Arc Minerals (AIM:ARCM) has selected G D E Botswana Drilling & Exploration Pty, trading as Global Drill, as contractor for an exploration drilling programme at its PL135/2017 licence in Botswana.
The AIM-listed explorer is focused on Tier 1 copper deposits across Africa, with the Virgo project sitting in the Zone 5 corridor of the Kalahari Copper Belt, adjacent to MMG's Khoemacau mining project.
The phased programme will test three target areas spanning up to 14 kilometres of geological contact identified by a recently completed induced polarisation survey, with the total campaign expected to exceed 6,000 metres. Drill targets include the South Fold area, more than five kilometres long, where a coincident chargeability and resistivity anomaly has been identified alongside structural features that could host mineral traps.
The Central and Z9 areas will test a cross-cutting dyke structure extending from Zone 9, where the company aims to reach near-surface extensions of mineralisation that MMG has already intersected at depth across the licence boundary.
Core samples will be analysed on site using a portable x-ray fluorescence machine before selected samples go to an internationally recognised laboratory for assaying.
"We are the only junior with a licence positioned within the Zone 5 corridor, meters away from recent priority copper discoveries made within the Khoemacau mining project of MMG," said chief executive Remy Welschinger.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
Arc Minerals has appointed Global Drill to execute a phased diamond drilling campaign at its Virgo project in Botswana, targeting three areas across 14 kilometres of geological contact with a planned campaign exceeding 6,000 metres. This fulfils the contractor selection expected in July 2026, positioning the company to commence drilling in August 2026 as previously guided. The Virgo licence sits adjacent to MMG's Khoemacau mining project in the Kalahari Copper Belt's Zone 5 corridor, where Arc claims to be the only junior explorer positioned within the corridor itself.
Execution of the planned drilling programme is now underway, moving Arc from planning into active exploration at a project positioned near a tier-one copper discovery. Success depends on drill results validating the geophysical targets and the company's ability to fund the full campaign; as an early-stage explorer with no revenue, Arc remains entirely dependent on exploration outcomes and capital availability.
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