White Cliff survey ups the count of copper targets at Rae project

White Cliff Minerals finds more copper targets at its Rae project in Nunavut
New targets appear constrained to regional fault networks, which provides additional confidence in geophysical responses
Further ground sampling and prospecting to ground truth targets identified as prospective for vein systems

Special Report: White Cliff Minerals’ first project-scale geophysical survey at its Rae copper project in Canada’s Nunavut territory has uncovered even more copper targets that boost its potential to host district-scale copper.

This work has now identified the Stark anomaly, West – Target D (Cliff), and an extension of the initial high-grade target within the Thor District at Halo.

The latest results add to the East, Central and West targets that the survey had reported finding in late October 2024.

White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) notes that the new Stark target sits along the Herb Dixon Fault – a known copper conduit, that forms the western boundary of the Hulk sedimentary targets and extends south to the Vision district where rock chips had returned up 64.02% copper.

Stark presents as a highly conductive signature over more than 14km strike with widths of up to 2.2km coincident within a well-defined structure.

West – Target D (Cliff) is a further western target at Hulk for large-scale vein-hosted systems with a strong conductivity anomaly, which is constrained within a major structure over 5.7km strike and up to 1km wide.

It further increases the interpreted dimensions of the Hulk target to 23km by 10.5km.

Exploration districts within the Rae copper project. Pic: White Cliff Minerals

Additionally, a conductivity response spanning a strike length of 2.7km within the Thor District at Halo, where high-grade samples of up to 54.02% copper were reported over >800m of strike, has expanded the initial high-grade target, inferring a significant extension to the mineralisation observed on surface.

Mobile MT electromagnetic survey results have also validated the significant quantities of copper mineralisation embedded within basalts and sediments at surface identified by ground truthing, offering scope for further discoveries at other conductivity anomalies within the Thor District.

Results to guide ground sampling

“These airborne geophysical results have revealed kilometre-scale conductive signals which seem to be constrained to the interpreted dimensions and structures of the regional fault networks,” managing director Troy Whittaker said.

“It is this constraint that provides us with additional confidence in the geophysical responses, as these conductive anomalies, in those shapes are what we were hoping to see.

“These large-scale vein system targets are unique in that they provide super high-grade copper targets and a major conduit of hydrothermal copper fluids; seeing the entire Herb Dixon fault in this regard and its connection into the sedimentary structures at Hulk is very exciting.

“Being able to link high-grade surface showings with extensions into the sub surface, like the Halo target, is significant given the consistent high grades returned during the summer sampling program. We have now identified, nearby, conductive sub-surface signatures, offering up scope for further discoveries in the Thor District.

“This ongoing generation of targets will feed into the 2025 ground sampling program (ground truthing geophysical anomalies) that will run in tandem with our maiden drilling campaign at the project.”

Further activity

Besides planned maiden drilling in Q1 2025, the company plans to carry out further ground sampling and prospecting to ground truth targets identified as prospective for vein systems through integration of magnetic and conductivity datasets.

Evidence of hydrothermal activity, such as quartz-carbonate veining and visible copper sulphide mineralisation coinciding with geophysical datasets will verify prospectivity and generate a pipeline of targets for drill testing.

Should copper mineralisation be observed, geological teams will conduct detailed surface sampling to understand strike length and return geochemical assay results, which will contribute to the ranking of targets prior to drill testing.

The 1198km2 Rae project comprises multiple historical high-grade copper projects in the Coppermine River area and is home to numerous historical non-JORC – or NI 43-101 and ‘blue sky’ – mineral estimates that will be a priority for drilling and conversion into JORC classification.

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.