Sovereign announces more rutile discovery in Kasiya

By Wahard Betha

ASX-listed group Sovereign Metals has announced a significant expansion of very high-grade rutile area at its flagship Kasiya prospecting site in Lilongwe in its results from Phase 8 drilling.

During the Phase, Sovereign drilled 70 hand auger holes located within the extensive 66km2 mineralized footprint, giving a green light to extend and define the very high-grade zones.

Sovereign’s MD Julian Stephens said the results show well defined, very-high-grade rutile mineralized zones from surface with the majority occurring within a ~2.5km radius from a central point, having been defined by nominally 400m x 400m drilling.

Stephens said the high-grade areas will be targeted for additional infill drilling and metallurgical variability test-work in order to form the basis of a scoping study, planned for later this year.

He said: “These areas will be targeted for further, near-future infill drilling and metallurgical variability test-work in order to support our maiden Mineral Resource Estimate and Scoping Study.”

“Kasiya is shaping up to be a very large, high-grade rutile deposit that may well become one of the largest primary rutile deposits in the world.”

The significant rutile enrichment occurs in the top ~8 metres from surface with very-high grades, generally greater than 1.5% rutile occurring in the top 3-5m from surface.

Stephens explained that in most cases, drill depth was restricted by the hand-auger drilling equipment capacity and it is assumed that free-dig rutile mineralization should continue vertically to the base of the saprolite estimated at approximately 25m depth from surface.

The Company’s objective is to delineate a large rutile resource that could support a long-life, large-scale rutile mining operation.

In 2020, Sovereign achieved exceptional outcomes from its rutile metallurgy program. Stephens said during the year, premium chemical and sizing parameters were produced with over 98% recovery, through simple, conventional “off the shelf” processing methods.

“This continues to consolidate our view that we have discovered a potentially globally significant rutile deposit at Kasiya in Lilongwe, Malawi that forms part of a new rutile province,” he said.

Sovereign’s ongoing work programs for Kasiya and the other prospects within the Company’s large ground package include; a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for Kasiya expected to cover approximately half of the extensive 66km2 mineralised footprint; Continued step-out and extensional drilling at Kasiya and the broader surrounding area to identify extensions, bring further mineralisation into a MRE and discover new regional mineralised zones; Mining and tailings studies continue and will feed into a future Scoping Study and; Metallurgical variability test-work planned for three separate samples representative of different regolith units at Kasiya.

The company is also continuing its engagement with potential rutile off-takers, particularly those in the pigment industry from which highly favourable feedback on chemical and physical specifications has already been received.

Sovereign is also conducting investigation and further test-work for a potential coarse-flake graphite by-product from Kasiya; and re-examination of the Company’s Malingunde Graphite Project in light of renewed market interest for graphite, particularly related to sustainability and electric vehicles.

The Central Malawi Rutile Project (Project) features two confirmed, discrete rutile mineralisation styles hosted in saprolite (soft, friable weathered material) and sand where both styles are amenable to conventional processing.

With the inclusion of Phase 8, the total number of holes reported from Kasiya to date is now 303 with 3,023m drilled.  

In addition to the flagship Kasiya Rutile Deposit, the Company has identified numerous other saprolite hosted rutile prospects and targets.

The Bua Channel is the Company’s high-grade, rutile dominant, sand hosted placer prospect along a 50km length of a fluvial channel system.

Drilling in 2020 over the southern part of the Bua Channel over ~8km confirmed excellent rutile grades with accessory ilmenite.