Mavita Overview

The Mavita project comprises two granted exploration licenses covering 354km² on the eastern edge of the Achaean Zimbabwe craton, in the Manica province of Mozambique.  The project area was initially targeted by Western Mining Corporation for its nickel prospectivity and applied for in 2005.

BHP Billiton Memorandum of Understanding

After their successful takeover of Western Mining Corporation, BHP Billiton elected to farm out the Mavita project to Lithic Metals and Energy in 2006.  Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Lithic was obliged to spend US$150,000 on exploration within 18 months to earn 100% of the licenses.  Lithic has fulfilled this earn-in obligation and has successfully transferred the licences to its subsidiary company, Zambezi Niquel Mozambique Limitada.

In conjunction with the transfer of the licences, BHP Billiton formally waived clawback and royalty rights conferred to them under the Memorandum of Understanding, leaving the licences unencumbered and 100% owned by Lithic Metals and Energy.

Location

Located in the picturesque Manica province of Mozambique, the Mavita project sits 65km south-west of the regional centre of Chimoio, near the Chimanimani mountains.  Access to the area is very straight forward, with good all season roads and a large airport at Chimoio with daily flights to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.

High tension power lines from the Cahora – Bassa hydro scheme pass within 10km of the project area.

Project Details

Initial reconnaissance mapping, stream sediment sampling and geophysical surveys have identified two nickel-prospective ultramafic sequences.

Early rock chip sampling identified the presence of the nickel sulphide polydimite in association with elevated nickel values.

Current exploration activities are concentrating on defining drill targets within the ultramafic sequences through the completion of detailed geological mapping, rock chip and soil sampling, IP and EM ground geophysical surveys.

Lithic is planning to fly a VTEM geophysical survey over the ultramafic sequences in late 2008 as a prelude to drill testing nickel sulphide targets.