The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Including 11.5m of 337 g/t silver and 16.7% zinc in WPC22-11 North of 60 Mining News – August 5, 2022
Drill core from WPC22-011, a hole that cut 11.5 meters averaging 337 g/t silver, 16.7% zinc, and 10% lead at the Waterpump Creek target on the Illinois Creek property.
The high-grade carbonate replacement zinc mineralization at Waterpump Creek is thicker as drilling steps out to the south.
Western Alaska Minerals Corp. Aug. 2 reported that the first assay results from its 2022 drilling at Waterpump Creek has confirmed the high-grade silver-zinc-lead mineralization observed in the core from drilling this carbonate replacement deposit on the company's Illinois Creek project in western Alaska.
In early July, Western reported that four holes drilled this year at Waterpump Creek – WPC22-07, WPC22-08, WPC22-011 and WPC22-13 – cut significant massive sulfide mineralization. Now, the company has received assay results from these holes. Highlights include:
• 5.1 meters averaging 459 grams (14.8 ounces) per metric ton silver, 12.1% zinc, and 14.8% lead from a depth of 136.4 meters in hole WPC22-07.
• 14.3 meters averaging 54 g/t (1.7 oz/t) silver, 10.3% zinc, and 1.9% lead from a depth of 150.1 meters in hole WPC22-07.
• 10.9 meters averaging 157 g/t (5 oz/t) silver, 9.9% zinc, and 6.4% lead from a depth of 114.6 meters in hole WPC22-08.
• 11.5 meters averaging 337 g/t (10.8 oz/t) silver, 16.7% zinc, and 10% lead from a depth of 139.1 meters in hole WPC22-11.
• 3.5 meters averaging 151 g/t (4.9 oz/t) silver, 22.3% zinc, and 5.1% lead from a depth of 152.7 meters in hole WPC22-11.
• 2.8 meters averaging 1,304 g/t (41.9 oz/t) silver, 2.5% zinc, and 37.1% lead from a depth of 150.1 meters in hole WPC22-13.
• 2.4 meters averaging 820 g/t (26.4 oz/t) silver, 15% zinc, and 13% lead from a depth of 158.4 meters in hole WPC22-13.
"These high-grade assays confirm our visual sulfide identifications and really whet our appetite for the results from the similar looking, but much thicker intercepts we reported last week from holes 17 and 18," said Western Alaska Minerals President and CEO Kit Marrs.
On July 20, Western reported that hole WPC22-17 cut 47 meters of massive sulfide and banded dolomite sphalerite mineralization a little more than 200 meters south and 30 meters west of Western's Waterpump Creek discovery hole WPC21-09, which cut 10.5 meters averaging 522 g/t silver, 22.5% zinc, and 14.5% lead from a depth of 109.4 meters
WPC22-18, drilled 50 meters south of WPC22-17, cut 101.7 meters of similar massive sulfide mineralization.
Assays from the thick mineralized zones encountered in these holes are pending.
Additionally, Western reports that new visual observations confirm WPC22-20, drilled 50 meters south and 30 meters east of WPC22-18, cut two intervals of similar massive sulfide mineralization – 11.4 meters from a depth of 166.6 and 20.7 meters from a depth of 185.2 meters.
Mineralization has now been traced for more than 300 meters to the south of discovery hole WPC21-09.
"We are very excited about the near-term potential for drilling out a preliminary bonanza-grade silver resource with base metal credits high enough to cover operating costs," said Marrs.
Drilling continues to target further extensions of Waterpump Creek with 50-meter step outs.
CORRECTION: Hole WPC22-0714.3 meters averaging 54 g/t (1.7 oz/t) silver. This article previously misstated the amount of silver in ounces per metric ton.
Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.
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