Stellar Announces High Grades at Tichka in Morocco

Stellar AfricaGold Reports Promising New Results from Tichka Est Gold Exploration Project

The Canadian company Stellar AfricaGold has announced encouraging new results for its gold exploration at the Tichka Est project, located in the High Atlas Mountains, about 90 kilometers south of Marrakech. Trenching work in zone D has revealed gold grades reaching 9.53 grams per tonne over three meters, while three out of the four dykes explored yielded results exceeding five grams per tonne.

These findings will help clarify the setup for a new drilling campaign. The company plans to conduct five drill holes in this area as part of a fully funded program including 24 core drillings totalizing approximately 5,000 meters. At this stage, however, the project is still in the exploration phase, and no mineral resource has been defined yet.

High Grades in Three Dykes of Zone D

In its press release dated October 27, 2026, Stellar AfricaGold emphasized the results obtained from several geological structures within zone D. Dyke 3, an intrusion composed of diorite and dolerite, has an estimated length of about 600 meters based on initial field observations, and it delivered the best grades during this trenching campaign.

Notably, trench TR4-D-26 revealed 9.53 grams of gold per tonne over three meters, including an interval of two meters at 13.91 g/t. Other significant results were recorded across the three additional dykes analyzed.

Dyke 1 produced a grade of 5.99 g/t over nine meters and 8.98 g/t over two meters. In dyke 4, assays revealed 5.81 g/t over three meters from trench TR6-D-26, as well as 8.52 g/t over two meters. Dyke 2 exhibited a lower grade of 0.51 g/t over three meters at the end of the trench.

According to J. François Lalonde, CEO of Stellar AfricaGold, zone D shows gold mineralization in each of the dykes that were trenched and analyzed.

Quartz Veins Associated with Gold Mineralization

Field observations have highlighted quartz veins containing arsenopyrite and pyrite. According to the company, gold is associated with these veins, the surrounding rocks, and faults that intersect the dioritic dykes and their peripheral breccia zones.

In trenches dug perpendicular to the dykes, mineralization is primarily concentrated within intervals of one to three meters. Notably, trench TR4-D-26 delivered two consecutive intervals showing 12.99 g/t and 14.82 g/t, while trench TR6-D-26 yielded two successive intervals of 8.68 g/t and 8.36 g/t.

Additional results were recorded in trenches TR3-D-26 and TR5-D-26. The former revealed 0.38 g/t over two meters on dyke 3, while the latter displayed 1.24 g/t over four meters and 4.09 g/t over one meter on dyke 4.

Stellar notes that trenches TR5-D-26 and TR2-D-26 end just after contacting a barren siltstone on either side of their respective dyke, meaning the mineralized intervals close off at this contact rather than at the trench extremities.

Further Work Required on Dyke 1

The company also corrected the description of trench TR1-D-26, which was presented in its October 6 communication. This trench was dug along a cleared roadside slope, with an orientation between 170 and 175 degrees, almost parallel to dyke 1 and approximately perpendicular to the mineralized veins.

The nine meters sampled in this trench represent, according to Stellar, the extension of the veins and the mineralized faults along the dyke, rather than the actual thickness of a gold-bearing body. The width of dyke 1 and the true power of the mineralized zones remain to be determined.

The two best samples from this trench yielded grades of 10.71 g/t and 10.64 g/t, sourced from the area of the neighboring veins and faults. Despite the particular orientation of the trench, Stellar emphasizes that it also revealed a gold grade of 5.99 g/t.

To better understand the geometry of the mineralization, the company plans to dig two short transverse trenches covering the full width of dyke 1 and its two contacts. Each vein will undergo separate sampling prior to the final interpretation of results and the preparation for drilling.

Five Drill Holes Planned in Zone D

The trench results will help determine the location and orientation of the five drill holes planned in zone D. This work is part of a second phase of drilling, which includes 24 core drill holes totaling around 5,000 meters, fully funded by the company.

The holes will be oriented to intersect both the dykes and the cluster of mineralized veins. Weather permitting, work in zone D is expected to follow the initial drilling in zone B, which is considered the most advanced within the Tichka Est project.

Stellar has indicated that it has completed preparations for deploying drilling rigs and teams from the drilling company CMFM. Platforms and site access have also been established. However, moving the equipment to the site is contingent upon receiving the necessary administrative approval. The company states it will announce the official start of drilling.

A Drone-Magnetic Survey to Refine Research

In parallel, Stellar AfricaGold continues work to enhance its understanding of the geological structure of zone D. The company Progrem joined the project on October 20 to conduct a high-resolution magnetic survey via drone, whose area has been expanded to this zone.

Test flights began the following day and were ongoing at the time of Stellar’s communication. The goal is to refine the structural interpretation of the dyke corridor before determining the final placement of drill holes.

The company also plans to excavate new trenches on the dykes already studied, followed by initial investigations on dykes 5, 6, and 7, which have not yet been explored. A systematic mapping of the D zone corridor is also scheduled.

The combined interpretation of existing data, results from the planned transverse trenches on dyke 1, and the magnetic survey should help clarify the next steps of the campaign.

Analyses Governed by a Quality Control Protocol

Samples collected from the trenches were analyzed by Afrilab, an independent laboratory located in Marrakech, accredited under ISO/IEC 17025 standards. The laboratory utilized a gold quantification method by fire assay on a 50-gram sample, followed by atomic absorption finishing with a detection limit of 0.05 g/t.

The trench samples weighed between 2.3 and 4.3 kilograms and were sent to the laboratory under a traceability chain. The nine samples with grades above five grams per tonne will undergo check assays by fire assay with gravimetric finishing. Stellar plans to publish the results of these checks if they differ significantly from the initial analyses.

The quality control program also included nine samples inserted blindly among the batch of 73 samples, representing 12.3% of the total. These included three certified reference materials, three blank samples, and three field duplicates.

According to Stellar, the reference materials remained within one standard deviation of their certified value, while the blank samples showed values below 0.05 g/t. Two duplicates adhered to the 20% tolerance. The third presented a deviation of 21%, with results of 3.94 g/t and 3.19 g/t, a difference the company considers consistent with the natural variability of gold over short distances.

Twelve new assays conducted on pulp at the laboratory also corresponded with the initial results. The analysis certificates are dated October 15.

Tichka Est Remains a Gold Exploration Project

The seven trenches completed in zone D total 84 meters. After examining outcrops, Stellar focused its channel sampling on sections exhibiting signs of mineralization. In total, 64 meters were continuously sampled, with one-meter passes in six trenches. Trench TR7-D-26, which lacked visible veins, along with the barren ends, were excluded from this sampling.

The reported intervals correspond to length-weighted composites, without capping the grades, featuring a cutoff grade of 0.20 g/t and a maximum of three meters of internal dilution. These are measured along the base of the trenches and do not independently determine the actual thickness of the gold-bearing zones.

Stellar reminds that work on Tichka Est remains preliminary. The research conducted to date is insufficient to define a mineral resource, and there is no guarantee that future campaigns will enable one to be delineated.

The project covers 82 square kilometers and includes five exploration permits, along with an operating license. Four gold zones, designated A, B, C, and D, have been identified.

As part of a progressive acquisition agreement with the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Stellar can obtain an 85% interest in the project in exchange for $2.39 million, equivalent to about 23.52 million dirhams, in exploration expenditures over three years.

Based in Vancouver with an office in Marrakech, the Canadian company is also conducting the Zuénoula gold project in Côte d’Ivoire, as part of a progressive acquisition agreement and joint venture with MetalsGrove Mining. It plans a fully funded drilling program of 10,000 meters.

Results from zone D thus reinforce the interest in continuing investigations at Tichka Est. However, their economic significance will depend on the next steps in exploration, confirmation of grades, and clarification of the true geometry of the mineralized zones.