The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Native copper seen in VMS zones drilled at SE Alaska project North of 60 Mining News – August 11, 2023
At a depth of 177.6 meters, hole CMR23-152 cut native copper encountered in Southwall Zone 1 at the Palmer VMS project.
Massive copper and iron sulfide mineralization cut in Lower Southwall Zone 2-3 at the Palmer project in Southeast Alaska.
American Pacific Mining Corp. Aug. 8 reported that the 2023 drill program at Palmer has cut up to 43-meter-thick zones of volcanogenic massive sulfide mineralization that include veinlets of native copper at this high-grade zinc-copper-silver-gold project in Southeast Alaska.
"Drilling progress is ahead of schedule, and we are pleased to report that semi-massive and massive sulphide mineralization has been observed over drilled thicknesses of approximately 40 metres within the upper (Zone 1) and lower (Zone 2-3) VMS lenses of the Southwall Zone at the Palmer Deposit," said American Pacific Mining CEO Warwick Smith.
American Pacific gained a roughly 45% joint venture interest in Palmer with its acquisition of Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. in October of last year. Dowa Metals & Mining Company Ltd. owns the remaining 55% of Constantine Mining LLC, the JV advancing exploration, permitting, and development at Palmer.
A preliminary economic assessment that was updated prior to American Pacific gaining ownership outlines plans for an underground mine and a 3,500-metric-ton-per-day mill at Palmer that would produce 1.07 billion pounds of zinc, 196 million lb of copper, 18 million ounces of silver, and 91,000 oz of gold over an initial 11-year mine life.
According to a 2018 calculation, the Southwall and RW zones that make up the main deposit at Palmer host 4.68 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 5.23% (539 million lb) zinc, 1.49% (154 million lb) copper, 30.8 grams per metric ton (4.6 million oz) silver, and 0.3 g/t (451,000 oz) gold; plus 5.34 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 5.2% (612 million lb) zinc, 0.96% (113 million lb) copper, 29.2 g/t (5 million oz) silver, and 0.28 g/t (48,100 oz) gold.
A 9,000-meter resource definition drill program that got underway in June is targeting high-priority areas in two unique mineralized lenses that make up the Southwall zone of the Palmer deposit.
So far, the company has completed more than 4,180 meters of this infill drilling in 14 holes.
Logging of drill core from Southwall Zone 1 indicates massive and semi-massive sulfide mineralization up to 43 meters in drilled thickness and defined by a sphalerite- (zinc mineral) rich eastern limb, a chalcopyrite- (copper mineral) rich core and increasing pyrrhotite-pyrite (iron sulfide) mineralization through the center of the lens. Drilling will continue to test the western portion of Zone 1.
Directional drilling of Southwall Zone 2-3 has provided insight into the structural complexity of the deposit at depth, allowing for precision targeting of desired intersections. Two distinct sphalerite-chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite-barite massive sulfide horizons with a drilled thickness of approximately 39 meters have been visually identified through core logging.
American Pacific says knowledge gained from this resource definition drilling will provide insights to support feasibility-level studies of the Palmer deposit and future discovery-focused drilling throughout the mineralized district.
In addition to the resource drilling, American Pacific is carrying out a 2,550-meter geotechnical program to gain a better understanding of the rock mechanics and hydrogeology, which are essential to mine engineering and evaluating potential locations for project infrastructure.
An important aspect of the 2023 program at Palmer is broadening the understanding of environmental conditions in and around the project area. The environmental team has been planning baseline studies to properly evaluate new areas for potential infrastructure. These studies include wetland mapping, noise monitoring, measuring ambient light, and fish and wildlife surveys.
American Pacific says providing the community with confidence that the environmental studies and monitoring at Palmer go above and beyond regulatory compliance and is a top priority of the environmental team.
"The 2023 field season started with snow clearing along Porcupine Road, providing construction access for a safe and modern 60-person camp, scheduled for occupancy in August," said American Pacific Mining Vice President of Advanced Projects Peter Mercer. "The addition of these facilities is a major milestone and will support an expanded field season, year-round environmental monitoring, and maximize productivity going forward."
This year's US$25.5 million exploration program at Palmer is being funded by Dowa Metals & Mining.
American Pacific has the option to pay a portion or all of its share of the expenses by the end of October to minimize or eliminate dilution of its interest in the Constantine Mining JV.
As operator of the Palmer project, American Pacific receives 7% of program expenditures for managing the 2023 work program.
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.
Reader Comments(0)