White Cliff Minerals Ltd: New Gold and Copper Zones Identified 2-4 km East of Aucu
Highlights
- New outcropping gold and copper zones identified 2-4 kilometres east of Aucu
- Rock sample results include grades up to 6.7 g/t gold and up to 7.8% copper
- Mineralised structures now identified and mapped over an 8km wide zone
Mapping and rock sampling was conducted over a large area based on the results from the recent soil geochemistry sampling program (ASX release 9th December 2018). The mapping identified multiple new shear zones and assays of rock samples have identified significant gold and copper mineralisation with gold assays up to 6.7 g/t gold and copper assays up to 7.8% copper. The sampling confirms that the scale of the Aucu gold and copper system extends over at least 8 kilometres west to east and is still untested to the south.
The copper and gold results are associated with both porphyry and the overlying sandstones. Mineralisation occurs as within shear zones in both lithologies and as a layer of thermally altered magnetite rich skarn that is sandwiched between the sandstone and porphyry.
The highest copper and gold results are associated with chalcopyrite and copper oxides (malachite and azurite) usually within shear zones cutting through the sandstones and porphyries.
Moderate copper grades (1-2% Cu) and lower gold grades (0.1-0.7 g/t Au) are associated with the magnetite rich skarn. Key results are summarised in Table 1(see link below).
Geological Interpretation
The current geological interpretation is that the whole area is underlain by a larger mineralised system with an upper zone of structurally controlled epithermal gold mineralisation within a broad copper porphyry alteration zone.
Gold mineralisation now extends at least 8 kilometres from west to east and is currently open to the west, south and north. Copper mineralisation is currently associated with central porphyry and large alteration halo with the possibility that further mineralised porphyries have been identified to the east of Aucu.
Current Exploration
Due to heavy winter snows and ice build-up on the roads the Company has unable to safely conduct drilling on the main targets and so has concentrated on testing the gold potential along the floor of the main valley. The cost of drilling through frozen gravels to obtain small samples has proven prohibitive so the Company has opted to used excavators to bulk sample the alluvial material. Prior to winter closing access to the Chanach valley the Company completed 13 bulk samples to 5 metres depth with each hole consisting of approximately 35 cubic metres. Each metre in depth was sampled separately and assessed for alluvial gold, and rock and clay particle size distribution. 40-60 kilogram subsamples were collected and manually panned down to a concentrate. These samples will be submitted to the laboratory for analysis shortly.
Project Background: Aucu Gold Deposit
The Aucu gold deposit currently contains an Inferred Gold Mineral Resource above a cut-off grade of 1 g/t gold of 2.95 Million tonnes grading 5.1 g/t gold for 484,000 ounces of contained gold. The new resource reported in May 2018 represented a 60% increase in contained gold over the previously reported April 2017 inferred gold resource.
The project also contains an Inferred Copper Mineral Resource of 17.2Mt at 0.36% copper containing 64,000 tonnes of copper.
The drilling defining these resources has tested less than 5% of the identified mineralised structures and is currently open in all directions. The exploration carried out in this announcement has identified substantial additional potential over a large area on the eastern side of the project with rock chip samples of outcropping shear zones, veins and skarn alteration carrying gold grades of up to 6.7 g/t gold and 7.8% copper. As yet, no exploration has been conducted to the south or to the west of the main porphyry system.
In addition to the hard rock potential, the Company has identified visible gold in the alluvial river gravels that extend 16 kilometres from west to east across the Aucu project area.
To view tables and figures, please visit:
http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/D0AV4E1K
About White Cliff Minerals Ltd:
White Cliff Minerals is a Gold, Copper, Cobalt, Nickel resources and mining company listed in Australia (ASX:WCN). The Company is focused on developing low cost high value mineral deposits that have near term cash flow potential.
Major projects include the Aucu gold deposit that contains 484,000 ounces of gold (3mt at 5.1 g/t) starting at surface and Chanach copper deposit that contains 64,000 tonnes of copper (17.2Mt at 0.37% copper). Both projects have substantial blue sky potential with drilling covering only 5% of the known structures. In Australia the company is developing the Coronation Dam cobalt–nickel deposit where a maiden resource will be announced in the late 2018.
Source:
White Cliff Minerals Ltd.
Contact:
Todd Hibberd Managing Director T: +61-8-9321-2233 E: info@wcminerals.com.au W: www.wcminerals.com.au