12
MODERN MINING
July 2014
MINING News
Mawson West, based in Australia but
listed on the TSX, has provided updated
estimates of the mineral resources at
its Kazumbula and Kabusanje deposits,
located near the company’s operating
Dikulushi mine in northern Katanga in the
DRC.
The new estimates put the total mea-
sured and indicated resources at the
two deposits at 551 kt at 1,74 % Cu and
45,7 g/t Ag above a 1 % cut-off to 80 m
below surface. The contained copper
amounts to 9,56 kt and the contained sil-
ver to 0,81 Moz.
Mawson West Chief Executive Bruce
McFadzean said: “Subject to economic
Fugro acquires South African drilling contractor
Fugro has completed the acquisition
of Earth Resources (Pty) Ltd, based in
Johannesburg, to further its presence in
Southern Africa and strengthen its capabili-
ties in the mining industry.
Earth Resources provides highly spe-
cialised exploration drilling for mining
operations as well as water wells and geo-
technical drilling. The company has a fleet
of 18 modern drilling rigs suited to drilling
boreholes for gold, platinumand coal explo-
ration to depths of several thousandmetres.
Besides South Africa, Earth Resources
frequently operates in Botswana, Namibia,
Zambia and Mozambique and a number
of other African countries. According to
Fugro, the company is widely acknowl-
edged as a provider of high quality and
innovative drilling solutions to the mining
industry, and serves nearly all the major
mining companies.
Earth Resources will become part of
Fugro’s Africa region and, together with the
existing Fugro OpCos in this region, will be
responsible for the group’s future growth in
Africa.
Platinum Group Metals (PTM), based
in Vancouver and Johannesburg, has
announced an increase in the estimated
inferred mineral resource at theWaterberg
Joint Venture and adjacent Waterberg
Extension to 29 Moz of platinum, palla-
dium, rhodium and gold (4E).
Total inferred resources in the ‘T’and
‘F’ layers are estimated at 287 Mt grad-
ing 3,15 g/t 4E (0,94 g/t Pt, 1,92 g/t Pd,
0,04 g/t Rh and 0,25 g/t Au, 30 %, 61 %,1 %
and 8 % respectively). Included in the min-
eral resource estimate at Waterberg is the
initial inferred resource estimate on the
Waterberg Extension property of 6,8 Moz
(68,04 Mt grading 3,11 g/t 4E (0,93 g/t Pt,
1,98 g/t Pd, 0,05 g/t Rh and 0,15 g/t Au,
30 %, 64 %, 2 % and 4 % respectively)). The
deposit has demonstrated good continu-
ity and remains open along strike and at
depth, says PTM. Drilling is planned several
kilometres north of the current estimate.
The Waterberg deposit consists of
discrete, layered and continuous PGM-
bearing layers starting at 140 m from
surface with a consistent westerly dip. The
deposit has so far been drilled for approxi-
mately 10,4 km northwards on strike.
Geophysical surveys and drilling to date
indicate the deposit remains open down
dip and on strike to the north-west. The
observed deposit layers are 2,75 to 60 m
thick and have well identified and mod-
elled rock unit and geochemical markers.
Drilling with 20 rigs continues at this time.
According to PTM, the Waterberg
deposit stands apart from conventional
Merensky Reef and UG2 Bushveld deposits
as a result of its size, thickness, proxim-
Waterberg project PGM resource increases to 29 Moz
ity to surface and the opportunity to add
even further scale at shallow depths. It
is amenable to safe, efficient, large scale
mechanised underground mining meth-
ods. The expanded mineral resources are
in the same position and are of a similar
type and grade to those that were the
basis for mining methods and metallurgi-
cal recoveries in a Preliminary Economic
Assessment (PEA) by independent engi-
neering firmWorleyParsons, announced in
February this year.
The PEA projects that the Waterberg
deposit will be one of the lowest cost PGM
mines in the world. The estimated cost of
production, inclusive of base metal credits,
is US$438 per 3E ounce.
The PEA was based on a fully mecha-
nised mine plan with metallurgical
recoveries from test work and it assumes
that the Waterberg concentrate will be
processed in a conventional, South African,
PGM smelter. The Waterberg mine plan is
for steady state production of 655 000
ounces 3E per year.
PTM holds a 49,9 % effective interest in
the Waterberg Joint Venture and 87,0 % of
the Waterberg Extension property.
The Waterberg project represents an extension of
the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex.
Updated resource estimate for satellite deposits
evaluations, additional ore from satellite
deposits such as Kazumbula and Kabusanje
provides an opportunity to utilise the pro-
cess plant spare capacity and increase
copper production by leveraging off the
existing Dikulushi operation, improving
the project’s overall profitability.”
Kazumbula and Kabusanje are two
outcropping copper deposits, 10-15 km
north-east of Dikulushi mine. In 2012
the company applied for a Permit
d’Exploitation (PE) in anticipation of pro-
gressing the deposits to mining and the
resulting ore feed supplementing ore from
the Dikulushi underground mine. The PE
was granted in late 2013.
Kazumbula features structurally con-
trolled hydrothermal copper (silver)
mineralisation hosted by a steeply dipping,
east-north-east trending fault. In contrast,
copper mineralisation at the Kabusanje
deposit is replacement style mineralisation
generally conformable with bedding in the
host sandstone unit.
