Brixton Metals (TSX-V: BBB, OTCQB: BBBXF) has made a significant discovery as part of its ongoing exploration work on the wholly owned Thorn project in northwestern British Columbia. The company reports the discovery of a new copper-gold porphyry system at the so-called Catalyst target, approximately six kilometers northeast of the already known Camp Creek system.
Initial Drilling Results Confirm Extensive Mineralization
In the course of the first drilling campaign at the Catalyst target, five boreholes were drilled, the results of which indicate an extensive hydrothermal system with typical porphyry alteration and mineralization. In particular, borehole THN25-343 showed consistent copper-gold mineralization over the entire drilled length:
424 meters averaging 0.30% copper equivalent (CuEq) from the surface, including higher-grade sections with
– 16.5 meters at 1.05% CuEq from 133 meters depth,
– 98.5 meters at 0.50% CuEq from 92.5 meters, and
– 26.0 meters at 0.50% CuEq from 31 meters depth.
Boreholes THN25-338 and THN25-341 also yielded several mineralized intervals above 0.30% CuEq. The mineralization begins near the surface and is associated with so-called Maricunga quartz veins, which are typical of gold-rich porphyry systems. In addition, copper sulfide zones with chlorite-sericite and chalcopyrite veins were observed at greater depths.
Potential for Large-Scale Copper-Gold System
According to CEO Gary R. Thompson, the discovery at the Catalyst target marks an important step forward for the Thorn project:
“We have near-surface mineralization in conjunction with a large-scale geophysical and geochemical anomaly. This clearly indicates a fertile, multi-phase porphyry system. This discovery opens up further potential along the 8 to 10 kilometer Camp Creek corridor.”
The geophysical survey by Quantec Geoscience had previously revealed strong anomalies with high chargeability over an area of approximately 1.35 square kilometers at Catalyst and 1.95 square kilometers at Tempest – a neighboring target. These large-scale signatures indicate a considerable geological extent of the systems.
Combination of Porphyry and Epithermal Mineralization
The drilling has shown that the copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum mineralization is bound to at least two intrusion phases as well as hydrothermal breccias. The system remains open in all directions. Particularly interesting are indications of high-grade precious metal zones – including 1.5 meters with 3.57 g/t gold and 16.5 meters with 59.06 g/t silver.
The combination of continuous copper mineralization and Maricunga veins suggests that Brixton is currently exploring the near-surface areas of a potentially vertically extensive porphyry system. Similar structures are known from the Chilean Maricunga gold province, where they are famous for their gold content of 0.5 to 2 g/t.
Next Steps and Exploration Strategy
Brixton Metals is pursuing a scaling-oriented strategy in the exploration of the Thorn project: Widely spaced boreholes are intended to quickly provide information about the lateral extent of the systems. A total of five boreholes with a total length of 2,670 meters have been completed at the Catalyst target to date. All showed porphyry alteration and mineralization.
In addition, a borehole was drilled at the Tempest target, approximately two kilometers south of Catalyst. There, too, the geologists encountered comparable geological and geophysical features. The pending analysis results from Tempest and two further Catalyst boreholes are scheduled to be published in the coming months.
Background: the Thorn Project and Brixton Metals
The Thorn project is Brixton Metals’ flagship project and comprises a large, previously little-explored copper-gold-silver-molybdenum area in northwestern British Columbia. In addition to Thorn, the company owns three other exploration projects: Hog Heaven (copper-silver-gold, Montana, in partnership with Ivanhoe Electric), Langis-HudBay (silver-cobalt-nickel, Ontario) and Atlin Goldfields (northwestern British Columbia, option to Eldorado Gold).
Conclusion:
With the new copper-gold discovery at the Catalyst target, Brixton Metals has identified another significant exploration center within the Thorn project. The results indicate a large-scale, multi-phase porphyry system with additional precious metal components – a clear indication of the geological potential of the entire Camp Creek corridor zone.
