DRC releases more results from Afton

Vancouver — DRC Resources (DRC-V) has tabled more encouraging assay results from its Afton Copper project near Kamloops BC.

This season’s drill program is part of a $4.7 million exploration program recommended by the company’s independent engineer. DRC has spent a total of $2.5 million on the Afton project over the past two years and has drilled 49 NQ-size diamond drill holes totalling 23,800 metres.

To date copper-gold mineralization has been traced over a 1,000 metre strike length and drilling indicates that the mineralized zone remains open beyond the indicated mineral resource boundaries to the northeast and southwest.

Mineralization is hosted in a steeply plunging body that strikes to the southwest from the base of the 274-metre-deep open-pit. This zone, dubbed the “Main Zone” averages 70 metres wide, 600 metres long and about 775 metres deep. In addition to the Main zone, DRC has delineated the northeast extension zone. This zone measures 30 metres wide and is a northeast en-echelon extension of the Main zone.

The Afton Main zone is estimated to have a current indicated mineral resource of 34.3 million tonnes 1.55% copper, 1.14 grams gold, 0.125 gram palladium and 3.42 grams silver per tonne. The Afton Northeast zone is estimated to have an indicated resource of 1.1 million tonnes averaging 1.02% copper, 0.86 gram gold, 0.10 gram palladium and 5.49 grams silver per tonne. This portion of the resource was only tested with five holes, however they were spaced close enough to calculate an indicated resource. A 0.5% copper cut-off grade was used for the calculations.

Highlights of the most recent drill results are as follows; Hole 69 was collared about 200 metres southwest of previously reported hole 66 which assayed 1.20% copper over a 200-metre interval. Hole 69 cut 88 metres averaging 1.20% copper, 1.03 grams gold 0.15 gram palladium and 2.15 grams silver per tonne, starting 408 metres down-hole. This included a 52-metre section that averaged 1.38% copper, 1.05 grams gold, 0.11 gram palladium and 2.21 grams silver and a 30-metre section that averaged 1.11% copper, 1.17 grams gold, 0.23 gram palladium and 2.36 grams silver per tonne.

Hole 71 was collared 100 metres southwest of hole 66 and intersected 88 metres averaging 1.03% copper, 0.89 gram gold, 0.11 gram palladium and 2.18 grams silver per tonne, starting 270 metres down-hole.

The Afton deposit is situated within the 35-km-long Iron Mask Batholith at the northwest end of the Iron Mask pluton. These intrusive rocks are composed of Triassic-aged diorites and gabbros hosted within andesitic and basaltic rocks breccias, tuffs, mudstones argillites and limestones of the Nicola Group.