This morning saw Kavango Resources add another drill target to the growing inventory of prospective areas across its licences in Botswana’s Kalahari Copper Belt (“KCB”).
The explorer revealed that high-resolution soil sampling had identified a 5km long by 3.5km wide area of anomalous copper on its “Mamuno” licences, as well as elevated zinc values.
With a peak value of 73 parts per million of the red metal, the work conforms with underlying geology already mapped by Kavango–a key indicator of in-situ mineralisation.
Specifically, the copper follows the geological trend of Ngwako Pan-D’kar geological contact identified by the company. These zones which are known to be linked to high-grade copper mineralisation elsewhere on the KCB.
The Mamuno licences extend to the Botswana-Namibia border, beyond which Rio Tinto and Sandfire Resources are actively exploring adjacent to the west and north.
Kavango is now planning its next steps to sharpen its new target area ahead of drilling.
This includes infill soil sampling, static seismic surveys, and reinterpretation of region aeromagnetic data. The company will also complete airborne or ground electromagnetic and controlled source audiomagnetotelluric surveys to learn more about Mamuno’s underlying geology.
Kavango’s chief executive Ben Turney described the latest drill target as “robust”, adding that the area of the KCB in which the Mamuno licences are based is enjoying an “intensification” of interest after long sitting underexplored due to its sand cover.
“Kavango has managed to carry out geological mapping in the area despite the cover, and considers that the anomaly aligns with an underlying Ngwako Pan/D’kar Formation contact, which is a key control on copper/silver mineralisation in the KCB,” he said.
Turney also highlighted how the work on the company’s Mamuno licences represents the culmination of a 2022 programme of more than 9,500 soil samples across its KCB licences.
This work has been highly successful.
Just last week, Kavango announced that sampling on its PL082/2018 licence had confirmed two major copper/silver drill targets with strike lengths of 8km and 27km. As with Mamuno, these both conform with underlying geology previously mapped by Kavango, and will now be sharpened with follow-up geophysical work ahead of drilling.
Meanwhile, at the start of August, the company confirmed four targets on its PL036/2020 licence. Three of these conform to previously identified target areas known as Acacia, Morula, and Happy, while one sits in an entirely new target area called Kudu.
Kavango’s continued progress in the KCB is particularly encouraging from a timing perspective.
After all, copper is used in everything from electric vehicles to solar panels, and demand is set to increase considerably over the coming decades. However, with reserves not being replaced at an adequate rate, concerns over supply shortfalls are seeing demand for pipeline projects grow among producers of the red metal.
This has seen the KCB experience an accelerated discovery rate, with explorers like Khoemacau and Sandfire enjoying significant progress in their development of copper-silver mines over the 1,000km-long geological structure.
More recently, Cobre caught the eye of the market after repeatedly hitting
copper in its ongoing KCB drilling programme.
Kavango is targeting areas of the KCB where thick sand cover has, for the most part, precluded historical exploration. The company is overcoming this barrier to progress with the aid of modern-day surveying and sampling methods across is >5,000km2 land package.
Things are still, of course, at an early stage. But with today’s news from Mamuno giving Kavanago yet another shot at KCB success, it will be interesting to see where drilling takes the company in the area next later this year.