Ivanhoe Mines Commences Giant Copper Exploration Program in Zambia
Ivanhoe Mines (IVPAF) has secured a significant 7,757 km² exploration license package in Zambia's North-Western Province, targeting an extension of the Central African Copperbelt. The new license area, granted by the Zambian government, is over three times larger than Ivanhoe's Western Forelands Exploration Project.
The company will leverage the recently completed high-resolution regional airborne geophysics survey by the Zambian Geological Survey to expedite exploration efforts. The exploration program will focus on:
- Copper mineralization in Basement Domes
- Katangan-age sediment-hosted copper systems
- Iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) systems
Ivanhoe plans to commence exploration activities in Q2 2025, including environmental baseline studies and community engagement. The company will conduct extensive aircore and auger drilling programs, along with geophysical surveys. This strategic expansion aligns with Ivanhoe's existing projects, positioned between their Western Forelands Project and Angolan exploration licenses.
Ivanhoe Mines (IVPAF) ha ottenuto un'importante concessione di licenza per l'esplorazione di 7.757 km² nella provincia nord-occidentale dello Zambia, mirando a un'estensione del Copperbelt dell'Africa Centrale. L'area di nuova licenza, concessa dal governo zambiano, è oltre tre volte più grande del progetto di esplorazione Western Forelands di Ivanhoe.
L'azienda sfrutterà il recente sondaggio geofisico aereo regionale ad alta risoluzione completato dal Servizio Geologico Zambiano per accelerare gli sforzi di esplorazione. Il programma di esplorazione si concentrerà su:
- Mineralizzazione di rame nelle Dome di Basement
- Sistemi di rame ospitati in sedimenti di età Katangan
- Sistemi di rame-oro-ossido di ferro (IOCG)
Ivanhoe prevede di avviare le attività di esplorazione nel secondo trimestre del 2025, comprese le indagini ambientali di base e l'impegno della comunità. L'azienda condurrà ampi programmi di perforazione aircore e auger, insieme a sondaggi geofisici. Questa espansione strategica si allinea con i progetti esistenti di Ivanhoe, posizionati tra il loro progetto Western Forelands e le licenze di esplorazione angolane.
Ivanhoe Mines (IVPAF) ha asegurado un importante paquete de licencias de exploración de 7,757 km² en la provincia noroeste de Zambia, con el objetivo de extender el Cinturón de Cobre de África Central. La nueva área de licencia, otorgada por el gobierno zambiano, es más de tres veces más grande que el Proyecto de Exploración Western Forelands de Ivanhoe.
La empresa aprovechará el reciente levantamiento geofísico aéreo regional de alta resolución completado por el Servicio Geológico de Zambia para acelerar los esfuerzos de exploración. El programa de exploración se centrará en:
- Mineralización de cobre en Domos de Basement
- Sistemas de cobre alojados en sedimentos de edad Katangan
- Sistemas de cobre-oro-óxido de hierro (IOCG)
Ivanhoe planea comenzar las actividades de exploración en el segundo trimestre de 2025, incluyendo estudios de línea base ambiental y participación comunitaria. La empresa llevará a cabo amplios programas de perforación aircore y auger, junto con encuestas geofísicas. Esta expansión estratégica se alinea con los proyectos existentes de Ivanhoe, situados entre su Proyecto Western Forelands y las licencias de exploración angoleñas.
Ivanhoe Mines (IVPAF)는 잠비아 북서부 주에서 7,757 km² 규모의 중요한 탐사 라이센스 패키지를 확보하여 중앙 아프리카 구리 벨트의 연장을 목표로 하고 있습니다. 새롭게 승인된 라이센스 지역은 잠비아 정부에 의해 허가되었으며, Ivanhoe의 웨스턴 포어랜즈 탐사 프로젝트보다 3배 이상 큽니다.
회사는 잠비아 지질 조사국이 완료한 고해상도 지역 공중 지구물리학 조사를 활용하여 탐사 노력을 가속화할 것입니다. 탐사 프로그램은 다음에 중점을 둘 것입니다:
- 베이스먼트 돔의 구리 광물화
- 카탕가 시대의 퇴적물 내 구리 시스템
- 철-산화구리-금 (IOCG) 시스템
Ivanhoe는 2025년 2분기에 환경 기초 연구 및 지역 사회 참여를 포함한 탐사 활동을 시작할 계획입니다. 이 회사는 광범위한 에어코어 및 오거 드릴링 프로그램과 지구물리학 조사를 실시할 것입니다. 이러한 전략적 확장은 Ivanhoe의 기존 프로젝트와 일치하며, 이는 그들의 웨스턴 포어랜즈 프로젝트와 앙골라 탐사 라이센스 사이에 위치하고 있습니다.
Ivanhoe Mines (IVPAF) a obtenu un important package de licences d'exploration de 7 757 km² dans la province du Nord-Ouest de la Zambie, visant une extension du Copperbelt d'Afrique centrale. La nouvelle zone de licence, accordée par le gouvernement zambien, est plus de trois fois plus grande que le projet d'exploration Western Forelands d'Ivanhoe.
L'entreprise tirera parti de l'enquête géophysique aérienne régionale à haute résolution récemment achevée par le Service géologique zambien pour accélérer ses efforts d'exploration. Le programme d'exploration se concentrera sur :
- La minéralisation de cuivre dans les dômes de basement
- Les systèmes de cuivre hébergés dans des sédiments de l'âge katangais
- Les systèmes de cuivre-or-oxyde de fer (IOCG)
Ivanhoe prévoit de commencer les activités d'exploration au deuxième trimestre de 2025, y compris des études de référence environnementale et l'engagement communautaire. L'entreprise réalisera d'importants programmes de forage aircore et auger, ainsi que des études géophysiques. Cette expansion stratégique s'aligne avec les projets existants d'Ivanhoe, situés entre leur projet Western Forelands et les licences d'exploration angolaises.
Ivanhoe Mines (IVPAF) hat ein bedeutendes Explorationslizenzpaket von 7.757 km² in der nordwestlichen Provinz Sambias gesichert, das auf eine Erweiterung des zentralafrikanischen Kupfergürtels abzielt. Das neue Lizenzgebiet, das von der sambischen Regierung genehmigt wurde, ist mehr als dreimal so groß wie Ivanhoes Projekt zur Exploration der Western Forelands.
Das Unternehmen wird die kürzlich abgeschlossene hochauflösende regionale Luftgeophysik-Untersuchung des sambischen Geologischen Dienstes nutzen, um die Explorationsbemühungen zu beschleunigen. Das Explorationsprogramm wird sich auf Folgendes konzentrieren:
- Kupfermineralisierung in Basement-Domen
- Katangan-alter sedimentär gebundener Kupfersysteme
- Eisen-Oxid-Kupfer-Gold (IOCG) Systeme
Ivanhoe plant, im 2. Quartal 2025 mit den Explorationsaktivitäten zu beginnen, einschließlich Umwelt-Basisstudien und der Einbindung der Gemeinschaft. Das Unternehmen wird umfangreiche Aircore- und Auger-Bohrprogramme sowie geophysikalische Untersuchungen durchführen. Diese strategische Expansion steht im Einklang mit Ivanhoes bestehenden Projekten, die zwischen ihrem Western Forelands Projekt und den angolanischen Explorationslizenzen positioniert sind.
- Secured massive 7,757 km² exploration package in strategic copper-rich region
- Government support and access to completed geophysical survey data saves time and costs
- $50 million committed to 2025 exploration program
- Strategic positioning between existing successful projects
- Potential extension of the world's largest sedimentary Copperbelt
- No exploration work has been conducted in the area since 2015
- Exploration activities delayed until Q2 2025 pending environmental approvals
- Area covered by Kalahari sand, making exploration more challenging
Zambian government grants 7,757 km2 in new exploration licences in North-Western Province, targeting extension of the Central African Copperbelt
Massive licence package over three times larger in area than Ivanhoe's Western Forelands Exploration Project
Zambian Geological Survey has completed high-resolution regional airborne geophysics survey over Ivanhoe's licence area, expediting exploration efforts
Lusaka, Zambia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 2, 2025) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Executive Co-Chair Robert Friedland and President & Chief Executive Officer Marna Cloete are pleased to announce that the company has been granted by the Government of the Republic of Zambia a vast, 7,757-square-kilometre package of new exploration licences in the highly-prospective North-Western Province of Zambia. Ivanhoe's thesis behind the strategically selected licence package is to explore for an extension of the Central African Copperbelt.
As announced on September 10, 2024, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between Ivanhoe Mines and the Republic of Zambia's Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (Ministry of Mines). Since then, the Ministry of Mines has assisted Ivanhoe's geological team in identifying the prospective licence package and provided access to existing geological data. The shared geological data also includes results from the country-wide airborne geophysical survey currently underway.
The new licence package, as shown in Figure 1, is strategically located between Ivanhoe's Western Forelands Exploration Project (230 km to the northeast) and the company's Angolan exploration licence package (130 km southwest). The Zambia licences cover an area over three times larger than the Western Forelands Exploration Project.
Ivanhoe's geological team will commence exploration activities for new copper mineralization associated with Basement Domes, Katangan-age sediment-hosted copper systems, and iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) systems. The western edge of the Central African Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) hosts the Western Foreland Shelf, where the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex and the Mineral Resources of Makoko and Kiala in the Western Forelands are located. Ivanhoe's geological team believes that the Western Foreland Shelf facies of the Nguba Group sediments continue to arc southwest into Zambia and Angola, as illustrated in Figure 1. Based on this concept, Ivanhoe Mines also holds over 22,000 square kilometres of exploration licences in Angola, as announced on November 27, 2023.
Concurrently, Ivanhoe continues to advance its massive exploration program in the Western Forelands. The 2025 exploration program will be Ivanhoe's largest-ever, with
Figure 1. Simplified map showing the extent of the Central African Copperbelt (yellow band) and the Zambian 'Basement Domes' region (in pink), overlaid with exploration licences held by Ivanhoe Mines in the DRC, Zambia, and Angola.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/247062_cc3a01c2e429fa05_002full.jpg
The President of the Republic of Zambia His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema commented:
"Today, we welcome Ivanhoe Mines' new chapter into Zambia's mining industry -one that promises jobs, growth, and prosperity for our people. This new investment in copper exploration is not only about achieving our government's vision of over 3 million tonnes of copper production by 2031, it's also about unlocking opportunities, empowering communities, and ensuring that our resources benefit every Zambian. Together, we will build an economy that works for all, with transparency, fairness, and a shared vision for the future."
Ivanhoe Founder and Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland also commented:
"Our entrance into Zambia marks an exciting new chapter in Ivanhoe Mines' commitment to expanding our exploration footprint and testing the extent of the Central African Copperbelt…which is already the world's largest and highest-grade sedimentary Copperbelt. Our new licences in both Zambia and Angola have notable geological similarities to our world-leading discoveries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We will leverage our deep geological expertise and proven track record in the Western Forelands, where Ivanhoe's geologists have discovered, including Kamoa-Kakula, over 50 million tonnes of high-grade contained copper to date. Our seasoned team of geologists is excited to begin work on these highly prospective licences… we believe there are plenty of new tier-one copper discoveries yet to be found under shallow Kalahari sands.
"We are particularly encouraged by the proactive support and collaborative approach demonstrated by the Zambian government, underscoring the country's commitment to fostering a stable and investor-friendly mining environment. This includes a key role of partnership that Zambia is playing in terms of improving the regional hydroelectric power supply and distribution - where the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex is already a major importer of power via the Zambia interconnector.
"As global demand for copper continues to grow, Ivanhoe Mines looks forward to contributing to Zambia's economic development, supporting local communities, and furthering our goal of finding the world's next major copper deposits."
Ivanhoe identified an underexplored area within the Zambian Copperbelt with compelling geology and strong discovery potential
Much like the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex and the Western Forelands Exploration Project in the DRC, the Zambian licences represent an underexplored potential extension of the Central African Copperbelt. Working closely with the Ministry of Mines and leveraging its in-depth knowledge of the Central African Copperbelt, Ivanhoe's geologists selected the Zambian licences based on a detailed review of available exploration data.
BHP Billiton flew airborne geophysics over sections of Ivanhoe's licence package in the late 2000s, as part of a larger exploration program across western and central Zambia targeting IOCG-style mineralization. BHP exited its African operations in 2015. No work has been carried out on the licences since 2015.
In August 2024, the Zambia Ministry of Mines commenced a country-wide airborne geophysical survey that started in the west of the country, including over Ivanhoe's new licence package. The geophysical survey consists of a high-resolution airborne magnetics survey at 300-metre-line spacings. The shared results will expedite Ivanhoe's exploration efforts, saving at least six months in acquisition time and costs.
Remarkably, like Kamoa-Kakula and the Western Forelands, the Zambian and Angolan licences have had very little prior exploration activity, as they are covered by Kalahari sand cover, hiding any buried mineralization.
The central portion of the newly approved Zambian licence package is highly prospective for copper mineralization hosted in Paleo-Proterozoic basement inliers buried below a blanket of Kalahari sands, containing sheared amphibolite-facies schists, granitic gneiss, and migmatite similar to Barrick's Lumwana mine to the northeast, on the Mwombezhi Dome.
Ivanhoe engages technical contractors ahead of 2025 field program, exploration activities expected to commence in Q2 of 2025.
Ivanhoe will appoint environmental consultants in the second quarter of 2025 to complete key environmental baseline studies and produce an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for approval by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). Initial engagements with local communities will also be undertaken prior to the mobilization of field teams for ground surveys and drilling in the second half of the year. A detailed review of historical and newly acquired airborne geophysical data will be carried out concurrently with the completion of the EMP.
Ivanhoe will conduct an extensive program of aircore and auger drilling to collect soil geochemical data and additional airborne and ground-based geophysical surveys. This work will enable Ivanhoe's geological team to map the giant licence area in detail to better understand the extent of the Basement Domes, Katangan sediments, and felsic magmatic intrusives that underlie the licence area. Once this work has been completed target generation for future diamond drilling will commence.
About Ivanhoe Mines
Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa; the expansion of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the DRC, the ramp-up of the ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC; and the phased development of the tier-one Platreef palladium-nickel-platinum-rhodium-copper-gold project in South Africa.
Ivanhoe Mines also is exploring its highly prospective, 60
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Forward-looking statements
Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified using words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events, or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance, and results and speak only as of the date of this release.
Such statements include without limitation: (i) statements regarding Ivanhoe's thesis behind the strategically selected licence package is to explore for an extension of the Central African Copperbelt; (ii) statements regarding the shared geological data includes results from the country-wide airborne geophysical survey currently underway; (iii) statements regarding Ivanhoe's geological team will commence exploration activities for new copper mineralization associated with Basement Domes, Katangan-age sediment-hosted copper systems, and IOCG systems; (iv) statements regarding Ivanhoe continues to advance its massive exploration program in the Western Forelands, with
This news release also contains references to estimates of Mineral Resources. The estimation of Mineral Resources is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation (including estimated future production from the company's projects, the anticipated tonnages and grades that will be mined and the estimated level of recovery that will be realized), which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that ultimately may prove to be inaccurate. Mineral Resource estimates may have to be re-estimated based on: (i) fluctuations in copper or other mineral prices; (ii) results of drilling; (iii) metallurgical testing and other studies; (iv) proposed mining operations, including dilution; (v) the evaluation of mine plans after the date of any estimates and/or changes in mine plans; (vi) the possible failure to receive required permits, approvals and licences; and (vii) changes in law or regulation.
Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether such results will be achieved. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, however not limited to, the factors discussed above and under the "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the company's MD&A for the financial year ended December 31, 2024, and in its current annual information form, as well as unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release.
The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors outlined in the "Risk Factors" section in the company's MD&A for the financial year ended December 31, 2024, and its current annual information form.
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FAQ
What is the size and location of Ivanhoe Mines' (IVPAF) new exploration license in Zambia?
When will IVPAF begin exploration activities in the new Zambian license area?
What type of copper deposits is IVPAF targeting in their new Zambian exploration area?
How much is IVPAF investing in their 2025 Western Forelands exploration program?
What advantages does IVPAF have from the Zambian government's geophysical survey?
