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Positions NW Alaska VMS project for future resource expansion North of 60 Mining News - September 19, 2023
Aerial view of the airstrip and 24-man camp on Valhalla Metals' Sun copper-zinc-lead-gold-silver project on the banks of Beaver Creek in the Ambler Mining District, Northwest Alaska.
Click on image for larger Sun drilling and relogging map.
Valhalla Metals Inc. Sept. 18 reported the completion of an exploration program at Sun that included camp upgrades, geophysics, relogging of historical core, and four new holes drilled on the polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulfide project in the world-class Ambler Mining District of Northwest Alaska.
"A lot was accomplished in a short amount of time during this first exploration program undertaken by Valhalla," said Chairman Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse.
This work began with the construction of a new 24-man camp that will serve as a base to continue exploration at Sun, a historically explored VMS project with world-class potential.
"We now have a great camp that can support a two-drill-rig program," Van Nieuwenhuyse added.
According to a 2018 calculation, the Sun and adjacent SW Sun deposits host 1.71 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 4.32% (163 million pounds) zinc, 1.48% (55.8 million lb) copper, 1.11% (42 million lb) lead, 60 grams per metric ton (3.3 million oz) silver, and 0.21 g/t (12,000 oz) gold; plus 9.02 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 4.18% (831.3 million lb) zinc, 1.21% (239.6 million lb) copper, 1.46% (290.3 million lb) lead, 81.7 g/t (22.7 million oz) silver, and 0.25 g/t (73,000 oz) gold.
While this resource represents a good start, Valhalla sees the potential to significantly expand the Sun deposit by drilling down-dip and along strike.
A versatile time domain electromagnetic survey flown over the property, however, suggests that the near-surface deposit outlined with drilling so far represents only a fraction of a larger VMS system.
The VTEM survey shows a strong conductor that represents a potential link between Sun and SW Sun. It also indicates the potential to extend the deposit below the 200-meter depths included in the resource.
To better outline the Sun expansion potential, Valhalla carried out a ground-based gravity geophysical survey this year at the project.
The company also relogged core from six holes drilled at Sun and SW Sun in 2012.
Highlights from these historical holes include:
• 8.55 meters averaging 2.53% copper, 1% zinc, 5.48% lead, 77.8 g/t silver, and 0.21 g/t gold in hole Sun 12-29.
• 5.2 meters averaging 1.94% copper, 6.52% zinc, 1.91% lead, 194 g/t silver, and 0.39 g/t gold in hole Sun 12-31.
• 14 meters averaging 1.16% copper, 6.41% zinc, 1.5% lead, 75 g/t silver, and 0.12 g/t gold in hole Sun 12-40.
• 30 meters averaging 1.06% copper, 2.03% zinc, 0.69% lead, 43 g/t silver, and 0.34 g/t gold in hole Sun 12-41.
• 2.5 meters averaging 1.15% copper, 7.21% zinc, 1.63% lead, 157.6 g/t silver, and 0.32 g/t gold in hole Sun 12-42.
The distance between the northeastern-most hole relogged (Sun 12-41) and the southwestern-most (Sun 12-40) is roughly 1,350 meters.
Valhalla also completed 1,104 meters of new drilling in four holes this year – one in the area of holes Sun 12-41 and Sun 12-42, and three near holes Sun 12-29 and Sun 12-40.
"Although it was a short season, the Valhalla team managed to complete four holes to target depths," said Van Nieuwenhuyse. "We look forward to reporting results later this fall."
The 2023 program also included lidar and orthophotography (aerial imagery that is geometrically corrected so the scale is uniform) over the Sun and Smucker properties.
Smucker, which lies about 60 miles northwest of Sun and 15 miles northwest of Ambler Metals' proposed Arctic Mine, hosts more than eight million metric tons of historical resource averaging 0.8% copper, 6.8% zinc, 2.3% lead, and 200 g/t silver.
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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