Northwest Copper Announces Near Surface, Very High-Grade Copper IN Multiple Holes. Including 14.52% CuEq over 1.45 Metres and 4.06% CuEq over 2.00 Metres, Both Within Longer Intervals
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News Release
NORTHWEST COPPER ANNOUNCES NEAR SURFACE, VERY HIGH-GRADE COPPER
IN MULTIPLE HOLES. INCLUDING 14.52% CUEQ OVER 1.45 METRES AND 4.06%
CUEQ OVER 2.00 METRES, BOTH WITHIN LONGER INTERVALS
Vancouver, BC – August 17, 2022 – NorthWest Copper (“NorthWest” or “the Company”) (TSX-V:
NWST) (OTCQX: NWCCF) is pleased to announce receipt of the second set of assays from its
ongoing 2022 Kwanika drill program, which highlight the discovery of additional very high-grade
copper and gold mineralization within a previously undrilled shallow area of the Kwanika deposit.
Hole K-21-232 contains intervals of “chalcocite breccia” mineralization (see below) with similar
geology to last years 33.60% Copper Equivalent (“ CuEq”) over 9.40 metres in hole K -21-2171.
Highlights from the recent set of assays include:
• K-22-230: 378.80 metres2 of 0.62% CuEq 3 from 19.20 metres.
• K-22-232: 109.05 metres of 0.89% CuEq from 27.00 metres, including:
o 1.45 metres of 14.52% CuEq.
• K-22-233: 102.90 metres of 1.00% CuEq from 30.00 metres, including:
o 2.00 metres of 4.06% CuEq.
“The high-level objectives of the 2022 Kwanika drill program are to grow the size of the resource
and to improve the grade. One of the targets is to find additional very high -grade copper and
gold mineralization as encountered in drill hole K-21-217 in 2021,” said Peter Bell, President and
CEO. “We believe we have found more of this material in hole K -22-232 and have named this
type of mineralization “chalcocite breccia”. While the new interval is narrower than last year’s
hole, it is much closer to surface and suggests potential for multiple very high-grade zones within
the deposit.”
“The discovery of additional high-grade chalcocite breccia in a new area, close to surface, is an
exciting exploration development for NorthWest at Kwanika” continued Mr. Bell. “ This drilling
supports our thesis that we can find more of this style of mineralization while expanding the
volume of near-surface mineralization at Kwanika.”
1 See News Release dated October 27, 2021 available at www.northwestcopper.ca and the Company’s profile at www.sedar.com
2 True widths of the reported mineralized intervals have not been determined
3 Assumptions used in USD for the copper equivalent calculation were metal prices of $3.25/lb. Copper, $1,600/oz Gold, $20/oz Silver, and recovery is
assumed to be 100% given the level of metallurgical test data available. The following equation was used to calculate copper equivalence: CuEq = Copper
(%) + (Gold (g/t) x 0.7182) + (Silver (g/t) x 0.0090).
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Chalcocite Breccia
Chalcocite breccia is a distinctive rock type observed at Kwanika comprised of fragments of
mineralized wall rock within a background of finer grained chalcocite, chalcopyrite and
sometimes bornite. Importantly, chalcocite is a very high -grade copper mineral, comprised of
80% copper by weight. This chalcocite breccia has been observed in holes K-21-217 and K-22-232
(See Figure 1).
Drill Results Discussion
Kwanika and the adjacent Stardust deposit are the current flagship projects at NorthWest. The
2022 Kwanika drill program includes holes designed to expand the known resource4, to add new
high-grade zones within and around the known resource, and to test for new centres of
mineralization regionally. Similarly, to the first set of drill results 5, these four holes (Figure 2)
targeted expansion and delineation of near surface high-grade zones in the southern part of the
Kwanika Central Zone. Kwanika drilling has been underway since March 25, with a total of 28
holes and 11,089 metres drilled to date. Results from seven of the holes have been reported so
far, with the remainder outstanding.
Holes K-22-230, K-22-231, K-22-231 and K-22-233 are in the southern portion of the Central Zone
(Figure 2). The drill holes were designed to test for shallow high -grade mineralization in an area
with low drill density and to further constrain our structural model of the Kwanika Central Zone.
All holes in this area hit high grade mineralization with intervals or sub-intervals with grades
higher than 1.00% CuEq (Table 1).
K-22-230 (Figure 3) was drilled to the northeast at 330o and was designed to test in an area of
lower drill density Kwanika Central Zone and test for structures to improve NorthWest’s
structural model in the Central Zone. K-22-230 hit a broad intersection of 378.8 metres with
0.62% CuEq with a high-grade sub interval of 87.6 metres at 1. 03% CuEq . The high -grade
mineralization occurred in a zone of potassic altered monzonite with abundant quartz-sulphide
veins and blebby chalcopyrite centered around the central fault.
K-22-231 (Figure 4) was drilled to the southeast, testing for high-grade mineralization at surface
associated with the Central Fault Zone within the southern extent of the Central Zone in an area
of low drill density. The drill collared into high-grade mineralization with 47.80 metres at 1.02%
CuEq at surface below the till cover in potassic altered monzonite with hematite staining, quartz
sulphide veins, blebs of native copper, chalcocite and trace bornite.
K-22-232 (Figure 5) was drilled from west to east , targeting high grade near surface
mineralization associated with the Central Fault Zone in an area of low drill density. It cut through
109.05 metres at 0.89% CuEq with high-grade sub-intervals including 32.90 metres at 1.88% CuEq
4 See NI 43-101 technical report titled “NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Kwanika Project Resource Estimate Update 2019,” dated April 17, 2019,
filed under the Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com
5 See News Release dated July 20, 2022 available at www.northwestcopper.ca and the Company’s profile at www.sedar.com
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and 1.45 metres at 14.52% CuEq. The 1.45 meter at 14.52% CuEq is chalcocite breccia, similar to
the style of mineralization observed in K-21-217 (9.40m at 33.60% CuEq)6.
K-22-233 (Figure 6) was the final hole drilled in this area during this campaign, as above it
targeted high-grade mineralization in the southern extent of the Central Zone in area with low
drill density. It returned 102.90m at 1.00% CuEq starting at the surface below the till cover. This
includes a 2.00 meter sample of 4.06% CuEq at upper contact. The high-grade mineralization is
hosted in a strongly potassic altered monzonite with stockwork quartz-sulphide veins.
Table 1: Drill Results From This News Release
Hole From (m) To (m) Interval
(m)7
Copper
(%) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) Copper
Equivalent (%)8
K-22-230 19.20 398.00 378.80 0.37 0.33 1.2 0.62
incl. 78.45 140.80 62.35 0.62 0.34 1.9 0.88
also incl. 251.60 339.20 87.60 0.45 0.79 1.5 1.03
K-22-231 30.00 167.90 137.90 0.58 0.28 3.0 0.81
incl 30.00 77.80 47.80 0.74 0.32 5.3 1.02
also incl. 142.10 166.50 24.40 0.96 0.56 2.9 1.39
K-22-232 27.00 136.05 109.05 0.62 0.33 3.0 0.89
incl. 27.00 59.90 32.90 1.20 0.85 7.1 1.88
incl. incl. 34.50 35.95 1.45 9.35 6.65 44.1 14.52
K-22-233 30.00 132.90 102.90 0.80 0.26 1.9 1.00
incl. 30.00 65.10 35.10 1.24 0.39 3.0 1.55
incl incl. 30.00 32.00 2.00 3.41 0.83 5.6 4.06
Quality Assurance / Quality Control
Drilling completed at Kwanika in 202 2 was supervised by on -site NorthWest personnel who
collected and tracked samples and implemented a full QA/QC program using blanks, standards
and duplicates to monitor analytical accuracy and precision. The samples were sealed on site and
shipped to Bureau Veritas (BV) in Vancouver BC for analysis. BV’s quality control system complies
with global certifications for Quality ISO9001:2008. Core samples were analyzed using a
combination of BV’s MA200 process for low level concentrations (ICP -MS/4 Acid digestion) and
the MA370 process for higher level concentrations (ICP -ES/4 acid digestion). Gold assaying was
completed with FA430, a 30-gram fire assay with AAS finish. Base metal overlimits were finalized
with titration where required, with gold overlimits comple ted with a gravimetric finish. A silica
wash was used between high-grade samples to ensure no sample carry over.
6 See News Release dated October 27, 2021 available at www.northwestcopper.ca and the Company’s profile at www.sedar.com
7 True widths of the reported mineralized intervals are not yet known
8 Assumptions used in USD for the copper equivalent calculation were metal prices of $3.25/lb. Copper, $1,600/oz Gold, $20/oz S ilver, and recovery is
assumed to be 100% given the level of metallurgical test data available. The following equation was used to calculate copper equivalence: CuEq = Copper
(%) + (Gold (g/t) x 0.7182) + (Silver (g/t) x 0.0090).
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Technical aspects of this news release have been reviewed, verified, and approved by Tyler
Caswell P.Geo., Principal Geologist of NorthWest, who is a qualified person as defined by National
Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Minerals Projects.
Figure 1: Chalcocite Breccia observed in holes K-22-232 and K-21-217
Note: Interval reported for K-22-232 is 9.35% Cu, 6.65g/t Au, 44.1g/t Ag and 14.52% CuEq over 1.45 metres, the
weighted average of the individual assays shown in Figure 1 make up this interval. For K-21-217 the weighted
average is shown over the reported 9.40 metre interval.
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Figure 2: Drillhole Locations
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Figure 3: K-22-230 Cross Section
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Figure 4: K-22-231 Cross Section
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Figure 5: K-22-232 Cross Section