Western Metallica Validates Copper Porphyry Potential BY Completing Scout Drilling Program at Its Caña Brava Cu-Mo Project in PERU
WESTERN METALLICA VALIDATES COPPER PORPHYRY POTENTIAL
BY COMPLETING SCOUT DRILLING PROGRAM AT ITS CAÑA BRAVA
CU-MO PROJECT IN PERU
TORONTO, ONTARIO – February 12, 2025 – Western Metallica Resources Corp. (TSXV: WMS)
(“Western Metallica” or the “ Company”) is pleased to report results from its inaugural scout
drilling program at the Luz Maria copper-molybdenum target, located within the Company’s 100%-
owned Caña Brava Project, Northern Peru. Full results from the three initial drill holes have been
received, confirming homogeneous copper and molybdenum grades throughout. The increase in
sulfide content, and the change from disseminated pyrrhotite dominated mineralization in drill
holes LM24DD001 and LM24DD002 , to a stockwork of sulfide (pyrrhotite -pyrite-molybdenite-
chalcopyrite) veinlets in drill hole LM24DD003, suggests an eastward vector towards a hotter
centre of the porphyry system. Such evidence confirms the prospectivity for a major porphyry
style copper -molybdenum deposit, as similar signatures can be associated with large and
economic copper systems along the Andean Belt.
Greg Duras, President and CEO of Western Metallica Resources, stated: “ We believe that the
initial 3-hole 1,056 metres of drilling completed as part of our maiden scout drilling program has
only scratched the surface of the significant and unlocked potential for porphyry -related copper
and molybdenum mineralization at Luz Maria . The exploration w ork conducted, and the data
compiled to date by our technical team has already defined a WNW-ESE trending, 10-kilometre,
unexplored structural corridor of porphyry-related targets, of which Luz Maria was the first to be
drill tested. This initial program has tested only a portion of Luz Maria’s 2.7-kilometre-long
alteration footprint, and we believe these results position us at the discovery stage of an Eocene-
age porphyry belt in northern Peru.”
Drilling Highlights:
• The three diamond drill holes completed at the Luz Maria prospect all intersected
broad intervals of strongly altered intrusive rocks , with well-developed potassic,
phyllic and sodic alteration assemblages, typical of Andean porphyry systems (refer to
table 1).
• A total of 1 ,056.25 metres were drilled between October 2024 and early January 2025 ,
strategically moving from West – from the site of the strongest regolith Cu and Mo anomaly
coinciding with the outcrops of intrusive rocks - to East, where the unsupervised cluster
classification 3D model , based on the geophysical data available , identified a high
chargeability, high mag susceptibility and high metal factor (high chargeability / low
resistivity) target under the sedimentary wall rock.
• This first step scout drilling program only tested to a maximum depth of approximately 300
vertical metres and 300 metres on strike along the 2,700-metre-long major axis of the
alteration footprint identified to date , representing approximately 5% of the Luz Maria
anomaly.
• Drill hole LM2 4DD003 was intended to continue well beyond the initially planned 350
metres to investigate the incipient strong alteration and increasing vein density at greater
depth. Unfortunately, the hole did not reach target depth due to operational drilling
difficulties.
• The drill program has successfully proved that both the intrusive rocks, diorite in drill holes
LM24DD001 and L M24DD002, quartz-monzonite in drill hole LM24DD003 and the
sedimentary wall rock, all host homogeneous copper -molybdenum mineralization (refer
to figures 3, 4, and 5) consistently along the length of the drill holes (400 ppm Cu and 100
ppm Mo in LM24DD001, 450ppm Cu and 100 ppm Mo in LM24DD002, and 350ppm Cu
and 80 ppm Mo in LM24DD003), albeit in subeconomic quantities.
• The rock s are strongly altered with biotite and pyrrhotite replacement of the
ferromagnesian minerals, with a clear overprint by quartz -sericite alteration increasing
progressively from West (LM24DD001) to East (LM24DD003).
• Mineralization occurs as both chalcopyrite and molybdenite disseminations, and in
stockworks of Early Biotite and B veins. The best result obtained so far is 1.8 metres at
0.2% Cu, from 146.7-148.50 metres, within a zone featuring high-density pyrrhotite-
chalcopyrite infill and dissemination (refer press release dated January 14, 2025).
• The increasing pyrrhotite at depth (refer to figures 1 and 2), and the stronger magnetic
and chargeability signatures at depth, will support geological interpretation work aimed at
targeting the hotter zones, closer to the porphyry source than the widespread low-grade
mineralization and alteration found at Luz Maria (refer to figure 6).
HOLE_ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth DIP Final Depth
LM24DD001 734,497.676 9,130,700.676 1,415.326 220 -65 396.10
LM24DD002 734,610.316 9,130,681.539 1,373.504 220 -60 329.70
LM24DD003 734,643.946 9,130,470.747 1,366.259 40 -60 330.45
Total 1st phase metres 1,056.25
Table 1. Drill holes executed at Luz Maria prospect during the current program.
Figure 1. Drillhole LM24DD003 @ 300.75-301.30 metres.
Pyrrhotite infill and stockwork of Early Biotite and quartz-chalcopyrite-molybdenite B veins.
Figure 2. Drillhole LM24DD003 @ 315 metres. Close up of disseminated pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite,
pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite – molybdenite veinlets and quartz- -molybdenite veins.
Giovanni Funaioli, Vice President of Exploration of Western Metallica Resources commented:
“The drilling program confirmed that the presence of a large alteration footprint, coupled with the
multiphase intrusions, widespread potassic alteration and well developed stockwork, provides us
with enough evidence that we are testing a major porphyry system as well as the existence of a
mineralization vector from West to East, likely deeper than initially expected. We’ll also continue
to explore the other targets identified on surface, such as Ca ña Brava 1, where the Company
plans to drill a 1.5 km by 1.5 km phyllic alteration anomaly, with copper grades up to 0.4% at
surface, in the near future.”
Figure 3. Drill hole profiles of LM24DD001. The black histogram on the left of the drill hole trace is for
mag susceptibility, the orange histogram on the right is for Cu ppm, and the black line on right for Mo
ppm. Best values for copper (green box) and molybdenum (blue box) are pointed out.
0.06% Mo
Figure 4. Drill hole profile LM24DD002. The black histogram on the left of the drill hole trace is for mag
susceptibility, the orange histogram on the right is for Cu ppm, and the black line on right for Mo ppm.
Best values for copper (green box) and molybdenum (blue box) are pointed out.
0.08% Mo
0.2% Cu
Figure 5. Drill hole profile of LM24DD003. The black histogram on the left of the drill hole trace is for mag
susceptibility, the orange histogram on the right is for Cu ppm, and the black line on right for Mo ppm.
Best values for copper (green box) and molybdenum (blue box) are pointed out.
138.65m-169.5m @ 0.01%Mo
186m-196m @ 0.01%Mo
314.65m-EOH@ 0.01%Mo
0.03% Mo
0.1% Cu
Figure 6. Luz Maria interpreted NS cross section.
Background
Western Metallica holds the option to acquire 100% of the mineral claims, rights, and interests in
Caña Brava, a Cu -Mo project located in Northern Peru ( refer to press release dated August 10,
2023). The project lies within the under-explored Northern sector of the Cu-Mo metallogenic belt of
Eocene age that hosts, to the South, world class deposits such as Las Bambas (MMG),
Cotabambas (Panoro Minerals Ltd.), Constancia (Hudbay Minerals Inc.), Antapacay (Glencore)
and discoveries such as Elida (Element 29 Resources), the first porphyry deposit of this age
discovered in North Peru. The Company´s Caña Brava Project is well located in close proximity to
industrial ports, major paved roads and is comprised of large, contiguous mineral concessions
conducive to future project scalability.
The Caña Brava Project is a highly prospective 5,700-hectare package of concessions located 30
kilometres from the Peruvian coast, at an elevation of 1,500 metres in the Western Cordillera of the
Peruvian Andes. The Caña Brava Project is neighboring Hudbay’s Llaguen Cu -Mo Project which
lies on the Western margin of the Miocene epithermal-porphyry copper-gold belt of Northern Peru,
with the potential for Caña Brava to similarly host shallow high -grade mineralization across a
considerable alteration footprint . Western Metallica recently announced the launch of a first drill
program at its Luz Maria copper-molybdenum porphyry prospect after having received its permit to
drill from 19 platforms (refer to press release dated July 15, 2024 ). Luz Maria is a well-preserved
porphyry system and priority drill target at the Caña Brava Project, where exploration work to date
has successfully defined a cluster of multi-stage mineralized intrusions within a large 2.7-kilometre
by 1.5-kilometre phyllic to incipient biotite -replacement alteration footprint , comparable in size to
other major Peruvian porphyry deposits, and featuring multiple mineralized intrusion events (refer
to press release dated September 24, 2024 ). The Company is also advancing with the drilling
permitting on its Caña Brava 1 prospect, located on the Northwest sector of the Caña Brava Project,
characterized by a distinctive 1.5-kilometre by 1.5-kilometre sized leached zone with goethite and
hematite box works. Both environmental and s ocial base lines, required to support the FTA
process, have been completed for this sector. At Caña Brava 1, the diamond-sawn channel
sampling campaign confirmed grades up to 0.3% Cu from 7 different intrusive recognized to date.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Sample preparation and analyses are conducted according to standard industry procedures. Rock
samples are crushed, split, and pulverized prior to analysis of Gold by fire assay and Atomic
Absorption and multi -elements by ICP -AES after four acid digestion. Analytical performance is
monitored by means of certified reference materials (CRMs), coarse and fine blanks, coarse and
pulp duplicate samples. Samples are prepared and analysed in SGS lab in Lima, Peru.
Qualified Persons
The technical and scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by
Mr. Giovanni Funaioli, EurGeol, Vice President Exploration of Western Metallica, who is a “Qualified
Person" as defined by National Instrument 43 -101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Mr. Giovanni Funaioli is an employee of the Company and is not considered independent under NI
43-101.
About Western Metallica Resources Corp.
Western Metallica is an Ontario registered company with its head office in Toronto, Ontario, trading
on the TSX Venture Exchange under symbol WMS. Western Metallica is in the business of mineral
resource exploration and development and holds the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Caña
Brava copper-molybdenum project located in La Libertad Department, Peru. Western Metallica is
also advancing its 100% owned Nueva Celti Copper Property in the Ossa Morena belt in Andalusia,
Spain, and three other Spanish gold projects in the “Navelgas Gold Belt” in Asturias, Spain
(Penedela, Valledor and Sierra Alta).
Further information of the Company can be found at: www.westernmetallica.com