The Blackbird District at the heart of the Idaho Cobalt Belt has an estimated endowment of 17Mt averaging 0.74% Co, 1.4% Cu and 1.0 g/t Au.
Only 15km northwest of Koba’s Blackpine Project, Glencore’s historic Blackbird Mine produced 5Mt at 0.6% Co & 1.5% Cu, between 1938 and 1969. Another 2.5km northwest of the Blackbird Deposit, Jervois Global is developing a new mining operation at the Ram Deposit, upon which its Idaho Cobalt Operation is centred. The Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource at that project currently comprises 5.24Mt @ 0.44% Co, 0.69% Cu and 0.53 g/t Au, with a further 1.57Mt @ 0.35% Co, 0.44% Cu and 0.54 g/t Au in Inferred Resources.
Despite being highly endowed with cobalt mineralisation, the Idaho Cobalt Belt remains underexplored.
Accordingly, Koba has deliberately secured the rights to some of the most advanced exploration projects in the Idaho Cobalt Belt, particularly the Blackpine and Colson Projects. Koba considers it highly likely that additional high-grade cobalt mineralisation can be discovered at and around its Projects. While the Company considers there is opportunity to discover, within its Projects, deposits of sufficient size to develop a standalone processing facility, the infrastructure being developed by other operators within the immediate vicinity may also provide future opportunities for toll-milling or similar.
Koba’s four projects in the Idaho Cobalt Belt are:
Figure 1. Idaho Cobalt Belt showing Project Locations
“Jervois Global’s Idaho Cobalt Operation, with first production scheduled for the 2022”
The Blackpine Cobalt -Copper Project has high grade cobalt, copper and gold mineralisation across ten major prospects and is just 15km southeast of the highly endowed Blackbird District (17Mt averaging 0.74% Co, 1.4% Cu and 1.0 g/t Au) that includes the past-producing Blackbird Mine and Jervois’ Idaho Cobalt Operation that is scheduled to commence production in 2022.
The Colson Project contains the historic Salmon Canyon Mine which produced several hundred tonnes of copper-cobalt ore between 1964 and 1979 from 500m of underground development
The Elkhorn Cobalt Project is an early-stage prospect with historic prospecting pits containing cobalt-copper oxides over 1.5km of strike length. The character of the mineralisation, together with the host stratigraphy, invite analogies between Elkhorn and the known deposits within the Idaho Cobalt Belt.
The Panther Project lies 3km east of Jervois’ Idaho Cobalt Operation and 3km to the northeast of the historic Blackbird Cobalt Mine, where approximately 5 million tonnes of ore was mined between 1938 and 1969.
Figure 2: Map of Idaho Cobalt Belt
Blackpine Cobalt-Copper Project
The Blackpine Cobalt -Copper Project has high grade cobalt, copper and gold mineralisation across ten major prospects and is just 15km southeast of the highly endowed Blackbird District (17Mt averaging 0.74% Co, 1.4% Cu and 1.0 g/t Au) that includes the past-producing Blackbird Mine and Jervois’ Idaho Cobalt Operation that is scheduled to commence production in 2022.
The Blackpine Project was last explored in the mid 1990’s when drilling identified high-grade cobalt, copper and gold mineralisation at several prospects with better results including;
- 0.15m @ 4.79% Co & 4.00 g/t Au
- 6.2m @ 0.61% Co & 6.4 g/t Au
- 1.2m @ 1.43% Co & 1.37 g/t Au
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Colson Cobalt-Copper Project
The Colson Project contains the historic Salmon Canyon Mine which produced several hundred tonnes of copper-cobalt ore between 1964 and 1979 from 500m of underground development. Better results from underground sampling include:
- 2.5m @ 0.59% Co, 5.33% Cu, & 2.24 g/t Au;
- 1.3m @ 0.35% Co, 6.16% Cu, & 2.54 g/t Au; and
- 1.8m @ 0.31% Co, 2.99% Cu, 3.48 g/t Au & 27.7 g/t Ag.
The Colson Project was most recently drilled in 2018 but since then multiple high priority IP anomalies with coincident high tenor soil geochemistry anomalies have been discovered.
Blackpine Cobalt-Copper Project
The Blackpine Cobalt -Copper Project has high grade cobalt, copper and gold mineralisation across ten major prospects and is just 15km southeast of the highly endowed Blackbird District (17Mt averaging 0.74% Co, 1.4% Cu and 1.0 g/t Au) that includes the past-producing Blackbird Mine and Jervois’ Idaho Cobalt Operation that is scheduled to commence production in 2022.
The Blackpine Project was last explored in the mid 1990’s when drilling identified high-grade cobalt, copper and gold mineralisation at several prospects with better results including;
- 0.15m @ 4.79% Co & 4.00 g/t Au
- 6.2m @ 0.61% Co & 6.4 g/t Au
- 1.2m @ 1.43% Co & 1.37 g/t Au
Read More
Colson Cobalt-Copper Project
The Colson Project contains the historic Salmon Canyon Mine which produced several hundred tonnes of copper-cobalt ore between 1964 and 1979 from 500m of underground development. Better results from underground sampling include:
- 2.5m @ 0.59% Co, 5.33% Cu, & 2.24 g/t Au;
- 1.3m @ 0.35% Co, 6.16% Cu, & 2.54 g/t Au; and
- 1.8m @ 0.31% Co, 2.99% Cu, 3.48 g/t Au & 27.7 g/t Ag.
The Colson Project was most recently drilled in 2018 but since then multiple high priority IP anomalies with coincident high tenor soil geochemistry anomalies have been discovered.
Panther Cobalt-Copper Project
The Panther Project lies 3km east of Jervois’ Idaho Cobalt Operation and 3km to the northeast of the historic Blackbird Cobalt Mine, where approximately 5 million tonnes of ore was mined between 1938 and 1969.
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Elkhorn Cobalt Project
The Elkhorn Cobalt Project is an early-stage prospect with historic prospecting pits containing cobalt-copper oxides over 1.5km of strike length. The character of the mineralisation, together with the host stratigraphy, invite analogies between Elkhorn and the known deposits within the Idaho Cobalt Belt.
Read More
Panther Cobalt-Copper Project
The Panther Project lies 3km east of Jervois’ Idaho Cobalt Operation and 3km to the northeast of the historic Blackbird Cobalt Mine, where approximately 5 million tonnes of ore was mined between 1938 and 1969.
Read More
Elkhorn Cobalt Project
The Elkhorn Cobalt Project is an early-stage prospect with historic prospecting pits containing cobalt-copper oxides over 1.5km of strike length. The character of the mineralisation, together with the host stratigraphy, invite analogies between Elkhorn and the known deposits within the Idaho Cobalt Belt.
Read More
