JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Minerals explorer Intrepid Mines has mobilised a fourth diamond drill rig to the high-priority Kakozhi satellite target, in Zambia, accelerating a drilling programme aimed at better defining the potential of the prospective Mumbwa copper project.
Drilling at Kakozhi had previously focused on testing a coincident soil geochemical and airborne gravity anomaly, with some 10 000 m of diamond and reverse circulation drilling on 11 targets planned for this year.
Priority had been placed on targets anomalous in multiple datasets and located within the Kitumba mining licence area.
Copper highlights from the drilling programme included 8 m at 1.12% copper from 42 m, including 1 m at 2.09% copper from 45 m, 1 m at 2.36% copper from 131 m and 58 m at 0.61% copper from 185 m.
Gold highlights, meanwhile, included 5 m at 0.65 g/t of gold from 206 m.
CEO Scott Lowe believed the discovery of any significance at Kakozhi could have a significant positive impact on Kitumba economics.
“We are also encouraged by the early results from our drilling at Target H, which follows on from the results from the first diamond drill hole drilled on this target and reported on July 28.
“Drilling on the remainder of the targets is also progressing to plan, with results to be announced to the market once final assay results are received,” he noted.
Final assay results were expected in the fourth quarter of the year.