Nambala Sonkwe Iron ore Deposit - Zambian Copperbelt (sitios de interés)

AREA

RESOURCE BASE - HISTORICAL

200Mt at 57% Fe, < 0.1% P and S

 

Preliminary modelling work showed that there is the potential to obtain an iron mineralized tonnage of 8 million tonnes per 400m strike length or 20 million tonnes per kilometre of strike at a 60% Fe cutoff and 21 million tonnes per 400m strike length or 52 million tonnes per kilometre of strike at a 55% Fe cutoff. Based on an overall strike length of 6km, this could equate to a potential total project tonnage of between 100 million and 300 million tonnes

 

In the southwest corner of the Luiri Hill Project is the Nambala iron deposit within the Nambala sub-formation of the Katangan Supergroup. The Nambala sub-formation is a well defined iron stratigraphic unit that extends for about 80km. It generally gives rise to prominent topography in an area of mostly flat terrain. The iron-rich mineralisation at Nambala occurs within metasediments which have been folded into an open, west plunging syncline. The geometry of the syncline is marked at surface by ridges and peaks of the Nambala iron unit.

 

Nambala was investigated by Garlick in 1948 and Philips in 1958. Three types of iron mineralisation were identified: (1) breccia “ore”, (2) shale replacement, and (3) argillaceous ironstone. The grade of the breccia ore was reported to be 62% Fe while the shale replacement was stated to be 57% Fe. The silica content was given as 9% and 18% respectively and phosphorus and sulphur were both stated to be less than 0.1%. Garlick reported the Nambala iron deposit to be 4 miles (6.4km) long with widths of over 200 feet (61 metres).

 

 In the early 1970s the United Nations Development Program (“UNDP”) undertook a detailed study of an area that included Nambala. It was suggested in the study that Nambala has similarities within Algoma-type banded iron formation. There are two unclassified estimates for Nambala mentioned in the literature. Watts, Giffis and McOuat (1991) stated the “mineral potential” to be 200 million tones at 57% Fe. A separate estimate is stated to be 139 million tonnes at 57.7% Fe. These are considered to be historical estimates and should not be relied upon. In the early 1970s, the Zambian Government through Mindeco investigated building a small steel plant in Zambia using iron ore from local sources. The results were summarised in a Feasibility Assessment dated June 1974 by Mindeco. The report noted that Nambala had the best grade mineralisation of all Zambian iron deposits so far identified.

 

Why steel, iron are key to national development

 

Status: Possible JV with local partner

Luiri Gold (TSX.V:LGL)