With Chinese export bans now in place for Germanium and Gallium, re-examination of an already-rich diamond core revealed significant intersections of both essential semiconductor minerals at Golden Deeps’ vanadium-copper-lead-silver Nosib deposit in Namibia.
Gallium was returned at 128g/t and Germanium at 11.3g/t over an 8.7 metre intersection from surface from a drill hole already known to include 1.84% copper, 1.88% vanadia, 10.2% lead and 3.6 g/t silver.
Metallurgical testwork on bulk samples from the surface and the diamond core is already close to completion, and Golden Deeps expect that both elements will be recovered alongside the less valuable metals and provide a substantial value raise to the concentrate.
Golden Deeps Chief Executive Jon Dugdale said export bans would likely cause a supply shortage for the major technological powers, and that concentrate samples should contain significant germanium and gallium, potentially representing high-value credits.
Golden Deeps has polymetallic deposits in the Otavi Mountain Land of Namibia which include high grade vanadium, copper and zinc as well as significant germanium and gallium. Metallurgical concentrate testwork is close to completion, which will allow the Company to finalise a maiden Mineral Resource estimate for Nosib,” Mr Dugdale said.
“We look forward to further drilling which is set to commence, testing for shallow extensions of Nosib,” he added.
“The Company is also drilling a major low resistivity geophysical target to the west of the high-grade Khusib Springs copper-silver-zinc mine, that has similarities to the Tsumeb deposit. Tsumeb was a major copper, lead, zinc and silver mine, as well as a significant germanium producer.”
The Otavi copper belt
Renowned for rich deposits of copper, lead, zinc and other minerals, the Otavi copper belt has been a significant mining region since the early 20th century, including Tsumeb, which at its peak was one of the largest copper mines in the world.
At Abenab, Golden Deeps already hold an inferred estimate of 2.80Mt @ 0.66% V2O5, 2.35% Pb, 0.94% Zn at a 0.2% V2O5 cut-off, and the company is now preparing for a resource at Nosib, its newer discovery which has produced some exceptional thick, high-grade returns over the last two years.
