Andrada Mining reported grades as high as 10.55% for tin, 3.53% for tungsten, and 1.95% for copper at the Brandberg West project.
The exploration program comprised 20 oriented diamond drill holes for 2 975 metres drilled.
The program demonstrates that high-grade mineralisation occurs within the existing pit and extends to the north.
The metals reported are tin, tungsten, and copper, which are this drilling campaign’s primary focus.
The Brandberg West project is within exploration license EPL 5445 in the Erongo region.
The project area is approximately 100 km from Andrada Mining’s flagship asset, the Uis Tin Mine.
The results of the first 10 drill holes announced on September 12, 2024, representing 1 471 drill metres, revealed grades of up to 4% for tin, over 2% for tungsten, and typically 0.5%-2% for copper.
The historical Brandberg West mine produced tin and tungsten concentrate with secondary copper reported but never focused.
The historical operations did not produce any copper concentrate; however, because of its strong correlation with tin and tungsten, future metallurgical investigations will evaluate the recovery of all three metals.
Notably, abnormal concentrations of silver and gallium were also identified in several of the analysed samples.
Andrada Mining CEO Anthony Viljoen said the continuation of significant high-grade tin, tungsten, and copper intersections at the Brandberg West project endorses the company’s strategic outlook for this area and is demonstrative of the untapped value of this asset.
Viljoen said these results also show that the mineralisation continues along the strike to the northeast.
According to Viljoen, the full exploration results will be evaluated to optimise the next exploration phase at Brandberg West.
“Adding tungsten and copper to our critical metals portfolio complements our strategy to become a developer of multiple critical metals for the energy transition and future technological advancements,” Viljoen said.
Gold Fields owned the Brandberg West open pit mine until operations ceased in the 1980s, with the cessation of exploration activities coinciding with a global collapse of the tin price.
