Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Stage	Restarting
Commodities	Graphite
Mining Method	Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start	...
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	Okanjande/Okorusu Project consists of the Okanjande graphite deposit and the Okorusu processing plant. The previously producing Okanjande graphite Mine, active from 2017 to 2018, is located on the Property. The Okanjande graphite Mine is currently under care and maintenance and is planned to be restarted after executing a process plant relocation, several brown fields expansion projects, modifications and refurbishment activities. In August 2023, the Company announced the results of a new preliminary economic assessment (“PEA”) that confirmed the economics of the relocation of its processing plant to the Okanjande mine site in Namibia. The PEA, dated July 31, 2023, was prepared by CREO Engineering Solutions and confirms the viability of moving milling operations directly to the Okanjande mine site.

Deposit type

• Metamorphic

Summary:

The Okanjande deposit fits the description of a crystalline flake graphite deposit in a paragneiss. The original rocks at the Okanjande deposit were arkoses, feldspathic quartzites and ortho-quartzites that have been subjected to high grade metamorphism to become feldspathic-quarzitic gneisses and graphitic quartzites.

The Okanjande deposit is a massive deposit with shallow dipping layers to the southeast. Its surface extent is approximately 900m northeast to southwest and up to 820m from northwest to southeast. The mineralization extends from surface and has been defined by drilling up to a depth of 90m below surface. The mineralization is open at depth.

Mineralization
The mineralogical investigations revealed that the graphitic samples generally contain similar minerals, although they vary significantly in both proportion and texture.

The major silicate minerals of the graphitic gneiss at Okanjande are quartz and K-feldspar. The most common mica is muscovite, comprising between 2% and 8% of the rock.

Sulphide mineral content in the samples varies between 2% and 7%. Pyrite and pyrrhotite are the most commonly occurring sulphide minerals, with approximately equal proportions. Other sulphide minerals were identified in trace amounts, including chalcopyrite, molybdenite and covellite (only observed in weathered rock). Sulphides occur in irregular patches or clusters of up to 20mm across, or in veins associated with quartz, and a small proportion of the sulphide is associated with graphite flakes.

Five sulphate minerals (barite, gypsum, jarosite, sidorotil and melanterite) were identified. Barite occurs in small quantities and is the only primary sulphate mineral, while the other minerals are as a result of weathering and oxidation of sulphide minerals. Jarosite can make up more than 10% of the weathered rock and some of the jarosite particles are closely associated with graphite flakes.

Sidorotil and melanterite are soluble iron sulphate minerals which occur in minor amounts in the weathered rock, commonly along joints and fractures. Sulphate minerals may occur at depth in fresh mineralisation due to oxidation along joints, faults and shears.

Rutile content in the Okanjande deposit samples is between 0.2% and 1.3% with an average of 0.8%. Rutile particle size is between 0.05mm and 0.40mm, with an average of 0.20mm. Rutile grains are commonly enclosed in gangue minerals and most have no association with graphite. A small proportion of rutile has inclusions of graphite, zircon and sulphides. SEM analysis indicates that some rutile grains are high in vanadium occurring in solid solution within the rutile structure.

The graphite content of the analysed samples ranges between 3% and 18% TGC. The average flake size ranges between 500µm and 800µm. More than 85% of the graphite flakes occur as straight undeformed, well-crystallised, euhedral flakes, and free of interlaminated gangue minerals in unaltered mineralized material. Only 3% to 12% of the graphite flakes are interlaminated with gangue minerals. Most of the flakes that are interlaminated with gangue minerals are very large flakes that occur in the form of books. A small proportion of the flakes (<5%) occur as tiny flakes or grains enclosed in the feldspar or muscovite grains.

In the western part of the deposit, approximately 15% of the graphite flakes in weathered rocks at depths below the observed levels of oxidation have altered textures. The altered graphite flakes are associated with localised shear stresses at depth along a zone trending northeast to southwest. Altered graphite flakes are curved, bent or broken, reducing flakes to smaller sizes. Graphite flakes with this texture are interlaminated with gangue minerals and are commonly rimmed with muscovite.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

Operational metrics

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Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Jun 9, 2024
.......................	.......................		Jul 31, 2023
.......................	.......................		Jul 31, 2023
.......................	.......................		Jun 9, 2024

Employees	Year
......	2023