Jacaranda Natural Resources finds copper thread at Tlou

• Tlou rock chips returned up to 2% copper
• Eight of 12 Tlou samples topped 1% copper
• Maiden Motloutse drilling is targeted for late 2026 to early 2027

Special Report: Jacaranda Natural Resources’ rock chip sampling has outlined a fresh copper trend at its Motloutse project, with Tlou now considered a priority target ahead of maiden drilling in Botswana.

The trend runs for about 50m along a near north-south structure through the historical Tlou pit, where surface copper mineralisation has not been tested at depth.

Jacaranda Natural Resources (ASX:JRL) collected 23 rock chip samples from six pits across its 228km2 Motloutse project, with 12 returning more than 1% copper and results ranging from 0.14% to 2.00%.

“Our team went to Motloutse to assess the historical trenches and identified a new copper trend en route,” chief executive officer Craig Hatch said.

“The assays confirm what we observed in the field, with rock chips up to 2.0% Cu and more than half the samples above 1% Cu.”

Tlou leads the Motloutse targets

Tlou stood out, with eight of its 12 samples above 1% copper and a peak result of 2%, confirmed by a laboratory repeat at 2.09%.

Samples also returned silver grades of 1.6g/t to 18.8g/t, while gold was at background levels.

Copper occurs as malachite, azurite and chrysocolla within a coarse-grained granitic intrusion, both disseminated through the rock and along fractures and joints.

Sampling also confirmed copper at five other historical pits, where results ranged from 0.14% to 1.40%, and mapped surface occurrences across about 1.4km by 1km.

Botswana’s copper push

In 2024, mining and quarrying contributed 10.5% of Botswana’s GDP, while diamonds accounted for about 70% of exports, according to the US Geological Survey.

The government is pursuing mining diversification, including through copper.

Khoemacau’s expansion in the Kalahari Copper Belt is part of that push; it is in a separate region from Motloutse in eastern Botswana.

At Motloutse, Jacaranda plans more mapping and rock chip sampling around Tlou and the historical pits before refining drill targets.

“We will move the rig to Motloutse once phase one at Globe is complete, subject to approvals, and test what lies beneath the oxide copper,” Hatch said.

Maiden drilling is targeted for December 2026 to February 2027, subject to environmental and other statutory approvals and the rig completing phase one at Globe.

The first holes are planned to test for primary copper mineralisation below the surface oxide copper, with induced polarisation or electromagnetic surveys also under consideration pending technical review and budget approval.

This article was developed in collaboration with Jacaranda Natural Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

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