Aston Bay Holdings: New thick copper zones discovered on Storm

Together with partner American West Metals, Aston Bay Holdings (TSX.V: BAY, FSE: 6AY, WKN: A2AUFP) has discovered new copper zones during reverse circulation drilling at the Storm Copper Project on Somerset Island in the Canadian province of Nunavut. This year’s exploration thus led to new successes right from the start, once again emphasising the property’s potential for rapid and significant expansion of the previous discoveries.

Significant intersections of rich copper mineralisation were intersected at shallow depths in three drill holes. The first was SR24-02, drilled at Cyclone North, which intersected a 36.6 metre interval of visible copper sulphides at a depth of 79.3 metres.

The drillers were also successful at The Gap deposit. Here, visible copper sulphide mineralisation was intersected in drill hole SR24-03 at a depth of 36.6 metres and over a length of 47.2 metres. The copper content increased significantly again over a length of ten metres, as very strongly visible copper sulphides were detected in the drill samples.

The successes continued in borehole SR24-04. Here, further visible copper mineralisation was detected at a depth of 29 metres. It is similar in appearance to the high-grade copper mineralisation found in discovery hole ST23-03 in 2023, which contained 3% copper.

The exact laboratory results are now eagerly awaited, as drill holes SR24-03 and SR24-04 are located halfway between the Cirrus Prospect and the high-grade Thunder Prospect. Here, prospective structures with an increased probability of copper in the ground have been identified over a distance of four kilometres. To date, these targets have not been drill tested, but the target area is considered to be of particular interest and is a high priority for upcoming work.

Although the drill programme is not yet complete, the drill results already indicate a strong correlation between the electromagnetic moving loop (MLEM) targets and copper mineralisation. This success has resulted in several targets being prioritised. Work on the project, where drill rigs are travelling on tracks, is a high priority and will therefore continue on a 24-hour basis.

Two more drill rigs will be operational shortly

“It is very encouraging to report initial successes from the 2024 exploration programme at Storm,” said Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay. “Drilling of moving loop EM geophysical anomalies is proving very effective in discovering copper mineralisation. This provides a major exploration advantage. With several new anomalies yet to be drilled and depth potential only now being tested using this method, we look forward to further discoveries this season at Storm.”

The preliminary geological interpretation of the first holes of the 2024 exploration and resource expansion drilling programme has now been completed. With the results to date, drilling at The Gap confirms the potential to detect new copper mineralisation within the relatively untested area along the four kilometres long structures.

Reverse circulation drilling with the track-mounted drill rig will therefore be continued and intensified. The second RC drill rig and the diamond drill rig will arrive at the project in the coming weeks and will be gradually integrated into the programme. A total of over 20,000 metres of drilling is planned for 2024.