Infill Soil Sampling Enhances Gold Anomalies at the Samanda Prospect, Bondoukou Project, Cote d'Ivoire

VANCOUVER, BC, June 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Awalé Resources Limited ("Awalé" or the "Company") (TSXV: ARIC) is pleased to announce that infill soil sampling has enhanced the initial gold in soil anomalies reported for the Samanda Prospect, Bondoukou project (Figures 1 to 3; Company press release dated February 4, 2020).

The Samanda East prospect is now a high priority target for the Company. The gold in soil anomaly forms a robust 1.5 km long >20 parts per billion ("ppb") Au anomaly, with a 350m by 300m core at >300ppb Au with a peak value of 1,178 ppb Au*. This anomaly can be traced further out to 3 km along strike at the prospect (Figure 4).  A trench program will commence at Samanda East in July, and drilling is also planned for late Q3/early Q4 after the conclusion of the wet season.

Samanda West (Figure 3) contains several high order anomalies with containing >40ppb Au cores and a peak value of 4,297 ppb Au*. Further infill sampling and mapping is required at this target to better define structural controls before trenching and drilling. This work will commence in tandem with the Samanda East Trench program.

The gold in soil anomalies follow a high strain contact between granite/granodiorite to the west and dominantly basaltic volcanic rocks to the east. Brecciation and quartz veining has developed along this high strain contact. Together these anomalies are equivalent in scale and tenor to the Fako auger anomalies along the Awari Shear where the company returned significant trench and drill results (Fako was a 6km long 10 ppb Au anomaly with consistent >50ppb Au cores). The Samanda structure continues under cover a further 5 km to the north where it confluences with the Awari shear, and warrants first pass auger drilling in the future.

Delineation of these soil anomalies highlights the potential and scale of the Bondoukou project and further compliments the additional previously defined 40km east west Awari Shear zone anomalies. The company plans for a Q4 scout drill program to test a minimum of 4 targets on the Project.

LINK VIEW ATTACHED FIGURES: http://www.awaleresources.com/_resources/maps/Samanda-Infill-Soils-Figures.pdf

CEO Glen Parsons commented today:

"Whilst follow -up drilling at our Empire discovery at Odienné remains our priority for the current quarter, our field teams continue to successfully advance drill target generation activities at the Bondoukou project, with the aim of developing multiple drill targets for testing later this year.

The robust 1.5 km long high order soil anomaly at Samanda East is stacking up to be another high priority drill target. This compliments the Company objective of being ready to scout drill multiple targets at Bondoukou in Q4 2020".

*Descriptive Statistics from sampling for Gold in soils. ppb (parts per billion)

Background
The Samanda prospect is one of the twelve priority target areas that were defined at the Bondoukou Project through Awalé's 2017 regional reconnaissance exploration program. Samanda is characterized by the highest order (up to 20.2ppb Au) BLEG ("Bulk Leach Extractable Gold", from silt samples) stream gold anomalies within the entire Bondoukou project area. The table below includes summary statistics for the silt samples collected from the Samanda prospect, these are consistently high order anomalies for this style of sampling and are distributed along the granitoid contact zone.  The contact zone has now been mapped as granite to the west and a mafic to Intermediate volcanic package to the east.

BLEG Stream summary statistics from the Samanda prospect.

This interpreted contact along with gold in stream anomalism and the structural interpretation of the aerial magnetic data collected by the company led to the broad scale first pass soils program at the Samanda prospect covering approximately 9 strike kilometres (Figure 3).

Structures in the magnetics at Samanda are dominated by NNE and NE trending lineaments in a typical C-S sinistral shear array, which is supported by the current field studies. NNE trending lineaments are interpreted as zones of transpressive sinistral shears and/or mylonitization, while ENE lineaments represent oblique sinistral shears. Locally quartz veining and brecciation has been observed at the contact between the Granite body and the volcanics, developed around NNE and NNW trending shears and mylonites.  Observed in situ mineralisation observed in some of these localities is hosted in strongly oxidised and laminated quartz veins at Samanda West.

Selected rock chip samples collected during the course of the mapping and soil sampling program have returned values up to 16.2 grams/tonne ("g/t") Au, with other rock samples collected also returning high order values of 0.9 g/t Au g/t Au, 1.3 g/t Au, 2.2 g/t Au, and 6.9 g/t Au.  (Note: rock chip sampling is not necessarily representative of mineralization at the prospect, it does however indicate presence of gold mineralisation along the Samanda Trend).

Quality Control and Assurance

Analytical work for geochemical samples and rock chip samples is being carried out at the independent Intertek Laboratories Australia Ltd. an ISO 17025 (2017) Certified Laboratory. Samples are stored at the Company's field camps and put into sealed bags until collected by Intertek from the Company's secure Bondoukou office and transported by Intertek to their laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana for preparation and , subsequently the samples are shipped by Intertek to their Australian laboratory for analysis. Samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried and pulverized to better than 85%, passing a 75-micron screen, this pulp sample is then shipped to Australia where 10-gram split is analysed by ICP/MS with an Aqua Regia digest. Blanks, duplicates and certified reference material (standards) are being used to monitor laboratory performance during the analysis.

Qualified Person         

The technical and scientific information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved for release by Andrew Chubb, the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr Chubb is the Company's Chief Operating Officer and holds an Economic Geology Degree with Honours, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), and is a Member of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr Chubb has 18 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

AWALE RESOURCES LIMITED.                                                                                    

"Glen Parsons"                                                                                                

Glen Parsons, President and CEO                                                   

Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by such information. The statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law.

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SOURCE Awale Resources