The project commenced in April and is expected to reach completion by December 2024. The Nossop-Ncojane Project aims to carry out a comprehensive high-resolution aeromagnetic survey over the remaining part of the country, approximately 320, 000-line kilometers. Speaking at a community engagement meeting last week in Tsabong , the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Lefoko Moagi, said airborne magnetic data derived studies have revealed mineral presence in the western part of the country. Over the years, this has been a part that has been difficult for mineral exploration due to thick sand covering the region. “Aeromagnetic data from surveying this area has showed the presence of different minerals and we are confident this will attract mineral investors into the region and lead to the opening of new mines,” he said.
Historically the region has been under explored due to complex geological conditions, including the thick Kalahari sand cover. According to officials, the objective of the ongoing survey is to map subsurface geology and evaluate mineral potential in targeted geological environments, such as Mafic and Ultramafic complexes, which are known to host valuable minerals, including platinum group metals, gold and base metals. Geophysics Data Coverage include High Resolution Aeromagnetic coverage; of historical (90%) and New Survey (Nossop-Ncojane) (10%) covering 77, 000km2. The Nossop-Ncojane project is part of government’s strategic goal of diversifying the mineral sector and end diamond reliance . The mineral potential of the west, in particular its southern fringes, is relatively unknown, with many of the potential riches lying under sands that can reach more than 1, 000 metres deep. Preliminary probes were conducted in the west more than 60 years ago by mineral explorers who braved the wild, terrain and noted the presence of “quartz veins rich in copper, silver and lead.”
Capital costs as well as the absence of supporting infrastructure such as electricity and railway, conspired to ensure that the west remained wild while the east lapped up all the focus. Outside of the Kalahari Copperbelt, the known 1, 000-kilometre stretch of mineral riches running south-west to north-east in the country’s western half, the absence of updated geological data meant explorers overlooked the region in favour of more well-known ore zones, often in the east. The project is expected to harness and reveal mineral potential obscured by the thick Kalahari sands. As it stands, there is still over 70% of potential mineral resources in the country that remain unexplored. BGI, under TNDP, have been funded to the tune of P298 million to undertake numerous projects that are currently ongoing and these include; development of geoscience data management within multi-facet systems, mineral resource development exploration exploitation and value chain and associated strategies to beneficiate it.
