 2026.
The Company will also complete a high-resolution drone-borne magnetic survey over Zones A, B and C to refine dyke and sill geometries and image the interpreted hydrothermal system.
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 1. Zone B Drill Holes Plan
Sampling, Analysis and QA/QC
Phase I drill core is HQ diameter, oriented using a Reflex ACTX tool, photographed wet and dry, and logged for lithology, alteration, mineralization and structure. Sampling is on nominal 1-metre intervals adjusted to geological boundaries; core is cut by diamond saw with half retained as archive. Samples were assayed at Afrilab (Marrakech, Morocco), an ISO-certified laboratory independent of the Company, by 50 g fire assay with AAS finish; samples grading above 5 g/t Au were re-assayed with gravimetric finish. Certified reference materials, blanks and duplicates were inserted at regular intervals. No material QA/QC issues were noted. Rock (grab) samples are selective in nature and may not be representative of overall mineralization. Reported drill intervals are downhole lengths; true thicknesses are not yet determined.
Mineralization at Tichka Est is at an early exploration stage. Insufficient exploration has been undertaken to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain whether further exploration will result in the delineation of a mineral resource.
Qualified Person
The technical content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by M. Yassine Belkabir, MScDIC, CEng, MIMMM, a Stellar director and a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.
About the Tichka Est Gold Project
The Tichka Est Gold Project comprises five research permits and one exploitation licence covering 82 km² in the High Atlas region of Morocco, approximately 90 km south of Marrakech. Under an earn-in agreement with Morocco's Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), Stellar can earn an 85% interest in the project by incurring US$2.39 million in exploration expenditures over three years. Gold mineralization is currently recognized in three zones: Zone A, Zone B representing the most advanced area following recent drilling, and Zone C. Much of the 82 km² project area remains unexplored or only superficially explored.
About Stellar AfricaGold Inc.
Stellar AfricaGold Inc. is a Canadian precious metals exploration company focused on North and West Africa, with active exploration programs in Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire. The Company's principal projects are the Tichka Est Gold Project in Morocco, where Stellar is advancing a gold discovery, and the Zuénoula Gold Project in Côte d'Ivoire, operated under an earn-in and joint venture agreement with MetalsGrove Mining Limited. Stellar trades on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: SPX), the Tradegate Exchange (TGAT: 6YP) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSX: 6YP). The Company's head office is in Vancouver, BC, with a country office in Marrakech, Morocco.
For further information contact: J. François Lalonde, President & CEO, Tel: +1 514-994-0654, Email: lalondejf@stellarafricagold.com, Website: www.stellarafricagold.com
On Behalf of the Board
J. François Lalonde
President & CEO
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements which may not have been based solely on historical facts but rather may be based on the Company’s current expectations about future events and results. Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis.
Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, exploration risk, mineral resource risk, the Company not achieving the production milestones described herein, changes in business plans or commodity prices, failure to obtain regulatory approvals, geopolitical country risk, and the risk factors described in the Company’s most recent Management’s Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form, which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and should not be unduly relied upon. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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