Kavango Resources plc said that drill assays had confirmed a gold mineralisation system at the Nara exploration project in Matabeleland, southern Zimbabwe.
MINING
The results, from six initial scoping holes for 1,364.4m, highlighted “anomalous gold zones underneath and directly associated with surface artisanal gold-producing structures” at the site.
Five of six holes intersected the quartz vein shear structures worked by artisanal miners.
Higher gold grades of >5 g/t were returned from interpreted “narrow pinched zones” within the structures.
The results also support the potential for a “large system of gold-bearing shears” at the project.
“Higher-grade assays at depth offer compelling evidence for continuation of structures, along with shallow structures under thick cover not yet found or worked by artisanal miners,” added Kavango.
The company will integrate its induced polarisation surveys and modelled inversions with drill data, to identify further drill targets to expand existing deposits and test new structures.
Kavango is currently collecting a bulk sample from one of the historic mine workings as well as representative samples from the gold producing artisanal workings.
Analysis of the sample assays and comparison with those from the drill programme will help assess the wider prospectivity of the area as well as provide comparison of current artisanal gold production with historic underground mine production.
On completion of the analysis Kavango will restart drilling.
“Our work in Zimbabwe is progressing at such a pace that Kavango’s exploration team is increasingly focused on exploration for mining,” said chief executive Ben Turney.
“Our first phase of exploration at the Nara project confirms the potential for a large-scale gold-bearing system here.
“We believe this is shaping up to become an underground opportunity for Kavango Mining to pursue.
“We are encouraged both by the grades we have encountered and widespread gold mineralisation.”