Blackthorn Resources has announced an updated mineral resource estimate for the Kitumba iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposit located within the company’s 100%-owned Mumbwa project area 200 km west of Lusaka, Zambia. Using a 0.5% copper cut-off, the Kitumba deposit now contains an estimated in-situ indicated and inferred mineral resource of about 80 million mt, grading 1.33% copper and 0.04 g/mt gold.
The Kitumba resource estimate is based on data from 25,483 m of drilling in 47 core and three reverse circulation holes.
The Kitumba IOCG deposit is expressed on surface by a north-south trending massive hematite replacement breccia system, with copper and gold mineralization spatially associated with faults and lineaments that cross-cut the region. The currently defined extent of the deposit covers an area measuring 1,800 m by 400 m. A previously defined high-grade core at a 1% copper cut-off now measures 440 m along strike, 170 m across strike, and between 150 m and 600 m at depth.
Blackthorn Managing Director Scott Lowe said, “The tonnage and grades quantified at Kitumba compare very favorably with other copper projects, and achieving a high proportion of the mineral resource in the indicated category is a very important step in a project’s ‘path to production.’” (www.blackthornresources.com.au)
