Eminence Minerals (ASX:EMA) has completed a multi-sensor satellite remote sensing assessment covering both granted exploration permits at its Tarato Gold Project in northern Côte d'Ivoire, defining priority locations to guide the company's initial field exploration programs across a combined area of 153.70 km².

Key Points

  • The study was conducted by remote sensing specialist Dr Neil Pendock of Dirt Exploration, covering permits PR1016 (76.66 km²) and PR1026 (77.04 km²) in the Korhogo area of northern Côte d'Ivoire.
  • Three independently ranked remote sensing layers — radar-derived pseudo-resistivity, empirical gas-proxy indices and a multi-parameter classifier — each identified 100 highest-scoring locations per permit, totalling 600 layer-specific selections, with possible overlaps between selections.
  • Multispectral endmembers produced best-fit library matches to minerals including white mica, chlorite, adularia, orthoclase and jarosite, though the company stated these do not establish mineral identification or hydrothermal alteration at Tarato.
  • Evidence of artisanal workings was observed during an initial site visit at PR1016, providing a separate ground-based focus for verification and sampling.
  • The identified anomalies will be tested in the company's initial field programs at both permits, together with mapping and inspection of the artisanal workings at PR1016.

Tarato Gold Project Location and Geological Setting

The Tarato Gold Project is located within the Palaeoproterozoic Baoulé-Mossi domain of the West African Craton in northern Côte d'Ivoire. The project sits between the Boundiali (Bagoué) and Korhogo (Senoufo) branches of the Birimian greenstone belt, characterised by north-east-trending volcano-sedimentary and sedimentary sequences intruded by felsic to intermediate granitoids. Gold in the district occurs in shear zones, structural jogs and competent intrusions. No project-scale geological mapping exists for either permit, and available regional geological maps are described in the filing as too coarse to assist in target definition at permit scale.

Remote Sensing Data Sources and Methodology

The study utilised three primary datasets. Multispectral imagery was sourced from Sentinel-2 mosaics of four scenes acquired on 20 February 2026, processed into 16 spectral endmembers matched to a 481-mineral USGS spectral library. L-band radar data was sourced from ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 HH and HV polarisations from December 2024, used to derive pseudo-resistivity. Change detection used Sentinel-2 mosaics from 10 February 2025 and 20 February 2026, processed using Iteratively Reweighted Multivariate Alteration Detection. Gas-proxy indices were derived from Sentinel-2 optical bands. Outputs from these layers were used as inputs to classifiers identifying priority locations across both permits.

Priority Areas Identified Across PR1016 and PR1026

At PR1016, the gas-proxy and classifier layers show concentrations in the north, east and south-west of the permit. At PR1026, several high-ranked pseudo-resistivity responses occur on or within approximately 400 metres of a north-east-trending fault interpreted from regional mapping, with the filing noting these relationships require field testing. The company stated that the remote sensing anomalies are indirect indicators derived from satellite data and do not demonstrate the presence of gold mineralisation. No quantitative or qualitative assessment of mineralisation is possible at this stage, according to the filing.