HIGH-GRADE MANGANESE
Maxtech Ventures’ two specific licence areas have shown the potential for high-grade manganese mineralisation of up to 70% manganese
Photo by: Creamer Media
Canada-based diversified miner Maxtech Ventures last month announced that Maxtech Mining Zambia’s two large-scale exploration licences have been validated by the Minister of Mines and Mineral Development of Zambia.
The first large-scale exploration licence is for an area of interest claim in the Mukambala area, in the Mkushi district of Central province. The second area of interest is for a large-scale exploration licence in the Kabamba area, in the Masaiti and Mkushi districts of the Copperbelt and Central provinces.
As the company announced in May this year, two specific licence areas have shown the potential for high-grade manganese mineralisation with grades up to 70% manganese, as well as vanadium from initial research prepared by the company’s Zambia-based geology team, GeoQuest.
“Maxtech continues to be excited about the manganese industry and its future potential. The price and demand for high-grade manganese is again on an upward trend. There are only a handful of junior pure play manganese explorers and this is an advantage Maxtech is looking to capitalise on as it expands its exploration claims and strategic relationships,” according to Maxtech Ventures CEO Peter Wilson.
The exploration licences submitted to the Minister of Mines have detailed exploration and production outlines up to four years covering cobalt, vanadium, nickel and copper mining rights in the areas.
GeoQuest, based in Lusaka, will start the preparation of an environmental project brief, and the team will begin sampling the properties for manganese and vanadium mineralisation, review the current status of formal mining activities in the area, the extent status of any artisanal mining and, if necessary, further secure the areas for the company.
GeoQuest is an independent geotechnical, environmental, geographic information system and hydrogeological consultancy and contract services group based in Southern and Central Africa. The company has offices in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe and has conducted operations in Botswana, Gabon, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.