Noronex (ASX:NRX) has commenced drilling at its Humpback tenements in Namibia, with the first 2 holes — designed to follow up on previous copper intercepts — already completed.
Launched at the end of July, the fully-funded 4,000m reverse circulation (RC) program is focused on the Fiesta project in the west of the Humpback land package, as well as the ‘highly prospective’ Blowhole project to the east near the Botswana border.
The first 2 holes were successful in penetrating the Kalahari desert cover at Fiesta — estimated to be roughly 70m thick — where previous drilling returned 8m at 2.5% copper and 9m at 1.8% copper plus 82 grams per tonne (g/t) silver.
Located on the western closure of a domal structure at the prospective NPF-D’Kar contact, those previous intercepts are thought to bear a number of similarities to deposits defined more than 400km to the east in Botswana, such as Khoemacau Copper’s Zone 5 operation.
As such, a number of targets have been identified both within and along strike of the known mineralisation, which covers roughly 3.5km.
“It is great to be back in Namibia with the rig turning following up historical known copper mineralisation at the Fiesta project,” Noronex Chief Geologist Bruce Hooper says.
“Using reverse circulation drilling, we are effectively getting through the expected Kalahari cover of 70m and intersecting the target horizon”
“Using reverse circulation drilling, we are effectively getting through the expected Kalahari cover of 70m and intersecting the target horizon. We are now onto our third drill hole at the Fiesta project, with several more holes to come before the rig moves to the highly prospective Blowhole prospect, where targets are defined on a sheared fold closure on a domal target.”
The drilling program is funded in part by a recent placement and underwritten entitlement issue, which raised $1.76 million before fees.
In addition to the Humpback tenements, Noronex owns the Noronex project in Ontario, Canada, as well as interests in joint ventures at the Witvlei and Snowball projects in Namibia.
Write to Oliver Gray at Mining.com.au
Images: Noronex Ltd
