Ntambu
Kalahari sands cover the opportunity
Ntambu (24827-HQ-LEL, 205 km²) is located in the North-Western Province, a rapidly evolving exploration hotspot. Ntambu fits the Zamare strategy of underexplored acreage next to large, discovered reserves.
The Ntambu licence location
Ntambu licence location on the Kabompo Dome edge (Click to zoom in)
Ntambu is located in The Domes Region of the Zambian Copperbelt where basement dome edges host significant, world-class deposits. Over the last 13 years, three new major copper mines have been discovered and constructed in this new western part of the Zambian Copperbelt.
Zamare’s 100% owned Ntambu licence lies on the edge of the Kabombo dome, adjacent and in analogous geology to First Quantum Minerals’ Sentinel and Enterprise mines and Arc Minerals’ new discovery. The Sentinel mine has grown from initial discovery to a current resource of 891 million tonnes at a grade of 0.45% copper. The mine currently produces 250,000 tonnes of copper per annum. First Quantum’s nearby Enterprise nickel project has a resource of 47million tonnes at 0.97% nickel. On the other side of the Kabompo Dome Arc Minerals have reported some of the best intersections in the Zambian Copperbelt including: 18m grading 2.35% Cu; 7.6m grading 4.15% Cu; 45m grading 1.7% Cu; and 39m at 1.47% Cu.
In January 2021, Zamare Minerals signed a technical cooperation agreement with First Quantum Minerals Ltd over the Ntambu licence. Through the agreement First Quantum have provided Zamare with comprehensive soil geochemistry, airborne magnetics, radiometrics and EM as well as drilling data. First Quantum Minerals completed the work as part of their Trident exploration program but were required to relinquish the licence. This data was provided to Zamare at no cost and the Ntambu licence remains unencumbered and 100% owned by Zamare.
Location of Ntambu licence relative to the Sentinel and Enterprise deposits (Click to zoom in)
Ntambu has excellent geological similarities with First Quantum’s Trident Project:
- along the same prospective basement edge
- faults and structures are continuous from Enterpise to Ntambu including a mineralisation-controlling low-angle fault
- same Lower Roan Formation.
The highly prospective geology at Ntambu is hidden beneath Kalahari sand cover which has prevented exploration in the past but represents an opportunity for discoveries under cover. In fact, previous drilling by FQML has intersected limited mineralisation within the Ntambu licence (0.69% Cu over 1m). However, these positive drill results were not followed up on nor were they fully incorporated into exploration models. Zamare believes that the under-utilisation of the data First Quantum collected on the Ntambu licence was due to FQML shifting focus at the time to the discoveries at Sentinel and Enterprise.
Airborne electromagnetic data collected over the Ntambu licence by FQML (Click to zoom in)
In early 2021 Zamare commissioned a complete reinterpretation of the geophysical data by the independent and highly regarded consultancy EarthMaps of Namibia. The interpretation incorporated drilling results to improve results and has identified 6 priority targets for further work at Ntambu.
Additionally, Zamare has been given access by FQML to re-log and re-assay core from the Ntambu licence area which is on-going, but has identified widespread sulphide alteration and the previously noted narrow zones of mineralisation. These appear to be associated with the mineralisation-controlling low angle fault that runs through Sentinel, Enterprise and Ntambu.
Results of geophysical interpretation over the Ntambu licence, including target identification, by Zamare Minerals (Click to zoom in)
In this section:
