Surge Copper Identifies Multiple New EM Targets in District Scale Geophysical Survey
PO Box 10351 888-700 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V7Y 1G5
www.surgecopper.com
TSX-V Trading Symbol: SURG
OTCQX: SRGXF
Frankfurt Trading Symbol: G6D2
Telephone: +1 (604) 781-5454
Email: [email protected]
April 12, 2022
NEWS RELEASE
Surge Copper Identifies Multiple New EM Targets in District Scale Geophysical Survey
April 12, 2022, Vancouver, British Columbia – Surge Copper Corp. (TSXV: SURG) (OTCQX:
SRGXF) (Frankfurt: G6D2) (“Surge” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the completion
of a district-wide airborne geophysical survey and related inversion modeling results carried out
across the combined Ootsa and Berg Properties located in central British Columbia. The Z-axis
Tipper Electromagnetic (“ZTEM”) survey has imaged the electrical conductivity signature of the
known deposits in the district and has produc ed numerous comparable signatures in several
regions within the district, underscoring the Company’s view that the district hosts a large porphyry
cluster with significant exploration potential. The Company is well advanced on data compilation
and interpretation to refine targeting within the regional exploration pipeline for advancement and
drill testing during the 2022 exploration program.
Highlights
A 4,224 line-kilometre ZTEM survey was completed across a contiguous 1,154 square
kilometre block covering the combined Ootsa and Berg Properties
2D and 3D inversion results have imaged the electrical conductivity structure of the main
Seel, Ox, and Berg deposits to significant depths, potentially opening expansion potential
in certain directions, and providing confirmatory signatures consistent with ZTEM surveys
over other porphyry copper deposits
A comparable signature has been outlined at Bergette, an advanced stage exploration
target with limited historical drilling, which will aid in ongoing drill planning at this target
Numerous ring-like high-conductivity anoma lies were imaged throughout the district and
may provide information on the intrusive architecture underlying many of the surface
alteration and mineralization occurrences prospected in this region, aiding in the ongoing
prioritization and sequencing of follow-up exploration work planned for 2022
Leif Nilsson, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “ The completion of geophysical inversion
modeling of this district-scale ZTEM dataset is an important milestone in Surge’s strategy. One
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aspect of our thesis is that this district has significant untapped exploration potential and could
one day be among the largest copper districts in Canada. Investing in such a survey that
essentially provides highly-useful petrophysical data within the entire explorable volume of such
a large and prospective district will prove very valuable to the Company as we begin to embark
on focused regional exploration activities in the coming field season.”
Dr. Shane Ebert, President and VP Exploration, commented: “The combined ZTEM and airborne
magnetic survey has provided clear and consistent geophysical signatures over the known copper
porphyry deposits within the district-scale Ootsa-Berg property, and will be an excellent targeting
and screening tool moving forward. Multiple new exploration targets stand out in the survey data
and will be evaluated and ranked with the aid of large existing geologic, geochemical, and
geophysical datasets. Select targets will be followed up with groundwork in spring/summer 2022
including ground-based induced polarization surveying, and then prioritized for drill testing.”
Geophysical Survey Details
The Company contracted Geotech Ltd. to carry out a helicopter-borne natural field ZTEM and
aeromagnetic survey over the combined Ootsa and Berg Properties. A total of 4,224 line-
kilometres of geophysical data were acquired over a total contiguous area of 1,154 square
kilometres. The ZTEM system is proprietary to Geotech Ltd. and is a modern geophysical
technique that can quickly and cost-effectively image the subsurface three-dimensional
distribution of apparent resistivity down to depths exceeding 2 km. Combined with other
information, this data can be used to map geological structures, lithology, and alteration zones
critical in exploring porphyry copper deposit systems.
Figure 1 below shows the complete processed ZTEM dataset, prior to inversion modeling,
expressed as a total divergence to combine multiple components into a single parameter and aid
the visual interpretation of ZTEM response to subsurface conductor anomalies. Several section
lines are marked on this map, which correspond to Figures 3 through 7 below. Figure 2 provides
a selected visualization of the 3D inversion model of apparent resistivity in physical units of ohm-
metres, displaying 100 ohm-metre isosurfaces. Taken together, the data highlight three separate
regions with significant apparent resistivity anomalies: i) the southeastern region containing the
Seel and Ox deposits and the eastern extension to this area, ii) the northern region containing the
Berg deposit, the Bergette target, and the area stretching northward and eastward including the
combined Sibola-Sylvia target area, and iii) the area straddling the border between the Ootsa and
Berg properties, which has seen very little historical exploration. Most of these apparent resistivity
anomalies have geometrical characteristics which correlate well to the signatures on the known
deposits, and potentially indicate subsurface intrusive architecture and related alteration.
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Figure 1. ZTEM 90 Hz Total Divergence (DT) grid, processed from raw tipper data to
convert conducter “crossover responses” to local maxima for easier visualization. Claim
boundary, selected deposit and target location, and pseudosection information
superimposed.
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Figure 2. 3D view of ZTEM 3D inversion results, 100 Ohm-metre isosurface.
Figures 3 through 6 provide vertical pseudosections through the 3D inversion apparent resistivity
model, showing the deposit scale signatures for the Seel, Ox, and Berg deposits, and the Bergette
target, respectively, with drill traces superimposed. The colour scales are inverted such that low
apparent resistivity values (conductors) are warm colours. These visualizations collectively
highlight a similar signature for each of these deposits, characterized by a broad resistivity low
directly associated with mineralization, surrounded by one or more larger resistivity highs. The
Berg deposit represents perhaps the clearest true positive ZTEM signature among the deposits
in the district given the lack of significant faulting, preserving a clear circular-shaped anomaly in
both the 90 Hz Total Divergence tipper data and the 3D inversion resistivity model, corresponding
to the altered and mineralized wall rocks forming a donut around a central intrusion. Other
deposits and prospects like Seel, Ox, and Bergette, which are all interrupted by faults, require
more subtle interpretation.
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Figure 3. ZTEM 3D Resistivity Inversion Model voxel slice through Seel Deposits, view
looking north.
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Figure 4. ZTEM 3D Resistivity Inversion Model voxel slice through Ox, view looking
northeast.
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Figure 5. ZTEM 3D Resistivity Inversion Model voxel slice through Berg, view looking
west.
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Figure 6. ZTEM 3D Resistivity Inversion Model voxel slice through Bergette, view looking
northwest.
Figures 7 through 9 provide vertical pseudosections through the 3D inversion apparent resistivity
model showing signatures for some selected targets of interest. Figure 7 shows a section through
the Northeast target, which is one of the largest coherent circular features in the survey and is
situated at the southern end of a larger linear structural feature, and east of both the Sylvia and
Sibola prospects which have large, mapped alteration zones and in the case of Sylvia, historical
drill results including 63 metres grading 0.33% copper and 0.02% molybdenum from 9.1 metres
downhole and ending in mineralization. Figure 8 shows a section through one of the circular
features of interest located in the southeastern portion of the district, east of the Seel and Ox
deposits, referred to as the Blackjack target. This area is till covered (up to 20 metres in limited
previous holes) and shows an IP chargeability anomaly and scattered base metal in soil
anomalies which attracted earlier exploration. Drill hole ER 14-03 intersected moderate to intense
argillic alteration over the entire 274 metres of the hole and intersected base metal geochemical
anomalies consistent with a distal porphyry setting, including 47 metres of 0.17% zinc and 1.0 g/t
silver. Section F-F’ in Figure 8 suggests hole ER 14-03 intersected the periphery of a large well-
developed resistivity anomaly, and the intense alteration, elevated zinc and silver, and
overlapping IP chargeability anomaly make the main roughly circular conductive body on section
F-F’ a compelling drill target. Section G-G’ in Figure 9 shows a section containing a working from
the historic Captain Mine, and a large conductivity feature at depth which could represent an
exploration target of interest.