TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Africa-focused miner Mawson West on Wednesday announced that it had increased the National Instrument 43-101-compliant copper resources at its flagship Kapulo copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), lifting the total resource tonnes by 54% and the estimated contained copper in the measured category by 64%.

The Perth, Australia-based company explained that the 2011 Kapulo feasibility study relied on mineral reserves from the Shaba deposit only, excluding the Safari North and Safari South deposits, which required further drilling at that time.

“Infill drilling has now enabled us to upgrade the confidence categories of mineral resource estimates at all the Kapulo deposits. We look forward to completing an economic analysis and reporting mineral reserves late this quarter,” Mawson CEO Bruce McFadzean said.

Kapulo comprises three outcropping copper deposits, Shaba, Safari North and Safari South. The deposits feature high-grade hydrothermal copper mineralisation associated with the Kapulo Fault.

Drilling programmes completed in 2013 were designed to upgrade the confidence categories of resource estimates at all three deposits and obtain core samples for further metallurgical testwork, particularly at Safari North. The improved knowledge would, after economic analysis, permit a more robust estimate of mineral reserves at the Shaba deposit and maiden reserves estimates at Safari.

The 2013 programmes to early November totalled 9 044 m in reverse circulation (RC) holes and 7 486 m in 58 diamond core holes (including 2 019 m in RC pre-collars).

Perth-based MPR Geological Consultants used the new assay data, along with updated geological interpretations to generate updated resource models for all three deposits.

When applying a 0.7% copper cutoff grade the economically viable resources at all three deposits totalled 6.23-million tonnes grading 3.02% copper for 188 000 t contained copper in the measured and indicated resources category, and 2.87-million tonnes grading 2% copper for 56 000 t of contained copper in the inferred resources category.

Each of the deposits remained open down-plunge and future exploration efforts would be directed toward drill testing depth extensions and evaluating other targets along strike on the Kapulo Fault.