Castle Minerals (ASX: CDT) has hit mineralisation in all eight holes of its latest drilling program at the Kpali gold discovery in Ghana.

Highlights from the new Kpali program feature 12 metres at 8.29 grams per tonne gold from 25m including 6m at 11.60g/t from 31m and a peak 1m intercept of 20.43g/t at 36m in an interpreted ‘hanging wall’ lode.

Those results build on the success of two prior programs that included 4m at 3.66g/t gold from 26m, 3m at 5.20g/t from 125m and 28m at 2.26g/t from 81m.

New West African gold district

Executive chair Stephen Stone said the latest results confirm the Kpali gold prospect as a robust discovery in a completely new district within Ghana’s exploration frontier.

“The Kpali gold prospect is […] a strong indicator that we may be dealing with a new West African gold mining camp in Ghana’s emerging northern region,” Mr Stone said.

“These drilling results follow excellent recent results from four holes at the Kandia prospect, a second and separate gold discovery.”

“We are very keen to get back drilling and to extend the Kpali gold prospect discovery, as well as follow up historical drilling at the nearby Bundi discovery, 4 kilometres north.”

Classic gold setting

The deposits are located in a classic setting for major gold deposits in West Africa and northern Ghana in particular.

The region hosts Cardinal Resources’ 5.1-million-ounce Namdini gold deposit and Azumah Resources’ 2.8Moz Black Volta gold project, with the latter’s high-grade Julie deposit immediately along strike from Kandia.

“West Africa is where big gold discoveries can be and are still being made,” Mr Stone added.

“With the gold price now at a level I could only dream of when starting my career, it’s the perfect time to be exploring Castle’s two new discoveries in the very stable, safe and mining-friendly jurisdiction of Ghana.”

‘Blind’ discoveries

Mineralisation at the Kpali gold project’s Kpali, Bundi, Kpali East, Wa South East and Wa South West prospects consists of essentially “blind” discoveries.

This means the bedrock hosting the mineralisation is largely obscured by extensive but generally shallow soils and alluvium.

This explains the lack of artisanal mining activity, which often leads explorers into a new area.

Castle is assessing the information provided by the latest round of drilling, which will be integrated with existing data and fully interpreted before undertaking a follow-up drilling campaign.