Cascadia Announces 2026 Exploration Plans at the Carmacks Project, Yukon
Cascadia Announces 2026 Exploration Plans
at the Carmacks Project, Yukon
VANCOUVER, BC
,
March 2, 2026
/CNW/ - Cascadia Minerals Ltd. ("
Cascadia
") (TSXV: CAM)
(OTCQB: CAMNF) is pleased to announce plans for the upcoming exploration season at its wholly
owned Carmacks copper-gold project in central Yukon.
Exploration Plan Highlights
15,000 m of diamond drilling
will be completed at the Carmacks Project,
the largest
diamond drill program on the property since 2007
;
Drilling will continue testing
expansion of sulphide mineralization at the Carmacks Deposit
,
including step-outs on key 2025 intersections (Figure 1):
Zone 147 – CD-25-033 returned 83.52 m of 0.89% copper with 0.26 g/t gold,
including
26.33 m of 1.53% copper with 0.35 g/t gold
;
Zone 2000S – CD-25-040 returned 87.44 m of 0.63% copper with 0.15 g/t gold,
including
21.27 m of 1.25% copper with 0.28 g/t gold
; and
Zone 1213 – CD-25-035 returned 60.12 m of 0.84% copper with 0.16 g/t gold,
including
25.20 m of 1.36 % copper with 0.25 g/t gold
.
Three targets located within 1 km of the Carmacks Deposit will be drill tested (Figure 1):
Zone 14 – 2007 drilling returned 16.37 m of 1.04% copper in a parallel zone
of mineralization 400 metres east of the main deposit that has not seen follow-up;
Gap Zone – 2024 drilling returned 29.75 m of 0.50% copper in an area which has the
potential to link the 147 and 2000S Zones and has seen limited drilling; and
Sourtoe target – Strong chargeability and magnetic target indicative of a parallel zone of
mineralization west of the main deposit that has yet to be drill tested.
Drilling at Zone A, 11 km north of the Carmacks Deposit, where drilling in 1980 returned
22.86
m of 2.27% copper with 2.20 g/t gold
from 56.21 m (Figure 2); and
Additional IP and magnetic geophysical surveys to identify further targets both near-deposit and
regionally across the 180 km
2
property.
"We are excited to begin the largest diamond drill program at the Carmacks Deposit in almost two
decades,"
said Graham Downs, President and CEO of Cascadia.
"Key contracts and permits are in
place and crews are slated to mobilize to site in late April. Continued review of historical data is
highlighting numerous untested opportunities both proximal to the existing resource and regionally
across the property. Work is also underway to initiate baseline environmental, engineering and
metallurgical studies to support future updated economic analysis."
Figure 1 – Carmacks Deposit Map
Figure 2 – Carmacks Regional Map
Cascadia is exhibiting at the 2026 PDAC conference in Toronto, from March 1
st
to 4
th
. Cascadia has
been selected to participate in the
PDAC Core Shack, Booth #3106A, on March 1
st
and 2
nd
, and
will have core from the 2025 Carmacks drill program on display. If you are unable to attend the core
shack, we encourage you to visit us at our
Corporate Booth, #3126, from March 1
st
to 4
th
.
Drill Plan Overview
Approximately 10,000 m of drilling will focus on
continued resource expansion at the
Carmacks
Deposit
. Much of the historic drilling at the deposit focused solely on oxide mineralization, leaving
significant opportunities for expansion of sulphide mineralization, which has a more favourable
recovery profile. Drilling in 2025 successfully demonstrated expansion potential at all three zones
comprising the deposit, and work in 2026 will test further step-outs. All three zones remain open to
expansion in multiple directions.
Zone 14
is located 400 m east of Zone 1213 and hosts a NNW-trending IP chargeability anomaly
similar in character to, and in the same orientation as, the three zones that make up the deposit.
Limited drilling in 2007 at this target comprised a fence of 5 holes perpendicular to the IP anomaly,
with hole WC-130 returning 8.80 m of 1.39% copper with 0.11 g/t gold from 162.00 m, hole WC-140
returning 16.37 m of 1.04% copper with 0.09 g/t gold from 143.65 m, and hole WC-141 returning
79.70 m of 0.23% copper from 152.30 m. These holes encountered sulphide mineralization, which
was not the focus of 2007 exploration, and no subsequent follow-up work was conducted. The
target remains open in all directions and will be evaluated by drilling this season.
The Gap Zone
is an area located between the 147 and 2000S zones with limited historical drilling.
An IP survey conducted in 2022 identified a zone of chargeability at depth, which was tested by 4
holes drilled in 2024. Hole CRM24-027 returned 29.75 m of 0.50% copper with 0.07 g/t gold,
including 3.70 m of 0.94% copper with 0.12 g/t gold from 250.00 m. Hole CRM24-028 returned
14.95 m of 0.41 % copper from 255.04 m, and hole CRM24-029 returned 14.85 m of 0.51% copper
from 247.00 m. This drilling successfully identified sulphide mineralization in the Gap Zone, which
remains open in all directions. Follow-up drilling this year will test along strike and both up and down
dip of the 2024 drill intersections.
The Sourtoe target
is defined by a strong IP anomaly identified in 2022 which lies 250 m west of
Zone 147. The geophysical signature in this area is suggestive of another parallel zone of
mineralization. Limited trenching in 2022 uncovered copper oxide mineralization at surface. In 2026,
this target will be drilled for the first time.
Zone A
is located approximately 11 km northwest of the Carmacks Deposit. Drilling in 1980
encountered near-surface, high-grade mineralization across a 350 m strike length. Hole 80-09
returned 13.72 m of 3.18% copper with 2.01 g/t gold from 47.24 m; hole 80-14 returned 25.48 m of
2.04% copper with 1.72 g/t gold from 13.35 m; and hole 80-18 returned 22.86 m of 2.27% copper
with 2.20 g/t gold from 56.21 m. Three holes were drilled in 2020, with STU20-002 returning 7.49 m
of 2.82% copper with 2.26 g/t gold from 27.37 m, and STU20-003 returning 20.65 m of 1.13%
copper with 0.38 g/t gold. The 2020 drilling was very limited in scope, tested a different drill
orientation from historical work, and may not have encountered the correct target area. Drilling in
2026 is intended to comprehensively evaluate the target and will be conducted in conjunction with a
review of geophysical data.
Carmacks Project Overview
Cascadia's 180 km
2
Carmacks Project is located within the Traditional Territory of the Little Salmon
Carmacks and Selkirk First Nations and is 35 km southeast of the past producing Minto Mine, which
was recently acquired by Selkirk Copper Mines Inc. The Carmacks Project is road-accessible, via a
13 km access road which extends from the government-maintained Freegold Road northwest of the
town of Carmacks in central Yukon. The project has an existing 40-person camp, numerous roads
throughout the property, and is 10 km from grid power.
The project covers a large portion of the Minto Copper Belt, a 180 km x 60 km belt of intrusion-
related copper-gold-silver deposits. This belt is situated within the Stikine Terrane, which extends
into Yukon from British Columbia, and is characterized by Late Triassic to early Jurassic volcanic-
plutonic arc complexes that are well-endowed with copper-gold-molybdenum porphyries including the
Red Chris, Schaft Creek, Kemess, KSM and Galore Creek deposits and mines.
In addition to numerous early-stage targets, the project hosts the resource-stage Carmacks
Deposit, comprising a series of 5-100 m wide 'rafts' of variably migmatized xenolithic meta-
sedimentary and meta-volcanic rocks hosted within the coarse crystalline granitoids of the Granitoid
Mountain Batholith suite. The 'rafts' generally trend NNW-SSE over 3 km of strike length and form
three distinct zones of mineralization. Sulphide mineralization is confined to the metamorphic 'rafts'
and is found as chalcopyrite-bornite foliation parallel stringers as well as net-textured clots,
interpreted as evidence for later sulphide melts. The contacts with the intrusive phases of the granite
mountain batholith are sharp and unaltered. The geology and deposit model are thought to be similar
to the nearby Minto Deposit, with past work suggesting that the system is the result of an alkalic
porphyry deposit that was metamorphosed up to the point of partial melting at depths of up to 25km,
followed by rapid uplift to near surface.
The Carmacks Deposit has a Measured and Indicated Resource containing 651 Mlbs of copper and
302 koz of gold (36.3 million tonnes grading 0.81% copper, 0.26 g/t gold, 3.23 g/t silver and 0.01%
molybdenum) or 1.07% copper equivalent, and an Inferred Resource containing 38 Mlbs of copper
and 13 koz of gold (2.9 Mt grading 0.60% copper, 0.16 g/t gold, 2.34 g/t silver and 0.02%
molybdenum). A 2023 preliminary economic assessment demonstrated positive economic potential,
with a $230.4 M post-tax NPV
(5%)
and 29% post-tax IRR at US$3.75/lb copper and US$1,800/oz
gold. A second case evaluated at $4.25/lb copper and $2,000/oz gold returned a $330.1 M post-tax
NPV
(5%)
and 38% after-tax IRR.
The deposit is comprised of three zones, 147, 2000S and 1213, all of which remain open to
expansion in multiple directions. Historical drilling at the deposit focused primarily on oxide copper
mineralization, and numerous holes were ended when sulphide mineralization was encountered. Zone
1213 in particular hosts very shallow sulphide mineralization that has seen limited drilling.
About Cascadia
Cascadia's flagship asset is the Carmacks Project in the high-grade Minto Copper Belt in Yukon
Territory, Canada. Cascadia also has a pipeline of discovery stage copper-gold properties
throughout the Yukon Stikine Terrane including its Catch Property, which hosts a copper-gold
porphyry discovery where inaugural drill results returned broad intervals of mineralization (116.60 m
of 0.31% copper with 0.30 g/t gold). High-grade copper and gold mineralization is found at surface
over 5 km long trend, with grab samples returning peak values of 3.88% copper, 1,065 g/t gold, and
267 g/t silver.
QA/QC
The Mineral Resources and economic analysis disclosed here are referenced from the 2023
Technical Report on the Carmacks Project Preliminary Economic Assessment, authored by SGS
Canada Inc. Pricing for the Carmacks Project PEA base case economic analysis was US $3.75/lb
copper, US $1,800/oz gold, and US $22/oz silver at an exchange rate of $1:US$0.75. The results of
the Carmacks preliminary economic assessment are preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral
resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations
applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no
certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized.
Results referenced in this release represent highlights only. Below detection values for gold, copper,
silver and molybdenum have been encountered in drilling, soil and rock samples in these target
areas. Readers are cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and are not necessarily
representative of the grade of mineralization on the property. Copper equivalent calculations use
metal prices of US$4.00/lb for copper, US$2,500/oz for gold, US$30/oz for silver and US$20/lb for
molybdenum. Recovery factors of 82% for copper, 70% for gold, 69% for silver and 70% for
molybdenum were used, based on recovery projections from the 2023 PEA study.
The technical information in this news release has been approved by Thomas Hawkins, P.Geo., VP
Exploration for Cascadia and a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS
THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.
Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements:
This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable
securities laws. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these
statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press
release. Cascadia undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information, except as
required by securities laws.
SOURCE Cascadia Minerals Ltd.
View original content to download multimedia:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2026/02/c0987.html
%SEDAR: 00057245E
For further information:
For further information, please contact: Andrew Carne, M.Eng., P.Eng.,
VP Corporate Development, Cascadia Minerals Ltd., T: 604-688-0111 ext. 106,
CO: Cascadia Minerals Ltd.
CNW 07:00e 02-MAR-26