Golden Deeps has intersected high-grade germanium alongside bonanza copper and silver in maiden diamond drilling at its Graceland Critical Metals Prospect in Namibia’s Otavi Mountain Land, returning values of up to 237 g/t germanium and reinforcing comparisons with the historic Tsumeb mine located about 30 kilometres to the north.
The ASX-listed explorer reported that drilling beneath the Gossan 1 and Gossan 1 East zones confirmed that germanium-rich sulphide mineralisation continues below surface gossans into fresh bedrock, within a steeply plunging structural corridor that remains open in multiple directions.
Germanium, classified globally as a critical mineral due to its use in fibre optics, infrared optics, semiconductors and advanced solar technologies, is emerging as a strategic component of the Graceland discovery rather than a minor by-product.
Diamond drilling beneath Gossan 1 returned up to 172 g/t germanium within a one-metre interval grading 11.9% copper and 120 g/t silver.
Another hole intersected 237 g/t germanium within a broader 3.48-metre zone containing 18.4% zinc and 165 g/t silver.
At Gossan 1 East, drilling delivered 1.82 metres at 16.6% copper equivalent from surface, including 0.66 metres grading 34.8% copper, 388 g/t silver, 58 g/t germanium and 1,317 g/t antimony.
Earlier surface channel sampling had returned germanium values of up to 351 g/t, and the new drilling confirms that these elevated grades persist at depth.
Golden Deeps CEO Jon Dugdale said the results strengthened the company’s belief that Graceland may host deposits similar to those at Tsumeb.
“These latest, outstanding results from our Graceland critical metals prospect give us even greater confidence in our exploration program, which is targeting similar deposits to the nearby, world-class, Tsumeb copper-silver-zinc-lead-germanium deposit mine just 30km to the north,” Dugdale said.
Final 3D modelling of a detailed induced polarisation (IP) and resistivity survey has defined three significant chargeability anomalies extending along an 800-metre-long east–west corridor down plunge from the high-grade gossans.
Two of the IP targets sit directly east and down plunge of Gossan 1 and Gossan 1 East, where drilling has already intersected high-grade copper-zinc-silver-germanium mineralisation.
A third, much larger anomaly lies further east, extending for more than 300 metres and remaining open beyond 200 metres in depth.
The company believes these anomalies represent potential “Tsumeb-style” sulphide bodies that host copper, zinc, lead, silver, and critical metals such as germanium and antimony.
The historic Tsumeb deposit produced approximately 27 million tonnes at 4.3% copper, 10% lead, 3.5% zinc, 95 g/t silver and 50 g/t germanium.
It was mined to depths of about 1,500 metres and became renowned for its polymetallic system enriched in germanium.
Golden Deeps says the 400-metre strike-length geochemical footprint at Graceland is comparable in scale to Tsumeb’s surface expression, with mineralisation hosted in steeply dipping carbonate structures typical of the Otavi Mountain Land.
Through its 80%-owned subsidiaries, Golden Deeps controls six exclusive prospecting licences covering more than 440 square kilometres in the Otavi Mountain Land metallogenic belt, which also hosts the former Kombat mine.
Beyond Graceland, the company holds mineral resources at Abenab, Nosib, and Khusib Springs, with exploration focused on copper-silver-zinc-lead systems that carry critical metal credits, including germanium and gallium.
Shallow diamond drilling is continuing across the gossan zones while weather permits.
A deeper drilling campaign is planned after the Namibian wet season to test the newly modelled IP sulphide targets at depth.
If the germanium-rich sulphide zones extend along the 800-metre plunging corridor outlined by geophysics, Graceland could emerge not only as a high-grade copper discovery but as a strategically significant germanium-bearing system within Namibia’s historic Otavi Mountain Land.
