New Gold Anomaly Identified next to Dokwe North

Ariana Resources plc ("Ariana" or "the Company"), the AIM-listed mineral exploration and development company with gold project interests in Africa and Europe, is pleased to announce an exploration update for the 100% owned Dokwe Gold Project ("Dokwe" or "the Project") in Zimbabwe.

Highlights:

• Significant 500m long gold-in-soil anomaly, identified 125m along strike of the planned Dokwe North pit rim using Portable X-ray-Fluorescence ("pXRF") coupled with novel and innovative use of detectORETM technology.
• Anomaly is geochemically significant, with a near coincident and partially overlapping gold and arsenic signature almost identical to that seen above the Dokwe North mineralisation.
• Further demonstration of the potential of Dokwe to host a multi-million-ounce exploration and development opportunity.
• Proximity of the new discovery area to the planned Dokwe North open pit prioritises this area for drill-testing.
• Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:

"This is a highly significant gold-in-soil anomaly, supported by other geochemical and geological information, which must be tested through drilling as a priority. There is potential in this area to identify an extension to the Dokwe North mineralised zone, immediately along strike to the northeast and only 125m from the planned pit rim.

"Today's news reveals an exciting new development for Dokwe, which could greatly improve our development plans for the Project. Over the past few months, the team has successfully expanded the detection capabilities of the detectORETM technology by implementing the latest innovations to locate buried gold mineralisation. The discovery of this anomaly aligns with everything we have learnt about the Dokwe mineralisation style and its geological context, as well as the dispersal patterns of trace elements in the soil profile above the orebody.

"Importantly, this breakthrough also demonstrates how detectORE™ can be applied regionally. We are now preparing to deploy these technologies across the broader Bulawayo-Bubi Greenstone Belt - particularly in concealed, underexplored areas - with the aim of determining whether Dokwe forms part of a larger, camp-scale cluster of deposits. Similar systems are evident in exposed sections of the belt, and we believe this region remains one of the most prospective, yet underexplored gold provinces in southern Africa.

"We have been very successful in adopting and implementing detectORE™ technology and are leaders in applying the technique in this particular manner. This has dramatically reduced our target generation time and allowed us to identify a potential new zone of mineralisation in under six months. I would like to thank the Dokwe team for their outstanding work."

Dokwe North Exploration Update

The Dokwe Gold Project in Zimbabwe hosts the million-ounce Dokwe gold deposits, which are progressing towards a Feasibility Study ("FS"). An ongoing regional soil sampling programme continues to expand to cover the entire project area (42km2), with multi-element portable X-Ray Fluorescence ("pXRF") geochemical analyses. Thus far, 6,139 samples have been collected and analysed. This work has led to the discovery of a new gold-in-soil anomaly to the northeast of Dokwe North (Figure 1), contributing to some important modifications to the planned mine site layout for the FS.

A series of mining and processing optimisation scenarios is currently being run by Whittle Consulting ("Whittle") to assist with key decision-making ahead of more detailed project feasibility work. To complement the Whittle work, Ariana is undertaking several parallel studies to support and expand the technical data currently held for the Dokwe deposits, resulting in improved geological models and a better understanding of the nature and siting of the gold. In conjunction with this, the team is reviewing regional geophysics, drilling and soil geochemical datasets in order to evaluate near-mine and regional exploration opportunities within the Dokwe Project Area, and to assist in sterilising areas to enable planning for the mine site layouts.

Figure 1: Plan view (top) and cross-section (bottom), Dokwe North, highlighting the gold-in-soil anomaly to the northeast of the proposed pit (the balls representing samples in the cross-section have the same colour coding as in the map). The north-south detectORETM sampling line across the pit was an orientation survey undertaken by Ariana, indicating the level of anomalism that could be expected from the application of the technology and thereby providing confidence in the defined anomalies within the peripheral area. The new target area for drilling is shown in the cross-section.

Dokwe North: Extension

The pXRF soil sampling programme to the northeast of Dokwe North identified an arsenic anomaly (4-8ppm through cover). This prompted follow-up with detectORETM gold analysis, which highlighted a gold-in-soil anomaly in detectORETM Units (dU) (Figure 1). The anomaly trends north-eastwards for approximately 500 metres and shares a similar trend to the mineralisation identified at Dokwe North. There is no drilling within the immediate target area, making this a highly significant exploration target that offers an opportunity to discover an extension to the Dokwe North deposit. The target will be drilled at the earliest opportunity.

The new Dokwe North "Extension" soil anomaly is consistent with the geological and mineralisation models derived from the Dokwe deposit studies. The deposit is characterised by anastamosing, sub-vertical shear zones as the primary control on mineralisation, particularly where they interact with lithological contacts and internal heterogeneities (such as amygdales) within the host volcanoclastic rock sequence. When seen in drill core or under the microscope, coarse gold appears not to be bound in gangue minerals, and very late in the deformation history, with a significant amount likely to be amenable to liberation at a moderate grind size, and gravity recovery (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Visible gold in amygdaloidal dacite, Dokwe North, seen under reflected light microscopy, filling voids and cracks amongst pyrite grains, in amygdale and pyrite pressure shadows, and in fractures in quartz veins. Gold is interpreted to be late, and should be readily liberated and amenable to recovery in a gravity circuit.

The detectORE™ Process Outline

Under normal circumstances, gold cannot be measured in geological samples using pXRF due to its low concentration and the presence of interfering metals (caused by peak overlap). The detectORE™ process overcomes the limitations of pXRF by leaching the gold from the sample using a lixiviant ("GLIX-20™") and a Collector Device ("CD"). GLIX-20™ is a powerful lixiviant with good selectivity for gold and allows for a simple and safe process, practical for in-field use. The CD selectively concentrates dissolved gold, enabling measurement by pXRF. Fundamentally, detectORE™ is a sample analysis technique that enables exploration geologists to measure trace concentrations of gold in geological samples using a pXRF. Ariana Resources are world leaders in applying this technology, and work at Dokwe takes the method to its limits by analysing gold at the very low levels required for successful exploration soil geochemistry.

Editors' Note:

The information that relates to Mineral Resources and Exploration Results are based upon information compiled by Mr. Zack van Coller BSc (Hons), Targeting Group Leader, Ariana Resources plc. Mr. van Coller is a Fellow of The Geological Society of London, and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposits under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined by the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for the Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code). Mr. van Coller has over 10 years of relevant experience in the Technical Assessments of Mineral Properties. Mr. van Coller consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.