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Namibia

CIA Factbook
Political rights and civil liberties (Freedom House)
Afrikaans-English online dictionary
Travel and accommodation

Namibia Overview of Mining Industry
Namibia Minerals Act 1992

Source: CIA Factbook

Maps and images

Copper

Click HERE for an overview
  • Weatherly International plc operates the Tsumeb West, Tschudi, Otjihase and Matchless mines as well as the Tsumeb custom smelter. The company has a current resource base of 690,000 tonnes of contained copper (JORC) and is targeting 20,000 tonnes of copper on an annualised basis in 2008 from its own mining operations.

Diamond

Click HERE for an overview

Diamond Mines of the World/Nambia (Kevin Hulsey-Jewelry)

History

The find that constituted the discovery of diamonds in the Namib Desert was made in April 1908 at a railway siding near Lüderitz. Zacharias Lewala, one of the men employed to keep the railway track free of drift sand and who had previously worked on the Kimberley diamond fields, picked up a stone and recognised it as a diamond. This discovery led to the August 1908 proclamation of the Sperrgebiet, or forbidden territory, a region that today stretches some 360 kilometres along the coast and reaches 100 kilometres inland. According to the terms of the proclamation, nine companies obtained rights to prospect and mine in the Sperrgebiet. After the outbreak of World War One, South Africa invaded the German protectorate of South West Africa (SWA, now Namibia) and assumed administration of the country. Five years later, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, acting on behalf of Anglo American Corporation, acquired control of the nine mining companies and in February 1920, amalgamated them into the Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (CDM). In 1923, the SWA Administration and CDM concluded the Halbscheid Agreement, which accorded CDM mining rights in the Sperrgebiet. Through negotiation, CDM's rights in the restricted area were extended to 31 December 2010. In 1931, De Beers Consolidated Mines bought Anglo American's interest in CDM, later making CDM a wholly owned subsidiary in 1975. In spite of previous exploration attempts, diamonds were only discovered on the north bank of the Orange River in 1928. This led to the establishment of Oranjemund in 1936 and the eventual transfer of the company's headquarters from Lüderitz to Oranjemund in 1943. Based in Switzerland, De Beers Centenary AG was formed in 1990 to head a group of companies that incorporated the international interests previously held by De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited. CDM was one of those companies. In 1994, in terms of an accord concluded with the Namibian government, CDM was reconstituted as Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Pty) Limited, an equal partnership between the government and De Beers Centenary AG.
Diamonds were first discovered on the south bank of the lower Orange River by Dr Ernst Reuning in 1957. Following this discovery, prospecting on the Northern Bank started in 1968. Exploration and sampling for Auchas deposit started in 1986. Auchas mine started production in June 1990 and closed in June 2000. Daberas mine started in October 1999 and it was officially inaugurated on the 30 May 2002. As of 2006, Daberas has a 4 years life of mine left. A pre-feasibility study for the Sendelingsdrif area which was completed in 2004 indicated a potential seven year life of mine. A full feasibility study will be undertaken during the first quarter of 2008. (Source: De Beers)

"Celebrating a Century of Pretty Stones" (Source: New Era)

Geology

Three major, long-standing transport pathways - which can be likened to conveyor belt systems - have been instrumental in moving diamondiferous sediment from source localities to sink areas: Fluvial conveyor - principally the Orange-Vaal River drainage system, marine conveyor - in this passive margin setting, the Atlantic wave regime is vigorous with a strong north-bound longshore drift driven by a prevailing southerly wind regime, desert conveyor - the arid climate and prevailing southerly wind regime of the Namib Desert facilitates onshore movement of marine-derived sediment back into a land-based sink. En route, and over geological time, diamonds have been concentrated in a number of different placer types that span terrestrial and marine settings. Following the discovery of diamonds to the north of the Orange River mouth in 1928, an ore body was delineated, which is today known as Mining Area 1. The area consists of raised beaches over a distance of approximately 100km north of Oranjemund, to Chameis Bay along the present day coastline. Bordered in the east by a geological boundary known as the "east cliff", this strip of land is nearly 3km wide in the south, narrowing to about 200m in the north. A typical beach consists of a layer of gravel between ancient high and low water marks, a storm beach or ridge and a marine platform or shelf containing gravel. Diamonds may be found in any portion, but occur most abundantly in the beach and shelf gravel found upon and within the deeply gullied and highly contorted bedrock. Ore deposits are about 2m thick, while the overburden thickness can reach a thickness of 20m in places. (Source: De Beers)
  • Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Pty)(De Beers 50%, Government 50%) is currently producing less diamonds from onshore operations than that being produced by De Beers Marine Namibia (De Beers 70%, Nambeb 30%), which produced a total of 922 000 carats in 2005. Since 1908 more than 100 million carats have been produced from the dwindling and, in many instances, depleted reserves (see video)
  • Diamond Fields International Ltd (Canadian), through its subsidiary Diamond Fields Namibia, owns a 100% interest in a mining license offshore (71,600 hectares). It has recovered more than 110,000 carats to date.
  • Trans Hex has three shallow marine licenses in the Cape Fria area, four in the Toscanini (both north of Walvis Bay) and two south of Hollandsbird Island (north of Luderitz Bay). The company also has a resource of 30 million cubic metres of diamondiferous gravel at the Northbank project located in block 9, on the Orange River.
  • Rusina Mining NL (Australian) investigated and abandoned the onshore area from Cape Fria northwards to the Angola border.
  • Reefton Mining NL (Magna Mining) is exploring a 220 km onshore stretch from Möwe Bay to Cape Fria.
  • Mount Burgess Mining NL has been exploring the Tsumkwe project, which is located 450 km northeast of Windhoek on the Botswana border and covers some 8,000 square kilometres held under 9 Exclusive Prospecting Licences seven of which are in joint venture with Kimberlite Resources (Pty) Ltd. Motivation for the project includes that it is located on the southern margin of the Congo-Angolan Craton, just south of Limpopo-Botswana dyke swarm, at a distance similar to the Orapa-Letlhakane kimberlite province in neighbouring Botswana, over a long-lived, stable basement high with Pre-Damaran basement dated >2,000 my, just south of the Sikereti kimberlites and south west of the Nxau-Nxau kimberlite field in Botswana; and in an area where 8 macrodiamonds, together with significant numbers of G9 and G10 garnets have been discovered, delineating discrete anomalies which the company believes have been sourced locally.
  • Motapa Diamonds Inc's Kavango Project (24 Exclusive Prospecting Licenses encompassing 2,09 million hectares) in northeast Namibia, using high resolution magnetics, has resulted in the discovery of eight kimberlites. With the exception of two (which have less than 10 m of cover), the kimberlites are covered by approximately 50 m of overburden sediments of the Kalahari formation. Gravity profiles over the confirmed kimberlites suggest that these bodies range from 300 to 500 m in diameter.
  • Bonaparte Diamond Mines NL Namib Project:
    The Namib project is located offshore in the vicinity of Hollamsbird Island, some 250km north of the port of Luderitz on the coast of the Republic of Namibia. Active marine diamond mining operations occur off Luderitz and extend some 100 km further north of Hottentot Bay. The Namib Project comprises Exclusive Prospecting Licence (EPL) EPL3241 (Tsauchab Licence), and EPL3323 (Meob Licence) which are not contiguous but lie in close proximity. More recently the project area has been expanded by the inclusion of an EPL application, EPL 3533 (Tsauchab East Licence) which lies adjacent and inshore of the Tsauchab Licence. These tenements are held in Joint Venture with a Namibian Company, Tungeni Investments cc and represent “grassroots” projects off the Namibian coast.
    The Tsauchab and Tsauchab East leases lie within the submerged trajectory of the Tsauchab River palaeo channel and also within a south facing coastal embayment. Studies have shown that such features present favourable environments for diamond entrapment and improvement of diamond distribution. On a regional basis, there is evidence of alluvial diamond occurrence along the coastline east of the Meob and Tsauchab leases and reconnaissance seabed sampling over nearby leases by other explorers has identified marine diamond occurrences both to the north and south of the Tsauchab Lease.In the vicinity of the Tsauchab Lease, 5.09 carats have been recovered to the north of the area in 2002 and 15.69 carats have been recovered to the south of the area in 2003 where the largest stone recovered was 0.49carats.
    Luderitz Project:
    The Luderitz Project incorporates two Joint Operations Agreements (JOA) between Bonaparte's 100% owned Namibian subsidiary, Bonaparte Diamond Mines (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd (BDN) and Diamond Fields (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd (DFN), a 100% owned subsidiary of Diamond Fields International Ltd. The EPL1607b JOA gives Bonaparte exclusive rights to use the Bonaparte Seabed Sampler (BoSS) to explore for diamonds in Exclusive Prospecting Licence area EPL1607b for an initial period of 3 years in return for 50% interest in mining of resources identified by Bonaparte. The project area covers approximately 140 km2 and is located 55 km north northeast of Luderitz, in close proximity of mining licence areas held by Namibia's three leading marine diamond producers, Namdeb, Samicor and Diamond Fields. Previous exploration work conducted in the tenement by Diamond Fields during the late 1990's includes a complete geophysical survey from which a number of prospective targets have been identified as well as a limited amount of seabed sampling which confirmed the presence of diamonds in the property.
    The ML111 JOA allows Bonaparte to use the BoSS to carry out a program of resource development sampling in DFN's Mining Licence area ML111 in terms of this agreement. Bonaparte will have exclusive access for 6 months to two designated resource development areas (Diaz Prospect 1 and Diaz Prospect 2) covering a total area of approximately 1,600,000m2 in ML111. Bonaparte will carry out seabed sampling to define areas of Indicated Resource (in compliance with JORC guidelines) in which Bonaparte will then retain a 30% interest in any subsequent mining thereof by DFN.
    Bogenfels Project:
    The Bogenfels project lies approximately 100km north of the Orange River and comprises an area covering approximately 2,700 km2 off the coast of southern Namibia situated adjacent to the current producing marine mining licence areas held by Namdeb (De Beers/Namibian Government partnership). It comprises three licences; EPL3407, EPL3403 and EPL3404. The agreements are subject to approval by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Namibia. The Exclusive Prospecting Licence for EPL3407 (Mirror Mountain) was granted in November 2005 and applications for EPL's 3403 and 3404 are pending approval by the Namibian authorities. The project is held in Joint Venture with two Namibian companies, BV Investments cc and Mirror Mountain Mining cc for exploration and development of highly prospective marine diamonds, where Bonaparte retains an 80% interest.
    Boegoe Hills Project:
    The Boegoe Hills project comprises EPL3104 and covers an area of approximately 280 km2 which lies adjacent to the onshore mining licence area held by Namdeb, approximately 100km north of the mining settlement town of Oranjemund. The area is considered prospective for alluvial diamonds and lies approx 18 km to the east of Chamais Bay, where commercial diamond production has been carried periodically since the mid 1960's. The project is a JV between Bonaparte and Nassed Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, a Namibian Company, where Bonaparte can earn an interest of 75%. A geomorphological assessment of the data and a geological model for the evolution of the area shows several possible ancient river channel deposits (palaeochannels) as well as a possible ancient shoreline. These features present prospective targets for follow-up.
  • Dahava Resources announced in January, 2008, that it had started limited production activities at its Lower Orange river property in Namibia. The company has obtained the right to prospect and mine on Block 4 of EPL 2610. Previous prospecting of the gravels indicated a grade of 1.3 to 1.78 carats per hundred tonnes

Gold in Namibia

Gold Home

Click HERE for an overview

Click HERE for GOLD IN NAMIBIA (Namibian Geological Survey)

Geology

The Navachab deposit is hosted by Damaran greenschist-amphibolite facies, calc-silicates, marbles and volcano-clastics. The rocks have been intruded by granites, pegmatites and (quartz porphyry dykes) aplite and have also been deformed into a series of alternating dome and basin structures. The mineralised zone forms a sheet-like body which plunges at an angle of approximately 20° to
the north-west. The mineralisation is predominantly hosted in a sheeted vein set (±60%) and a replacement skarn body (±40%). The gold is very fine-grained and associated with pyrrhotite, and minor trace amounts of pyrite, chalcopyrite, maldonite and bismuthinite. Approximately 80% of the gold is free milling.

  • AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU; JSE:ANG) operates the open-pit Navachab mine which produced 81 000 oz of gold in 2005 from ore grading 2,05 g/t Au. Proved and probable ore reserves amounted to 10,1 million t at a grade of 1,67 g/t Au or 16,9 t of gold.
  • TEAL Exploration & Mining Incorporated (Canadian, TSX:TL; JSE:TEL) is exploring the the Otjikoto deposit which has an inferred resource of 25,581 million t at a grade of 1,06 g/t Au or 873 000 oz of gold. In 2007, Teal Exploration & Mining agreed to sell an initial 10% of Avdale Namibia, the subsidiary of Teal holding its Otjikoto gold project, to Nambia’s EVI Mining, which has an option to buy a further 5% once a definitive feasibility study has been completed on the project. EVI will pay $5.5 million, for the intitial 10%, all of which will be used to advance the ongoing exploration drilling program and to upgrade and expand the inferred mineral resource at Otjikoto, which is estimated at 1,76 million ounces of gold, to higher confidence levels. Teal announced in November, 2007, that an independent person had supported the conversion of 460 000 oz of gold at its Namibian Otjikoto project into the indicated mineral resource category. The indicated resources were at a grade of 1,21 g/t. Total contained gold increased from 1,76-million oz to 1,78-million oz.
  • Etruscan Resources Inc has licences covering a total of 8,970 km2 that were granted between November 2005 and June 2006, and will target the Kamanjab Project where field crews encountered a range of mineralized occurrences of gold and base metals and identified several zones of alteration that may be associated with IOCG type mineralization and the Witvlei Project where a number of historic copper occurrences are known.
  • Teck Cominco Ltd (Canadian, NYSE:TCK; TSX:TCK-A) holds several exclusive prospecting licences in the central and northern parts of Namibia ans is involved in early stage exploration.
  • Aflease Gold Ltd has a 100% interest in Etendeka Prospecting and Mining Company, a Namibian-based exploration company.

Oil and Natural Gas

Click HERE for an overview

Exploration History

The initial offshore exploration phase took place from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s and one well was drilled during this time, Kudu 9A-1, which was the discovery well for the giant Kudu gas field. No further exploration for hydrocarbons was done by international operators until after Namibia became independent in 1990. In 1987-1988 Swakor, the predecessor company of the present National Oil Company, NAMCOR, drilled a further 2 wells in the Kudu field. The Kudu-2 well was not tested but Kudu-3 proved the existence of a major gas field. The proven hydrocarbons were an asset in Namibia’s first licensing round.

The first exploration licensing round was held in 1991-1992 with five licenses being awarded at this time, the operators of these being Norsk Hydro, Ranger, Sasol, Chevron and Shell. The second round in 1995 resulted in 2 new licences being awarded, both to Shell. One of these was an extension to the existing license that Shell had over the Kudu field. As a result of these licence awards over 28,000 km of 2-d seismic was acquired in addition to the 60,000 km of multi-client data, which is available. The Third Licensing Round in 1998-99 resulted in no applications being received, partly because of the low oil price at the time as well as the numerous international company mergers that were ongoing. The mini-4th Round in 2004 eventually resulted in the award of 2 blocks to BHP-Billiton west and south of Kudu.

To date 14 wells have been drilled off shore Namibia, including 7 in the Kudu gas field. In addition data is available from DSDP and ODP wells and also academic seismic data from earlier work. The data that has resulted is a modern, comprehensive and digital set that is easily accessible. In June 2000 a license was awarded in northern Namibia to Vanco Energy. In 2002 Shell withdrew from the Kudu Block and the license was taken over by the then partners, Chevron, Texaco and Energy Africa. Recently many other licences have been awarded for exploration both onshore and offshore Namibia. The map shows all of the current licences in Namibia.


In addition to the seismic data NAMCOR acquired 28,000 km of aeromagnetic data in 1998 covering the whole of offshore Namibia. This data set has elucidated the structural setting of the Namibian margin, especially when used in conjunction with the regional and high-resolution data from onshore Namibia.
  • Natural gas proved reserves: 62.3 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Source: Tullow Oil

  • Tullow Oil plc holds an operating interest in Production Licence 001 over the Kudu gas field, offshore Namibia. In July 2004 Tullow concluded a Joint Development Agreement for the development of the field as part of a gas-to-power project. The project involves the development of the Kudu gas field by Tullow and NAMCOR, and the piping of gas to shore for treatment and delivery to an 800MW power station to be developed and commercially operated by NamPower at Oranjemund. The produced electricity will be purchased by NamPower, for resale into the Namibian market, and by Eskom for the South African market. In April 2007, Tullow agreed to sell Itochu Corporation a 20% interest Production Licence 001. To earn the 20% interest, Itochu will pay 40% of the cost of two appraisal wells to investigate the significant upside potential of the Kudu field. In addition, under the terms of the transaction, Itochu will make further financial payments depending on the ultimate volume of reserves developed and will provide Tullow with beneficial development financing for the project.
  • In August 2005, BHP Billiton (Australian), Hunt Oil (U.S.), and Neptune Petroleum (U.K.) signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Namibia’s Ministry for Mines and Energy. The MoUs allow the companies exploration rights for two years, with the option to renew the licenses at the end of that period.

Uranium

Namibia: Government Calls Halt to Uranium Licences
February 14, 2007
As applications pour into Namibia from companies intending to prospect for uranium, the Ministry of Mines and Energy has stopped accepting such requests. It will soon announce a moratorium in the Government Gazette.
The Permanent Secretary of Mines and Energy, Joseph Iita, confirmed that no applications were currently being accepted, adding that more would soon be revealed in the Government Gazette.
"It's a matter of regulating the issue of licences. Everyone is running to Namibia for uranium and we don't want every Jack and Jill mining uranium ...," he said. Iita also said uranium was a special mineral, adding that the Government was reconsidering its policies on the resource.

Russia has offered to build a nuclear power plant in Namibia as Moscow seeks to break into the African nuclear market.
February 23, 2007

Russia has offered to build a nuclear power plant in Namibia as Moscow seeks to break into the African nuclear market. The announcement was made by Russia’s nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko on Friday, Feb. 23, 2007, Interfax news agency reported.
Kiriyenko, head of Russia’s atomic energy agency Rosatom, told reporters on a visit to Namibia that Russian firms would also form a joint venture to mine uranium in the African state.
“Today Russia is present on all continents in the sphere of atomic energy but we had left out Africa,” Kiriyenko said. “Here there is a big potential market and we must be successful in this market.”
He said Russia was looking at building a floating nuclear power plant for Namibia: “We are ready to build one,” Kiriyenko said, quoted by the agency.
Russia is pioneering efforts to build offshore nuclear power plants, shrugging off criticism by environmentalists who say they are inherently unsafe.
Kiriyenko said Russian firms Renova, Vneshtorgbank (VTB) and Tekhsnabexport have agreed to form a joint venture to mine uranium in Namibia.
“They have agreed to create a joint venture with Tekhsnabexport which will do exploration and mine uranium here,” he said.
Russia’s is reorganizing its civilian nuclear sector as it seeks to widen sales of nuclear technology abroad.

Click HERE for an overview (MBendi)

Click HERE for URANIUM IN NAMIBIA (Geological Survey of Namibia)

"Namibian uranium output to jump as exploration surges"

"Namibia's red hot uranium winners"

"Namibia: The Uranium Boom - an Eldorado"
  • Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RTP;TSX:RIO, 69%) operates the Rössing Uranium mine. Proven reserves in 2005 of 3,222 t U at a grade of 0,032% U and probable reserves of 34,700 t U at a grade of 0,028% U. The management of Rössing uranium reportedly expects Namibia to produce 10 percent of the world's primary production of uranium by 2012 (see video). The compnany said in September, 2007, that it hoped to extend the life of the mine to 2021 and aimed to boost output by 12.5 percent to 4,500 tonnes in 2008. [more]
  • Paladin Energy Ltd (Australian, TSX:PDN; ASX:PDN) commissioned the Langer Heinrich mine on 28 December 2006. It has measured and indicated reserves of 32, 2 million t at a grade of 0,07 %. ( 22,200 t U3O8). The envisaged production rate is 2,6 million pounds of uranium oxide per year, which could be increased to 3,7-million lbs. Cash costs at Langer Heinrich is expected at between $21/lb and $23/lb over the long run
  • UraMin Inc (Canadian, also active in Botswana,CAR, Chad and Mozambique) is developing the Trekkopje Project located in west-central Namibia about 65 km northeast of Swakopmund. Based on prior drilling, plus the company’s confirmation drilling, SRK Consulting has estimated an NI 43-101-qualified Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource of 18,4 million pounds of U3O8 (61 million tonnes at a grade of 0,014%) and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 139,2 million pounds U3O8 (502 million tonnes at a grade of 0.013%), both estimated using an 80-ppm cut-off grade. On 8 May, 2007, the company announced that an increase of 134% (63 million contained lbs U3O8 has been estimated by SRK Consulting (US), Inc. for the Trekkopje Project for the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource, which now totals 335 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.015% U3O8 containing 50,074 tonnes U3O8 (110 Mlbs U3O8 using a cut-off grade of 0.010% U3O8). At the 100ppm cut-off the average grade of the Measured and Indicated resource has increased to 149 ppm which represents a 2% increase. The Trekkopje feasibility study remains on schedule for completion in the 3rd quarter of 2007 and production on stream for the 4th quarter of 2008. Biggest Uranium Mine (Source: Namibia Economist)
  • Forsys Metals Corporation, through its wholly owned Namibian subsidiary, Westport Resources Namibia (Pty) Limited, is exploring the Valencia Uranium project. It has an inferred resource of 18 million t at a grade of 0,025% U3O8 ( 0,25 kg/t) or 9,9 million pounds of U3O8 (cut-off 0,20 kg/t U3O8). State-owned Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) signed a US$307-million memorandum of agreement with Forsys Metals to develop the Valencia uranium property in November, 2007.
  • Bannerman Resources Ltd (Australian) confirmed an interim inferred resource of 27 million lbs (12,200 t) U3O8 at its 100% owned Goanikontes Uranium Project in Namibia.This resource is contained within 55 million t at a grade of 219 ppm U3O8, however the resource also contains a higher grade core of 21 million t at 308 ppm U3O8.
  • Extract Resources' (ASX:EXT) main asset is the Husab Uranium Project, located approximately 45km north-east of Namibia's main port - Walvis Bay. The project is strategically located within a 50km radius of several world class uranium deposits. Bordering Rio Tinto’s Rossing Mine to the north and 25km to the Langer Heinrich project to the east, the Husab Project covers an area of 637 km2 and contains several uranium prospects ranging from grass roots exploration through to advanced resource definition.
    Extract announced, in Jauary, 2008, a major new uranium discovery at their Rossing South exploration target which is part of their wholly owned Husab Uranium Project. Drill hole assay results hosted within uraniferous alaskite confirmed a major new uranium discovery beneath desert sands, about 7 kilometres south of the Rossing Uranium Mine.
  • Kalahari Minerals plc (AIM:KAH) has a 41% share in four uranium projects: held through Kalahari’s 41% holding in Australian-based Extract Resources (ASX:EXT). Two of these projects lie between Rio Tinto’s (NYSE:RTP; LSE:RIO) Rössing mine, the world’s fifth largest uranium producer which has been in operation for over 30 years, and Paladin’s (ASX:PDN; TSX:PDN} Langer Heinrich mine.
  • Deep Yellow Ltd's exploration in Namibia is carried out by Reptile Uranium Namibia (Pty) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary. The company has 4 contiguous concessions to the south of the Langer Heinrich and Rössing uranium mines. The Tubas project is the most advanced with an inferred mineral resource of 77.3 million tonnes at 0.023% (238 ppm) U3O8 at a cut-off grade of 100 ppm U3O8 for 17,600 tonnes or 38.8 million pounds of contained U3O8.
  • West Australian Metals (WME) is exploring the Marenica project to the north of Rössing mine. According to the the company's Leon Reisgys, Technical Director and Acting CEO, the resource (area), previously drilled by Gold Fields in the 1970's, contains around 18 million pounds of uranium.
  • Xemplar Energy Corporation is exploring known and previously explored uranium occurrences at the Engo Valley, Cape Cross, Aus/Garub and Warmbad. See "Rio Tinto said to be eyeing big Namibian uranium find". An airborne radiometric survey south of Warmbad showed the existence of 14 uraniferous granite (alaskitic) bodies. These bodies cover a surface area of approximately 30 square kilometres. Surface sampling has shown (reported May 7, 2007) the bodies to be mineralised. An initial drilling program (reported February 4, 2008) has shown that at least two of these bodies extend to depth, in some cases in excess of 200 metres. The analysis of the drill samples from these holes has shown (reported February 4, 2008) that wide widths are mineralised. This sampling has also shown that portions of the bodies are not mineralised or have low grades, which is not unusual for these alaskitic occurrences.
  • Erongo Energy Ltd (Australian) has a 90% interest in and is exploring two exclusive prospecting areas covering a total area of approximately 420 square kms north and south of the Erongo Complex.
  • Pitchstone Exploration Ltd (Canadian) will explore at three properties owned by Manica Minerals Ltd. (Manica is a privately owned mineral exploration company operating in southern and east Africa under the control of Dr. John Gurney and Dr. Peter Hildebrand.) Pitchstone’s entrance follows the signing of a Letter Agreement with Manica, which will see it exploring for uranium at Nakop, Sandwich Bay and Kaoko – properties that are located in Namibia’s western deserts. At Nakop, Pitchstone will target its Proterozoic sediments. The Sandwich Bay has a Rössing deposit analogue, but is situated approximately 70 kilometres southwest of Rio Tinto’s Rössing Uranium Mine, the country’s oldest producing mine. Pitchstone looks forward to sediment hosted uranium deposits at Kaoko, which lies in an area of known uranium occurrence.
  • West Africa Gold Exploration, Westport Resources, Galahad Gold, UraMin, Namura Mineral Resources, Xemplar Energy, Australian United Gold, Cheetah Minerals Exploitation, Corporate Resources Consultant, Etruscants Resources Namibia, the Chinese company Nam-China Minerals & Development, Namibia Mineral Mining Plants & Products, New Mining Company, Philco Twenty, Reptile Investment Four, Jaco Floris Smith, Deep Yellow Ltd and Nova Energy have been awarded prospecting rights for uranium.

Zinc

Click HERE for an overview

Geology

 Largely stratiform Zn-Pb (Cu-Ag) sulphide mineralization of the Rosh Pinah-type occurs in the continental Port Nolloth Zone of the Gariep Belt. The Rosh Pinah ore body shows substantial hydrothermal vent-related carbonatization and brecciation in the footwall, indicating a proximal position of the exhalative facies. Textural, isotopic and geochemical evidence indicates replacement of the host sediments during early diagenesis, during which feldspathic arenite was silicified and limestone dolomitized by an overall reducing, mineralizing fluid. Starvation of the Rosh Pinah graben during a climatically controlled Neoproterozoic sea level drop is proposed to have created the necessary redox barrier for massive sulphide precipitation to occur near the sediment-seawater interface. Rosh Pinah lies close to the vent system and later underwent upper greenschist facies metamorphism.

Skorpion Zinc is a non-sulphide zinc deposit owned by Ambase Exploration (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd, which is located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, approximately 40 km north of the Orange River. The so-called Skorpion belt of zinc-lead copper-barite prospects is hosted by volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Gariep Complex, northwest of Rosh Pinah. The Skorpion zinc deposit represents an initial rift phase with crustal extension and strong vertical tectonics, associated with subaqueous, mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sedimentation. It is a shallow subhorizontal body comprising secondary zinc silicate and carbonate minerals like smithsonite, hemimorphite, hydrozincite and sauconite.
Supergene ore-forming processes at Skorpion appear to involve wallrock-replacement as well as saprolitic accumulations and minor in-situ replacement. Mining is open cast-type and the unusual zinc-silicate and carbonate ore is treated by direct acid leach, solid liquid separation, a unique zinc solvent extraction and electro-winning to produce high-purity zinc on site at low cost. (Source: Geological Survey of Namibia)
  • Exxaro mines the Rosh Pinah deposit, situated in south-western Namibia, 800 km south of Windhoek. Exxaro holds 89,5% in Rosh Pinah with Namibian empowerment groupings holding the balance. Negotiations are under way to divest of a further 39,5% to Namibian empowerment groupings. The mine produces 126,000 t per annum of zinc concentrates, fully sold to Exxaro’s zinc refinery. Exploration is under way to add to the remaining mineral resource of 7 million t (or a life of 6 years) at an average grade of 8,68% zinc and 2,25% lead. The mine has entered into an exploration agreement with Ambase Exploration (Namibia) (Pty) Limited (Anglo American) which will allow the two companies access to select areas under each other’s prospecting permits for exploration.
  • Anglo American mines the Skorpion deposit and produces 150,000 tons of special high grade zinc per annum.It has estimated proven and probable reserves of 21,4 million t grading at 10,5% zinc. The Skorpion zinc mine and refinery is near Rosh Pinah, in southern Namibia and approximately 85 km north-east of Oranjemund and 25 km north-west of Rosh Pinah.

Posted by Carel van der Merwe at 15.4.07

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