Eighteen diamond drillholes have been drilled at Kaskara this year (Figure 2). Of these, only eight were effective in reaching their target depth, and none of these were aimed at primary mineralisation at depth.
This has been a result of very difficult drilling conditions in the weathered zone around and within oxidised mineralisation. The poor condition of the weathered rocks have resulted in low core recovery and ground collapse.
Drilling is ongoing in order to test the deep geophysical targets that may indicate sulphide mineralisation.
Intercepts
Significant copper-lead-zinc-vanadium mineralisation has been intercepted at Kaskara in the weathered upper portions of the prospect. The copper, lead and zinc mineralisation is largely in the form of vanadates rather than sulphides and is ubiquitously associated with iron oxides (hematite) at Kaskara. Even outside of the well-mineralised zones, hematite dustings on features like joint surfaces are associated with highly anomalous copper, lead and zinc values.
Drilling has intercepted several very thick mineralised iron oxide zones, but the soft and friable nature of the material has resulted in many of the samples being washed away by the drilling process and not recovered.
Of the recovered samples, several intercepts have been confirmed:
KKDD0291, 21.9m @ 0.45% Cu, 5.79% Pb, 1.81% Zn, and 1.41% V, from 54.0m KKDD026*, 6.0m @ 0.21% Cu, 2.70% Pb, 1.34% Zn, and 0.50% V, from 34.9m KKDD025, 2.7m @ 0.69% Cu, 10.45% Pb, 3.40% Zn, and 2.41% V, from 0m KKDD025, 1.0m @ 0.35% Cu, 3.11% Pb, 0.80% Zn, and 0.73% V, from 24m KKDD024, 2.0m @ 0.11% Cu, 1.30% Pb, 0.96% Zn, and 0.29% V, from 22m KKDD021, 4.0m @ 0.12%Cu, 1.05% Pb, 0.39% Zn, and 0.24% V, from 22m
*Broken ground in the weathered cap
Deep weathering is common around the major deposits of the Otavi Mountainland. At Kaskara, it has resulted in broken ground to depths of at least 200 m downhole. As well as delaying and prolonging drilling, it has resulted in extreme core loss, collapsed drillholes, and unsatisfactory progress.
The core loss is a result of the impact of the drilling process on the extremely soft and friable rocks within the deeply weathered zone at Kaskara. Many of these zones of extreme core loss are considered to be mineralised. This is shown by several samples from within these zones, and also by common hematite in these zones. At Kaskara, hematite is always associated with strong concentrations of copper, lead, zinc and vanadium.
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