White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) first diamond drill hole confirms broad high grade copper at Danvers
White Cliff Minerals has reported assay results from its first diamond drill hole at Danvers 1 within the Rae Copper Project, with the company stating the result validates its current geological interpretation.
The first oriented diamond core also provides the initial structural framework for follow up drilling. The hole also returned broad copper and silver mineralisation from shallow depth.
Highlights
DAN26026 returned 50.9m @ 2.81% Cu and 7.66g/t Ag from 39.7m, including 4.3m @ 10.93% Cu and 15.6g/t Ag, 6.8m @ 3.93% Cu and 11.6g/t Ag, and 4.75m @ 7.12% Cu and 28.6g/t Ag.
Mineralisation commenced from 39.7m downhole, confirming the shallow nature of the Danvers 1 system.
The company says the assays provide further evidence of continuity within the broad mineralised system and confirm high grade copper within the principal chlorite altered breccia.
The first oriented diamond core has provided the initial structural framework for Danvers 1, supporting interpreted down plunge targeting for follow up drilling.
A further 21 diamond assays remain pending, including step out holes testing high grade mineralisation previously intersected in DAN26012 and DAN26015.
DAN26026 was collared more than 50m southwest of DAN25001 to infill a key gap within the core of Danvers 1.
The company states the first diamond drill hole confirms broad, high grade copper mineralisation previously intersected by RC drilling and provides further evidence of continuity within the broader mineralised system.
The company reports that mineralisation at Danvers 1 is hosted within a chaotic breccia that is strongly chlorite altered.
According to the company, the high grade intervals are dominated by bornite and chalcocite, with lesser chalcopyrite, while copper sulphides occur as disseminations, sulphide veinlets and breccia cement, and are locally associated with quartz carbonate veining.
Copper grades also extend beyond the principal breccia into basalt on both sides of the mineralised structure.
White Cliff Managing Director Troy Whittaker said:
“The Phase 1 drilling program, designed to assess more than 10km of prospective strike, is nearing completion. With the geological controls becoming increasingly clear, and further diamond assays pending, our focus is shifting to systematic step out drilling to follow the high grade zones, expand the mineralised footprint and establish the ultimate scale of Danvers.”
The company says the geological information generated from the first diamond hole advances its ability to target future drilling, evaluate continuity and build confidence in the broader Danvers geological model.
It also states that the result confirms the high grade copper mineralisation identified during the RC program forms part of a continuous mineralised system that can now be interpreted with considerably greater confidence, while the oriented diamond core has provided the first detailed structural information from Danvers.
The company also notes that the Rae Cu Ag Project contains numerous high grade copper occurrences, including a historic estimate at Danvers of 4.16 million tons @ 2.96% Cu, while stating that the estimate is not reported in accordance with the JORC Code and should not be regarded as a current Mineral Resource.
Diamond drilling is continuing to step out from the high grade mineralised zones identified during the Phase 1 regional drilling campaign.
Multiple diamond assays remain pending, including from step out holes testing high grade mineralisation previously intersected in DAN26012 and DAN26015, while geological and structural interpretation is increasingly defining the position of the highest grade mineralisation within the broader fault zone, allowing follow up drilling to target potential extensions more effectively.