Mining Weekly

Orion Minerals has discovered a new copper/zinc-bearing massive sulphide body near its flagship Prieska zinc/copper project, in the Areachap Belt, in the Northern Cape.

The discovery hole, OAXD002, was drilled at the Ayoba prospect, a satellite exploration target, and is the first exploration hole drilled as part of the company’s near-mine exploration project and the first hole to test for new mineralisation surrounding the historical Prieska mine in more than three decades.

“This important discovery demonstrates the huge potential [for] additional deposits within a 5 km to 10 km radius of the proposed processing plant and mine infrastructure at Prieska. It also demonstrates the advantage of using modern geophysical exploration techniques in such a well-mineralised volcagenic massive sulphide terrain and is the deepest ‘blind deposit’ ever discovered in the Areachap,” Orion MD and CEO Errol Smart commented.