Rome Resources PLC (RMR) has intersected visible coarse grained cassiterite in diamond drilling on its Kalayi project in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cassiterite is a well-known tin ore.
Hole KBDD005 hit cassiterite in three narrow zones associated with quartz veining and silica flooding at depths of 88.5 metres, 114 metres and 125 metres.
In total, the hole drilled down to a depth of 164.5 metres.
The mineralised zone was intersected roughly 60 metres below the KBDD003 drillhole from Rome's 2023 drilling campaign which returned 12.5 metres at 1.03% tin, including one metre at 2.78% tin and one metre at 7.12 tin.
Mobilisation of the second and third drill rigs to site will be completed during this week.
The presence of cassiterite was confirmed by Niton XRF analyses.
Strong chlorite alteration together with shearing and quartz veining was noted throughout a 30 metre interval from 84 metres to 114 metres.
This has the potential to host fine grained disseminated cassiterite, which will be assessed in the quantitative analyses to be conducted by the laboratory.
Chlorite alteration is strongly associated with tin mineralisation at both Alphamin's Mpama North and South deposits indicating a similar style of mineralisation at Kalayi.
"We are delighted to see visible tin mineralisation in several intervals in the first hole of this drilling campaign and look forward to reporting assays as soon as they become available,” said Paul Barrett, chief executive of Rome Resources.
“We are also pleased to be mobilising additional drilling units to site to maintain an aggressive drilling campaign over the coming weeks and months."
View from VOX
It’s a good start from Rome Resources, although readings from XRF are no substitute for hard assays. Still, if the XRF is right, it shows that the company is clearly on the right track, and may well be on course to establishing a major new tin asset. And of course, many of the key personnel inside Rome Resources have a track record of proving up similar assets in the past, so there is plenty of grounds for optimism.