Explorers are following White Cliff into the Nunavut-Coppermine region in northern Canada, and these rock samples show why. Pic: Getty Images
These copper-infused veins show why explorers are rushing to follow White Cliff to Nunavut
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- A rush of explorers have followed White Cliff Minerals into the Nunavut region in Canada in the past six months
- Chalcocite-rich veins found by WCN over hundreds of metres in field work show why the Canadian region is such a hot exploration domain right now
- Assays from samples expected in four-six weeks
Special Report: White Cliff Minerals has seen a land rush around its Nunavut copper project, as FOMO takes hold among explorers who were late to identify its red metal potential.
The revelation comes as White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) discovers widespread chalcocite-dominant veins at its expanded Rae project, with maiden fieldwork demonstrating outcropping copper-infused minerals stretching up to 440m a piece across a number of targets.
White Cliff leveraged its early mover status to make four new mineral claims around Rae with two under application, with field personnel already identifying a series of vein systems.
They host the PAT and HALO systems, already revealed to contain hundreds of metres of copper strike, with a MobileMT survey underway over the fresh ground.
WCN says it acquired most of the best ground in the Nunavut-Coppermine area last year ahead of a land rush that has taken place on adjoining licences in the past six months, claiming the most prospective ground ahead of slower moving market entrants.
Copper finds galore
While there are no drill results as of yet, WCN has identified multiple styles of copper mineralisation at Rae.
They include massive chalcocite veining at the appropriately named Cu-Tar (~400m strike length), sedimentary copper and replacement mineralisation at HALO, with veins over a 440m strike length and native copper at the 120m long Kiluaea.
There are also two semi-massive chalcocite-bornite veins over a 200m strike-length at DON, over 400m of outcropping semi-massive vein-hosted chalcocite-bornite mineralisation at PAT and evidence of ‘bulk tonne red bed’ copper at the CALMAL target area, where copper bearing hydrothermal fluids have been identified in Rae Group sediments.
WCN managing director Troy Whittaker said these accumulations of copper were ‘visually stunning’ and exceeded expectations after starting a maiden field program at Nunavut and the Great Bear Lake project, where it is looking for iron-oxide copper gold (the style of copper found at Ernest Henry and Olympic Dam) and uranium.
“The focus of our maiden field programme across both Nunavut and Great Bear Lake has been twofold,” Whittaker said.
“Firstly, to confirm decades old historical state survey results from multiple project locations and extend the observable strike of each and in parallel undertaking airborne geophysics to further refine these targets. Second is prioritise and prepare project areas for drilling.
“At Halo, multiple mineralised vertical structures have been identified and now constitute priority targets. This deep-seated plumbing acts as conduits for copper-rich hydrothermal fluids that have deposited what appears to be significant quantities of copper into the surrounding reactive sandstones.
“This field observation provides the first direct evidence of extensive high grade sedimentary hosted “red bed” copper on Company ground, something not previously observed by historical exploration. We grow more confident each day of significant results coming from this sampling programme.
“The recently completed airborne MOBILEMT survey at Great Bear is expected to work well and will add substantially to the understanding of the local and regional mineralising structures.
“Integrating this geophysical layer with assay results will eventually allow for a maiden drilling campaign by the Company which is scheduled to kick off in the coming months. The same aerial survey is now underway at Rae and expected to complete this week.”
Analytical results from sampling are expected in 4-6 weeks.
Searching for the big one
Copper may be considered a future-facing commodity linked closely to the energy transition.
But its cultural ties to the Nunavut region in northern Canada go back to antiquity and the days of Inuit settlement in the region.
“Tools and idols, made from native copper from the project area, have been worked and traded by the local Inuit going back centuries amongst the circumpolar communities. The area first came to the attention of European and English explorers in the 17th century,” White Cliff says.
Prospector Samuel Hearne reached the Coppermine River in 1771, finding a 2kg copper nugget to put the region on the map.
But exploration became sporadic, with drilling and geophysics from the first wave of modern exploration from 1990-2010 grinding to a halt as the GFC crunched copper prices.
The metal is back in favour, hitting record levels in May and still trading above a haughty US$9,000/t, with even more bullish price runs expected as demand from renewables and EVs sends it into the stratosphere. What a time for WCN to be finding a catalogue of prospective targets.
HALO, located on newly claimed ground, have found mineralisation styles not noted by previous explorers which “may significantly increase the tonnage potential at the target”.
Other prospects, like Cu-Tar, are seeing their first serious sampling programs despite historic copper occurrences noted in historical exploration.
This article was developed in collaboration with White Cliff Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
