Australian copper explorer American West Metals (WKN A3DE4Y / ASX AW1) is currently conducting a very extensive exploration program at its Storm copper project in Nunavut, Canada. They have now made a new discovery and at the same time intersected powerful sections of visually identifiable copper sulfide mineralization with drilling!
As announced by CEO Dave O’Neill, extensive areas with copper outcrops and exposures were encountered along an 8-kilometer strike length. American West had initiated a comprehensive mapping and sampling program, building on the preliminary results of an MMT survey within the Tornado target area, where extensive areas of visible copper were found in outcrops.
Extensive chalcocite and malachite occurrences were mapped along the interpreted main fault network, with chalcocite (copper sulfide) confirmed by portable XRF (X-ray fluorescence) devices. In light of this discovery, American West plans to investigate a series of fault-related copper occurrences and stratigraphic targets in the Tornado target area with reverse circulation (RC) drilling in the coming days.
American West Reports Significant Copper Sulfide Intersections
American West also seems to be on the right track with its diamond core drilling at Storm! With the eight holes completed to date, totaling 1,786 meters, they have intersected some significant sections of visually identifiable copper sulfides!
American West highlights drill hole PFS-001, which was drilled on the southern boundary and wall of the planned Cyclone deposit pit. The drill hole intersected approximately 43 meters of very strong visible chalcocite and chalcopyrite mineralization, including visible semi-massive sulfides.
Drill hole PFS-002, also highlighted by the company, was drilled on the opposite side, the planned northern wall of the pit to the Cyclone deposit, and intersected 49.5 meters of very strong visual chalcocite and chalcopyrite mineralization – including visible semi-massive sulfides. As Managing Director O’Neill explains, this is a positive surprise in both cases.
Such visual assessments and portable XRF analyses should by no means be considered a substitute for laboratory assays of drill samples, and there is no guarantee that these discoveries are equivalent to high copper grades. However, this has often been the case at the Storm project in the past, so the information presented today, with all due caution, can at least be considered positive indications.
American West Advances RC Drilling
Additionally, American West has already completed 21 RC drill holes at Storm, totaling 3,194 meters of drilling. 12 holes were drilled at the Thunder, Lightning Ridge, Cirrus, Cyclone, and Corona deposits. These are intended to upgrade the known resources to the next higher category and expand them.
Furthermore, the company has drilled two holes testing southern extensions of the Cyclone deposit, while another seven exploration holes were drilled in The Gap, Cyclone West, Squall, and Hailstorm target areas.
Does the Tornado Target Area Contain a Significant Copper Deposit at Depth?
Dave O’Neill, Managing Director of American West Metals, stated: “The drilling and regional exploration plans at Storm are rapidly evolving, and we are excited to announce further exciting results.
As previously reported, Phase 1 of the mobile magnetotelluric (MMT) survey defined a number of large conductive structures in geologically and structurally favorable locations along the Midway-Storm-Tornado corridor. While the MMT data are being finalized and interpreted in 3D, an extensive mapping and sampling program has been completed to support drill targeting. The survey was very successful, defining over 8 kilometers of strike length with visible copper sulfides along the extensive fault network. Significant amounts of chalcocite, a very high-grade copper sulfide, were recorded and confirmed with portable XRF devices. The scale and extent of the mineralization underscore our belief that the Tornado area could host a very large copper deposit at depth.
Eight diamond drill holes have now been completed and have yielded some outstanding sections of visible copper sulfide. Two of the geotechnical drill holes completed in the Cyclone deposit have intersected semi-massive sulfides in unexpected areas of the resource.
The geotechnical drill holes were designed to intersect the planned walls of the open pit mines and are therefore located at the edges of the resource. The significant copper intersections in these areas are very encouraging for potential resource growth and will likely push the pit walls outwards. This means that more copper can be extracted from the ground. These drill holes highlight the sometimes unexpected nature of drilling and the untapped growth potential of Cyclone and the wider project areas.
RC drilling is also continuing intensively, with 21 holes completed to date. The drilling was completed to test resource upgrade and priority exploration targets in the Storm area. The drill rig has now been moved to the Tornado area to test the near-surface resource potential of the area.
We look forward to releasing further updates on this exciting program.”
Conclusion: As mentioned, visual identification and XRF results are not yet a guarantee of significant copper grades. However, given the historical correlation between such exploration results and good laboratory results at Storm, the information from the diamond core drilling can, in our opinion, be considered encouraging indications!
The discovery of visible copper sulfides over 8 kilometers (!) of strike length is also a sign that American West is on the right track with this exploration season at the Storm project. We are excited to see the laboratory results of the numerous drill holes already completed!
