Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC), a leading mining PSU enterprise and the largest lignite seller in the country, has commenced geological studies and on-ground design for mineral exploration programs over 1400Ha area in and around Ambaji mining lease in North-Eastern Gujarat.
The Base-Metal Reserve at Ambaji holds critical and strategic importance in tackling the expected global copper deficit of up to 5 million tonnes by 2030-35. The Ambaji site is expected to have a significant Polymetallic deposit with trace amounts of precious metals and would scale up GMDC’s presence in base metals and demonstrate the company’s commitment to further diversifying its mineral portfolio. The reserve will additionally cater to the demand for EV adoption across emerging and developed nations, gradually reducing India’s dependency on the import of Copper.
Mr. Roopwant Singh, IAS, Managing Director, GMDC, said, “There is massive potential in Ambaji; the site is expected to hold a significant Polymetallic deposit with trace amounts of precious metals. At GMDC, we have only just begun exploring the area and are looking for base metals, including Copper at the moment, but we are open to other commodities and other opportunities.”
Preliminary geological observations imply that the Ambaji deposit is intrusive-based massive sulfide style (IHMS). The IHMS deposits are major sources of base metals, including Lead, Zinc, and Copper along with trace amounts of precious metals like Gold and Silver. The reported resource at Ambaji is estimated at nearly 6.28 million tonnes with almost 10% total metal content (Copper, Zinc, and Lead combined) within the current drilling study envelope. While the resource model data is under preparation, the style of mineralization indicates an impression that there is a high probability of resource enhancement which will contribute towards “AatmaNirbhar Bharat’’ with sustainable growth