High-grade zinc shows Dry Creek potential

White Rock Minerals Ltd. Nov. 4 reported that it has tapped high-grade zinc mineralization that indicates a major expansion of the Dry Creek deposit at its Red Mountain volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit in Alaska.

Two VMS deposits on the Red Mountain property – Dry Creek and West Tundra Flats (WTF) – host 9.1 million metric tons of Australian Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (JORC) compliant inferred resource averaging 5.8 percent (1.17 billion pounds) zinc; 2.6 percent (516 million lb) lead; 0.1 percent (26.5 million lb) copper; 157 grams per metric ton (46.1 million ounces) silver; and 0.9 g/t (260,000 oz) gold.

The Dry Creek deposit hosts roughly 25 percent of this resource in two parallel lenses – Foster and Discovery.

Last week, the Australia-based explorer reported that DC19-96, the final hole of the 2019 program, cut massive sulfide mineralization with abundant sphalerite (zinc mineral) more than 200 meters down-dip from the deepest intercepts at Dry Creek. Assay results show that this 1.4-meter intercept averages 13.9 percent zinc, 4.4 percent lead, 115 grams per metric ton silver, 0.8 g/t gold and 0.3 percent copper.

This intercept was in Foster lens.

"This aggressive step-out drill hole at Dry Creek has shown that the deposit is wide open with fantastic high-grade zinc and silver persisting over 200 meters deeper than previously drilled," said White Rock Minerals Managing Director Matt Gill. "While this particular intersection is narrow, we know that typical VMS lenses pinch and swell along strike and down dip, as evidenced by previous drilling where true-width intersections of up to 40 meters at the Fosters lens have been recorded."

Hole DC19-96 was angled toward the Discovery lens but poor ground conditions and winter weather prevented drilling to continue to the stratigraphy where the Discovery lens is expected. This hole, however, did intersect a chert horizon that has historically correlated with Discovery, indicating the bit was nearing this parallel lens of massive sulfide mineralization when the hole was terminated.

According to the calculation completed early in 2017, Dry Creek hosts 2.4 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 4.7 percent (254 million pounds) zinc; 1.9 percent (101 million lb) lead; 0.2 percent (11 million lb) copper; 69 g/t (5.3 million oz) silver; and 0.4 g/t (32,000 oz) gold.

"The majority of the current inferred resource is drilled to a depth of just 200 meters, so a further step out of over 200 meters suggests considerable upside is possible in expanding the size of the deposit," said Gill. "This leaves considerable additional potential to this down dip position in the deposit, especially when considering the Resource footprint extends for 1,200 meters of strike."

"A targeted drill program early in the 2020 field season could unlock just how significant the resource expansion potential could be," he added.

–SHANE LASLEY