Cazaly Resources is moving to the next stage of exploration at its Abenab North project in northern Namibia after commissioning a high-resolution drone aeromagnetic survey aimed at refining drill targets over the company’s flagship Cadix anomaly ahead of its maiden drilling campaign later this year.
The survey marks an important step in the Australian explorer’s strategy to unlock what it believes could be one of the largest untested carbonatite-hosted rare earth element (REE) targets in the Otavi Fold Belt, while simultaneously evaluating the project’s potential for copper, vanadium and other base metals.
The work will focus on three priority magnetic targets, anchored by the Cadix anomaly, an untested magnetic feature measuring more than 800 metres in diameter that has emerged as the most compelling exploration target within the 790 km² Abenab North licence.
Cazaly’s managing director, Tara French said the company was now in a position to improve the quality of the historical geophysical data that had originally identified Cadix before it committed to drilling.
“Having secured access to the project, we can now refine the original data that first revealed the high-priority Cadix target with this more modern drone survey. The results from this work will allow greater drill definition and will allow us to refine our maiden drilling program,” French said.
“With confirmed carbonatite-hosted REE mineralisation on the adjacent magnetic anomalies and Cadix still untested at this scale, our focus is to rapidly test Cadix and review the many other pipe-like anomalies in the region. All these targets have the potential for REE or base metal mineralisation including Tsumeb-style copper-polymetallic mineralisation.”
Unlike conventional airborne surveys, the drone-based magnetic survey will fly approximately 30 metres above ground level using closely spaced 50-metre flight lines. Covering approximately 196 line kilometres, the survey is expected to produce a significantly higher-resolution magnetic dataset capable of defining the geometry, margins and internal structure of the Cadix target with far greater precision than the historical data.
The improved dataset will allow Cazaly to accurately position its first drill holes, reducing geological uncertainty before the company begins testing the target during the third quarter of 2026.
The significance of the Cadix target lies not only in its size but also in its geological setting.
Carbonatites are among the world’s principal hosts of rare earth element deposits, supplying the critical minerals required for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, defence technologies and numerous advanced manufacturing applications.
Historical drilling on neighbouring carbonatite pipes has already confirmed that the district hosts rare-earth mineralisation. Previous drilling intersected 45 metres grading 0.73% Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO), including four metres grading 2.53% TREO, demonstrating that the geological system is mineralised. Cadix itself, however, has never been effectively drill-tested despite being the largest magnetic anomaly identified within the licence.
Beyond rare earths, the Abenab North project lies within one of Africa’s most prolific carbonate-hosted base-metal provinces.
The licence lies within the Otavi Fold Belt, approximately 20 kilometres east of the historic Tsumeb Mine, one of the world’s most celebrated polymetallic deposits. Over nearly a century of mining, Tsumeb produced approximately 30 million tonnes grading 4.3% copper, 3.5% zinc, 10% lead, 95 grams per tonne of silver, and 50 grams per tonne of germanium, making it one of the richest base metal deposits ever mined.
The project also sits close to the historic Kombat Mine, which produced approximately 12.5 million tonnes grading 2.6% copper, 1.55% lead and 18 grams per tonne silver, as well as the former Abenab vanadium mine, recognised as one of the world’s highest-grade vanadate deposits after producing approximately 1.85 million tonnes grading 1.03% vanadium pentoxide.
This geological neighbourhood gives Abenab North exposure to multiple critical mineral commodities within a single licence, a feature that Cazaly believes significantly enhances the project’s long-term exploration potential.
The company noted that neighbouring explorers continue to report new copper discoveries and expand mineral resources across the Otavi Fold Belt, reinforcing confidence that the district remains underexplored despite its long mining history.
Over the coming months, Cazaly will complete the permitting process for the drone survey, acquire and interpret the new magnetic data, finalise drill designs and mobilise for its maiden drilling programme, which remains scheduled to begin during the third quarter of 2026.
