Shuka Minerals Plc said on Tuesday its latest drilling at the Kabwe Zinc Mine in Zambia intersected high-grade zinc intervals, including a peak portable XRF reading of 69.6% zinc.
The company’s drill hole KBDD11, completed at a depth of 155.30 meters with an 80-degree dip on an azimuth of 350 degrees, targeted a previously unidentified orebody south of the Speaks and Mine Club zones. The drilling phase was extended to 2,500 meters, with results based on portable XRF readings taken at three readings per meter of core.
The assay data showed two significant zinc intervals. The first spanned 18.4 meters at 7.45% zinc from 3.3 to 21.7 meters depth, with a peak reading of 18.9% zinc and 0.61% copper. The second interval measured 27.1 meters at 19.60% zinc from 68.9 to 96.0 meters depth, peaking at 69.6% zinc and 2.7% vanadium. Within this zone, a basal segment of 6.1 meters recorded 5.07% lead.
Shuka Minerals also reported lead values ranging from 0.1% to over 20%, alongside detected copper grades. An intermediate zone of 47.2 meters between the two main ore zones carried zinc grades between 0.4% and 3.1%.
The results follow the 2023 Behre Dolbear NI 43-101 resource estimate, which outlined 1.944 million tonnes of indicated and inferred resources at 12% zinc and 2% lead in the Speaks Orebody, and 0.666 million tonnes at 11.7% zinc and 0.8% lead in the Mine Club Orebody. The company said the drilling extends understanding of the newly identified orebody and will inform further exploration and resource updates.
