Case study · Desktop study
Is this free ground worth a licence?
A block of free ground in a gold-bearing schist belt, 2 km from known artisanal gold workings. We tested it from the desk before any money went on the ground, and found that the best ground lay just outside it.
The question
The block sat in Nigeria's basement complex, on a schist belt with a record of gold. Artisanal miners were working 2 km away, yet the block itself was untitled. The question was simple: is it worth an exploration licence, and is the outline right?
We ran this study in-house, on a real block, to show what a desktop study delivers. The block's name, coordinates and nearby places are left out here. A client's study is never published.
What we checked
Every source below is public or licensed national data, read against the block's exact outline.
- Mining CadastreTitle status of the block and its neighbours, and pending applications
- Geology and researchPublished geological maps and studies of the belt and its gold
- National prospectivity modelsThe government's gold and pegmatite favourability models
- High-resolution airborne surveyMagnetics and radiometrics, processed for structure and alteration
- Land and protected areasVillages, roads, and forest reserves from international and state records
- Community and securityThe district's record of disputes, illegal mining and incidents on the roads
- Licence route and feesLicence type, fees, filing requirements and the earliest filing date
- Neighbouring groundEvery strip of free cells around the block, scored the same way
The scorecard
Six of ten tests passed, three needed watching and one was weak. None ruled the block out.
| Test | What we found | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Free on the Mining Cadastre; no pending application seen | Pass |
| Host rock | Basement rock of a gold-bearing schist belt, well clear of the sedimentary basin | Pass |
| Known gold nearby | Artisanal gold workings 2 km away; more mapped occurrences about 5 km off | Pass |
| Government models | Rated low on all three national prospectivity models | Weak |
| Structure | A shear-like magnetic low ends at the block's edge; the block itself is below average | Watch |
| Alteration | Average potassium gain; a uranium–thorium band suggests pegmatites | Watch |
| Settlements and land | No village inside the block; the nearest is 2 km away | Pass |
| Protected areas | Nearest listed forest reserve about 10 km away; state confirmation still needed | Pass |
| Security | Kidnap attempts on the approach road this year; illegal mining in the district | Watch |
| Licence route | Exploration licence now, with the right to convert to a small-scale lease later | Pass |
The key finding: the best ground was next door
The airborne magnetics showed a narrow low, the likely trace of a shear zone, running 2 km from the workings to the block's northern edge, then fading. On our gold screen the block ranked just below typical. The strip to its north, which holds the whole low, ranked far higher.
Gold screen: structure and alteration from the airborne survey, each ranked against all basement rock on the survey sheet (50 = typical, dashed line). It ranks where to look first; it is not a chance of finding gold.
The verdict
Go, on conditions: file for 54 units, not 30
Add the 24 units to the north if they are free. The licence application fee is the same up to 100 units, so the larger block costs only its yearly fees, and it takes in the structure the gold is most likely to follow.
- Confirm on the Cadastre that the northern strip is free.
- Have a geoscientist confirm the magnetic low and read the 1:100,000 geological map.
- Get written confirmation from the state that no forest reserve overlaps.
- Sign landowner consent before filing, through the traditional council.
Without the study, the obvious move was to file for the 30 units as drawn. That would have held average ground and left the most promising structure open to the next applicant.
What the client receives
- A written reportThe findings, the scorecard and a clear recommendation, in plain language.
- Maps and GIS filesAirborne layers over the block, plus Google Earth and GIS files of every outline.
- Field check pointsSix points to visit first, each with its coordinates and what to look for.
- The licence routeLicence type, fees, documents and the earliest date you can file.
- A risk registerEach risk to the block, with how to handle it before money is spent.
- A first work stepThe smallest field programme that answers the main question.
Have a block in mind?
Send the licence number or the block's corners, and the question you want answered. We reply within two working days with a scope and a fee.