Celsius Resources goes slow on Opuwo Cobalt to re-assess previous drill results and surface surveys
The owner of the Opuwo Cobalt Project, the ASX-listed Celsius Resources, said in its latest update to shareholders that work on the project over the last semester of 2019 was limited, mostly due to the low cobalt price.
However, Celsius reiterated that it has continued with ancillary work to keep the project in good standing.
Most of the activity at Opuwo Cobalt focussed on a re-assessment of stored drill cores, and on surface sampling to improve Celsius’ understanding of the mineralisation patterns.
The project’s Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report was finalised and released for public comment as part of Celsius ongoing engagement with relevant stakeholders in Namibia.
“In addition final reports relating to metallurgical testwork and process design, specifically the roasting process, flotation optimisation testwork and logistics trade-off studies completed earlier in the year from external consultants were received and reviewed during the period. A number of areas where further testwork would be beneficial have been identified from these studies and form part of a third party review of all work completed to date on the Opuwo Cobalt Project.”
Celsius holds four Exclusive Prospecting Licences for Opuwo Cobalt, covering nearly 1500 square kilometres.
“Exploration activities focused on locating potential feeder zones to identify higher grade zones which would enhance the viability of the Project. Previously the company completed a SkyTEM aerial survey, along with downhole EM on certain deeper drillholes. Current exploration efforts aim to add data through inexpensive data review, such as a review of the geochemical signature of mineralisation in Celsius’ drilling data by renowned international consultant Scott Halley.”
Furthermore, Celsius has commissioned HiSeis “to ascertain the potential for hard rock seismic to assist in exploration for the feeder zone. The initial step is to complete a series of measurements on existing drill cores to ascertain if the DOF horizon represents a seismic reflector, as well as complete a reconnaissance of the project area to determine its suitability for future surveys.”
HiSeis was onsite at Opuwo in February to complete these tasks.
During last year, exploration also looked at a re-assessment of the presence of other minerals for instance gold, copper, lead, zinc, silver and vanadium.
Celsius considers Opuwo Cobalt a viable project due to its size, favourable mineralogy, low presence of deleterious elements notably arsenic, cadmium and uranium, and due to a positive mining environment in Namibia.
