Noronex kicks off Namibian drilling program to chart copper horizon

Noronex Limited has launched a 7000-metre reverse circulation drilling campaign at its Powerline project, at the eastern end of its Namibian tenure on the northern edge of the Kalahari Copper Belt, targeting the flanks of big antiformal domes identified through interpretation of aeromagnetic data.

The program is funded by a wholly owned subsidiary of South32 Limited under an earn-in agreement.

The flanks of the domes are believed to represent prime locations for finding the shallowest expressions of the prospective NPF-D’Kar Formation contact. The contact is a key horizon for major copper deposits in the region, similar to some of the operating mines over the border in Botswana.

The drilling program will focus on structural and stratigraphic targets, starting with the Steenbok dome target, and will test 16 regional-scale prospects across the Qembo and Zambindo Domes.

Historical drilling near its Antofagasta and Sandfire targets revealed encouraging results, including 15m assaying 0.46 per cent copper and 62 grams per tonne (g/t) silver at Qembo and 23m going 0.29 per cent copper and 28g/t silver at Zambindo.

Intriguingly, the high silver-to-copper ratios suggest there is potential for significant mineralisation.

The program will target fold closure zones with shallow-dipping bedding, similar to those noted at major deposits such as Botswana’s Banana Zone, with its 150-million-tonne deposit averaging 0.93 per cent copper and MMG’s massive operation at Khoemacau.

Khoemacau’s total open-pit and underground inferred, indicated and measured resources - including 31,000t in stockpiles - amount to 370Mt, averaging 1.5 per cent copper and 1.9g/t silver for a total contained 5.7Mt of copper metal and 230,000 ounces of silver.

This drilling campaign is designed to test magnetic anomalies beneath the cover, aiming both to resolve key geological questions and to better define the key copper-host horizon. At the same time, the drilling offers the potential for new discoveries, which will help refine and enhance future exploration targeting and definition.

The company’s exploration harnesses data from more than 180,000m of historical drilling across its mostly contiguous suite of Kalahari Copper Belt project tenements, which span the border between Namibia and Botswana.

It also includes data from a 2012 JORC-compliant resource of 10Mt averaging 1.3 per cent copper at the company’s Witvlei project in the southwest of its tenure.

The South32 strategic alliance agreement, which now includes two Botswana tenements added in mid-June, supports ongoing exploration with up to $4 million annually for five years.

Recent drilling at the Damara project, also funded by South32, returned anomalous copper values up to 800 parts per million (ppm), highlighting geological similarities with Central African Copper Belt deposits.

Investor interest is growing in the Kalahari Copper Belt due to its potential for large-scale copper discoveries.

Noronex’s focus on underexplored terranes, combined with South32’s backing, positions it to capitalise on this trend. The company’s use of modern exploration techniques, including aeromagnetic and drone data, enhances its targeting precision.

With South32’s funding and a strategic focus on high-potential targets, Noronex’s Powerline drilling program could uncover significant copper resources, further strengthening its position in the highly prospective Kalahari Copper Belt.

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