Apollo Minerals Ltd (ASX:AON) has identified high-grade mineralisation in a round of diamond drilling at Niamabimbou prospect within the province-scale Kroussou Zinc-Lead Project in Gabon, Central Africa, marking the second prospect to support the potential for large-scale, shallow, flat-lying, sulphide-hosted mineralised systems.
Dikaki and Niamabimbou are two of 18 prospects that have been identified along the more than 80 kilometres of strike length of prospective geology at Kroussou.
The Niamabimbou prospect remains open along trend, and has so far returned results including:
- 5.3 metres at 10.3% zinc and lead from 54.7 metres within 27.1 metres at 2.9% zinc and lead from 33.8 metres; and,
- 3.5 metres at 4.6% zinc and lead from 63.8 metres within 21 metres at 2.0% zinc and lead from 46.2 metres.
Of 40 holes drilled at this prospect to date, 38 returned zinc-lead mineralisation.
Apollo believes this indicates that Niamabimbou, which boasts more than 9 kilometres of prospective trend, and up to 1.5 kilometres of width, has potential to host an economical mineralised footprint.
“Highly prospective prospect”
“The company’s 2021 drill program is the first ever undertaken at the greenfield Niamabimbou prospect,” Apollo Minerals executive director Neil Inwood said.
“The recent results which include 5.3 metres at 10.3% zinc and lead prove that the Niamabimbou system can host high-grade zinc-lead mineralisation, matching that of the developing Dikaki deposit, located 16 kilometres to the north.
“This high-grade mineralisation is open down dip and along trend. Niamabimbou is a highly prospective prospect with only 40 broad-spaced holes having been drilled to date along the extensive 9 kilometres of prospective trend.
“Apollo Minerals’ field work has now demonstrated high-grade mineralisation at two of the 18 defined prospects within the province-scale Kroussou Project.
“Drill rigs are currently undertaking broad, step out exploration drilling at Dikaki, with planning underway to commence additional regional exploration drilling, targeting new and untested prospects in 2022.
“Strong news flow is expected over the coming months.”
Two diamond rigs are engaged in broad-spaced, step out extensional drilling at Dikaki. Results from the final 12 holes of the 2021 drilling campaign at Dikaki are expected in the coming weeks.
Apollo has sought to optimise its sample freight logistics to Perth, using a different transportation arrangement to enable more efficient turnaround for 2022 assays.
2022 work programs
The 2022 work program has commenced at Kroussou and is focused on:
- Infill and extension drilling of the high-grade zones of mineralisation at Dikaki to facilitate resource estimation;
- Geophysics, field exploration and drilling to identify new zones of mineralisation at other defined prospects/regional targets to demonstrate the province-scale potential at Kroussou;
- Metallurgical test-work to confirm positive high-recovery, high-quality concentrate production; and
- High level analysis of regional infrastructure options for materials transport.