Amarc Resources Ltd. (TSXV:AHR) has received promising assay results from the Phase 1 core drilling programme at its wholly-owned Duke porphyry Cu-Au district in central British Columbia.
In total, 24 core drill holes (11,086m) were efficiently completed in 80 drill days between early December 2022 and mid-March 2023. Two drill rigs focused on further delineating the Duke Cu-Mo-Ag-Au Deposit, while a third rig tested the shallow overburden covered and robust 4.7sq. km Induced Polarization (IP) anomaly that surrounds the Duke Deposit and is indicative of an expansive mineralized system.
Furthermore, with an early snow melt, crews were back on site in mid-May with a District-wide airborne magnetics survey recently being completed, and ground geological, geophysics, geochemical surveys all underway with over 35 technical and logistics crew members now on-site. These surveys are evaluating 16 prioritized porphyry Cu-Au targets across the Duke District to define targets for planned winter 2023-2024 drill testing.
Through 2023, $10 million in exploration expenditures at the Duke District is being fully funded under the Mineral Property Earn-in Agreement with Boliden Mineral Canada Ltd. Amarc is project operator.
Drilling
Of the 24 Phase 1 holes drilled, 16 widely-spaced drill holes (7,552m) were completed to further delineate the DUKE Deposit. These holes have increased the size of the DUKE Deposit porphyry Cu-Mo-Ag-Au system, and also Amarc’s understanding of the controls on mineralization in the Duke District.
An exploration template has been developed to effectively screen and advance the additional 16 priority exploration targets within the extensive 678 sq. km Duke District tenure. This rapid advance in understanding the controls on mineralization at the Duke Deposit provides a higher probability of success in these regional target areas.
Drill holes at the Duke Deposit were sited on a nominal 200m grid as step-outs from previous Amarc drilling. These holes confirmed that the Duke Deposit extends to depths of at least 600m, and also expanded the deposit footprint laterally to over 650m north-south by 800m east-west.
In addition, on-going detailed geological interpretation and modelling indicates strong potential for further expansion of the deposit laterally, and especially to the east.
A notable characteristic of the porphyry Cu-Mo-Ag-Au mineralization in these widely-spaced holes is the presence of zones of higher grade mineralization within broader envelopes of comparatively moderate grade. Significant potential exists with further drilling, for the definition of internal higher-grade zones.
The Duke Deposit consists of a series of Babine porphyry intrusions which were emplaced into volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The resulting contact zones are characterized by elevated Cu-Mo grades, often over several tens of metres in width, in both the intrusions and the adjacent volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The extension of significant Cu-Mo mineralization from the intrusions into the enclosing volcanic and sedimentary rocks greatly expands the Duke Deposit volume potential.
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