Golden Deeps has identified further rich copper mineralisation at its Graceland Critical Metals Prospect in Namibia’s Otavi Mountain Land, where new trenching and diamond-saw channel sampling have exposed strongly mineralised gossans at both ends of a 2km-long, 1km-wide corridor.
The work is part of the company’s Central Otavi Project, which spans six Exclusive Prospecting Licences (approximately 440 km²) held through 80%-owned subsidiaries, Huab Energy and Metalex Mining & Exploration.
At the eastern end of the corridor (Gossan 1 East), five channels were cut across a zone that previously returned spectacular rock-chip assays, including 47.3% Cu with 7,792g/t Ag and 13.8% Cu, 171g/t Ag and 224g/t Ge.
The new channels reveal strongly developed copper mineralisation over 3–5m thicknesses, with semi-massive patches and veins of malachite and chalcocite (Cu₂S) derived from primary sulphides.
At the far western end (the newly mapped Gossan 1 West Extension), four channels on 20m spacing were cut across a 100m-long outcrop, showing copper mineralisation over 3–6m widths with veins and clots of malachite and chalcocite and minor native copper.
All new channel samples were prepared at Intertek’s Namibian facility and pulped for multi-element analysis in Perth.
Earlier channel samples from Gossan 1 and Gossan 2 are already in Perth; prior rock chips there ran as high as 38.3% Cu, 1,130g/t Ag and 25.9% Zn (Gossan 1), and up to 32.4% Zn, 34.2% Pb, 2,473g/t Ag and 97g/t Ge (Gossan 2).
Golden Deeps will marry these geochemical datasets with a detailed Induced Polarisation–Resistivity survey scheduled to begin within two weeks.
Executed by Terratec, the program will first cover the known gossan zones and then expand across the entire 2km corridor to define sulphide targets from surface down to ~300m.
Inversion modelling of the IP anomalies, combined with channel and rock-chip results and 3D topography, will generate three-dimensional drill targets aimed at “Tsumeb-style” Cu-Ag-Zn-Pb-Ge sulphide systems. The nearby Tsumeb deposit produced 27 Mt at 4.3% Cu, 10% Pb, 3.5% Zn, 95g/t Ag, and 50g/t Ge, underscoring the geological analogy.
Further soil and rock-chip sampling is expanding south and west of the current footprint, incorporating occurrences mapped by the Namibian Geological Survey. The broader Central Otavi portfolio also includes the Border Zn-Pb-Ag resource, advanced prospects at Driehoek (Zn-Pb-Ag) and Kaskara (V-Cu-Pb-Zn, Ge), and defined resources at Abenab (vanadium-lead-zinc), Nosib (vanadium-copper-lead-silver, with gallium) and Khusib Springs (silver-copper).
Chief executive Jon Dugdale said the company’s geological team in Namibia continues to discover new mineralised gossan zones and has rapidly completed rockchip and channel sampling across these newly identified highly mineralised outcrops.
Dugdale also said channel sampling has now been completed in four zones within the extensively mineralised 2 km long and 1km wide corridor at Graceland.
“We look forward to the results with great anticipation, which will provide us with an understanding of the widths and strike continuity of these exceptionally high-grade mineralised zones.
“Significantly, the addition of copper, silver, and lead to the US Critical Minerals list would mean that all of the high-grade elements at the Graceland Prospect, including copper, silver, zinc, lead and germanium, as well as anomalous antimony, are classified as critical, high-demand, metals of key importance to high-technology and renewable energy industries.
“The results generated from the large-scale IP survey, which is set to commence shortly, will be modelled and combined with channel and rockchip sampling results to generate drilling targets for both near surface and deeper Cu-Ag-Zn-Pb Ge ‘Tsumeb style’ sulphide drilling targets.”
