Kavango Resources plc has extended its licence area to 8,751.7km2 and started double shift drilling in its exploration programme for copper-nickel-PGM rich sulphide ore bodies in the Kalahari Suture Zone (KSZ) in Botswana.
LICENCES
The company was awarded two further three-year PLs in the KSZ covering a combined 1,258km2 with the option of two two-year renewal periods.
PL081/2021 covers 987.8km2 across the eastern edge of the KSZ and PL080/2021 covers 270.4km2 and is contiguous with Kavango’s existing PLs in the northern section of the KSZ.
The company has committed to spending £52,000 in each licence over first three years.
Kavango, which now holds 14 PLs in the KSZ covering 8,751.7km2, has working capital of more than £3 million.
OPERATIONS
Kavango began double shift drilling on 20 August and reached 137m by 6pm yesterday (22 August).
The company anticipates reaching a target depth of 400m to 450m with the possibility of drilling up to 800m depending on contact with any gabbro encountered.
TA2DD002
TA2DD002 is the second hole in the planned six-hole programme investigating the deeper Karoo gabbro ‘keel’ which the company believes to be connected to the same gabbro encountered in hole TA2DD001, 1km to the west.
An additional objective is to test potential contact between Karoo and Proterozoic gabbros, which might represent a possible ‘feeder zone’.
TA2DD001
Kavango said today that the results of a downhole electromagnetic (EM) survey in hole TA2DD001 were inconclusive.
The hole was cased down to 393m from the surface with steel casing because of broken ground conditions.
The EM probe was run from 394m to 560m but analysis showed that the A2 time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) anomaly was masked by the steel casing at 370m and preventing penetration of the EM signal.
Kavango is evaluating alternative options for future hole design and possible downhole EM surveys.
VALUABLE
Chief executive Ben Turney said that the speed of the company’ progress through the campaign was encouraging with consistent core recovery of the highest standard.
“The inconclusive results of the downhole EM survey of hole TA2DD001 emphasise some of the engineering challenges we face.
He added that the steel casing will be left in place until the downhole survey to confirm the orientation of the hole is completed.
“At this point we will seek to remove the casing and possibly run another, shallower downhole EM survey.
“However, given what we have experienced so far with the ground closing in on itself, we have modest expectations about whether this will be possible.
“Whatever the case, the results of the assays and the whole rock geochemical analyses should provide us with the most valuable evidence we need to guide future exploration.”