Resources
The Salt River deposit contains 24 Mt (1% Zn cut-off) of Measured and Indicated resources at 1.8% Zn, 0.59 g/t Au, 0.58% Cu, 0.43% Pb and 20 g/t Ag. The declared Mineral Resource in terms of the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012) is presented in Table 1.
At a 2% Zn cut-off the resources totals 10 million tonnes at 2.35% Zn, 0.61% Cu, 0.46 g/t Au, 0.59 % Pb and 27 g/t Ag.
The Resources remain open both down dip and with strike extensions at the Graafwater prospects.
Geological Setting and Mineralisation
The Vaalkop Project is located at the south-eastern outcrop limit of the Bushmanland Sub-province, within the Mesoproterozoic Namaqualand Metamorphic Province (NMP) (Figure 11). The Bushmanland Sub-province hosts several word-class base metal deposits including Black Mountain and Gamsberg.
The Vaalkop project includes the Salt River base metal deposit along a ~10 km mineralised trend that hosts numerous unexplored targets, including the Graafwater prospect (Figure 12).
The Vaalkop project includes the Salt River base metal deposit along a ~10 km mineralised trend that hosts numerous unexplored targets, including the Graafwater prospect.
The Salt River deposit is a volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) or Kuroko-type deposit. Mineralisation is confined to three roughly tabular horizons termed the Upper, Middle and Lower Sulphide Zones. The mineralised zones have an average composite thickness of 8.1 m and dip 25° - 30° to the northeast. The down dip extension extends to below 1,000 m below surface in the NE and remains open-ended.
The Upper Sulphide Zone (USZ) is the largest and most continuous zone and extends across the entire deposit. The USZ is characterized by a capping of semi-massive to massive sulphide with stringer mineralisation becoming less conspicuous downwards.