The final batch of assays from a maiden diamond drilling program at American West Metals’ Storm project in Canada has once again highlighted the shallow, high-grade nature of a prospective zone coined “2750N”. Banner results include a 2m section going almost 16 per cent copper from 70m inside a larger 19m parcel at 2.08 per cent copper from 58m downhole.
The results form part of a maiden probe at the site that has already identified an extensive package of near-surface copper and doubled the volume of 2750N’s mineralisation.
Other significant results include 1m grading 5.75 per cent copper from 13m and 2m running 1.81 per cent copper from 36m.
Some of the longer intersections include 10m grading 2.36 per cent copper from 53m, 7m at 1.08 per cent from 79m and 7m going 1 per cent from 40m.
Notably, the company says the site’s copper mineralisation is still open to the west.
American West has completed a little over 1,500m of drilling at Storm this year and about two-thirds of the outlay has been focused on the near-surface, high-grade 2750N zone.
The work at 2750N is aimed at testing the continuity and extensions of copper mineralisation identified in legacy programs that yielded a suite of striking intercepts including an impressive quinella from surface of 110m at 2.45 per cent copper and 56m grading 3.07 per cent.
To date, many of the company’s holes have struck broad parcels of copper mineralisation including 41m at 4.17 per cent from 38m and 57m at 2.5 per cent from 8m.
Following its latest flurry of copper hits American West says it will now look to target a pair of nearby target areas known as 2200N and 4100N.
Both areas are believed to host high-grade, massive sulphide copper-style mineralisation with legacy programs at 4100N in particular returning a 15m intercept grading 3.07 per cent.
American West Metals Managing Director, Dave O’Neill:“Our first drill program at Storm has been a huge success. In a relatively short program, we have intersected extremely high-grade copper near-surface and likely doubled the volume of mineralisation at the 2750N Zone, and discovered a potential large, new sedimentary copper system below the near- surface mineralisation.”
Longer term the explorer is aiming to establish a high-grade, shallow resource at Storm that could support a low-footprint direct-shipping ore, or “DSO” operation.
Material marked as responsive to DSO processing can be mobilised directly to consumers after minimal and inexpensive treatment programs, including crushing, screening, sorting and ore blending.
Previous processing on samples derived from American West’s wider Storm project yielded a DSO product with a grade of over 53 per cent copper using minimal processing methods.
Management previously stated bumper processing results could be a “game changer” for the company and believes Storm could be shaped into an environmentally friendly, economical operation given its ore is relatively free of waste material.
Whilst the short-term price of copper continues to unravel, one of the globe’s most prominent investment banks Goldman Sachs believes the price of the commodity will climb over the long term owing to the material's critical role in the green energy transition.
The bank estimates by 2030, copper demand could surge up to 900 per cent higher than current requirements.
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By Matt Birney
