JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX-listed junior exploration company Giyani Metals Corporation is progressing Phase 1 of its 2018 operational programme in Botswana.
Airborne magnetic data at a 250 m line spacing has highlighted relevant geological features of interest, allowing Giyani to map, with a high degree of certainty, the location of prospective geology within the larger Giyani licence areas.
Lithostructural mapping has identified several areas where prospective Lower Transvaal stratigraphy is likely to outcrop or subcrop. Current ongoing ground surveys will provide valuable information to identify subtle magnetic contacts in this sedimentary package, which will then allow for detailed mapping of the manganiferous shale.
Five out of Giyani’s 14 licences are identified to have prospective stratigraphy for manganese mineralisation.
This information, coupled with the ongoing ground gravity and magnetics surveys, will allow Giyani to design an effective tool to identify new manganese deposits within the company’s licence areas and focus and prioritise exploration activities to prospective areas.
The geophysics team is progressing well with the gravity survey and has completed the highest priority area at the K.Hill prospect.
Earlier this month Giyani established 1 317 real-time kinematic stations and 1 310 gravity stations, out of a total 2 342 stations.
Additionally, 70.2 km of magnetic walk lines were completed out of a total of 128 km.
All data will be subject to rigorous quality assurance procedures to ensure the integrity of the results, said Giyani on Tuesday.
Preliminary anomaly definition will assist with the selection of the first collar positions, due to be completed this week.
“The results we obtained from the interpretation of the airborne magnetic data strengthen our confidence in the large potential within the rest of our licence area, well beyond the three identified prospects so far at K.Hill, Otse and Lobatse,” said Giyani CEO Robin Birchall.
Meanwhile, Giyani has appointed Rotsdrill Exploration as the main drilling contractor for Phase 1 after a competitive bidding process, during which four reputable drilling companies were invited to participate.
The company provided all contractors with a specific scope of work, as well as access to the drill targets to allow their development of comparable proposals.
Giyani assured shareholders that Rotsdrill is an experienced, Botswana-based, drilling company that is best known for drilling difficult rock conditions in the Debswana-owned kimberlite diamond mine at Jwaneng – about 70 km north of the K.Hill prospect.
Mobilisation of drilling equipment is under way and the drill programme is planned to start this week.