Canadian exploration company Sankamap Metals Inc. (CSE: SCU; FRA: A413DA) has released new exploration results from its Oceania property in the South Pacific, further significantly expanding the geological footprint of its Fauro project.
The approximately 24,000-hectare property is located in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands and is one of the company’s core project areas. Current prospecting and geological mapping confirm pronounced gold and copper potential there. In addition to the already known mineralization on the Meriguna target area (see Figure 1), the Kiovakase target area, located approximately 2.5 kilometers to the south, is a new focus. Recent work at the Kiovakase target yielded high-grade gold contents of up to 19.25 grams per tonne and copper values of up to 4.09%. This combination of gold and copper mineralization underscores the importance of Kiovakase within the Fauro project and provides additional evidence of a potentially large-scale gold-copper system.
The objective of the recent field campaign was to systematically review historical exploration results and classify them within a consistent geological framework. Previous work on Fauro had already documented high gold grades near the surface. The current results now integrate this data into a more comprehensive structural and geophysical overall picture.
Fig. 1: Overview of the Fauro Project with magnetic anomalies (RTP), historical drilling and trenching results, and newly defined exploration targets. The Meriguna, Kiovakase, and Ballyorlo target areas lie along the edge of a volcanic caldera and show a spatial match of elevated gold grades and magnetic high zones.
Meriguna: Near-Surface Gold Mineralization Confirmed
At the Meriguna target area, Sankamap Metals reviewed previous drilling, trenching, and rock sampling results. Historically documented there are, among other things, drill sections of up to 35 meters averaging 2.08 grams of gold per tonne. Trenches yielded locally very high gold contents, including 8 meters with 27.95 grams of gold per tonne. Individual rock samples reached gold values of up to 173 grams per tonne.
An additional factor is the ongoing small-scale alluvial gold mining by local landowners. Gold is visible in near-surface sediments and is extracted using simple washing methods. From the company’s perspective, this confirms the presence of near-surface gold mineralization that is not only punctually present, but extends over larger areas of the target area. In addition, new orienting samples were taken as part of the recent work to further verify the historical data. These results are now being incorporated into the ongoing target definition and prioritization.
Parallels Between Kiovakase and Meriguana Suggest Larger System
The geological analogies between the rock samples from Meriguna and Kiovakase suggest a coherent mineralized system. Several mineralized zones lie along the edge of an old volcanic caldera, suggesting a structural control of the mineralization over several kilometers. The combination of high-grade gold at the surface and significant copper contents is also considered a possible indication of a deeper porphyry copper-gold system.
The evaluation of the historical work at the Meriguna target area shows that high-grade gold sections are not limited to individual points, but occur in a clearly structured spatial context. In addition to trenching and drilling results, soil and rock samples in particular provide evidence of a pronounced gold anomaly that extends over a length of approximately one kilometer.
Fig. 2: Detailed map of the Meriguna target area with soil gold anomalies (>100 ppb Au), historical drillings, trenches and rock samples. The figure shows the spatial match of high-grade gold values with an approximately 1,000 meter long soil anomaly as well as several confirmed gold sections in drillings and trenches.
Historical drilling intersected, among other things, several dozen meters with gold contents in the range of approximately one gram per tonne, locally accompanied by significantly higher-grade sections over shorter intervals. These results are complemented by trenches with multi-digit gram contents per tonne of gold over several meters. The distribution of the samples and drilling suggests a structurally controlled mineralization that is open both in area and in depth.
Regional Context and Next Steps for Sankamap Metals
Geologically, the Fauro project lies along a regional copper-gold trend in the southwestern Pacific, which hosts significant deposits. These include the Panguna Mine and the Newmont-operated Lihir Mine, one of the world’s largest known gold deposits, which lies in a volcanic environment and has resources of more than 70 million ounces of gold. These deposits serve as a geological reference framework for the region in which the Fauro project is also located.
For 2026, Sankamap Metals plans a phased exploration program at the Fauro project. Further systematic surface samples are intended to confirm and consolidate the historical results in order to better delineate potential epithermal and porphyry target structures. All data will finally be incorporated into the planning of a focused drilling program that will test both known mineralized zones and previously open extensions.
