Aim-listed nickel and uranium explorer and developer URU Metals reports that its subsidiary, TSX-V-listed battery metals-focussed explorer and developer ZEB Nickel, made a new gold zone discovery, with gold mineralisation being intersected in two of the eight holes of a recently completed Phase 2 drilling programme at the Limpopo-based Zeb project in South Africa.

The gold zone discovery is located in lithologies adjacent to and beneath the nickel and platinum group element (PGE) mineralised zones.

With the gold mineralisation discovery, the Zeb project contains three known different styles and zones of mineralisation within the project area – the nickel mineralisation in lower zone lithologies, the nickel and PGE mineralisation associated with critical zone lithologies. It also reveals the newly discovered gold mineralisation.

URU successfully completed the disposal of the Zeb project to ZEB Nickel in August 2021, with the project remaining URU’s primary focus through its 74.82% interest in Zeb Nickel and URU’s continuing role as the technical adviser on the project.

URU also reports positive assay results from the remaining five holes in its recently completed Phase 2 drill programme, confirming both the grade and continuity of the nickel mineralisation, as well as the presence of higher-grade nickel/PGE-bearing critical zone lithologies on the project area.

Historical drilling at Zeb largely focussed on defining the nickel resource in the lower zone lithologies, and consequently, many of these historical holes stopped short of intersecting the lithologies that host the nickel/PGE mineralisation, and potential gold mineralisation.

Based on the exploration successes in Phase 1 of the Zeb drill programme, the exploration team decided that Phase 2 holes should all be drilled into the Penge Iron Formation to test for nickel/PGE mineralisation in footwall rocks of any critical zone lithologies present on the project area.

This policy has resulted in numerous intersections of nickel/PGE mineralisation in critical zone rocks which was not previously identified in historical drilling, as well as the new gold discovery.

A total of 14 holes were drilled in Phase 1 and 2 of the campaign.

All 14 holes drilled in both phases demonstrated the presence of nickel sulphide in magmatic rocks, and 13 of these holes demonstrated intersections of economic value, states URU. Of these, 12 holes contributed towards an increase in the overall basket price of the Zeb project.

Further, URU states that critical zone intersections from drill hole Z028 demonstrated similar stratigraphic horizons to those seen at Ivanhoe Mine’s Flatreef deposit.