Vantage Metals Finds Copper Contact Under Kalahari Sand as Assays Loom in 4-6 Weeks
Key Takeaways
- Vantage hit the Ngwako Pan–D'Kar contact at 176.0m in CHD005R within the first five holes of a previously undrilled area, achieving the primary aim of the PL0773 campaign.
- Core shows only trace chalcopyrite (under 1.0%) and disseminated bornite at 198.35–200.16m, and no grades have been reported, so this is a geological milestone, not a grade result.
- Laboratory assays are due in 4-6 weeks and will show whether the trace sulphides translate into measurable copper grades.
- The intersection calibrates the geophysical model for step-out drilling along roughly eight kilometres of interpreted strike, with CHD007 already testing down-dip.
- Drilling moves to the Makalamabedi Prospect on PL2743 within weeks and continues to at least the end of November, near MMG's Khoemacau hub.
Drilling intersects prospective copper contact at Kalahari Copper Project
Vantage Metals (ASX: VAN) has intersected the interpreted Ngwako Pan–D’Kar contact at the Chanoga Prospect (PL0773), the key stratigraphic control on copper-silver mineralisation within the Kalahari Copper Belt. The contact was hit in hole CHD005R at 176.0m, on the Company’s 100% owned Kalahari Copper Project in northwestern Botswana.
It happened within the first five holes in a previously undrilled area. Drilling is expected to continue until at least the end of November.
Will Dix, Chief Executive Officer
“Successfully identifying the prospective contact was the initial aim of the campaign on PL0773 and is a real milestone at our Kalahari Copper Project…”
The program was designed as a first-pass effort to locate the contact beneath cover and establish its geometry and orientation. That primary objective has now been achieved, which tells you the company’s targeting model has passed its first physical test.
Trace chalcopyrite and bornite observed
Core from CHD005R shows trace sulphides at and around the contact:
- Trace (<1.0% visual) disseminated chalcopyrite, a copper sulphide mineral, in greywacke and arkose
- Disseminated bornite, another copper sulphide mineral, at 198.35–200.16m
Table 1 from the announcement lists each observed interval.
| Hole ID | From (m) | To (m) | Cu mineral | Visual estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHD005R | 175.01 | 175.85 | Chalcopyrite | Trace (<1.0%) |
| CHD005R | 175.85 | 179.86 | Chalcopyrite | Trace (<1.0%) |
| CHD005R | 191.65 | 200.16 | Chalcopyrite | Trace (<1.0%) |
| CHD005R | 198.35 | 200.16 | Bornite | Trace (<1.0%) |
Visual estimates are not a proxy or substitute for laboratory analysis, and the company states they are not indicative of economic mineralisation. The zones have been sampled, with laboratory results expected in 4-6 weeks. No grades have been reported.
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Why the contact matters for the Kalahari Copper Belt
Copper-silver mineralisation in the belt is hosted mainly in the lower D’Kar Formation, near its contact with the underlying Ngwako Pan Formation. The contact is described as a redox interface, where oxidised, metal-bearing basin fluids can interact with more reduced rocks, creating favourable conditions for copper sulphide precipitation.
In plain terms, certain chemical conditions cause copper to drop out of fluids and form minerals. Finding that boundary under the sand is the first step to finding where such deposits might sit.
The company says the intersection gives a direct geological calibration point for the geophysical model, increasing confidence in applying it to the remaining high-priority drill target areas. Geological observations from CHD005R are being integrated with downhole information, rock physical-property measurements and existing magnetic datasets to refine the three-dimensional interpretation.
The project covers approximately 2,500km2 close to MMG Limited’s Khoemacau copper production hub, which hosts ~50,000t of copper annually and is expanding to 130,000t. Targets in PL0773 and PL2743 are located along strike from several Khoemacau deposits, including the Zone 5 Group at 166 Mt @ 2.0% Cu and 26 g/t Ag. That is MMG’s resource, not a Vantage resource, and it indicates proximity only.
With the contact better constrained, Vantage says it is in a stronger position to complete step-out drilling along approximately eight kilometres of interpreted prospective strike within PL0773.
Ionic soil results support the drilling
Ionic soil sampling on PL0773 and PL2743 returned anomalous copper and silver, despite Kalahari sand cover estimated at 50-100m thick across much of the licence area and up to 130m in places. Ionic leach methods are designed to detect mobile ions that migrate up from buried mineralised systems.
Results from PL0773 correspond well with the intersected anomalous copper zone at the contact. In the southeast of PL2743 (Makalamabedi), a coherent Cu-Ag anomaly coincides with a high-priority segment of the geophysically interpreted contact.
The upper quartile values used to identify anomalism are shown below.
| Licence | Cu upper quartile (ppb) | Ag upper quartile (ppb) |
|---|---|---|
| PL773 | 443 | 1.66 |
| PL2743 | 172 | 0.97 |
These thresholds are statistical and do not represent economic cut-off grades. The company assessed each target area separately because of variations in cover thickness, so the figures are not directly comparable across licences.
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Next steps: down-dip drilling and expansion to PL2743
The announcement points to the following work:
- Hole CHD007 is currently testing the interpreted contact down-dip.
- Step-out drilling is planned along strike and down-dip on PL0773.
- Drilling is expected to expand to the Makalamabedi Prospect on PL2743 in the next few weeks.
- Laboratory results from the sampled zones in CHD005R are expected in 4-6 weeks.
- Drilling is expected to continue until at least the end of November.
The next key test is the laboratory assays. They will show whether the trace sulphides at the contact translate into measurable copper grades.
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