Joint Venture drilling rig in operation at Umm Ad Dabah. Credit: Ivanhoe Electric Inc.

Ivanhoe Electric’s Saudi joint venture with Ma’aden has initiated drilling at the Umm Ad Dabah anomaly, marking the first phase of exploration near Ma’aden’s Al Amar gold-copper-zinc mine.

Set up in 2023, the joint venture aims to explore for gold, copper, silver and electrification metals [such as lithium, nickel and cobalt].

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The Typhoon survey, which commenced in November 2023, revealed two chargeability anomalies, Umm Ad Dabah and Area B, with drilling currently underway at Umm Ad Dabah.

A second rig is expected to begin drilling at Area B in August.

The chargeability anomaly at Umm Ad Dabah, detected by Typhoon and Computational Geosciences’ software, begins 200m below the surface and extends beyond 1,000m in depth.

The exploration plan includes eight drill holes over the next two months to investigate the anomaly.

The initial hole aims to reach 250m to examine the top of the anomaly, while subsequent holes will explore deeper sections.

Ivanhoe Electric President and CEO Taylor Melvin stated: “We have been able to survey large areas quickly at Al Amar to identify areas for drill testing. With the arrival of the Joint Venture’s third new generation Typhoon machine in September, we will be expanding and accelerating our exploration efforts.”

Spanning 48,500km², the joint venture’s exploration licences and applications in Saudi Arabia cover the Al Amar belt, the Wadi Bidah and Bir Umq belts, and the carbonate platform on the eastern edge of the Arabian Shield.

The next Typhoon survey is set to commence at the Gehab prospect within the Wadi Bidah elt, between 220 and 270km southeast of Jeddah.

Prior geological mapping and sampling have been conducted to gather data in preparation for the upcoming survey.