Sable Mining Africa (LON:SBLM) reckons the Lubu coal project has the potential to host a large metallurgical and thermal coal deposit.
This morning it released the second batch of drill results from Lubu, which covers 19,236 hectares in a highly prospective coal basin in the established Hwange mining district in north-western Zimbabwe.
Sable said that the results, from five holes, confirm the high grades from the first set of results - published on 7 February 2011 - and they underline the high coking coal fractions across multiple seams.
"This second batch of results further confirms the potential for Lubu to host a large metallurgical and thermal coal deposit,” chief executive Andrew Groves said.
“The continuity of data is excellent and the uplift in yield is an added positive.
“Our aim is to rapidly advance Lubu through further drilling in order to upgrade the current 360 million tonne estimate and publish a JORC compliant resource."
The results show that the ‘Main Seam’ thickness ranged from 20.40 to 15.14 metres, ‘Swelling Indices’ were slightly higher peaking at 8.5, while the calorific values, ash content and volatility strongly correlated to the first batch of positive results.
Importantly Sable points out that the average yields increased from 21 to 26 percent.
It has now received results from 198 of the 350 samples, from phase one drilling, that were sent to the lab.
The next phase of drilling is already underway. It will both in-fill phase one drill holes and explore ‘Area 2’ to the south.
The infill drilling will enable Sable to publish a JORC resource for Lubu.
Additionally Sable also highlight that it has identified two new targets that present a good opportunity for additional shallow coal. It plans to explore this area in the near future, which will provide another opportunity for an increase in resource tonnes.