An exploration program operated by the Zimbabwean subsidiary of
Falconbridge had drilled eight holes on the project between August and September, when it suspended the program to concentrate on geophysical exploration of a promising part of the Zveya Creek area along strike from several known base metal showings. Seven of the eight holes had intersected narrow intervals of sulphide mineralization, and what Falconbridge is calling the “active horizon,” a stratigraphic layer that plays host to all the showings, is now known to be at least 6 km long.
Drilling in one area showed sulphide mineralization in a coarse fragmental volcanic unit, felsic to intermediate in composition, suggesting there may be a nearby volcanic vent zone that could have served as a centre of mineralizing activity.
The geophysical work, which included transient electromagnetic (EM) surveys using fixed-loop, moving-loop and down-hole configurations, has further defined a conductor detected in an earlier airborne EM survey. This conductor is now believed to lie down-plunge from a 0.7-metre drill hole intersection that carried 1.13% copper and 0.7% zinc, plus 29.6 grams silver per tonne.
Another conductor, about 200 metres west of that area, appears to plunge eastward from another drill intersection of 7.42% copper, 2.62% zinc and 121 grams silver over 1.7 metres.
At the Dindi property, about 20 km north of Zveya Creek, Falconbridge recently completed airborne EM surveys in an area underlain by rocks that are believed to form the northern limb of a fold, and to be stratigraphically equivalent to the “active horizon.” Here, field inspection of 21 anomalies located by the airborne survey, which included mapping and bedrock geochemical surveys, indicated five targets for immediate work.
The follow-up work at one target, labelled D-5, included a geochemical survey that showed high concentrations of copper and zinc in the soils. Detailed prospecting turned up another fragmental volcanic unit with rusty clasts that probably represent weathered sulphide minerals.
At another target, D-19, a pyritic boulder found and sampled in initial ground prospecting, returned an assay of 11.4 grams gold per tonne.
Falconbridge is finishing ground geophysical surveys and further soil geochemistry at Dindi in advance of drilling. NAR is funding the Maramba exploration work with a total of US$2 million spread over two years ending on Aug. 1, 1999, to earn an interest of 40%.
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