LSE-listed miner Kavango Resources has identified an Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) system at its Ditau Project in southwestern Botswana, Proactive Investors reported on October 14.
Kavango believes it is the first confirmation of IOCG-style mineralisation in Botswana and says there is considerable “exploration upside” at Ditau, both for higher-grade IOCG discovery and for carbonatites that may contain rare earth elements.
According to the Botswana-focused miner, petrology analysis confirmed the IOCG system at Target i10 in Hole DITDD004 with 15 samples from Ditau tested by an internationally recognised laboratory in the UK.
“These are surprising, positive results for Kavango,” Kavango chief executive Ben Turney said in a statement. “The Iron Oxide Copper Gold deposit style has never been considered at Ditau. However, given the project’s geological setting, there is a compelling logic to this model.”
Ditau sits towards the western edge of the Kaapvaal Craton and is within an established kimberlite/carbonatite corridor. According to Turney, these are supportive indicators of a potentially favourable environment for IOCG mineralisation.
“Our current strongest lead is Hole DITDD004, which tested Target i10 and remains open in what we believe to be an IOCG breccia at 393m,” Turney said as cited by Proactive Investors.
“We believe i10 would benefit from deeper and lateral drilling. However, before we send a rig back to Ditau, we need to conduct more CSAMT [Controlled-Source Audio Magnetotelluric] and gravity surveys over all 12 targets.”
Kavango Resources has a broad portfolio of assets in Botswana that is prospective for copper, silver, nickel, platinum group metals (PGMs) and rare earths, amongst others.
