Kavango Resources plc said it had identified three drill test targets out of 12 geophysical structures at its rare earth elements (REES) joint venture project at Ditau, Botswana.
JOINT VENTURE
Ditau is held in a 50-50 joint venture (Kanye Resources) comprising Power Metal Resources plc and Kavango as the operator.
Kavango noted that the 12 structures were well defined and could be carbonatites and/or intrusive complexes that might host carbonatites.
The company noted that most of the world’s REEs are found in carbonatite ‘ring structures’.
TARGETS
Kavango added that nine of the structures were “particularly well defined”.
The company will test three of the targets by diamond drilling up to two holes in each, for a total 2,400m.
The ‘i10’ target is a discrete circular anomaly of 2.2km diameter.
The ‘i8’ is a slightly larger ring-like target of about 4km diameter.
And the ‘i1’ target might represent a possible large 7km x 18.5km magmatic intrusive complex, within which are circular structures indicative of potential carbonatite intrusives.
DRILL PROGRAMME
Power Metal said that a diamond drill rig was being mobilised to the first target with drilling due to within the next few weeks.
Kavango will drill to a target depth horizon of less than 400m for each borehole, with surveys showing that Kalahari sand covers 60m to 120m over the planned boreholes.
The primary target is REE mineralisation in possible carbonatites, or secondary REE deposits derived from the primary source.
Secondary target mineralisation style includes possible nickel-copper-platinum group elements (PGEs) in layered mafic intrusives.
The company has designed a flexible drill programme to allow for possible revisions as it progresses.
CONFIRMATION
Chief executive Ben Turney added that the company had over recent years completed detailed survey and interpretation work at Ditau.
“Diamond drilling will represent the culmination of this latest exploration campaign at Ditau.
“Drill testing the ring structure targets should be relatively straightforward.
“While the geophysical signatures are complex and varied, confirming the presence of carbonatite-mafic bodies would be the first step towards defining the potential for REE and base-precious metal mineralisation.”