Caledonia Mining has announced promising initial results from its exploration program at the Motapa project in Zimbabwe, adjacent to its Bilboes Gold Project. Drilling efforts have identified extensive gold mineralization over more than 9 km, marking a significant step forward in the company’s growth plans in the region.
Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc has unveiled the initial outcomes of its exploration program at the Motapa project, which was secured in November 2022. This site is situated adjacent to the company’s Bilboes Gold Project in southern Zimbabwe. The exploration involved both diamond drilling (DD) and reverse circulation drilling (RC) aimed at evaluating the extension of sulphide mineralization beneath historic oxide open pits, yielding highly promising results. Furthermore, new target areas have also demonstrated encouraging findings in both shallow oxide and deeper sulphide zones. The exploration program has met its preliminary objectives, conducting 12,724 meters of trenching, 4,143 meters of DD, and 5,433 meters of RC. The drilling strategy employed generally wide-spaced holes across various prospects within the Motapa lease area, revealing extensive gold mineralization over a combined strike length exceeding 9 kilometers. Noteworthy intersections of high-grade gold have been recorded in several locations, notably Jupiter, Pluvious, and Mpudzi, which will now undergo further scrutiny to delineate an open-pit mineral resource. Key drilling results to date include significant intervals of gold mineralization in specific holes. Mark Learmonth, the Chief Executive Officer, remarked on the significant advances the Motapa project has made, noting the encouraging results regarding strike width, length, and grade. He stated, “The drill programme featured generally wide-spaced holes at several prospects on the Motapa lease area and highlighted the presence of widespread gold mineralisation over a combined strike length of more than 9 km.” As Motapa is positioned closely to Bilboes, where plans are in place to establish a major new high-grade open-pit gold mine, Learmonth affirmed that these initial findings will be pivotal to the company’s strategic vision for growth in the region.
Caledonia Mining Corporation is focused on gold mining operations and exploration in Zimbabwe, specifically between its Bilboes Gold Project and the newly acquired Motapa site. The exploration program aims to uncover further mineral resources by determining the continuity of supplier zones beneath previous mining operations. This is important for assessing the economic viability of developing new mining projects in a locality known for its mineral wealth.
In summary, Caledonia Mining’s initial exploration results from the Motapa project have been encouraging, revealing widespread gold mineralization and high-grade intervals that support further development of this prospect. The integration of these findings with anticipated operations at the Bilboes Gold Project forms a crucial component of the company’s growth strategy, highlighting the potential for significant mineral resource discovery in Zimbabwe.
Original Source: www.globalminingreview.com
