Mining consultancy Tulia Blueclay (TB) professional geologist David Catterall, who has been appointed to enhance Botswana-focussed metals exploration company Kavango Resources’ insight into its Karakubis copper project, recommends the company immediately focus its exploration efforts on this project.
Catterall, with extensive experience on the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB), conducted a site visit to Karakubis in January, and has also been working closely with Kavango’s senior team since October 2022, significantly enhancing the company's understanding of KCB exploration.
Thus far, TB has provided Kavango with a detailed internal report on the prospectivity of its KCB prospecting licences, with one of the report’s key recommendations being that Kavango immediately focus its exploration efforts on the Karakubis copper project.
Kavango engaged Catterall to review its KCB strategy and provide any recommendations for improvement.
In his review, Catterall amalgamated open source and public exploration and water borehole data for the KCB, along with regional airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and electromagnetic survey data.
During his time working in the KCB, Catterall has developed an alternative interpretation of the region’s underlying geology compared with historic mapping. Specifically, he has mapped sandstones and siltstones consistent with D’Kar Formation lithologies, which typically overlay the Ngwako Pan Formation.
The zones where the two formations meet are recognised as a primary regional control of copper/silver mineralisation in the KCB and are Kavango’s primary exploration focus.
The focus of TB’s work has been to improve Kavango’s drill target selection and to mentor Kavango’s team on the ground.
Formerly referred to as the Mamuno project, Karakubis is adjacent to large landholdings held by Sandfire Resources to the north and Rio Tinto to the west.
Karakubis is immediately along strike of the Ghanzi West project where ENRG Elements has identified similar geological signatures to Sandfire’s Motheo copper mine.
Kavango notes that AEM data on Karakubis provides further encouraging exploration leads. Kavango flew a limited AEM survey over Karakubis in September 2022.
In addition, Kavango notes that controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) surveys taken over Karakubis appear to corroborate TB’s pre-existing interpretation of the area’s geology.
Kavango reports that a final interpretation and integration of existing Karakubis geophysical and geochemical data is under way, with results expected in late February to support drill targeting.
Kavango CEO Ben Turney says Catterall’s influence over the company’s KCB exploration programme has been instant and meaningful.
“Successful exploration in the KCB is challenging. Kavango has a large land package and Dave’s successful introduction has encouraged us to refocus our efforts on our prospective Karakubis project area,” he says.
It is “particularly promising” that the CSAMT and AEM data Kavango has gathered independently appears to align with Catterall’s regional geological interpretation, says Turney.
Historically, he says, Kavango has dedicated more energy to its other prospecting licences. “While we will continue to advance work on these (PLs 082 and 036 in particular), Karakubis is now our main centre of attention.”
“We now recognise that the Karakubis licences represent our greatest opportunity for the near-term detection of a metal bearing alteration system,” concludes Turney.