Compass Gold Corp. provided an update on the recent trenching sampling program at the Tarabala prospect, located on the Company's Sikasso Property in southern Mali. The objective of the trenching program was to test several sections of the 3.5-kilometre Tarabala trend to determine which sections contain the strongest gold mineralzation, including the best widths and grades, to support the commencement of a small mining operation.

The trenching looked to find gold grades in the range of 0.8 g/t Au, which are believed to be sufficient to support a small near-surface mining operation. While the results along the Tarabala section of the trend achieved these objectives, the trenching at Massala along the northern end of the trend, returned widths and grades that far exceeded these objectives. Additional trenching is being planned after the rainy season ends in October on two of the most favourable zones at Massala.

The Company is developing a plan and budget to excavate more trenches closer to trench MATR001, which, of the two trenches at Massala, returned the best grade. Once a budget has been completed, Management will determine what funding will be required in addition to existing cash, in order to complete the program. Depending on funding, this work would be initiated in November when the rains abate.

The assay results from that program, combined with the planned metallurgical study, would be used to perform a resource estimate on the near-surface mineralization and provide relevant and more detailed information concerning the potential for a near-surface small mining operation at Tarabala. Three trenches (TATR001 to 003) were excavated at the Tarabala prospect to test the surface expression of a mineralized structure encountered during previous drilling. That drilling intersected gold mineralization over a distance of 1,800 m, with widths up to 25 m, and slighly narrower zones with higher grades, e.g., 16 m at 1.51 g/t Au (SAAC02) and 19 m at 1.68 g/t Au (SARC022).

Trench TATR001 was excavated on a plateau 70 m south of the most extensive artisinal gold workings on property. The plateau is the result of a hard iron-cemented crust (termed cuirass or hard cap), that makes artisanal mining very difficult. Trenches TATR002 and TATR003 were located to the south of the eroded plateau and excavated in much softer laterite.

Mapping of the walls of TATR001 indicated the presence of numerous, highly broken-up narrow (1-5 cm) oxidized quartz veins. Sampling at depths of 1 and 4 m produced several discrete 1 m intervals, containing a maximum of 0.54 g/t Au. Bedrock RC drilling beneath the trench defined a mineralized zone that contained 25 m at 0.58 g/t Au (from 67 m, SARC003), which included 3 m at 1.14 g/t Au, from 75 m. Trenches TATR002 and TATR003 are located 350 m and 400 m, respectively, to the south of TARR001.

Due to the abundance of artisanal workings in the area, TATR003 was offset 50 m to the south. The trenches were selected to test the surface expression of a mineralized zone identified by drilling, including 5 m at 1.23 g/t Au (SAAC082). The results from TATR002 indicate that mineralization was encountered at each depth tested (Table 1), and correlated between the depths.

Discrete mineralized zones varied from 3 m at 1.77 g/t Au (5 m depth) to 12 m at 0.86 g/t Au (2 m depth). TATR003 tested mineralization in the hanging wall (to the east) and located three zones 2-3 m wide, with the best grade being 2 m at 1.54 g/t Au (5 m depth). Trench MATR001 at Massala was selected to test the surface expression of a mineralized zone identified by drilling, including 24 m at 2.35 g/t Au (SAAC123).

The trench was excavated in heavily laterized rock, with only a surfical cuirass developed. Channel samples at depths of 1, 2 and 5 m were analysed. The 1 m depth sample identified gold mineralization over 24 m at 1.24 g/t Au, the 2 m depth sample 18 m at 1.44 g/t Au, and the 5 m depth sample 20 m at 4.13 g/t Au (including 1 m at 71.6 g/t Au).

The sampling is in excellent agreement with the previous drilling. MATR002 was excavated 350 m to the south of MATR001, and was designed to test a narrow mineralized zone intercepted in SAAC235 containing 3 m at 1.11 g/t Au. Sampling at a depth of 1 and 4 m over the 29 m length of this trench did not dectect gold grades greater than 0.13 g/t Au.

It is likely that the trench did not continue far enough eastward to intercept the mineralization.