Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSXV: BAY) has identified significant expansion potential with final assay results from the 2022 drill season, confirming significant near surface high-grade copper at the Storm Copper Project on Somerset Island, Nunavut, Canada.
Expansion Potential of Near Surface Mineralisation
This drill programme has highlighted the continuity of the near surface copper mineralisation and the potential for significant tonnages within the 2750N Zone. This zone is one of five major zones of high-grade mineralisation that has been identified by historical exploration; four remaining zones await follow-up drilling to confirm potential additional copper mineralisation.
The areas of immediate exploration interest are the 2200N and 4100N Zones, where thick intervals of copper mineralisation have already been defined by historical drilling. Additional drilling at these zones is expected to significantly increase the scale of the near surface copper mineralisation within the Storm Project area.
Assay Highlights
Diamond drilling continues to define near surface high-grade copper at Storm, more than doubling the mineralised envelope at the 2750N Zone and substantially enhancing the resource potential
New significant intersections include:
- 19m @ 2.08% copper (Cu) from 58 metres (m) downhole, including; 2m @ 15.98% Cu from 70m downhole (ST22-06)
- 10m @ 2.36% Cu from 53m downhole, and 7m @ 1.08% Cu from 79m downhole (ST22-04)
- 2m @ 1.81% Cu from 36m downhole, and 7m @ 1.00% Cu from 40m downhole, and 1m @ 5.75% Cu from 13m downhole (ST22-07)
- A high volume of near-surface high-grade copper at the 2750N Zone has now been confirmed with mineralisation open to the west along a 1km prospective strike length
- Potential to further define near-surface high-grade copper deposits, with future drilling of the 2200N and 4100N Zones where multiple intersections of massive copper sulfides have been discovered by historical drilling
- Drill core samples from the 2022 program are being shipped to Perth for further beneficiation test work, to follow-up the initial test work that produced a Direct Shipping Product with a grade >53% Cu
“These drill results confirm the near-surface high grade copper mineralisation at the 2750N Zone, likely doubling the volume of mineralisation, once again demonstrating the enormous potential of the Storm Project,” stated Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay.
““We look forward to next season’s drill campaign, which aims to define further resources at the 2750N Zone as well at other areas of near-surface high-grade copper mineralisation, such as the 2200N and 4100N Zones.
“Samples are enroute for the next phase of beneficiation test work to be conducted over the winter, with the objective of developing a definitive flowsheet for a potential direct shipping product mining operation. We are excited by the very successful efforts of our partner American West to so rapidly advance the project.”
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