Shares in Galileo Resources PLC (AIM:GLR) climbed 7% to 0.91p after the miner said its first drill tests in Botswana had confirmed copper mineralisation, encouraging it to plan follow-up work in the Kalahari Copperbelt.
The AIM-listed explorer released laboratory results from a small reverse circulation drilling programme on its wholly owned PL253 licence, marking its first attempt to drill beneath extensive sand cover in the area. The drilling followed soil sampling last year that pointed to potential copper mineralisation.
One of the four drill holes returned copper over a broad interval from 66 metres to 115 metres below surface.
The strongest result was a five metre section grading 0.34% copper, including a one metre interval at 0.84%, within rocks of the D’Kar Formation. For early-stage exploration, this suggests copper is present over a meaningful thickness of rock rather than in isolated patches.
Galileo said the mineralisation is copper oxide, which is typically found closer to the surface and is often simpler and cheaper to process than deeper sulphide ores.
The result is notable because the target area is covered by sand, making drilling more challenging and early confirmation particularly important.
The company also said Botswana’s Department of Mines has renewed the PL253 prospecting licence for a further two years to the end of 2027.
With the initial four-hole programme complete, the technical team will now model the geological data to decide on the next phase of drilling.