Unveiling graphite potential in Ruangwa, Mozambique Belt, Southern Tanzania

Graphite is a strategic mineral that is currently globally in high demand due to its role in technology and industrial applications. The Neoproterozoic Mozambique Belt, renowned for graphite-bearing metamorphic terranes formed during the closure of the Mozambique Ocean. Ruangwa is part of the southeastern Mozambique Belt, and is also known for graphite occurrences. However, these occurrences remain poorly constrained due to the absence of integrated geological and geophysical characterisation. This knowledge gap limits understanding of their geometry, continuity and grade control, thereby creating uncertainty in exploration targeting and resource evaluation. This study applied an integrated approach, combining horizontal loop electromagnetic (HLEM) surveys, targeted drilling and laboratory analyses to define mineralisation geometry, depth, grade distribution, and continuity of graphite mineralisation in Ruangwa. HLEM data successfully resolved conductive zones corresponding to graphite-rich horizons, which were validated through drilling and assays. The mineralisation comprises graphite with flake sizes of 1 to 5 mm and Total Graphitic Carbon (TGC) ranging from 1% to 15% (mean of 7%). Graphite mineralisation is hosted within a series of shallow, lensoid to tabular metamorphic bodies from surface exposures to depths of about 65 m within quartz-, feldspar-, and mica-rich layers. These bodies exhibit moderate to steep inclination with dip angles ranging from 45° to 75° east and west, consistent with the regional trend within the Mozambique Belt. The mineralised zones display lateral continuity, having widths from 55 to 1 400 m and vertical thicknesses of between 2.5 and 1 400 m. The graphite deposits are estimated to host measured resources of 63 Mt at 4.7%, containing approximately 3.0 Mt of graphite using a 3% TGC cut-off grade and indicated resources of 61 Mt at 5.7% TGC, containing approximately 3.5 Mt of graphite. The overall mineral resource of the project is estimated to be 174 Mt at a cut-off grade of 5.4% TGC, containing 9.3 Mt of graphite that is expected to support the potential life of a mine for 40 years. These findings reaffirm the Ruangwa area as a rich graphite province hosting high-quality flake graphite, and highlight its strong potential as a prospective locality for the development of flake graphite resources in Tanzania.