Drilling confirms Cobalt in Kunene

In a first for Namibia, Kunene Resources this week announced the discovery of a copper-cobalt deposit in the Kunene Region similar in mineralisation to the Congo and Zambian Copperbelt type.

According to Kunene Resources, there is potential for discovering much larger copper-cobalt deposits indicated by a strike length of the mineralisation in excess of 40 kilometres.
Drilling further confirmed that the Dolomite Ore Formation (DOF) continued in areas with alluvial or calcrete cover. Mineralogical studies are currently in progress at the Colorado School of Mines with further drilling expected to continue to understand the mineralisation control and identify areas with intense mineralisation. Outcrop sampling by Kunene Resources in 2012 identified the presence of cobalt in the Dolomite Ore Formation unit , the first time cobalt had been identified in appreciable quantities in Namibia. Further work was done and more results obtained in mid 2014 on the structure of the Dolomite formation.
Earlier drilling carried out by Rio Tinto confirmed the presence of copper and zinc, however, the quantities were not economical according to Kunene Resources. “Five percussion holes drilled by Rio Tinto in the early 1990s intersected the Dolomite Ore Formation unit and recorded copper and zinc values. However, the historic holes were not assayed for cobalt and the copper/zinc grades were uneconomic,” said Kunene Resources.
“Given the extent that the Dolomite Ore Formation horizon has been mapped on the surface, the relative consistency of the mineralisation and the sample geometry of the ore horizon, the Dolomite Formation has the potential to be a large-scale resource of copper and cobalt with zinc credits,” Kunene Resources said. A 5% stake of Kunene Resources belongs to the Namibian Former Political Prisoners Trust.