Aston Bay Announces Additional Near Surface Copper Mineralization and Expansion of High Grade 2750N Zone at Storm Project, Nunavut
Aston Bay Announces Additional Near Surface Copper
Mineralization and Expansion of High Grade 2750N Zone at Storm
Project, Nunavut
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2022 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd.
(TSXV:BAY)(OTCQB:ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce visual
results from three more diamond drill holes at the Company's high-grade Storm Copper Project
("Storm" or the "Project") on Somerset Island, Nunavut. This is the maiden drilling program for
American West Metals Limited ("American West"), who are the project operator, since entering
an option agreement with Aston Bay in March 2021.
Highlights
• Drilling at the high-grade 2750N Zone continues to expand footprint of the near
surface mineralization
• The latest resource drill holes along strike from 2750N have intersected wide
intervals of visual copper mineralization, including:
• ST22-07 has intersected 43.5m of mineralization including 15.5m of breccia and
massive copper sulfides over multiple intervals
• ST22-08 has intersected 30m of mineralization including 13m of breccia and
massive copper sulfides over multiple intervals
• The copper mineralization within the 2750N Zone remains open along strike and at
depth
"Drilling at the 2750N Zone continues to impress the team, with thick intervals of copper
mineralization near the surface in every drill hole," stated Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay.
"This gives us confidence in the continuity of the mineralization and the exploration potential for
more, in an area where we are working with our partner American West to define a shallow
copper resource that can support a low cost, small footprint direct shipping product mining
operation. Together with the exciting discovery of a zone of stratiform ‘sediment hosted style' of
copper mineralization announced earlier this week, this has been an outstanding drill program
and a real game changer for the Storm project."
Figure 1: Diamond drilling underway at the 2750N Zone where further outstanding intervals of
near surface copper mineralization have been encountered.
2750N Zone: Expanding the Mineralized Footprint
Drill holes ST22-07 and ST22-08 have been completed at the 2750N Zone and have successfully
intersected further thick zones of breccia and massive sulfides (mostly chalcocite) hosted within
much broader intervals of vein and fracture style copper mineralization.
A total of 997 metres (m) of drilling has been completed to date on the shallow and high-grade
2750N Zone, with the drilling continuing to confirm the outstanding continuity and thickness of
the ore system (Figure 2). The latest drill holes have failed to close off the mineralization which
remains open along strike to the east and west, and at depth.
The mineralization encountered within the latest drill holes is visually similar to the previous
drilling with chalcocite being the dominant mineral, and with chalcopyrite, bornite, cuprite and
minor oxides being present within certain intervals.
The potential for further mineralization and extensions to the 2750N Zone is supported by strong
copper anomalism in soils and rock chips along an extensive strike of the known mineralization.
Massive chalcocite has been mapped in outcrop on the western margin of the 2750N Zone, with
assays of rock chips up to 62% copper. The geochemical footprint defined by soil and rock chip
sampling extends for over 1 kilometre (km) along the main strike of the 2750N Zone (Figure 3).
Figure 2: Plan view of the 2750N drill holes and displaying the mineralized intervals (visual).
The mineralization shows strong continuity and thickness. True lengths of intersections in the
inclined drill holes are approx. 40% greater than they appear in plan view; stated drill hole
intersections are all core length, and true width is expected to be 60% to 95% of core length.
Figure 3: Plan view of the 2750N Zone area showing soil geochemistry and gossans overlaying
drilling. The known 2750N Zone mineralization is highlighted in red, and forms part of a 1km
east-west orientated prospective horizon.
DRILL HOLE ST22-07 DETAILS
ST22-07 was drilled to a downhole depth of 101m to the west of historical drill hole ST99-19
(56.3m* @ 3.07% Cu from 12.2m). The drill hole intersected thick intervals of strong visual
mineralization. Importantly, there is no drilling to the west of ST22-07 and the 2750N Zone
remains open in this direction towards a known copper gossan.
Table 1 summarises the mineralization as observed in ST22-07. Intersections are expressed as
downhole widths and are interpreted to be close to true widths. Visual estimates of sulfide type,
quantity and habit should not be considered a substitute for laboratory assays. Laboratory assays
are required to determine the widths and grade of mineralization as reported in preliminary
geological logging.
Hole
ID
From
(m)
To
(m) Min Description (Sulfide volume within interval)
ST22-
07 11 14 cc/ml/cv Abundant fractures and veinlets with bands of
massive sulfides (10-15%)
14 26 ml/az/sp/cc Fractures and crackle breccias throughout (1-2%)
31 34 cc/py Blebs of sulfides and within fractures (1-2%)
34 38 cc/py Breccia with strong matrix and 50cm band of
massive sulfides (30%)
38 40 cc/py Blebs of sulfides and within fractures (1-2%)
40 46 cc Chalcocite throughout as large blebs, fractures
and massive sulfide beds (5-10%)
46.5 47.5 cc Veinlets and breccias within matrix of chalcocite
(2-5%)
47.5 53.5 cc/py Trace blebs of sulfides (1%)
53.5 55 cc/sp Abundant breccia with chalcocite matrix. Cross
cutting veinlets of sphalerite (5%)
55 60 cc/py Fractures and localized minor breccias (1-2%)
Table 1: Description of intervals with visually identified mineralization in drill hole ST22-07.
Mineralogy key is cc = chalcocite, bn = bornite, chpy = chalcopyrite, py = pyrite, az = azurite,
ml = malachite, cv = covellite
Figure 4: Drill core from ST22-07 from 13.6m downhole showing a mix of copper oxides
developed on the outside edge of a massive chalcocite band (azurite - blue, malachite -
green/aqua, chalcocite - dark grey).
DRILL HOLE ST22-08 DETAILS
ST22-08 was drilled to a downhole depth of 107m and was designed to test the eastern extent of
mineralization in the vicinity of historical drill hole ST99-22 (14.1m* @ 1.6% Cu from 44.3m).
The mineralization encountered within ST22-08 appears much stronger than that in ST99-22,
and is composed of massive and semi-massive copper sulfides, indicating a potential pinch and
swell along the strike of the ore zone. There is no drilling along the projected strike of the 2750N
Zone east of ST22-08.
Table 2 summarises the mineralization as observed in ST22-08. Intersections are expressed as
downhole widths and are interpreted to be close to true widths. Visual estimates of sulfide type,
quantity and habit should not be considered a substitute for laboratory assays. Laboratory assays
are required to determine the widths and grade of mineralization as reported in preliminary
geological logging.
Hole
ID
From
(m)
To
(m) Min Description (Sulfide volume within interval)
ST22-
08 0 14 cc/py Massive dolomite lightly veined with chalcocite,
pyrite and calcite (1%)
16.5 19.5 sp Carbonate replacement and sphalerite within
pseudo breccia / zebra dolomite (2-5%)
24 25.5 cc/py Locally brecciated with abundant cc matrix (5-
7%)
55 59.5 cc Local massive sulfide beds within network of
veins and fractures (20-30%)
64 71 cc?/py? Heavily altered and fractured dolomite with black
solid breccia and vein fill (10-20%)
Table 2: Description of intervals with visually identified mineralization in drill hole ST22-08.
Mineralogy key is cc = chalcocite, bn = bornite, chpy = chalcopyrite, py = pyrite, Cu = native
copper, ml = malachite, cv = covellite
Figure 5: Drill core from ST22-08 between 55.42 and 70.81m downhole - note chalcocite (dark
grey) in upper core box
DRILL HOLE ST22-09 DETAILS
ST22-09 was drilled to a downhole depth of 155m and was designed to test a high-priority fixed-
loop electromagnetic (EM) anomaly that was defined in the 2021 FLEM survey.
The targeted anomaly is interpreted to be steeply dipping and located immediately adjacent to a
large copper gossan. The plate dimensions are modelled as 85m across by 419m deep.
Drill hole ST22-09 intersected three zones of weak vein style and fracture hosted copper
mineralization. Whilst confirming the presence of copper mineralization, these intervals are not
sufficient to determine the source of the EM anomaly and suggest that ST22-09 may have been
drilled proximal to the primary target. Further, closer spaced EM (including downhole EM) will
now be used to constrain the EM model for follow-up drilling.
Table 3 summarises the mineralization as observed in ST22-09. Intersections are expressed as
downhole widths and are interpreted to be close to true widths. Visual estimates of sulfide type,
quantity and habit should not be considered a substitute for laboratory assays. Laboratory assays
are required to determine the widths and grade of mineralization as reported in preliminary
geological logging.
Hole
ID
From
(m)
To
(m) Min Description (Sulfide volume within interval)