Announcement • Apr 14
Ongwe Minerals Inc. Discovers New Bedrock Gold Anomaly At Belmont Prospect in Namibia
Ongwe Minerals Inc. reported the discovery of a 2km long, strongly anomalous bedrock zone along the Khorixas Fault Zone at its Belmont prospect. New 2km long bedrock gold anomaly outlined under thick alluvial and calcrete cover on the Khorixas Fault zone at Belmont. The altered and mineralised wall rock is up to 125m wide with gold values in the bedrock samples to 0.2%, and it is expected that there will be higher grade quartz veins within the package. The newly discovered “Plains” anomaly is a compelling target which will be tested by diamond drilling once the bedrock sampling has been completed. The bedrock sampling program has now moved to the Manga target on the Omatjete Project. The Khorixas Project (154,000ha) which includes the Belmont Prospect, an orogenic gold system with a surface footprint of 12km x 6km and numerous high grade rock chips at surface. The Omatjete Project (151,800ha) which contains the Manga Prospect, an orogenic gold system 30km along strike from the recently discovered Kokoseb gold deposit (WIA Gold), with a surface footprint of 4.5 x 1km. The Outjo Project (46,000 ha) which is along strike from Osino’s Eureka Gold Discovery and occupies a geological setting similar to that of the Eureka Discovery. The initial bedrock sampling program at Belmont has produced a coherent and extensive zone of bedrock alteration and mineralization along the Khorixas Fault. The bedrock sampling technique essentially collects single, blind, rock chip samples on a grid of 25 x 200m and is designed to define the mineralising system, not sample individual high-grade veins. The anomalous but low-grade gold values are therefore expected and welcomed. The chances of sampling individual high grade quartz veins within the mineralized zone are very slim at this point. However, the presence of high-grade rock chip samples from outcropping quartz veins in the vicinity, gives confidence that higher grades may be present within the Plains bedrock anomaly. A total of 3,970m of drilling was completed across the Khorixas Fault Zone, comprising 639 vertical holes on a systematic grid of 25m hole spacing and 200m line spacing. Drilling typically intersected sequences of alluvial sediments, clays, and calcrete before reaching bedrock, with an average hole depth of 6m. Each hole was drilled approximately 1 metre into bedrock, which was collected as a composite sample. The sample was initially analyzed using the Company’s in-house detectORE™ system and samples returning values greater than 20 detectable Units (dU) were submitted for fire assay analysis at MSALABS in Omaruru, with assay results pending. The Plains anomaly defines a well-constrained, 2km long and up to 125m wide zone of in-situ bedrock alteration and mineralization, spatially associated with the Khorixas Fault Zone. Gold mineralization is typically hosted within the highly deformed hanging wall of the fault and is associated with intense iron-carbonate alteration and disseminated sulphides. The Khorixas Fault Zone is interpreted as a reactivated basin-margin structure separating competent Archaean basement rocks to the northeast from more ductile sedimentary units of the Neoproterozoic Kuiseb Formation to the southwest. This contact is the key control for the Plains anomaly, with reactivation and lithological contrasts likely focusing mineralizing fluid flow. In addition, two discrete, single-line anomalies have been identified approximately 800m and 1,400m to the east, respectively, coinciding with interpreted fault bifurcations and a southerly rotation of the Khorixas Fault. The Plains anomaly represents a new discovery within an area that was previously inaccessible to conventional surface sampling due to an active alluvial cover. Its delineation highlights the effectiveness of the Company’s bedrock sampling approach in identifying and refining high-priority drill targets. The Company has completed a total of 3,970m of RC bedrock sampling along the Khorixas Fault Zone at the Belmont prospect. With this phase of work now finished, the drill rig has been mobilized to the Omatjete Gold Project, where between 2,000 and 3,000m of bedrock sampling is planned at the Manga Prospect. To date, approximately 1,500m have been completed at Manga, with assay results pending. Following completion of bedrock sampling at Manga, the rig is expected to return to Belmont to undertake additional bedrock sampling across a series of splay targets, including BK2, BK5, BK6, and BK7. The Company remains on schedule to complete the current bedrock sampling program by the end of April 2026. All outstanding assay results are anticipated by the end of May 2026, with a diamond drilling program planned to commence thereafter. The Company utilized the detectORE™ analytical technique, designed to enable the measurement of trace gold concentrations in geological samples using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) instrument. This process overcomes the traditional limitations of gold analysis by pXRF including low gold concentrations and metal peak interference. The method involves leaching 250g of sieved material in a sealed pouch with 500ml of GLIX-20™ lixiviant and a Collector Device (CD). Following a 16-hour tumble in a Maxi Mixer barrel to dissolve the gold, the CD is removed, rinsed, and analyzed for 150 seconds using detectORE™ mode firmware. This partial analysis technique is managed through pLIMS™ software with strict QAQC protocols to identify relative gold anomalism. The detectORE™ gold technique is designed for rapid on-site assessment and is not used for the formal quantification of gold content or the estimation of Mineral Resources. An extensive orientation program was carried out before putting the detectORE™ methodology into production by comparing soil, calcrete and rock chip sample assays with Aqua Regia and FireICP. The detectORE™ system performed extremely well and identified the same anomalies as the laboratory techniques in all conditions. As part of the current exploration program, all bedrock samples undergo an initial in-house analysis using the detectORE™ technique. Any samples returning a value equal to or greater than 20 detectable Units (dU) are prioritized for formal verification via Fire Assay at the MSALAB facility in Omaruru, Namibia, which is underway. The Fire Assay procedure involves drying and splitting the sample to 1kg, followed by crushing to 2mm. A 250g sub-sample is then pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns, from which a final 50g aliquot is taken for Fire Assay with an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish.