Koba Resources moves closer to maiden drilling at Blackpine cobalt-copper project
Koba Resources 的 Blackpine 钴铜项目距离历史悠久的 Blackbird 矿 15 公里，截至 1968 年，该矿的产量为 5 公吨，钴含量为 0.6%，铜含量为 1.5%。
Explorer Koba Resources (ASX: KOB) has commenced an induced polarisation (IP) survey at its Blackpine cobalt-copper project in the US to generate new targets for a planned maiden drilling program.
The project-wide survey will investigate over 5 kilometres of strong cobalt-copper anomalism in soil geochemistry and assist in locating extensions along strike and at depth of high-grade mineralisation identified in historic drilling.
Blackpine lies 15km southeast of the historic Blackbird mine which produced 5 million tonnes at 0.6% cobalt and 1.5% copper until 1968.
It is also nearby to Jervois Global’s (ASX: JRV) Idaho cobalt operation where resources comprise 6.8Mt at 0.42% cobalt, 0.64% copper and 0.51 grams per tonne gold and where first production is scheduled for later this year.
Previous drilling at Blackpine returned thick, high-grade assays from shallow depths with highlights of 0.15m at 4.79% cobalt and 4g/t gold from 82.1m; 6.2m at 0.61% cobalt and 6.4g/t gold from 77.4m including 2.8m at 1.25% cobalt and 14g/t gold from 77.4m; and 16.8m at 0.37% cobalt and 0.59g/t gold from 25.9m.
Busy period
Managing director and chief executive officer Ben Vallerine said Koba’s exploration would be the first at Blackpine in over 25 years and the start of a busy period for the company.
“We have a very active six months ahead of us,” he said.
“A drilling program in August will test new targets generated by the IP survey and follow up intersections of shallow, very high-grade cobalt mineralisation in previous drill programs.”
Colson drilling
In June, Koba will commence drilling at the Colson cobalt-copper project, 35km northwest of Blackpine.
The program will be the first to target a series of strong IP anomalies delineated in 2018 at the Long Tom and Salmon Canyon prospects, which coincide with very high-grade soil anomalies of up to 0.11% cobalt and 0.52% copper.
The prospects are located along strike from the historic Salmon Canyon mine where high-grade cobalt-copper mineralisation continues to be exposed in the underground workings and where recent drilling defined extensions of the mineralisation on the periphery of the strong IP anomalies.
The Blackpine and Colson projects are located in the Idaho cobalt belt, which is known to be one of the western world’s premier cobalt districts.