Abacus Provides Update on Willow
Abacus Provides Update on Willow
Vancouver, BC – February 14, 2022. Abacus Mining & Exploration Corporation (“Abacus” or
the “Company”) (TSXV: AME) wishes to provide an update on the Willow porphyry copper
project in the Yerington copper camp, southeast of Reno, Nevada.
The Company drilled three holes totaling approximately 1700 metres on Willow last year. All
holes intersected the Luhr Hill granite p orphyry, which is the host rock of the four known
porphyry copper-molybdenum (Cu-Mo) deposits in the Yerington camp. Two holes drilled on
Willow by Abacus in 2018 also identified this porphyry granite rock, with one hole intersecting
the Luhr Hill just before being lost.
The identification of the Luhr Hill granite on Willow is significant, as all four known porphyry
Cu-Mo deposits in the Yerington camp are hosted by this rock unit. Rocks of the Luhr Hill are
also not known to exist at Yerington, without an associated Cu-Mo porphyry deposit. This
means that there is a ver y high likelihood of a Cu -Mo deposit being found on Willow, which
would mark the first major discovery in the Yerington camp in over forty years.
The Company analyses all drill holes for a large suite of geochemical elements, in an effort to
vector into a copper bearing deposit. This work is complicated by the fact that the originally
upright porphyry system is now lying on its side, with many of its features buried by later
volcanics. The geochemical results are still being processed by the lab, due to vol ume and
covid related delays, but results are expected sometime in March , and they will be released
once interpreted.
“The Company has drilled a total of 6 holes into a target that is at least two by two kilometres
in size, with two holes lost in 2018 before reaching depth,” stated Paul G. Anderson, President
and CEO of Abacus. “Considering the large size of the target, and the fact that it does not come
to surface, the four completed holes have not adequately tested the Willow target.”
Copper porphyry-molybdenum deposits at Yerington occur at the contact of the Luhr Hill granite
porphyry and surrounding volcanic rocks, or else close to the granite but further into the
volcanic package. Because the target at Willow is covered by later volcanism, prospecting by
drill is the only effective means of trying to locate a porphyry center, and this often takes several
drill campaigns to achieve, with each successive campaign vectoring closer to a porphyry
center.
Abacus completed geological, geochemical and geophysical work on Willow beginning in 2017
and then undertook a short core drilling program the following year. This drilling identified the
Luhr Hill Granite on Willow with copper values in the 0.1% to 0.2% Cu range along with elevated
Mo. This was a key new discovery, as there are no known instances of this granite in the camp
without an associated porphyry. The Molybdenum values are a particularly strong indicator that
you are close to a porphyry copper center.
Both drill programs were designed to test a very small portion of an extensive zone of intense
silicic and advanced argillic alteration, marked by coincident geological, geochemical and
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geophysical signatures typical of a porphyry copper -molybdenum deposit. Porphyry copper
systems are large in extent, and geochemistry collected from the 2018 drilling indicated that a
likely porphyry center occurs north of the area initially drilled. The Company’s target is
essentially identical to the two largest porphyry deposits in the Yerington camp, namely the
past-producing Yerington mine and the undeveloped Ann Mason deposit.
Of the porphyries in the camp , Anaconda mined the Yerington porphyry between 1952 until
1978, producing 1.6 billion pounds of copper. The undeveloped Ann Mason porphyry deposit
lies just east of Willow and is held by HudBay Minerals. In early April of 2021, Hudbay
announced an updated PEA on Ann Mason with a revised M&I resource of 2.2 billion tonnes
at 0.34% Cu. Nevada Copper is in production to the east at its Pumpkin Hollow skarn (P&P of
572 MT at 0.4% Cu). Quaterra Resources recently announced drilling to support the
Prefeasibility Study that is ongoing on their MacArthur oxide copper project (M&I of 159MT at
0.212% Cu). *
Abacus has the right to earn a 75% ownership interest in the Willow property from Almadex
America Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Almadex Minerals Ltd. The Com pany also has a
lease on the contiguous Nev -Lorraine claims giving it the right to explore and to elect to
purchase these claims outright over a ten-year period. The entire claim group is known as the
Willow Property.
Abacus also holds a 20% ownership interest in the Ajax copper-gold porphyry project, located
near Kamloops, British Columbia, which is managed by base metal major KGHM Polska Miedź
S.A., who hold the remaining 80%. The Ajax Project contains significant quantities of co pper
and gold, within a NI 43-101 Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 426 Mt at 0.29% Cu,
0.19 g/t Au and 0.39 g/t Ag. Contained metal is in the order of 2.7 Bil lbs Cu, 2.6 Moz Au and
5.3 Moz Ag**.
The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul G.
Anderson, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43 -
101.
* Data is from the respective Company websites. The Quaterra report is by M3 Engineering
and Technology Corp, May 23, 2012. Amended NI 43 -101 Technica l Report Preliminary
Economic Assessment Lyon County, Nevada, US.
** Wardrop Engineering Inc. 2012. Ajax Copper/Gold Project, Kamloops, British Columbia –
Feasibility Study Technical Report. Doc. No. 1054610300-REP-R0004-02. January 2012.
On Behalf of the Board,
ABACUS MINING & EXPLORATION CORPORATION
Paul G. Anderson, P.Geo.
President and CEO
About Abacus
Abacus is a mineral exploration and mine development company currently focused on copper and gold in B.C. and
Nevada. The Company’s main asset is a 20% ownership interest, together with KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. (80%),
in the proposed copper-gold Ajax Mine located southwest of Kamloops, B.C., which has undergone a joint provincial
and federal environmental assessment process. On December 14, 2017, a decision was made by the B.C. Minister
of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Minister of Energy, Mi nes and Petroleum Resources to
decline to issue an environmental assessment certificate for the Project. KGHM have recently reopened an office in
Kamloops, B.C. to facilitate First Nation, community and governmental engagement in order to advance the project
towards a potential resubmission of the environmental application.
Abacus also holds an option on the Willow copper-gold property located near Yerington, Nevada in which it can
acquire up to a 75% ownership interest, and the contiguous Nev -Lorraine clai ms subject to a ten -year lease
agreement.
For the latest reports and information on Abacus’ projects, please refer to the Company’s website at
www.amemining.com.
Forward-Looking Information
This release includes certain statements that are deemed “forward -looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of
historical facts, that address events or developments that Abacus expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are
statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”,
“estimates”, “projects”, “potential” and similar expressions, o r that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could” or “should” occur. Although the
Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward -looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not
guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the
actual results to differ materially from those in forward -looking statements include changes to commodity prices, mine and metallur gical recovery,
operating and capital costs, foreign exchange rates, ability to obtain required permits on a timely basis, exploitation and e xploration successes,
continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements
are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements
are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward -looking statements in
the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
Neither 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 release.