Preliminary investigations of gold deposits in central Malawi have identified three spots that contain significant volumes of the glittering mineral, PANA reported here Tuesday.
The exploration, undertaken by South East Africa Mining Exploration (SEAMEX), involved systematic stream sediments sampling and geological observation in the central tobacco growing district of Kasungu where it found five water courses and identified the three targets south of Dwangwa River to carry gold values.
The occurrence of alluvial gold in the drainage on the Dwangwa River was first reported by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) in the 1930s.
BSAC found out that two types of lode of gold (quartz stringers and ferruginous) could be panned out of stream sediments samples over a wide area of the river.
The identified area lies within the Mozambican orogenic belt and has metamorphic rock of the Precambrian to the Paleozoic ages.
Meanwhile, SEAMEX is geared to work out the actual source of bedrock gold. According to a SEAMEX official, the company will also analyse for 34 other base metals.
SEAMEX is also exploring for other gold deposits in the northern district of Chitipa which borders with Tanzania.
Malawi was previously known not to have precious metals but of late the country has witness a growing number of international companies scampering for rare earth metals, uranium, nobium, bauxite and now gold.