London-listed rare earths explorer Kavango Resources has identified seven drill-ready targets at its joint venture (JV) Ditau project, in Botswana.

Ditau is held in 50:50 JV with fellow-listed Power Metal Resources, with Kavango being the operator.

Kavango undertook geophysical and geochemical surveys on 12 target areas on the deposit, following which seven targets have been identified for follow-up drilling – three of which are classified as high priority.

“While our primary focus has been on developing our interests in the Kalahari Suture Zone and Kalahari Copper Belt, we are encouraged by the number of drillable intrusive targets identified at Ditau.

“Most of these appear to be post-Karoo in age and lying at a shallow depth beneath the Kalahari sand cover,” explains CEO Ben Turney.

He adds that Ditau will be revisited later this year, once the company has completed its other high-impact drill campaigns.

Power Metal CEO Paul Johnson, meanwhile, says the strategic objective of the Ditau project is the discovery of REEs at a time when the world is seeking secure and safe supply sources.

The company points out that there is increasing evidence that some of the ring structures at Ditau could contain carbonatite and, that going forward, an integrated exploration programme of surveys is being undertaken over the 12 ring structures at the project.

Interpretation of the results from the first seven ring structure drill targets has identified three priority targets which demonstrate good potential to host carbonatite.

These targets appear to sub-outcrop just below the Kalahari sand cover (about 70 m), within easy reach of reverse circulation drilling.

Power Metal notes that anomalous niobium values in soil samples have been detected on one of these targets.

Further surveys will be completed on the remaining five ring structure targets, while it is proposed that the three top-priority targets will be drilled before the end of the year.

“If successful, and we are able to identify carbonatite hosted deposits of rare earths through the planned upcoming drill programme, we believe that Ditau will become an extremely valuable project,” Johnson says.

With additional reporting by Donna Slater.