Cobre Ltd (ASX:CBE) has kicked off a pioneering 2D reflection seismic survey with an overlapping passive seismic survey – known as ambient noise tomography or ANT – at the Kitlanya West Copper Project in the Kalahari Copperbelt, Botswana (KCB).
Large-scale groundwork
The program’s aim is to image potential large-scale fold trap-sites for Tier-1 copper deposits, identify structures facilitating copper mineralisation and complement recent airborne gravity gradient (AGG) surveys.
The company is confident that the combination of seismic methods with AGG, magnetic, bedrock and soil sampling results will offer an effective model for priority fold and structural trap-sites and provide high confidence for targeted diamond drilling across the KCB.
Location of planned active and passive seismic surveys on sub-basins, intra-basin highs and basin margins highlighted from AGG interpretation. The Tlou target is clearly defined in anomalous copper results from RC bedrock sampling.
The surveys will also provide diamond drill targets for the Tlou target, identified in the 2023 soil and reverse circulation drill campaign.
The initiative is supported by the BHP (ASX:BHP) Xplor program and represents a strong progress for Cobre’s KCB projects.
CEO Adam Wooldridge said: “This groundbreaking, innovative seismic survey in the KCB, traditionally a tool reserved for Majors, is a fantastic opportunity.”
The active 2D reflection-seismic lines will cover 62 kilometres on the northern KIT-W project, targeting the Tlou sub-basin.
Anomalous copper
Consistent anomalous copper has been noted in reverse circulation (RC) bedrock chips and multi-element soil samples, with evidence of chrysocolla mineralisation in fractures.
A key aspect of the survey is understanding the source of gravity low anomalies and prominent gravity and magnetic anomalies associated with the Tlou target.
HiSeis of Australia will manage the active seismic survey, using STRYDE Nodes™ with a 1.5-tonne accelerated weight drop source.
The ANT survey will cover a complementary 100-square-kilometre area, managed by the Institute of Mine Seismology.
Selected drill core samples have been submitted to the Council for Geoscience for petrophysical analysis to aid seismic data interpretation.
The surveys will then develop a cost-effective exploration tool for Tier-1 trap-sites in the KCB.
Cobre holds a dominant land position on both northern and southern basin margins of the KCB and is focusing exploration on delineating basin margins and detecting sub-basins.
The results of the seismic surveys will be integrated with existing datasets to identify the best areas for target drilling, with the potential for short-term discoveries.
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