Nyota Minerals' nickel deposit in Burundi has similarities to huge Kabanga deposits

Nyota Minerals (ASX/AIM: NYO), formerly trading as Dwyka Resources Limited, is focused on the exploration and development of gold projects in a new gold province in Ethiopia and a nickel deposit in Burundi.

The company has reported drilling at its Muremera nickel project in Burundi, Africa, has identified sulphide-mineralized ultramafic bodies, a necessary step in the process of defining nickel sulphide deposits.

Drilling was completed at seven target holes between May and June 2009. Of these, one was follow-up exploration on a previously-drilled target and six targets were identified from new high-priority VTEM surveys.

The main results of the drilling were that five out of seven holes intersected separate, sulphide-mineralized ultramafic bodies.  Two of these were new discoveries.

David Evans, consulting geologist to the Muremera Nickel Project said, “The technical case for continued exploration at Muremera is clear-cut. The licence area is adjacent to, and covers the same structure and stratigraphy as the Kabanga deposits of Tanzania."

"Although there have been no significant economic intersections to-date at Muremera, the results are never-the-less encouraging, and “par for the course” in this type of geophysically-led exploration for nickel in the Kibaran belt, Evans said.”

Early drilling programmes for nickel (sulphides) are frequently are aimed at identifying prospective geological formations specifically to identify styles of magmatic mineralization as they can be indicators of, high-grade nickel bearing sulphide deposits such as those discovered at the neighbouring Kabanga North, thought to be the world's largest undeveloped nickel sulphide deposit.

Melissa Sturgess, CEO of Nyota commented, “there is significant work that still needs to be done to hone in on the nickel deposits that we believe to be present at Muremera, but encountering both styles of magmatic mineralisation is a very promising step."

Sturgess said sulphide mineralisation is an essential prerequisite to identify nickel bearing zones of the type targeted at Muremera.  By achieving this, "is a good indication that we are getting closer," Sturgess said.

Encouragingly, she said the company was focussing in on the right areas within the Licence, and would now be in a position to utilise all of our recent and historical data to refine the exploration process with a view to defining economic targets.