20,000 Meters of Drilling Exceeded
American West Metals and Aston Bay (TSX.V: BAY, FSE: 6AY, WKN: A2AUFP) have identified a new copper mineralization on the Storm Copper Project on Somerset Island in the Canadian province of Nunavut. At the same time, the resource potential of the Cyclone deposit has significantly increased through exceptionally high-grade intersections of up to 13% copper.
On the Storm project, the short summer high in northern Canada is being intensively utilized. The drilling completed has now exceeded the threshold of 20,000 meters and continues. Drilling also continues around the clock. So far, 14 diamond drill holes and 128 reverse circulation drill holes have been completed.
The partners were able to show very good results with drill hole SR24-035. It intersected a 3.1-meter section with 3.9% copper and 10.5 g/t silver at a depth of 57.9 meters. This included a 1.5-meter zone where the copper content increased to 5.9% and the silver content to 16.0 g/t. About 20 meters deeper, a second mineralization was drilled. It consists of 1.4% copper and 5.0 g/t silver, begins at a depth of 71.6 meters and contains a 1.5-meter section where the copper mineralization increases to 3.1% and the silver content to 11.0 g/t.
Drill hole SR24-031 also ended very encouragingly. It represents a step-out drilling that was sunk outside the known mineralization zone and contains 1.1% copper and 3.5 g/t silver over a length of 27.4 meters. The mineralization begins at a depth of 96 meters and from a drilling depth of 109.7 meters, a 4.6-meter section begins where the copper content increases to 3.1% and the silver content to 7.7 g/t.
High-grade 13.5% Copper and 23 g/t Silver over 54.9 Meters
Drill hole SR24-057 intersected three mineralized zones. At a depth of 54.9 meters, 1.5 meters with 13.5% copper and 23 g/t silver were first intersected. The second mineralized zone begins at a depth of 85.3 meters. It is 3.1 meters wide and contains 2.0% copper and 8.0 g/t silver. Another 1.5 meters with 1.8% copper and 3.0 g/t silver were encountered at a depth of 109.7 meters.
This not only confirmed the exceptional resource potential of the Cyclone deposit but also indicates an expansion at the edges. New copper finds are also emerging in the deeper zones. Here, Moving-Loop Electromagnetics (MLEM) is proving to be very helpful, as it makes it possible to look into the deeper layers of the deposit.
The subsequent drilling confirmed the measurement results, as the drilling of an MLEM anomaly in an untested area south of the Thunder prospect intersected strong visible copper sulfides at about 181.4 meters borehole depth. This new discovery is named Squall.
Depth investigations at 400 meters depth are currently also taking place on the Tornado deposit. Here, two EM anomalies were identified that spatially coincide with the exposed copper. Drilling of the 1,300 x 500 meter EM anomaly below the Cirrus deposit is underway, with the diamond drilling planned to a depth of 600 meters. Even though the exact drilling results are still pending at this point, the visual findings already indicate that the use of the new technology on the Storm project was a success and will lead with a very high probability to new discoveries and enlarged mineralizations.
