- Kharabsheh: The searches come within the framework of the national mining project launched by the ministry in 2021
- Kharabsheh: Initial indications of the presence of some elements such as zinc, lead and gold
- Kharabsheh: The project is a continuation of studies and obtaining sufficient information to market areas
- Kharabsheh hoped that the sector would play an important role in the economic development process
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Saleh Kharabsheh, announced on Saturday the launch of a project to explore lead, zinc and gold ores in the Samra Taibah region of Wadi Araba.
Al-Kharabsheh said in a statement, a copy of which was received by “Roya” that the project, which is being implemented by the cadres of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, comes within the framework of the national mining project launched by the ministry in early 2021 to explore mineral resources, as it is located within the Arab-Nubian Shield, which is an area rich in minerals.
Memoranda of Understanding
He explained that the project comes within a group of the ministry’s projects and memorandums of understanding according to which companies operate on the ground to conduct the necessary feasibility studies.
Kharabsheh referred to previous studies conducted by the ministry in cooperation with the French Geological Survey on the Samra Taibah project, which showed preliminary indications of the presence of some elements such as zinc, lead and gold.
Vision of economic modernization
Kharabsheh indicated that the project is a continuation of the studies and obtaining sufficient information to market these areas, stressing the importance of the projects within the framework of the government’s policy within the vision of economic modernization, which defined the mining sector as one of the sectors of high value.
He hoped that the sector would play an important role in the economic development process, especially since such projects are being held in areas that need development operations and opening more job opportunities.
Mining program
Al-Kharabsheh referred to other stations within the national mining program that are being implemented by the cadres of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, including gold exploration in Jabal Al-Mubarak and Wadi Samit, as well as phosphate exploration operations in the eastern regions, adding that the results of some surface samples indicated good concentrations of lead, zinc and gold ores.
He said that the ministry is in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with one of the companies that applied to exploit eastern phosphate ores, and we are studying some requests for investment in rock potash in the Dead Sea, stressing that the mining sector projects need time to collect samples and analyze them and prepare economic feasibility studies for investment in them.
He stressed that the ministry is continuing to implement such projects due to their impact on the national economy and providing it with added economic value.
In turn, Hisham Al-Zyoud, Director of Studies at the Ministry of Energy, said that the area was divided into 16 sedimentary basins from the streams of the valleys. .
Preliminary results of the samples
Al-Zyoud pointed out that the preliminary results of the samples collected by the ministry’s team showed indications of the presence of gold percentages in the valley samples, which reached (20 ppb) ppb, while zinc concentrations exceeded (1000 ppm), equivalent to one kilogram of concentrated metal per ton of river sediments. Whereas lead metal (170 ppm) exceeded the equivalent of 170 grams concentrated per ton of sediment.
He said that 7 exploratory drilling holes have been drilled within the area whose valleys showed positive results, and work will continue to dig a group of wells as well, pointing out that the target area in the geochemical survey studies in the Wadi Araba region (Samra Taibah) is an extension of areas or Khushayba in the eastern part of Wadi trolley.
