The 2.2-kilometre stretch separating the Otniel and Donkey Hill copper prospects is no longer an empty gap on the geological map.
Instead, it is rapidly becoming one of the most promising parts of Kaoko Metals’ Chalkos Copper-Silver Project after the company discovered a new zone of surface copper mineralisation that could significantly expand the scale of the emerging copper system in north-western Namibia.
The discovery of the newly named Bootless Prospect marks the first time copper mineralisation has been identified within the previously untested corridor linking the project’s two flagship prospects. Combined with new extensions at both Otniel and Donkey Hill, the latest fieldwork suggests the three prospects may form part of a much larger and more continuous mineralised system than previously recognised.
The announcement represents another important milestone for the Australian explorer as it prepares to commence its maiden diamond drilling programme at Chalkos in approximately five weeks.
Managing director Gerard O’Donovan described the discovery as a significant breakthrough so early in the company’s maiden field campaign.
“Discovering a new zone of outcropping copper mineralisation so early in our maiden fieldwork campaign is a very exciting development for Kaoko. This reinforces the enormous prospectivity of our large land package and particularly the ground which sits between the high-grade Donkey Hill and Otniel prospects,” he said.
The Bootless discovery lies about 600 metres west of Otniel and roughly two kilometres south of Donkey Hill, directly within the corridor that had remained largely unexplored. Field geologists identified visible copper mineralisation in outcrop, including chrysocolla, malachite, azurite and chalcocite occurring in both quartz-carbonate veins and disseminated mineralisation within dolomitised carbonate rocks.
While laboratory assays are still pending, the geological significance extends beyond the visible mineralisation itself.
Unlike Otniel and Donkey Hill, where the strongest copper mineralisation is largely hosted within quartzite, Bootless demonstrates that mineralisation also occurs within carbonate rocks where favourable structures are present. According to the company, this indicates that geological structures, rather than rock type alone, are controlling copper mineralisation across the project, substantially increasing the amount of prospective ground available for future exploration.
The discovery also strengthens the possibility that Otniel, Bootless and Donkey Hill represent different expressions of the same mineralising system extending over more than two kilometres.
The field campaign also delivered encouraging results at the project’s existing prospects.
At Otniel, geological mapping extended visible copper mineralisation by up to 200 metres beyond previously recognised outcrops, increasing the mapped surface footprint to more than 600 metres. Geologists also identified a previously unknown hanging-wall mineralised horizon above the main mineralised trend, raising the possibility that multiple stacked copper lenses could exist beneath the surface.
Mineralisation at Otniel consists of chalcocite, malachite, minor azurite and copper silicates occurring in disseminated and vein-hosted styles within quartzite units. The prospect sits within a north-plunging antiform, a structural setting considered favourable for preserving multiple mineralised horizons at depth.
Meanwhile, mapping at Donkey Hill extended known mineralisation by approximately 60 metres at the eastern end of the prospect, increasing the combined surface mineralised footprint to more than 800 metres across three distinct north-south trending zones.
Here, copper mineralisation occurs mainly within quartzite, in massive, disseminated, and vein-hosted styles, associated with shearing and folding. The company believes the three mineralised trends may represent repeated mineralised horizons within a folded geological structure, offering additional exploration upside beneath the currently exposed mineralisation.
Together, the three prospects now define an increasingly extensive mineralised corridor that will become the focus of Kaoko Metals’ maiden drilling programme.
Rock-chip samples collected from the new mineralised zones have been submitted for laboratory analysis, with assay results expected within six to eight weeks. Those results will be used to refine drill targeting, collar positions and the sequencing of the company’s first drilling campaign.
Preparations for drilling are already well advanced. Earthworks are underway, drilling contractors are being finalised, and mobilisation is expected shortly ahead of the commencement of diamond drilling next month.
Although the latest discoveries remain at an early exploration stage and laboratory assays will ultimately determine copper grades, the field observations substantially strengthen the geological model at Chalkos. Rather than identifying isolated copper occurrences, Kaoko Metals is progressively demonstrating that mineralisation extends across multiple prospects connected by favourable structural corridors, significantly increasing the project’s exploration potential.
