• EXCURSION
ORION HAS MORE TRICKS
UP ITS SLEEVE
Edited by Leon Louw
Australian-listed Orion Minerals has more than just the Prieska zinc / copper deposit in their bag of surprises for 2022 .
All photos © Leon Louw
What other surprises might Orion Minerals have in store for 2022 ?
While Orion Mineral ’ s work at the historical Prieska zinc / copper mine has been the centre of attention over the past few years , the company has surreptitiously started serious exploration and mapping work on other very promising deposits in the Northern Cape mining complex .
According to Errol Smart , Orion ’ s geological team continue to unpack huge value from historic data in the area that the company has managed to secure . “ Using modern 3D GIS modelling , we are able to get a better understanding of the geological controls which assist in identifying high priority targets for drill testing ,” says Smart .
One area of particular interest has been the historic copper area of Okiep , not far from the town of Springbok in the Northern Cape Province .
24 • African Mining • January 2022
According to Smart , due diligence work at the Okiep Copper Project ( OCP ) has defined high priority drill targets on the Carolusberg – Koperberg line .
The Carolusberg – Koperberg line was first discovered in 1680 and subsequent workings have been intermittently mined from 1850-2001 . The Carolusberg – Koperberg workings contributed approximately 35 % of the total post World War II production of 105 Million tonnes ( Mt ) of copper ore produced by the O ’ Okiep Copper Company ( OCC ).
Global mining giants Newmont and subsequently Goldfields , who were the owners of OCC , undertook extensive drilling and geological mapping during their tenure . Paper records of the historic exploration have now been digitised and are being modelled by Orion . www . africanmining . co . za