Apollo Minerals (ASX: AON) has identified a gallium-enriched halo within sedimentary rocks hosting the zinc-lead mineralisation at its Kroussou project in western Gabon.
The company made the discovery following a review of field mapping and diamond drilling data at the Doubaye and Ngongui embayment prospects, which also confirmed high-grade zinc-bearing surface outcrops along highly-prospective contacts at the project’s undrilled target areas.
The highest-grade zones are in the top 15 metres of rock within the hanging wall of the zinc-lead mineralisation, with best intercepts including 3.5m at 36 parts per million gallium from 0.4m, 2.5m at 34ppm gallium from 5.2m, and 7m at 31ppm gallium from 5.4m offering the potential for beneficial credits to any future mining scenarios.
Doubaye and Ngongui Mapping
Mapping at Doubaye identified numerous sandstone outcrops with base metal mineralisation in previously-unknown areas, with best results of 3.4% zinc-lead and 1.0% zinc-lead from coarse-grained sandstones and micro conglomerates and visible galena identified as trace amounts in coarser zones of the sandstone.
Results from the upper parts of the previously-unmapped Ngongui prospect extended the basin sediment contacts by 3,000 square metres, with best grades of up to 3% zinc-lead in a sandstone outcrop.
Apollo said there was strong potential for additional base metal mineralisation to be discovered at Kroussou, highlighted by 135 kilometres of prospective contacts and 23 embayments (six of which have been partially drill tested).
The company intends to carry out additional work to assess the gallium’s distribution, extent and mineralogy and investigate potential metallurgical pathways.
Confidence in Kroussou Prospectivity
Managing director Neil Inwood said the “highly encouraging” results provided confidence in Kroussou’s prospectivity.
“Our 2025 field work program has identified high-grade zinc-lead and extensive gallium enrichmen and allowed us to extend the prospecting regions at Doubaye and Ngongui by over 700m,” he said.
“This is a developing story and the potential for additional gallium occurrences encompasses the whole of Kroussou, particularly in the broader regions of laterite and saprolite weathering and in the numerous embayment targets.”
Largely as a by-product of bauxite and zinc refining, China currently produces more than 98% of the world’s gallium—which is integral to the production of high-speed semiconductor chips and LEDs, and is also ideal for use in military and satellite communications.
