In its continued quest to build a resource base, Discovery Metals Limited is now taking its focus to the Kalahari zone where new drilling results have confirmed copper-silver mineralisation.
The results from a drilling programme by the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) listed outfit at the Ophion Prospect within the Mid Kalahari Zone revealed a mineralisation different from the Boseto zone.
Discovery Metals’ Managing Director, Brad Sampson, was happy at the find and bullish that more exciting times are coming at a time when drilling results from the copperbelt are positive.
“Additional drilling of our first target in the Mid Kalahari Zone at Ophion has identified a style of copper?silver mineralisation, with multiple layers of copper?silver mineralisation present, that is different from what we have seen to date in the Boseto zone,” Sampson said of the results.
“Within the Mid Kalahari Zone, work progresses to conduct initial drill testing of the multiple exploration targets already defined, and the results at the Ophion Prospect encourage us that there remain significant zones of copper?silver mineralisation yet to be discovered.”
The new drilling results showed 22 holes have intersected copper?silver mineralisation at depths of between approximately 45 metres and 150 metres below surface along a strike length of approximately 28 kilometres.
A 26 hole programme has been completed at Ophion that follows on from an initial 3 hole drilling programme, the results of which were reported in November 2010.
Sand cover at Ophion ranges between 0 and 5 metres thick. At the northeastern end of the Ophion Prospect drill holes along approximately 6 kilometres of strike have intersected multiple layers (up to 5) of copper?silver mineralisation.
“This style of mineralisation, with multiple layers of mineralisation is different from that previously intersected by Discovery Metals in the Kalahari Copper Belt,” the company said.
Within the Mid Kalahari Zone, the Discovery is exploring with a primary goal to delineate zones of copper?silver mineralisation with potential to underpin the development of a new stand?alone project.
Exploration continues to progress initial drill testing of other targets within the Mid Kalahari Zone including at Ourea, Gaia, Kronos and Notus Prospects.
Initial assay results from the drill testing of these targets are expected to be available in September 2011.
Ophion is located within the company’s 100 percent-owned prospecting licences in the Kalahari Copper Belt in north western Botswana and is within 40 kilometres of the 100 percent owned Boseto Copper Project, which is currently being constructed and is scheduled to commence production in early 2012.
Planned production is approximately 36,000 tonnes of copper and more than 1 million ounces of silver per annum over an initial 15 year mine life.
The Kalahari Copperbelt sediment?hosted mineralisation of the Boseto Copper Project is similar in style to the well?known and large deposits of the Central African Copperbelt of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Discovery Metals has prospecting licences covering 9,656 km2 along the Kalahari Copperbelt.
