Galileo Resources PLC said early drilling in Botswana had confirmed the presence of copper mineralisation, giving the explorer encouragement to press ahead with further work in the Kalahari Copperbelt.
The AIM-listed company reported laboratory results from a small reverse circulation drilling programme on its wholly owned PL253 licence, its first attempt to drill beneath sand cover after identifying copper anomalies in soil samples last year.
Assays from one of the four drill holes showed copper over a broad interval between 66 metres and 115 metres below surface.
The strongest result was a five metre section grading 0.34% copper, including a one metre interval at 0.84% copper, within rocks of the D’Kar Formation. In simple terms, that means measurable amounts of copper were found over a meaningful thickness of rock, rather than as a single isolated hit.
Galileo said the copper occurs as oxide mineralisation, a form often seen closer to the surface and typically easier to process than deeper sulphide ores.
The results are particularly significant because the target area is covered by sand, making exploration more difficult and increasing the importance of early drill confirmation.
The company also said Botswana’s Department of Mines had renewed the PL253 prospecting licence for a further two years, taking it to the end of 2027.
The four-hole drilling programme is now complete, and the technical team will combine the drilling results with geological, geophysical and geochemical data to decide on the next phase of exploration.
Colin Bird, chairman and chief executive, said the outcome from the first drilling was an encouraging start.
“The fact that we have encountered copper mineralisation over an extensive interval in our first reconnaissance drilling programme testing a soil target is very encouraging,” he said. “The combination of position and prospectivity provides us with strong motivation to continue exploration on this licence.”
While the results are early stage and do not yet point to a defined resource, they suggest the geological ingredients for copper mineralisation are present, a key hurdle for any exploration project at this stage.
