Canadian copper explorer Wedgemount Resources (CSE:WDGY) has announced the initial assay results from its 2021 exploration program at the road accessible Eagle copper-gold project, located in the Quesnel trough copper-gold porphyry belt of central British Columbia.
The best copper-gold-silver result was sample D702202 which returned 9.86% copper, 2.5 g/t gold and 77.7 g/t silver. The sample was taken from a 20 X 20 metre gossanous outcrop bearing strong deformation and structurally controlled copper mineralization with up to 10 % visible chalcopyrite in a weakly magnetic diorite to gabbroic intrusion.
Results have now been received from 51 rock samples collected during Wedgemount Resources’ Phase 1 exploration program at the Eagle copper-gold project. Sampling was focused at three main zones on the property to verify mineralisation style and grade and to expand known mineralisation footprints as well as other high priority targets that display coincident soil geochemical and ground and/or airborne geophysical anomalism.
Additional gold and silver results
Gold and silver results were anomalous for every anomalous copper result; averaging 0.292 g/t gold and 8.23 g/t silver for copper results in excess of 1,000 ppm and 0.725 g/t gold and 20.0 g/t silver for copper concentrations in excess of 1%. The best copper-gold-silver result was sample D702202 which returned 9.86% copper, 2.5 g/t gold and 77.7 g/t silver.
“We are extremely excited to receive initial assay results from the recently completed Eagle exploration program. The results confirm historical sampling at the three main zones and extend the strike length of all three zones,” said Mark Vanry, President & CEO of Wedgemount. “We also have highly anomalous samples from east and southeast of the Nighthawk Zone which open up new areas for further investigation including a planned high resolution IP survey.”
The primary focus of the first phase of the 2021 exploration program was to first open old exploration trails for improved access followed by targeted geological mapping and geochemical sampling of the main zones of known porphyry-related copper and gold mineralisation.
New drilling vectors to be defined at Eagle site
Based on a thorough review of all compiled recent and historical exploration data, other high-priority targets were defined and prioritised, Wedgemount said. The overall goal of the program is to improve the understanding of mineralisation and the alteration styles of the main zones and to define new vectors to aid in drill hole targeting.
Geochemical results from multiple, confirmation soil samples collected along lines over key target areas are pending. A deep penetrating induced polarisation (IP) geophysical survey is also tentatively scheduled to commence in August followed by additional geological mapping and sampling.
Based on these new data, drill targeting will be completed and a decision will be made to commence with drill testing.
Eagle sits in prolific Quesnel trough region of BC
The road accessible, 2,530 hectare project is situated in the heart of BC’s prolific Quesnel trough copper-gold porphyry belt mid-way between the Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine of Centerra Gold and the Kwanika copper-gold development project of Northwest Copper. The property is underlain by the Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous Hogem Intrusive Suite, a large, regional batholith comprised of alkaline and calc-alkaline plutons that have been emplaced into the Middle Triassic to Lower Jurassic Takla Group volcanic rocks and sedimentary sequences.
Historical work from the late-1960s to the early 2000’s, including geological mapping, geophysical and geochemical surveys and limited drilling have outlined three main porphyry-related copper-gold targets. The discrete zones identified on the Eagle property to date are hosted within a broad, northwest-trending, 3.5 km long structural corridor of copper-gold mineralisation and widespread anomalous copper in soils.
The Eagle project is subject to an earn-in agreement with ArcWest Exploration.
