The enlargement of the copper anomalous areas detected in the previous exploration efforts enables the company to proceed with confidence
PLC () has said the pitting and mapping exploration programme at its Kisinka copper-cobalt project has confirmed copper anomalous areas.
The programme on the 70%-owned project, located in the southern part of the Katangan copper belt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was carried out over 40 days.
In all, 211 samples including 11 field duplicates were collected and after sample preparation at the Preparation Laboratory of the University of Lubumbashi one batch was subjected to x-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing by an XRF Niton analyser, where a correlation with an R2 coefficient of 0.8835 for cobalt and 0.9661 for copper was obtained, indicating good precision.
Results from the XRF test-work confirm the copper anomalous zones identified in the previous geochemical survey, with higher values and a wider zone – open to the north-west and south-east – detected.
Copper anomalous zones are quite well correlated with major structures inferred from the detailed mapping, and in the south-east with a brecciated zone situated between two strike-slip faults.
Cobalt anomalism was indicated in both zones (more strongly to the north-west), and analysis of the weathering-related elements (manganese and iron), plus the vertical distribution analysis showing copper and cobalt values increasing downwards, give evidence of a leaching process, which the spatial relationship of the anomalous zones suggests is towards the south-east, the company said.
Power Metal is awaiting inductively coupled plasma (ICP) multi-element testing results from the lab before determining what the next steps will be but it is deemed likely its consultants will recommend a ground magnetic survey and a ground electromagnetic survey.
“The confirmation and in fact enlargement of the copper anomalous areas detected in previous exploration enables us now to go forward with confidence. The laterization and leaching that we encountered support the theory that there may be supergene enriched mineralisation at a lower level, so we particularly want to investigate this,” Paul Johnson, the chief executive officer of said in a statement.
“The presence of cobalt partly correlated with the copper is another positive indication. After confirmation from the ICP analysis, which we may extend to include samples from the earlier termite mound sampling, we will release the data on cobalt and copper levels in the anomalies.
“We were able to relate some mineralisation areas to structures and faulting, and to build on that work and generate the best drill targets we will need to carry out some geophysics,” he added.
Johnson noted that the coronavirus-related lockdown and concomitant interruptions to travel affected the field programme and the same factors may have an impact on the speed at which the company can proceed.
