Zeb Nickel (TSX-V:ZBNI, OTC:ZBNIF) said it will soon begin geotechnical drilling as part of a dolomitic stability investigation for the proposed mining infrastructure area of its flagship nickel project in the province of Limpopo, South Africa.
The company said its mining right application for the Zeb Nickel (TSX-V:ZBNI, OTC:ZBNIF) project must include this step to receive approval from the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
The application had earmarked certain areas of the project for surface mining infrastructure, which is underlain by dolomite. The DMRE has requested that Zeb perform a dolomitic stability investigation be sure that any future surface mining infrastructure is not located on geotechnically unstable ground, the company said.
Zeb Nickel CEO Wayne Isaacs said the study is a routine geotechnical investigation done for any construction activities that may be situated on dolomite or limestone lithologies.
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“The company does not anticipate any complications arising out of this study, and the geological team are eager to log these holes and be on the lookout for any nickel-copper-platinum elements and gold mineralization which is known to occur in the area under investigation,” Isaacs said in a statement.
“This study will benefit the company by not only advancing the application for a mining right over the project area, but also by providing additional geological information in the footwall to Targets 1 and 2," he added.
The area is a class 1 nickel sulfide project located in the Bushveld Complex in South Africa, which contains a historical nickel 43-101 compliant resource over 3.9 million tons of contained sulfide nickel, ranking it number eight in the global top 10 nickel sulfide resources, according to Zeb.
Vancouver-based Zeb said drilling will be done by South African professional environmental consulting agency, Ntamu Engineers. First, there will be a geophysical investigation consisting of a gravity survey to outline areas of low densities possibly associated with dissolution cavities.
According to Zeb, an air percussion drilling method will be used on an estimated 17 boreholes to six to 60 metres into hard rock. ZEB said its geologists will supervise and monitor the resulting drilling chips for signs of mineralization.
No assays will be done on material collected from these drillholes unless mineralization is intersected, the company said.
Zeb said that drilling should be done by October 28, results sent to the South African Council for Geoscience for review, and the final report submitted to the DMRE in early December 2022.
Contact the author at susie@proactiveinvestors.com