Botswana Metals, the minerals explorer said it has commenced exploration for pegmatite-hosted tantalum-lithium mineralisation on its tenements in eastern Botswana. The company added that ground exploration is focused on locating pegmatites as well as determining the source of the extremely strong historical tantalum stream sediment anomalies.

“Work has commenced with geological mapping in areas of historically anomalous tantalum, particularly where anomalies are coincident with outcropping felsic lithologies,” Botswana Metals said. “Although much of these areas are covered by a thin veneer of soil, initial mapping has already identified pebbles and float of pegmatitic material”.

Chairman of the company, Patrick Volpe added that follow up work including grid-based soil sampling and exploration trenching will be undertaken in priority Ta-anomalous areas. Any areas containing verified Ta or Li mineralisation will ultimately be drill-tested.

Equally, a soil sampling programme has commenced on four target areas which were initially defined by historical stream sediment anomalies.

“BML is extremely encouraged by the positive start to the Company’s refocused strategy for the discovery of “new age metals” and will keep the market informed on the progress of exploration as results come to hand,” said Volpe.