Mr. Patrick Cruickshank reports
NINE MILE METALS ANNOUNCES XRF HIGH-GRADE RESULTS
UP TO 18.27% COPPER FROM THE UPCOMING DRILL AREA AT THE
WEDGE PROJECT, BATHURST, NEW BRUNSWICK
Nine Mile Metals Ltd. has released XRF (X-ray fluorescence) results for volcanogenic massive
sulphide (VMS) mineralization grab samples collected from the coming drill area on the Wedge VMS
project in the world-famous Bathurst mining camp (BMC) in New Brunswick, Canada. Discovered in 1956,
Cominco operated the Wedge mine between 1962 and 1968, producing 1.5 million tonnes of predominantly
copper ore. At the time of closure (head pillar collapsed), only the upper portion of the deposit was mined.
The expectation is that the lower 60 per cent plus remains untouched based upon recent drill testing and extends at
depth with the 3-D modelling.
As previously reported, the Cominco drill data were acquired by Nine Mile and formatted to facilitate
modelling. With the addition of Mike Dufresne, MSc, PGeol, PGeo, of Apex Geoscience Ltd. to the
technical advisory committee, the company provided the technical database to Apex for 3-D modelling and drill hole
targeting. Data provided included all historic drill holes and assays in addition to the recent successful drilling
conducted by Nine Mile. To further assist in targeting, the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) magnetics and borehole electromagnetic
(BHEM) data collected by EarthEx Geophysical Solutions Inc. was integrated into the modelling in
addition to the initial, reprocessed MegaTEM conductivity interpretation that highlighted the Wedge and the
Wedge VMS trend.
At the Wedge mine's western extension (Target 2), modelling has focused on the unmined portions
of the deposit with drill holes targeting a copper-rich lens to the west and the unexplored depth extension
below 150 metres, where recent drilling and historical cross-sections indicate mineralization occurring to a
minimum depth of 300 metres. Apex is designing a sequence of drill holes to test the seven modelled TDEM
(time-domain electromagnetic) conductivity plates adjacent to the Tribag VMS occurrence identified by EarthEx (Target 3).
In preparation for drilling, prospecting was conducted at surface in an area proximal to the proposed drill
collars along the western flank of the Wedge mine stepping out to test the expansion westward of the mine
footprint. A total of 19 samples were catalogued, photographed, and then analyzed with a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument utilizing an Olympus Vanta 50 portable 50-kilovolt workstation and Reflex XRF
software to provide instant real-time geochemical information. Each sample was analyzed in three separate
locations and the results averaged by the Reflex XRF software. The XRF process included calibrating the
machine and utilizing two standards in the sample stream (OREAS622 and CDN-BL-10) twice during analysis. The
results are presented in Table 1. The samples have been forwarded to ALS Global in Moncton, N.B., for preparation, with final geochemical analysis conducted in Vancouver, B.C.
Highlights:
-
Samples were massive VMS (copper-lead-zinc) mineralization collected at the coming Wedge drill area.
- The samples were weathered and predominantly copper rich with minor lead/zinc.
- Most samples consisted of 90 per cent plus sulphides and minor quartz and accessory minerals.
Samples 280370 and 280375 are examples of the massive high-grade cooper sulphide
mineralization. The samples were collected in the area immediately to the northeast
of proposed drill holes 25WG-01 and 25WD-02.
Mr. Dufresne, Apex's president and an independent consultant and technical adviser,
commented that these high-quality conductivity targets at the Wedge mine's western extension and
TriBag target line up with the horizons that have yielded high-quality VMS drill intersections at the Main
Wedge deposit and, based upon the modelling to date, could provide some new exciting discoveries for Nine
Mile with the planned drilling.
Gary Lohman, PGeo, vice-president, exploration, stated: "With the provincial-wide fire ban lifted and Apex
Geoscience's 3-D modelling complete, the team is looking forward to drilling at the Wedge mine's western
extension. With the assistance of Apex, two main zones of mineralization have been identified, one copper rich
and another primarily lead/zinc. Targeting has been refined by leveraging the extensive geological and
geophysical data (including recent borehole EM and plate modelling), allowing us to prioritize copper mineralization in the upcoming program. This western extension area is the high-grade section of the
deposit focused on the copper-rich lens. These massive sulphide samples clearly demonstrate the potential
of this untapped area at depth. We are building on last year's new eastern extension successes with our eight VMS drill holes with results of 136.31 metres of 0.68 per cent copper equivalent, including 40 metres of 2.03 per cent copper equivalent (see news release [dated March 26, 2024]). A key aspect here is testing this deposit at depth and how far it extends westward resulting in
additional new tonnage."
Qualified person
The technical content of this news release pertaining to the Wedge project was reviewed and
approved by Mr. Lohman, a non-independent qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
About Nine Mile Metals Ltd.
Nine Mile Metals is a Canadian public mineral exploration company focused on VMS (copper, lead, zinc, silver and
gold) exploration in the world-famous Bathurst mining camp in New Brunswick, Canada. The company's primary
business objective is to explore its four VMS projects: the Nine Mile Brook VMS project, the California Lake VMS
project, the Canoe Landing Lake (East West) project and the Wedge VMS project. The company is
focused on exploration of minerals for technology, positioning for the boom in EV (electric vehicle) and green
technologies requiring copper, silver, lead and zinc with a hedge with gold.
We seek Safe Harbor.
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