Significant Extensions To Marimaca Oxide Deposit
VANCOUVER - Marimaca Copper Corp. announced results from the remaining drill holes completed to test the extensions of mineralization below the Marimaca Oxide Deposit (MOD), which have yielded promising results that may have positive implications for the future leachable Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the MOD. These initial drill holes were aimed to test the extensions of mineralization below the MOD. Drilling of a nine-hole program at the Cindy Target has commenced, infrastructure preparation is underway at Mercedes and Robles and the Company remains on track to test all targets by the end of H1 2021.
Highlights: Significant down dip and along strike extensions to mixed oxide-secondary sulphide mineralization immediately below the limits of the PEA defined open pit, Mar-127 intersected: 38m @ 0.30% CuT from 148m, extending and broadening the lower-grade oxide halo around the MOD; 106m @ 0.39% CuT from 502m (incl. 58m @ 0.46% CuT from 502m) of mixed oxide and secondary sulphides; Mar-35 Extension, designed to confirm and extend the results from MAR-127, intersected: 78m @ 0.50% CuT from 310m of mixed oxide and secondary sulphides; 34m @ 0.41% CuT from 416m of mixed oxide and secondary sulphides; Sequential copper analysis of all samples is currently underway which will provide an indication of leaching potential and potential metallurgical recoveries via heap leach; and Phase 4 met testing program previously indicated strong recoveries in the mixed mineralization zones tested.
Sergio Rivera, VP Exploration, said, “These results indicate that the oxide / mixed mineralization zone of the MOD is not closed off and, in fact, extends quite significantly at depth and along strike, presenting an opportunity to materially increase the size of the leachable resource for the MOD.
“The mineralization intersected in the current drilling is predominantly mixed oxide and secondary sulphide with minor chalcopyrite. We are currently completing full sequential copper analysis to define the leaching potential of this material.”
The Company completed a five-hole drilling campaign at the Marimaca Copper Project, which was designed to test for extensions to mineralization below the MOD. Based on the structural controls of the mineralization, the results of previous geophysical campaigns and earlier drilling, which extended beyond the current Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) area, the Company believes there is the potential for extensions of the mineralized body at depth across the full strike length of the MOD. All drill holes were planned to be drilled with an azimuth of 270o and at -60o, roughly perpendicular to the north-south striking, easterly dipping mineralizing structures. Intercepts should, therefore, be relatively close to the true width of the mineralization.