Arc Minerals Limited (AIM:ARCM, OTC:ACMNF, FRA:DFYA) has now kicked off a geophysical work programme at its Virgo Project in Botswana, as the explorer steps up efforts to map a key copper-bearing contact zone across its PL135/2017 licence.
The company told investors that field camp preparation is underway and teams have been mobilised, with 295 line kilometres of ground-based magnetic surveying due to begin this week.
That will be followed by 52.5 line kilometres of induced polarisation, or IP, surveying designed to help define the contact between the D’kar and Ngwako Pan formations.
Arc is targeting the DKF-NPF contact because it says known copper deposits and occurrences in the Kalahari Copper Belt sit at or immediately above that boundary, particularly where structural domes create favourable settings for copper and silver mineralisation.
The current programme builds on a limited IP survey completed in 2024, which the company said successfully identified and verified the contact ahead of focused drilling.
Chief executive Remy Welschinger said the work should help unlock the potential of the Virgo licence, with the ultimate aim of defining up to 15 kilometres of prospective contact zone. Arc expects data acquisition and interpretation to be completed by the end of the second quarter.
"This programme represents an important step in unlocking the potential of our Virgo license," chief executive Remy Welschinger said.
"This contact acts as the key exploration target in this part of the Kalahari CopperBelt and the host zone for many of the defined copper resources in the area."