Western Alaska Minerals (TSXV:WAM) has received positive drill assay results from WPC22-20 which intersected two thick multistage massive sulphide horizons for which visuals were announced previously at its 100% owned Waterpump Creek Carbonate Replacement Deposit.
The upper intercept cut 1.1 meters grading 883 grams/tonne (g/t) Silver (28.4 ounce/tonne (oz/t)), 45.2% Lead and 12.2% Zinc within 11.4 meters grading 284 g/t Silver (9.1 oz/t), 10.9% Lead and 14.8% Zinc. The lower intercept cut 2.7 meters grading 297 g/t Silver (9.5 oz/t), 10.6% Lead and 2.8% Zinc within 20.7 meters grading 171 g/t (5.5 oz/t) Silver, 5.8% Lead and 9.4% Zinc.
Mineralisation remains open and will be the focus of the 2023 drill programme.
Highlights of Hole WPC22-20
- WPC22-20 is located 50 meters south and 25 meters west of WPC22-018, which cut 101m of massive sulphides interpreted as a feeder chimney
- The WPC22-20 high-grade intercepts appear linkable to high-grade zones in the interpreted WPC22-018 chimney
- Both intercepts show classic multi-phase CRD-style massive sulphide mineralisation with silver-rich lead mineralisation stages cutting earlier zinc-rich stages
- Similar mineralisation has now been cut at similar elevations in 10 drill holes indicating a continuous elongate body 30 to 75 m wide and 400 meters in length
“These two thick intercepts tie together with similar mineralisation in nine other holes to give us 400 m of continuous high-grade mineralisation fed from the chimney we cut in WPC22-018,” said Kit Marrs, Western Alaska Minerals CEO.
“This discovery stems from our technical team’s follow-up on last year’s initial intercept in the zone. We think we’ve latched onto a major silver-lead-zinc system so the company has purchased three more drill rigs for more aggressive exploration starting next spring.”
Assay Results
Hole WPC22-20 encountered two significant intercepts of massive to semi-massive sphalerite and argentiferous galena in a matrix of secondary dolomite like that seen in previous drilling.
The intercepts are separated by seven metres of weakly to unmineralised host rock. Both intercepts clearly show multiple cross-cutting stages of mineralisation, highlighted by distinctive zones of silver-rich galena cutting separate lower-silver sphalerite stages. There are at least two separate stages of sphalerite. The uppermost interval has only minor pyrite while the lower interval has a much higher pyrite content, but neither intercept shows the massive pyrite stage shown in WPC22-18.
Data continue to show a strong correlation between silver and lead with each one per cent lead associated with approximately one oz/t silver. Zinc grades appear far more variable and reflect different stages of mineralisation.
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