KIW Kiwara

 

TIDMKIW 
 
RNS Number : 1911N 
Kiwara PLC 
12 February 2009 
 

JSE - KWR 
 
 
AIM - KIW 
 
 
ISIN - GB0007702953 
 
 
12 February 2009 
 
 
Kiwara plc 
 
 
("Kiwara" or the "Company") 
 
 
Analytical work on Kawako Nickel core provides mineralogical and petrographic 
evidence to substantiate the presence of high grade nickel mineralisation 
 
 
The board of Kiwara, the Zambian based exploration Company, is very pleased to 
announce the results of follow up analytical, petrographic and mineralogical 
work conducted by three independent laboratories Alfred H Knight, Zambia; SGS, 
Zambia and Wardell Armstrong, UK on the core obtained from its initial drill 
programme at Kawako that intersected wide mineralised packages which included 
exceptionally high grades of nickel. 
 
 
Highlights: 
  *  The high grade nickel assays have been verified using various analytical 
  techniques and confirmed by independent laboratories; 
  *  The results confirm that there are no elements which might have an adverse 
  effect on mining or processing; 
  *  Mineralogical work demonstrates the presence of high grade nickel sulphide 
  minerals; 
  *  The nickel-in-soil anomaly associated with the drill intersected nickel 
  mineralisation has been identified over at least 1.2 km of strike and is 
  open ended along strike and depth. 
 
Colin Bird (Chairman) says: "We are extremely pleased that the follow-up work 
conducted has confirmed the initial result and our original prognosis. Having 
confirmed the results, we are currently defining the model prior to implementing 
an aggressive exploration programme." 
 
 
Commentary: 
On 23rd September 2008 Kiwara reported the following selected length weighted 
average mineralised intersections for which a cut-off grade of 0.2%Ni was 
applied: 
 
 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|      B/H      |     Depth      |    Depth    |Intersected  |    Ni    | 
|               |    From (m)    |   To (m)    |  width (m)  |    %     | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|      KW1      |     29.50      |    83.00    |    53.50    |  1.07    | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|     including |     62.80      |    83.00    |    20.20    |  2.16    | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
 
 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|      B/H      |     Depth      |    Depth    |Intersected  |    Ni    | 
|               |    From (m)    |   To (m)    |  width (m)  |    %     | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|      KW2      |     89.22      |    94.80    |    5.58     |  3.20*   | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|               |    104.30      |   115.17    |    10.87    |  6.73*   | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|     including |    106.15      |   111.43    |    5.28     |  9.78*   | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|     including |    108.30      |   109.50    |    1.20     |  17.41   | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
|           and |    110.50      |   111.43    |    0.93     |  15.37   | 
+---------------+----------------+-------------+-------------+----------+ 
 
 
Kiwara then undertook to verify these grades by re-assaying selected samples by 
varying techniques at different laboratories. 
A selection of high grade pulps and coarse reject samples were re-assayed by 
Atomic Absorption Spectrometry ("AAS") at Alfred H Knight, Zambia, using both a 
partial (aqua regia), total acid (four acid) digestion. All samples were then 
analyzed by the Dimethyl Glyoxime method ("DMG"). The results of these 
additional tests reported similar values to the originals.  These comparative 
results would suggest that the bulk of the nickel is readily extractable in 
sulphides and silicates or oxides. 
 
 
A selection of pulps of differing nickel grades were then sent to SGS, Zambia, 
for check assay. Separate splits of the samples were analyzed by AAS using both 
partial and total acid digestion. The results from both laboratories for Ni 
following total acid digestion are very comparable. 
Analysis for precious metals and selected trace elements were completed on a 
number of samples at Wardell Armstrong, UK. The levels of deleterious elements 
such as As (arsenic), Hg (mercury), Cd (cadmium), Te (tellurium) and Se 
(selenium) are low. The PGE and Au contents are sub-economic, with maximum 
non-coincident values of 25ppb Au, 39ppb Pd and 73ppb Pt. The results for both 
boreholes are similar. 
 
 
The mapping programme recently undertaken at Kawako indicates that the talcose 
host rock is preserved on the southern limb of a southwesterly plunging synform 
within the southeastern portions of the sampling grid. The most prominent 
Ni-in-soil anomaly overlies the talc schist and extends over 1.2km but is open 
to the northeast and southwest. The sampling grid is currently being extended to 
cover possible extensions. 
 
 
Selected core samples were then sent for petrographic and mineralogical analysis 
at SGS-Lakefield in Johannesburg. 
 
 
The mineralization in B/H KW1 is dominantly oxide and silicate. The silicate 
mineralization is evident lower down in this profile as a distinctive variegated 
green mineral which forms coatings and fills vugs, fractures and is also 
associated with quartz veinlets. Mineralogical examination indicates that this 
green mineral is nepouite or Ni-rich serpentine and the rock has been classified 
as a garnierite. The latter consists of the magnesium-rich phyllosilicates 
serpentine, talc, chlorite and smectite in which a high percentage of the 
magnesium is substituted by nickel to form hydrous Mg-Ni silicate. 
 
 
The mineralization in B/H KW2 is dominantly sulphuridic. The sulphide 
mineralization is present as disseminations, irregular patches, stringers and is 
also associated with fractures, veins and is also in crosscutting veinlets of 
quartz or quartz-kyanite and therefore, the nickel sulphide mineralization would 
appear to have formed by hydrothermal processes. The X-ray Diffraction ("XRD") 
and Scanning Electron Microscopy ("SEM") results indicate that the high nickel 
grades are associated with the development of high Ni-bearing sulphides, which 
are normally associated with supergene enrichment zones. These minerals include 
violarite FeNi2S4 (38.93% Ni), millerite NiS (64.67% Ni), polydymite Ni3S4 
(57.85%Ni) and vaesite NiS2 (47.78% Ni) - hence the extraordinarily high 
intersected Ni grades. Bravoite, pentlandite and pyrrhotite are also present. 
 
 
Readings taken along the core at 1m intervals from both holes with a 
spectrometer indicate that the uranium and thorium levels are low. However, some 
of the micas and chlorite contain small amounts of vanadium and Fe-V oxides, 
which are often recorded with uranium mineralization and it is intriguing to 
note that high grade uranium has been intersected by the Company elsewhere 
within the Licence area. 
 
 
The host rocks predominantly comprise quartz-kyanite-talc rocks which contain 
varying amounts of dolomite, hematite, magnesite, phlogopite, chlorite, rutile 
and muscovite. These appear to have formed from the metamorphism and alteration 
of mixed carbonate, evaporitic and silicate protoliths. The talc-rich hosts are 
similar to the "white schists" containing varying amounts of talc, kyanite, 
chlorite, quartz, and (rutile and hematite), described elsewhere from the Lower 
Roan around the Kabompo Dome which are thought to have formed continental 
fluviatile red bed and lagoonal to sabhka environment. The fact that carbonate 
pseudomorphs after evaporates are present in some of the rocks, which were 
petrographically examined from Kawako by SGS, supports a sabhka-lagoonal 
paleoenvironmental setting. 
 
 
It is conceivable that nickel and vanadium was leached by a hydrothermal fluid 
from mafic and ultramafic rocks within the basement during the high grade 
metamorphism and deformation. The fluids would then have migrated into a 
restricted trap site comprising evaporitic sediments rich in sulphate. It is 
also conceivable that the mineralizing fluid originally remobilized some 
pre-existing magmatic sulphide deposit which had formed within a buried 
ultramafic rock. 
 
 
There are also anomalous copper-in-soil values within the carbonaceous shale 
unit within the hinge zone of the Kawako synform. This anomaly, which extends 
over a strike of 1.5 km may prove to be significant given the association of 
copper with the carbonaceous shales in the Copperbelt. This is currently being 
further investigated by follow-up soil geochemistry. 
 
 
The Kawako occurrence has a number of significant features: 
High tenor nickel minerals are present. 
  *  The weathering profile shows considerable supergene enrichment. 
  *  Mineralization exhibits a broad stratigraphic control in that the footwall is 
  lithologically identical in both holes drilled which are some 870m apart. 
  *  The mineralized body contains extremely high nickel grades and therefore, vastly 
  reduced tonnages would be required for a potentially economic deposit and 
  therefore only a limited strike length of mineralization would need to be 
  delineated. 
  *  The mineralization is potentially open pittable. 
 
About Kiwara: 
Kiwara is an exploration company with a focus on base metals in the Republic of 
Zambia, which is a major copper producing country. 
Kiwara, through its majority owned subsidiary, Kalumbila Minerals, holds 
Prospecting Licence 267 which is within the Kabompo Dome in North Western 
Zambia, a geologically complex antiformal feature, which contains a number of 
base metal and uranium targets. This is within the area considered to be the 
western extension of the Copperbelt, an increasingly significant mining area 
that contains the recently developed Kansanshi and Lumwana copper mines. 
 
 
 
 
For further information, please contact: 
 
 
Kiwara Plc                                          Tel: +44 (0)207 581 4477 
Colin Bird, Chairman 
 
 
Peter Vivian-Neal, Chief Executive Officer     Tel: +260 (0) 211 293899 
 
 
Investec Bank, Johannesburg 
Robert Smith / Gavin Hall                        Tel: +27 (0) 11 286 7326 
 
 
Investec Bank (UK) Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7597 5000 
Gerard Kisbey-Green 
 
 
Bishopsgate Communications Ltd              Tel: +44 (0)20 7562 3366 
Nick Rome 
 
 
 
This information is provided by RNS 
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange 
   END 
 
 DRLSFLFWFSUSELE 
 

Kiwara (LSE:KIW)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024

Kiwara (LSE:KIW)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024