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Kaoko Metals Confirms High-Grade Copper and Tungsten at Karibib Project

Mining By Maxwell Dee 4 min read

Kaoko Metals has verified significant copper, gold, and tungsten mineralisation across its Karibib Project in Namibia, with assays revealing up to 4.9% copper and 0.68% tungsten. A systematic geochemical program is underway to refine drill targets, while maiden drilling at the Chalkos Copper Project is imminent.

  • High-grade copper assays up to 4.9% Cu at Karibib
  • Tungsten grades reach 0.68% WO3 across multiple prospects
  • Project-scale geochemical sampling program commenced
  • Consulting geologist Callum Standing appointed to technical team
  • Maiden diamond drilling at Chalkos Copper Project on track

High-Grade Copper and Tungsten Confirmed at Karibib

Kaoko Metals Limited (ASX:KAO) has delivered encouraging early-stage results from its Karibib Project in central Namibia, confirming a prospective multi-commodity mineral system rich in copper, gold, and tungsten. Rock chip sampling from historical workings and outcrops across the ~250km2 licence returned standout assays including 4.9% copper, 0.85 g/t gold, and 0.68% WO3 tungsten, validating the presence of high-grade mineralisation at surface.

The sampling campaign, which covered three main prospects, Gamikaubmund, Gamikaubmund North, and the Pot Mine, was designed to verify historical mineral occurrences and assess geological continuity rather than target peak grades. Despite this, nearly 20% of samples exceeded 1% copper, with several surpassing 2%, underscoring the project's potential for a large-scale polymetallic system hosted within skarn and replacement vein mineralisation.

Systematic Geochemical Program to Define Drill Targets

Following the initial reconnaissance, Kaoko has launched a comprehensive project-scale geochemical sampling program, focusing first on a 3km north-south corridor around Gamikaubmund and Gamikaubmund North. This phase will be followed by coverage extending over 10km to the Pot Mine and more than 15km northeast to the historical Gamikaub area. The program employs modern regional geochemical techniques integrated with detailed geological mapping and structural interpretation, methods credited with major discoveries elsewhere in Namibia’s Damara Belt.

The company plans to progressively interpret assay data to refine its geological model and identify high-priority drill targets. This disciplined approach echoes exploration strategies that have recently propelled Osino Resources’ Twin Hills Gold Project and Ongwe Minerals’ Omatjete Gold Project in Namibia.

Technical Team Bolstered and Drilling Imminent at Chalkos

Kaoko has strengthened its technical expertise with the appointment of Callum Standing as Consulting Geologist. Standing brings experience from SQM, Chalice Mining, and Liontown Resources, and will support geological interpretation and targeting across Kaoko’s Namibian portfolio.

Meanwhile, preparations for the company’s maiden diamond drilling program at its flagship Chalkos Copper Project remain on schedule, with drilling expected to commence in approximately three weeks. The initial campaign will test copper targets at Donkey Hill and Otniel, where recent fieldwork extended known mineralisation and identified structural controls comparable to regional discoveries within the Kaoko Copper Belt. This drilling is a critical next step following the company’s recent new Bootless prospect discovery that expanded the known copper footprint at Chalkos.

Karibib’s Geological Setting and Exploration History

Situated in the Erongo Region, Karibib lies within the South-Central Zone of Namibia’s Damara Belt, a prolific orogenic corridor hosting significant operations like QKR’s Navachab Gold Mine and Osino’s Twin Hills deposit. The project’s mineralisation style is interpreted as epigenetic Cu-Ag-Au-(±W, Mo) skarn and polymetallic replacement veins, with mineralisation hosted in calc-silicate, quartz veining, biotite schist, and granite lithologies.

Historical exploration by Gold Fields and Anglo American in the 1980s focused on gold, with limited rock chip and trench sampling. More recent work by Arcadia Minerals and Kaoko’s reconnaissance sampling have now broadened the focus to include copper and tungsten, highlighting the multi-commodity potential of the district-scale target.

Next Steps in Exploration

Kaoko’s immediate priorities include completing the systematic geochemical program at Karibib, interpreting assay and geochemical datasets, and prioritising drill targets for follow-up. Concurrently, the company will commence maiden diamond drilling at Chalkos and continue regional exploration across its Namibian tenure. The combination of high-grade surface mineralisation, methodical exploration, and imminent drilling positions Kaoko Metals to potentially unlock a meaningful multi-commodity resource base in two of Namibia’s most prospective belts.

Bottom Line?

Kaoko Metals’ Karibib assays confirm promising multi-commodity mineralisation, but the project remains at an early stage; upcoming drill results from Chalkos will be pivotal in testing the company’s exploration thesis.

Questions in the middle?

  • Will the project-scale geochemical program at Karibib delineate drill targets that justify a resource definition phase?
  • How will the maiden drilling at Chalkos influence Kaoko’s valuation and exploration strategy across its Namibian portfolio?
  • Can the geological analogies to Navachab and Twin Hills translate into a commercially viable deposit at Karibib?