Wrap Text
Orion Minerals Granted High-Priority Prospecting Rights for its Okiep Copper Project, South Africa
Orion Minerals Limited
Incorporated in the Commonwealth of Australia
Australian Company Number 098 939 274
ASX share code: ORN
JSE share code: ORN
ISIN: AU000000ORN1
Orion Minerals Granted High-Priority Prospecting Rights for its Okiep Copper Project,
South Africa
Area surrounding Flat Mines adds to Orion's growth pipeline and includes existing JORC Resources
- Grant of two prospecting rights over the greater Flat Mines Area surrounding the Flat Mines Mining
Right marks another major milestone in progressing Orion's Okiep Copper Project.
- The newly granted prospecting rights encircle the Flat Mines Mining Right, where Orion is finalising
a BFS that includes the proposed establishment of a central concentrator plant.
- The new prospecting rights contain existing JORC Mineral Resources of 1.5Mt at 1.3% Cu with near-
term potential for inclusion into the Flat Mines Life-of-Mine Plan.
- Several deposits with high density drilling by previous owners Goldfields and Newmont await
confirmation drilling by Orion before estimating JORC Mineral Resources.
Orion's Managing Director and CEO, Errol Smart, commented:
"We are thrilled to have secured the grant of these prospecting rights following a three-year
administrative process. Orion's recent purchase of surface rights over some of the area covering these
prospecting rights finally resolved the impasse for surface access and environmental approvals. This now
allows Orion to finally access this highly prospective ground, where we have already used high-quality
historical Goldfields and Newmont drill data to estimate and declare JORC compliant Mineral Resources.
"Several additional deposits on the prospecting rights that were also drilled by the previous owners require
minor in-fill drilling before resource estimation can be completed to JORC compliance. These prospects
can be considered advanced stage projects that have near-term potential to add feed to our planned
Flat Mines Central concentrator.
"All of the ore from deposits historically mined in the greater Flat Mines Area was trucked to a central
concentrator located just south of where we intend building our new central concentrator.
"Our BFS for Flat Mines is nearing completion and includes the planned construction of a new modern
concentrator plant and tailings storage facility that will replace the historical facilities. Importantly, the
new central plant – together with modern improvements in processing technology such as the
application of XRF ore sorting, present a compelling case for both expansion and extension of the life-of-
mine plan for Flat Mines and to unlock the potential of some of the known deposits where internal waste
dilution was problematic.
"These prospecting rights also contain some of our highest priority greenfields exploration targets in the
district, where our 2021 SkyTEMTM heliborne electromagnetic survey revealed strong conductors both on
the prospecting rights and straddling the boundary with our Flat Mines Mining Right.
"We are immediately mobilising ground geophysics crews and deploying drilling rigs to test some of the
targets that we have not been able to access until now."
Orion Minerals Ltd (ASX/JSE: ORN) (Orion or the Company) is pleased to advise that two additional
prospecting right (PR) applications have been granted for its Okiep Copper Project (OCP) in the Northern
Cape Province of South Africa. These rights, listed in Table 1 below, encircle the existing Flat Mines Mining
Right on which Orion is currently finalising its Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) for Flat Mine North, Flat Mine
East and Flat Mine South (Figure 1).
Table 1: Newly granted prospecting rights for OCP.
Right Holder Right Reference Number Grant Date
Southern African Tantalum Mining (Pty) Ltd NC30/5/1/1/2/12755PR 21 June 2024
(To be ceded to New Okiep Mining Company (Pty) Ltd)
Southern African Tantalum Mining (Pty) Ltd NC30/5/1/1/2/12848PR 21 June 2024
(To be ceded to New Okiep Mining Company (Pty) Ltd)
Several previously identified and drilled deposits are located within the newly granted prospecting rights.
In addition, this highly prospective ground contains some of Orion's highest priority greenfields exploration
prospects identified from the processing of historical exploration data together with geological,
geochemical and SkyTEM™ geophysical data acquired by Orion in 2021.
Description of the Prospecting Rights
The prospecting rights, referred to as the "SAFTA PR", are for the same geographic area but provide rights
to different commodities (Table 2) and surround the Orion Flat Mines Mining Right (Figure 1). The Mining
Right that covers Flat Mine East, Flat Mine North and Flat Mine South – where Orion has reported JORC
Mineral Resources of 9.4Mt at 1.3% Cu (refer ASX/JSE release 28 August 2023) 1 – is the subject of a
Bankable Feasibility Study which is on track for completion in Q4 CY2024.
Table 2: Prospecting Right Status for NC12755PR and NC12848PR.
SAFTA PR Year
DMRE Numbers Submitted Grant Expiry Description Commodities
NC30/5/1/1/2/12755PR 2020 21 June 20 June 7,164 hectares over Copper Ore
2024 2027 Tungsten Ore
Farm Nababeep 134:
portion of Portion 3, Beryllium Ore,
portion of Portion 10, Bismuth, Chrome,
portion of Portion 13, Cobalt, Gold Ore,
portion of Portion 14, Lead, Molybdenum,
Portion 15, Monazite, Nickel,
Portion 16, Niobium, Phosphate,
NC30/5/1/1/2/12848PR 2021 21 June 20 June portion of Portion 21 and Platinum Group
2024 2027 Okiep Township Plot Metals, Pyrite, Rare
2086 Earths, Rutile, Silver,
situated within the Sulphur, Sulphur in
Administrative District of Pyrite, Tantalum, Tin,
Namaqualand Uranium, Vanadium,
Zinc Ore, Zirconium
1 Mineral Resource reported in ASX release of 28 August 2023: "Orion upgrades Mineral Resources at Okiep Copper Project"
available to the public on http://www.orionminerals.com.au/investors/asx-jseannouncements/. Competent Person Mineral
Resource: Mr Sean Duggan. Orion confirms it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information
included above. The Company confirms that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the
original release continue to apply and have not materially changed. Orion confirms that the form and context in which the
Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified.
The SAFTA PR covers seven historical copper mines and seven additional unmined prospects where
previous owners Goldfields and Newmont carried out high density drilling to delineate highly mineralised
bodies.
Figure 1: Locality Map of the Granted SAFTA PRs showing historical mines and current JORC Mineral Resources.
The PR also hosts several of Orion's highest priority targets, identified from Orion's 2021 SkyTEM™ airborne
survey and supported by historical data including geological mapping, geochemistry and ground
geophysics (Figure 2).
The Mineral Resource Estimate reported to date in terms of JORC (2012) for the SAFTA PR area includes
1.5Mt at 1.3% Cu (Table 3) (refer ASX/JSE release 29 March 2021).
Mineral Resource Estimate
Table 3: Mineral Resource Estimates at March 20212.
Mine / Prospect Classification Tonnes Cu % Cu t
Jan Coetzee Mine Inferred 1,000,000 1.4 14,000
Nababeep Kloof Mine Inferred 500,000 1.2 6,000
Grand Total 1,500,000 1.3 20,000
** Mineral Resources are reported at a 0.7% Cu cut-off grade.
Numbers may not add up due to rounding in accordance with the JORC code guidance.
2
Mineral Resource updated and reported in ASX release of 29 March 2021: "Orion expands Mineral Resources at Okiep Copper
Project" available to the public on http://www.orionminerals.com.au/investors/asx-jseannouncements/. Competent Person Mineral
Resource: Dr Deon Vermaakt. Orion confirms it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information
included above. The Company confirms that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the
original release continue to apply and have not materially changed. Orion confirms that the form and context in which the
Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified.
Geology and Interpretation
The Okiep Copper Deposits are Orogenic type copper deposits hosted in mafic to ultra-mafic intrusive
bodies in the western part of the Namaqua Complex, South Africa. Mines in the Okiep district historically
produced 105.6Mt at 1.71% Cu since the early 1900s3.
The Okiep Copper deposits are mostly hosted by easterly-trending mafic/ultramafic dykes, with
associated sills and pipe-like bodies. Some 1,700 of these mafic intrusions have been mapped in the
district (Figure 2). Structural control on the intrusive bodies follows strongly developed east-west trending
"steep structures" or monoclinal folds, that trend onto the SAFTA PRs.
A strong correlation is also recognised between high-grade mineralisation and at least three favourable
lithological target horizons, with high-grade blows forming where the intrusives cut these specific
lithologies:
• Springbok Quartzite and Schist;
• Mixed Zone or Wolfram Schist; and
• Ratelpoort Quartzite and Schist.
The SAFTA PR extends 13km south to north and straddles all three of these east–west striking lithological
target horizons with the Springbok Quartzite and Schist in the south, the Wolfram Schist in the central to
northern part of the SAFTA PR and the Ratelpoort Quartzite and Schist in the North. Several of the strongest
developed, east west trending intrusive swarms also traverse the prospecting rights.
Newly Identified Targets
In 2021, Orion flew a SkyTEM™ airborne electromagnetic survey (EM) over the Okiep Copper District,
representing the first application of modern geophysical survey techniques since exploration activity
ceased in the early 1980's. The results of the survey yielded a number of new target areas not tested by
previous companies. These anomalies have been prioritised and ranked based on a number of criteria,
including proximity to known mineralisation or in close association of known but untested Koperberg Suite
intrusive rocks.
3 Source: Lombaard A.F., in Annhauser C.R., and Maske S. (eds). The Copper Deposits of the Okiep Copper District, Namaqualand
in Mineral Deposits of Southern Africa. 1982 pp 1421 - 1445.
Figure 2: Map showing prioritized targets as selected from aeromagnetic, airborne EM and geological data overlain
on a Total Field Magnetic image.
Past Production
Historical owners Goldfields and Newmont who owned the Okiep Copper Company (OCC), reported
production of 6.2Mt tonnes at an average grade of 1.64% Cu with 100kt of copper produced from the
SAFTA PR (Table 4).
Mine records indicate that drilled copper mineralisation, including high grade mineralisation, extends
beyond the mine workings at several of the historical mines4.
In addition the structures hosting the known deposits are highly prospective to host previously
undetected, mineralised mafic intrusive lenses which are known to pinch and swell and are often found
in clusters along trend and within the host structures.
4 Source: Okiep Copper Company (Pty) Ltd company records and periodic reports.
Table 4: Historical Production on the SAFTA PR4.
Copper Copper
Mine Production Dates Tonnes Mined Grade Produced
(%) (tonnes)
Divide Pre- 1981 235,277 0.85 2,001
Jan Coetzee 1964-1973 1,894,053 1.06 20,046
Jan Coetzee Southwest 1972-1977 800,500 1.22 9,730
Nababeep Kloof 1965-1972 194,612 1.39 2,696
Valentine 1960-1975 2,867,424 2.28 65,507
Wheal Heath 1970-1972 207,629 0.85 1,771
Wheal Heath West 1964 24,571 3.18 782
Total Production 6,224,066 1.64 102,531
Brief description of Historical Mines
Jan Coetzee
Copper mineralisation occurs in three different stratigraphic horizons where basic rocks intrude the
Ratelpoort Quartzite. The main mineralised zone is developed discontinuously over 400m strike with mining
carried out to 200m depth.
Due to excessive internal dilution of ore by quartzite remnants, achieved production grades were lower
than anticipated. Orion sees the opportunity to employ modern ore sorting technology to eliminate the
excessive dilution experienced by OCC and improve the economic prospects of this deposit.
A satellite body located 120m south-east of the mined Main Mineralised Zone hosts shallow copper
mineralisation that was drill tested by 30 holes. Orion has reported an Inferred Mineral Resource of 1Mt at
1.4% Cu (refer ASX/JSE release 29 March 2021) for this body.
Figure 3: Jan Coetzee Mine mineralised zones and historical drilling.
Jan Coetzee Southwest
Three mineralised intrusives are present and were mined down to 250m depth. The thickness of the
mineralised body ranges from 10m to 20m. The western margin to the deposit was mapped as
terminating in a fault zone.
Drilling to the west of the fault intersected high-grade copper mineralisation at shallow depths that
narrows rapidly down-dip. Drill testing is warranted to test for additional wide lenses of mineralisation both
down dip and along strike.
Figure 4: Jan Coetzee Southwest mineralised zones, historical drilling and historical stopes.
Valentine
In July 1999, OCC noted that unmined high-grade mineralisation continued below the 1,950 feet (594m)
Level. The mine is flooded and is connected to an underground drive to the Nababeep Mine on the 546m
Level.
Figure 5: Valentine Mine.
Divide
Mine development was completed to 140m below the shaft collar and stoping to a depth of 95m. The
deposit was mined over a strike length of 160m and reaches a maximum thickness of some 100m in the
eastern part of the mine.
Figure 6: Divide Mine and adjacent prospects with historical drilling and historical stopes.
Wheal Heath
Mining took place over a strike length of 170m to a depth of 120m. The mineralised body reaches
thicknesses of up to 45m where it intersects lithological contacts.
Wheal Heath West
Unfortunately, limited information is available for this small mine, that was mined to a depth of only 43m
below surface.
Nababeep Kloof Mine
Mineralisation occurs in a shallow north-dipping diorite sill. The mineralised body is 100m long in an east-
west direction, 90m wide and 21m thick. The body intruded on the contact between Springbok granulite
and Nababeep Gneiss. Mineralised material above the old stopes is estimated by Orion to contain an
Inferred Mineral Resource of 0.5Mt at 1.2% Cu (refer ASX/JSE release 29 March 2021).
Figure 7: Nababeep Kloof mine with historical drilling.
The Way Forward
The new prospecting rights which surround the Flat Mines Mining Right are predominantly covered by
Orion surface ownership or access agreements, which will expedite exploration with the objective of
expanding and extending the Flat Mines life-of-mine plan, which is based on only three of the ten known
drilled deposits.
Any mineralisation identified within the new prospecting rights is expected to have low barriers for
economic development given the close proximity to the proposed Flat Mines and central concentrator
plant and an existing road network linking the deposits to the plant site.
Orion is immediately mobilising to undertake detailed ground geophysics and diamond drilling on the
new SAFTA PRs. Based on geology, aeromagnetic and SkyTEMTM data, 15 targets are currently selected
and rated from 3 to 15 for follow-up (Figure 2).
Orion's strategy is to re-evaluate the known and previously mined deposits for residual mineral resources,
to assess and delineate mineralisation for unmined prospects, and to evaluate new and untested
mineralisation on the SAFTA PRs. Planning for confirmation drilling programs at the Jan Coetzee, Divide
and Nababeep Kloof Mines is in progress.
For and on behalf of the Board.
Errol Smart
Managing Director and CEO
8 August 2024
ENQUIRIES
Investors Media JSE Sponsor
Errol Smart – Managing Director & CEO Nicholas Read Monique Martinez
Denis Waddell – Chairman Read Corporate, Australia Merchantec Capital
T: +61 (0) 3 8080 7170 T: +61 (0) 419 929 046 T: +27 (0) 11 325 6363
E: info@orionminerals.com.au E: nicholas@readcorporate.com.au E: monique.martinez@merchantec.com
Disclaimer
This release may include forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements may include, among other
things, statements regarding targets, estimates and assumptions in respect of metal production and prices, operating
costs and results, capital expenditures, mineral reserves and mineral resources and anticipated grades and recovery
rates, and are or may be based on assumptions and estimates related to future technical, economic, market,
political, social and other conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations
and beliefs concerning future events. Forward-looking statements inherently involve subjective judgement and
analysis and are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of
Orion. Actual results and developments may vary materially from those expressed in this release. Given these
uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Orion makes
no undertaking to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this release to reflect events
or circumstances after the date of this release. All information in respect of Exploration Results and other technical
information should be read in conjunction with Competent Person Statements in this release (where applicable). To
the maximum extent permitted by law, Orion and any of its related bodies corporate and affiliates and their officers,
employees, agents, associates and advisers:
• disclaim any obligations or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to the information to reflect any
change in expectations or assumptions;
• do not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness
of the information in this release, or likelihood of fulfilment of any forward-looking statement or any event or
results expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement; and
• disclaim all responsibility and liability for these forward-looking statements (including, without limitation, liability
for negligence).
Date: 08-08-2024 09:00:00
Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited ('JSE').
The JSE does not, whether expressly, tacitly or implicitly, represent, warrant or in any way guarantee the truth, accuracy or completeness of
the information published on SENS. The JSE, their officers, employees and agents accept no liability for (or in respect of) any direct,
indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage of any kind or nature, howsoever arising, from the use of SENS or the use of, or reliance on,
information disseminated through SENS.
Sharenet Sites 
