Mining

Golden Deeps gears up to drill Nosib in search for more high-grade copper-silver-lead-zinc-vanadium

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By Lorna Nicholas - 
Golden Deeps ASX GED Nosib copper sulphides Khusib Springs Namibia

Golden Deeps confirmed 13 out of 15 RC holes have encountered copper and carbonates of malachite, azurite, sulphides and tennantite.

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Golden Deeps (ASX: GED) is gearing up for another drilling program at the Nosib Block target in Namibia after recent drilling generated high-grade copper and silver, as well as lead, zinc and vanadium.

Drilling will test the shallow high-grade copper-lead-vanadium zone along strike and the thick copper-silver zone at depth.

Golden Deeps recently completed a 15-hole reverse circulation drilling program at Nosib, which uncovered near-surface high-grade mineralisation that remained open along strike to the northeast and southwest.

Recent Nosib assays

Better results from the final seven holes were announced last week and a highlight intercept from the shallow copper-lead-vanadium zone comprised 29m at 1.54% copper, 4.49% lead, 1.19% vanadium and 6.97 grams per tonne silver from 2m, including 9m at 3.66% copper, 11.91% lead, 3.62% vanadium and 7.7g/t silver from 3m.

Another intersection was 24m at 1.33% copper, 4.77% lead, 1.37% vanadium and 3.67g/t silver from 3m, including 6m at 3.67% copper, 14.9% lead, 4.4% vanadium and 12.16g/t silver from 6m.

Drilling into the thicker and deeper zone uncovered 45m at 0.64% copper and 4.19g/t silver from 38m, including 5m at 2.58% copper and 18.75g/t silver from 61m; and 44m at 0.74% copper, 0.17% lead and 4.37g/t silver form 46m, including 4m at 2.28% copper, 1.1% lead, and 6.17g/t silver from 51m.

Upcoming drilling

To build on these results, Golden Deeps will complete between eight and 12 RC holes at Nosib, with up to 1,500m planned.

This program is due to start “shortly”.

“We are looking forward to continuing drilling at Nosib to not only extend the shallow high-grade copper-lead-vanadium zone, but also to see if the copper-silver zone continues to increase in thickness and grade with depth,” Golden Deeps chief executive officer Jon Dugdale said.

Nosib is one of two priority targets within the Khusib Springs project. The project hosts the historic Khusib Springs mine which previously produced 300,000t at 10% copper, 1.8% lead and 584g/t silver between 1996 and 2003.

The targets are about 15km apart from each other, with Golden Deeps planning to follow-up recent assays at Khusib Springs.

Drilling had tested the shallow up-plunge extensions of the mined copper-silver orebody.

Notable results were 6m at 1.07% copper and 86.03g/t silver from 13m, including 2m at 2.59% copper and 179.46g/t silver from 16m; and 3m at 0.77% copper and 113.92g/t silver from 32m, including 1m at 1.28% copper and 144.04g/t silver from 34m.

Mr Dugdale said at Khusib Springs the company will explore for a deeper repeat of the high-grade copper-silver orebody.