American West: First deep drill hole ’24 confirms potential for huge copper system

Another drill success for American West Metals (WKN A3DE4Y / ASX AW1) – this time at depth! With drill hole ST24-01, Managing Director Dave O’Neil’s company wanted to test the Central Graben area on the Storm copper project to see whether there is potential for new copper mineralization zones within the so-called “Deep Copper Horizon”, which was discovered almost exactly a year ago. And this can now be confidently affirmed.

Because, as American West announced today, copper mineralization in the style of the Cyclone deposit (near-surface copper mineralization on the Storm project) has been discovered with this first, deep diamond core drilling, confirming the prospectivity of the Central Graben area. And, explained American West’s Managing Director, there are indications that this is a fault and southern continuation of that deposit.

Core from ST20-01 assaying 3.7% Cu, Source American West Metals

• Drill hole ST24-01 in detail struck:
  – 10 meters with 1.2% copper from 311 meters downhole, including
  – 3 with 2.2% copper from 315 meters borehole depth and thereof
  – 0.5 meters with 3.7% copper from 315.5 meters downhole.

According to American West, this confirms the large lateral extent of Storm’s copper system at depth and demonstrates the potential for the Deep Copper Horizon to host large, layered, high-grade copper deposits.

Potential for large copper deposits at depth confirmed

This is because, as American West’s Dave O’Neill explains, the horizon encountered with ST24-01 is the same interpreted stratigraphic horizon that hosts the Cyclone deposit at shallow depth north of the Graben Fault. It is also important to note that this most recent hole encountered copper mineralization at the same depth as all other, widely spaced, holes in the Central Graben. According to the company, the continuity of copper mineralization in this horizon underscores the laterally extensive and likely layered nature of this deep copper system, which now covers an area of 10 square kilometres.

Mr. O’Neill believes that the results from the first deep hole drilled this year, while still testing a geological concept, speak to the untapped potential of the Storm area. This drilling, he continued, has confirmed the assumption that the deeper mineralized horizons have the potential to contain significant amounts of economic copper mineralization.

It is becoming apparent, Mr. O’Neill continued, that this could be a potentially huge and long-lived system of mineralization similar to those in the Central African Copper Belt. Further deep exploration is now about approaching the strongest parts of the mineralization, he continued.

But now, American West is hoping for next week, the results of the second deep drilling carried out this year at Storm expected shortly. This drill hole encountered more than 90 meters of visible copper mineralization and the company is eagerly awaiting the results. In addition, numerous results from the reverse circulation drilling closer to the surface are expected, so that a regular news flow can be expected in the coming weeks and months.