Doublestar launches drill program at Catface

Vancouver The Catface porphyry copper project on Vancouver Island was once among a list of promising projects held by Falconbridge (FAL.LV-T, FAL-N) in British Columbia, but opposition from environmental groups dashed hopes of development and also helped spur Falco’s subsequent withdrawal from the province. Decades later, Catface has caught the attention of Doublestar Resources (DSR-V), which recently launched a drilling campaign aimed at upgrading the project’s historic resource of 169 million tonnes grading 0.43% copper and 0.14% molybdenum disulphide at a 0.3% copper cutoff grade.

The junior company has obtained permits for up to 3,000 metres of drilling, in up to 10 holes that will be assayed for copper, moly, silver, gold and rhenium. Previous drilling at Catface totaled 20,628 metres, the bulk of this radiating from an 857-metre adit driven through the core of the deposit.

Doublestar’s program will include holes to confirm historic drill results, carry our infill drilling, and explore un-drilled prospects, including the Hecate Bay anomaly. Some core will be used for metallurgical analysis, and environmental testing related to the geochemistry of mineralization, waste rock and potential tailings.

The Catface project is situated on Catface Peninsula, about 13 km northwest of Tofino, on the scenic West Coast of Vancouver Island. The region is a popular wilderness destination for eco-tourists and whale-watchers. Doublestar notes that its drilling program will be conducted from helicopter-serviced pads to eliminate the need for road construction or the reactivation of previously constructed roads.

Whether Doublestar will face environmental opposition remains to be seen, as the current government is more supportive of mining than certain previous governments. Company officials were not available for comment. In a prepared statement, President Alan Savage said the goal of the program was to “confirm and better qualify” the historic resource. He also expressed confidence that the project had potential for the size of the deposit to be expanded with follow-up drilling.