CALEDONIA Mining Corporation Plc has announced the discovery of significant near-surface gold mineralisation at its Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe.
The discovery is a previously unknown orebody that could be developed through low-cost heap leaching.
In a statement, the company said surface drilling at the K-Pits target area has confirmed continuity of gold mineralisation below surface and identified both oxide and sulphide zones, opening potential near-term and long-term development opportunities.
Caledonia said the results demonstrate the presence of significant near-surface gold mineralisation in a previously unknown mineralised horizon.
The company added that this mineralised zone has not been exploited in the underground mine and represents an opportunity for low-cost heap leaching operations of the near-surface oxide material, with potential for a sulphide extension below any potential oxide open pit.
Geological interpretation suggests the mineralisation may represent a separate mineralised system located approximately 200 metres east of the nearest projected underground orebody.
“This raises the possibility that the K-Pits target represents a previously unrecognised mineralised horizon that has not been exploited by historic underground mining activities,” reads the statement.
Caledonia said surface drilling confirms continuity of gold mineralisation below the surface over the K-Pits target area.
Both oxide and sulphide mineralisation have been identified, with metallurgical test work underway on oxide material, with encouraging preliminary results.
The K-Pits programme was originally designed to evaluate near-surface targets within the Blanket mining lease that had received little exploration attention.
Trenching and reverse circulation drilling confirmed gold mineralisation associated with shear structures and lithological contacts.
“The presence of near-surface oxide material is particularly significant because it may be amenable to conventional heap leach processing, potentially offering a lower-cost route to extracting gold compared to underground mining,” CEO Mark Learmonth said.
“This is an exciting development at Blanket and further demonstrates the significant exploration potential that exists within the mining area.
“We are well advanced in our work to incorporate the results of this surface exploration programme into a revised resource statement expected to be published in August 2026.”
He added that metallurgical work is already underway.
“We have commenced metallurgical test work on the oxide material at Blanket to evaluate its amenability for conventional heap leaching and the preliminary results are encouraging,” said Mr Learmonth.
“If the conclusion of the test work shows an acceptable recovery, we intend to commence a trial heap leach operation on an initial sample of 10 000 tonnes of material during the second-half of 2026.
“The potential to develop a low-cost processing route for this near-surface mineralisation could provide an attractive opportunity to complement Blanket’s existing underground operations and unlock additional value.”
The updated resource statement will also include results from recent underground drilling at Blanket and the exploration programme at Motapa, where Caledonia recently announced encouraging initial drilling results.-herald
