The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Mining Explorers 2023 - January 18, 2024
Bornite copper mineralization and visible gold in a sample collected from the Metla target about 25 kilometers southeast of Camp Creek on Brixton's Thorn project in Northern BC.
The thick zones of copper-gold-silver-molybednum mineralization tapped with drilling at the Camp zone on Brixton Metals Corp.'s Thorn project in Northern British Columbia has attracted the attention of BHP Group, which invested C$13.6 million (US$10 million) to acquire a 19.9% interest in the exploration company at the end of 2022.
"We are excited to welcome BHP as a major shareholder of the company and are looking forward to working with BHP in advancing the exciting Thorn project," said Brixton Metals Chairman and CEO Gary Thompson.
Considering that one 2022 hole drilled at Thorn cut 967.7 meters averaging 0.25% copper, 0.09 grams per metric ton gold, 2.4 g/t silver, and 186 parts per million molybdenum, it is no wonder why the world's largest mining company is interested in securing a foothold on the 2,863-square-kilometer (1,105 square miles) property.
Other highlights from Camp Creek drilling prior to BHP's investment include:
• 976.5 meters averaging 0.22% copper, 0.07 g/t gold, 2.06 g/t silver, and 154.4 ppm molybdenum in hole THN21-183.
• 821.3 meters averaging 0.24% copper, 0.1 g/t gold, 2.44 g/t silver, and 174.3 ppm molybdenum in hole THN21-184.
• 779.7 meters averaging 0.23% copper, 0.05 g/t gold, 2.46 g/t silver, and 234.7 ppm molybdenum in hole THN22-213.
A technical team that included members from BHP and Brixtion developed a 20,000-meter drill program for 2023 that included deep holes to test Camp Creek, as well as the Trapper epithermal gold prospect about five miles (eight kilometers) southeast of Camp Creek.
"Our first priority will be focused on the Camp Creek copper dominant porphyry target followed by the Trapper Gold Target later in the campaign," Brixton Metals Vice President of Exploration Christina Anstey said upon the May launch of 2023 drilling.
In September, Brixton reported the longest copper intercept ever at Camp Creek. This hole, THN23-261, cut 1,562.4 meters averaging 0.19% copper, 0.05 g/t gold, 2.81 g/t silver, and 189 ppm molybdenum. This intercept included an 855-meter subsection averaging 0.29% copper, 0.06 g/t gold, 2.44 g/t silver, and 314 ppm molybdenum
Brixton says this thick porphyry body at Camp Creek is at least 1,000 meters squared and could extend up to 2,000 meters along strike.
"The copper mineralization remains open in several directions," said Anstey.
The 23 holes driled at Trapper last year investigated the potential of expanding a 400-meter zone where 2022 drilling cut 304.5 meters averaging 1.19 g/t gold in hole THN22-237; 398.3 meters averaging 0.85 g/t gold in hole THN22-243; and 199 meters averaging 1.12 g/t gold in hole THN22-248.
Highlights from the 2023 drilling at Trapper include:
• 55.7 meters averaging 0.82 g/t gold in hole THN23-268, including seven meters averaging 2.67 g/t gold.
• 98 meters averaging 0.62 g/t gold in hole THN23-270, including six meters averaging 5.07 g/t gold.
While the drills were turning at Camp Creek and Trapper, geologists were exploring the wider Thorn potential.
This prospecting included the collection of high-grade samples from West and Metla, two of the 14 copper-gold-silver targets identified so far at Thorn.
West is a porphyry target about six kilometers (3.7 miles) west of Camp Creek. The two best of the 18 samples collected there in 2023 contain 16.7% copper, 327 g/t silver, and 0.1 g/t gold; and 16.3% copper, 817 g/t silver, and 0.01 g/t gold
Metla is a target roughly 25 kilometers (16 miles) southeast of Camp Creek where sampling has returned both high-grade gold and copper. The best gold grades from nine samples collected from Metla last year assayed 52.5 g/t and 51.7 g/t gold. The best copper sampled contained 4.2% copper and 43.7 g/t silver; and 3.8% copper and 42.7 g/t silver.
"Classic boots on the ground work continues to identify new mineralized outcrop on a regular basis on the Thorn Project with lots of ground yet to cover," said Thompson.
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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