Orion Minerals Limited (ASX/JSE: ORN) has used Geobank to help validate the discovery of a major new zinc-copper-bearing body at Ayoba Prospect, located 5.3 kilometres from the company’s flagship Prieska project in South Africa.
MICROMINE’S geological data acquisition and management solution was used to reliably verify and validate drilling and core sampling results, after initial satellite and airborne surveying highlighted the site’s exploration potential in late 2018.
Subsequent drilling returned a historical best drill result of 4.28 metres at 0.34% zinc and 2.88% copper near the site. Geologists and analysts inputted core sample data into Excel, which was then verified and validated using extensive queries generated via Geobank.
The discovery marks the first new Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) find in the area, known as the Areachap Belt, in over 36 years.
Orion’s Managing Director and CEO, Errol Smart, said the success of the exploration at Prieska was thanks to the application of modern geophysical techniques – which included Geobank – and helped to unlock the potential of the emerging deposit.
Based on the results, Orion plans to bring the Prieska discovery into production as quickly as possible.
“Our engineering and development team is now focusing on the delivery of the project, while our exploration team will pursue the multiple emerging opportunities on the exploration front – establishing a growth pipeline that can leverage off the infrastructure we build at Prieska,” Mr Smart said.
To see how Geobank can support your exploration program, visit our Geobank product page or contact us.
Read Orion Minerals Limited’s announcement on Sharenet.
