Australian-listed Sultan Resources has applied for a 171.2-square-kilometre exploration licence in Namibia’s Central Damara Orogen, targeting copper and gold mineralisation near Kalkfeld.
The Kaalkop Project, covered by EPL11820, is located about five kilometres south of Kalkfeld and 270 kilometres from Windhoek, giving Sultan exposure to an underexplored area within an established gold province that is also attracting increased copper exploration.
“Sultan Resources Limited is pleased to advise that it has lodged an exploration licence application covering 171.2km² of highly prospective copper-gold ground within Namibia’s Central Damara Orogen,” the company said.
“The Kaalkop Project (EPL11820), located approximately 5km south of Kalkfeld, provides Sultan with a substantial strategic landholding within an established gold province that is also attracting increasing exploration attention for copper and other metals.”
Subject to the expected granting of EPL11820 next quarter, Sultan plans to review historical exploration data and undertake reconnaissance geological mapping and rock-chip sampling.
Initial work will focus particularly on granite-carbonate contact zones identified as priority exploration targets, with follow-up soil geochemistry expected as the programme advances.
The project remains at an early exploration stage and currently has no established mineral resource.
Sultan said it secured the opportunity without issuing consideration shares or other equity securities, avoiding equity dilution for existing shareholders.
Historical exploration across the licence area largely focused on copper, lead and zinc mineralisation associated with carbonate rocks, as well as tin and tungsten associated with pegmatites and skarns.
According to Sultan, no reported historical exploration specifically targeted gold across EPL11820.
“The licence has no reported exploration for gold with historical exploration limited to rock chip sampling for Cu-Pb-Zn and stream sampling for Cu-Pb-Zn associated with carbonate rocks and Sn-W in pegmatites and skarns in the granites,” the company said, citing historical exploration undertaken in 1975 and 1982.
Geologically, Kaalkop straddles the major Abbabis Lineament and contains late-stage granitic intrusions, deformed schists and carbonate units.
Sultan has identified major regional structures and contacts between granite and carbonate rocks as priority areas for its initial exploration programme.
The application comes amid increased exploration activity across the wider Damara Belt.
Kaoko Metals recently reported rock-chip results of up to 4.9% copper at its Karibib Copper-Gold-Tungsten Project. Sultan cautioned that the Karibib mineral system is separate from Kaalkop and that those results are not necessarily indicative of mineralisation at its project.
Kaalkop is also located east of WIA Gold’s Kokoseb Gold Project, which Sultan said hosts an updated mineral resource of 113 million tonnes grading 1.0 grams per tonne gold for 3.78 million ounces.
The broader Central Damara region also hosts gold deposits and discoveries including Twin Hills, Ondundu, Navachab and Eureka.
