June 2014
MODERN MINING
33
COPPER
play. The demonstrated presence of syn-sedi-
mentary faulting and large-scale hydrothermal
alteration from our regional drilling indicates
that the right features are present for major base
metal deposits.”
Tsodilo (which has, incidentally, identified a
potentially huge iron ore deposit in its licence
areas) has no special expertise in copper and
early last year entered into an agreement with
First Quantum Minerals (FQM), a major player
on the Zambian Copperbelt, which allows
FQM to explore for copper on Tsodilo’s prop-
erties. At the conference, Simon Jones, District
Geologist with FQM, updated delegates on First
Quantum’s efforts thus far. He pointed out that
First Quantum was aware that its exploration
programme in north-west Botswana was a “long
shot”, as he put it, but said it was justified by the
potential return. As he noted, there was more
copper in the Central African Copperbelt than
in the Chilean Copperbelt and he presented a
slide showing how the massive contribution
diamonds were making to Botswana’s economy
(accounting for 76 % of exports and 45 % of
government tax revenues) was paralleled in
Zambia by copper, with the equivalent figures
(80 % and 45 %) being nearly equal.
He said FQM’s programme encompassed
geochemical sampling of Kalahari sand,
hydro-geochemistry (sampling ground waters)
airborne gravity to map basement domes,
airborne electro-magnetics to map graphitic
shales, and the drilling of conceptual targets.
Ending his presentation, he said all the indica-
tions were looking good. “The only thing we’re
missing is the copper – but it’s early days,” he
concluded.
Whether the Central African Copperbelt
does extend into Botswana – and, even if it
does, whether it hosts exploitable mineralisa-
tion – remains to be seen. Whatever the case,
it is clear that Botswana does already have a
considerable copper endowment in the shape
of the Kalahari Copperbelt further south. The
latter is not related geologically to the more
famous Copperbelt and is clearly never going
to produce copper in comparable quantities.
Nevertheless it is emerging as an important part
of Botswana’s minerals industry and should
ensure that the country remains a copper pro-
ducer – albeit on a fairly modest scale by world
standards – for years to come.
