The hits keep coming for American West Metals, with the latest results from drilling at its Storm copper project in Canada showing assays including a 1.5m section at a whopping 7.1 per cent copper from 82.3m.
The impressive hit was contained within a 9.1m intercept grading 2.5 per cent copper from 79.3m that was pulled from a wider 67.1m section reading 1.1 per cent copper from just 54.9m.
All five drill holes returned solid results of at least 1per cent copper, with additional highlights showing 29m at 1.1 per cent copper, including 9.2m going 2.2 per cent copper from 71.6m that also contained a 1.5m hit grading an outstanding 5.1 per cent copper from 79.3m.
A third hole produced a 19.8m intercept at 1.1 per cent copper from 77.7m, including 3.1m reading 4 per cent copper from 45.7m. A fourth assay returned 21.3m going 1 per cent copper from just 41.2m, including 3.1m grading 2.5 per cent copper from 45.7m.
The fifth hole continued the trend of solid results, with 7.6m at 1.1 per cent copper from 53.3m, including 3.1m at 2 per cent copper from 54.9m, while a deeper intercept recorded 6.1m at 1.2 per copper from 82.3m, including 3.1m going 2.2 per cent copper from 82.3m.
All five assays come from drilling at the operation’s 4100N zone, which the company says confirms thick intervals of copper mineralisation close to surface.
American West Metals managing director Dave O’Neill said: “The mineralisation at Storm is quickly demonstrating the quality and scale of what we believe will become a premier open-pit copper mining opportunity. We look forward to providing further updates on drilling and other exploration activities in the coming weeks.”
The Storm project sits within a 4145-square-kilometre land package that also includes the Seal zinc project on Somerset Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Together, Storm and Seal constitute the Nunavut projects and are currently owned by Aston Bay Holdings.
American West became the project operator under an option agreement that also gives it the opportunity to acquire an 80 per cent interest in the Nunavut projects.
The area has undergone extensive historical drilling and two separate copper sulphide systems have been discovered with multiple near-surface high-grade copper zones identified at several target zones in drilling across 15sq km. The area’s historical drill highlights include 19m at 3.41 per cent copper from surface and 110m at 2.45 per cent copper from surface.
The explorer says its initial phase of drilling is designed to define maiden JORC resources within the 4100N, 2750N and 2200N zones where high-grade copper mineralisation starts from surface. Drilling is ongoing at 4100N which will be followed up at 2200N and 2750N, where exploration last year by the company returned results including 41m at 4.18 per cent copper from only 38m.
With demand for copper on the rise, the market will be keeping a close eye on what American West can unearth with its ongoing drill program … especially if it can continue to deliver high-grade and shallow copper results.
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By Michael Philipps
