C3 Metals Inc (TSX-V:CCCM, OTC:CARCF) has announced rock chip assay results of up to 35.8 grams per ton (g/t) gold from a comprehensive mapping and sampling program on its wholly owned Main Ridge project in Jamaica.
The junior minerals exploration company said the 3,000-hectare Main Ridge project is contiguous with and approximately 15 kilometres (km) to the west of its previously announced discovery of an outcropping, large-scale epithermal vein swarm within its 6,000-hectare Arthurs Seat project, where drilling is underway.
High-grade Main Ridge rock chip samples are similar in style to and less than 1 km from the past producing Pennants Gold Mine, the company added.
"Results from our exploration programs at Arthurs Seat and Main Ridge have demonstrated the potential for comparable epithermal gold-copper systems,” C3 Metals president and CEO Dan Symons said in a statement. “Furthermore, we know that the nearby Pennants Gold Mine reported intersections of high-grade gold mineralization over favourable widths."
READ: C3 Metals receives approval to exploration drill its Arthurs Seat project in Jamaica
Main Ridge exploration highlights
- Recent and historical rock chip and soil sampling along the Bennett Fault defined a coherent gold anomaly extending 4 km southeast and northwest of the former Pennants Gold Mine:
- Rock chip sample collected 300 metres (m) west of historical drill hole MD28 (3.1m at 17 g/t gold) assayed 35.8 g/t gold
- Rio Minho Fault host to strong copper-silver mineralization, defined over a 4km strike length. Channel sample results include:
- 16m at 1.22% copper and 7.8 g/t silver
- 2m at 6.07% copper and 19.4 g/t silver
- Strong correlation of radiometrics (potassium anomaly) and gold mineralization at Main Ridge and Arthurs Seat
- Main Ridge and Arthurs Seat epithermal systems all host similar copper, gold and silver geochemical signature and vein and breccia textures
- Two mineralized splays off the Crawle River-Rio Minho Fault Zone (CRFZ) cut through Main Ridge
- Bennett Fault (gold-silver +- copper mineralization)
- Rio Minho Fault (copper-silver +- gold mineralization)
The company noted that the Pennants Gold Mine was operated from 2002 to 2004 on a reported non-compliant NI 43-101 historical mineral resource of 75,500 tonnes at 20.4 g/t gold. The operator reported historical high-grade drill intersections of 1.7m at 430.0 g/t gold and 4.6m at 25.6 g/t gold from the mine property.
Main Ridge field exploration program
C3 Metals said it recently expanded its surface mapping and sampling program to cover the entire 6,000-hectare Arthurs Seat concession, the northern area of the Bellas Gate concession and the 3,000-hectare Main Ridge concession.
Results from the ongoing program and previous field exploration programs at Main Ridge have identified multiple gold and copper targets with similar mineralization styles to those identified at Arthurs Seat.
A total of 941 rock chip and channel samples have been collected to date with 59 rock samples reporting over 0.10% copper (up to 18.5% copper) and 83 samples reporting over 0.10 g/t gold (up to 35.8 g/t gold).
Arthurs Seat
The company noted that Arthurs Seat is a grassroots discovery of an 8 km by 4.5 km copper-gold-silver mineralized footprint that has never been drill tested.
Within the southeast portion of this mineralized footprint sits an outcropping epithermal vein swarm mapped and sampled over a 5 km by 3 km area.
It said it has collected thousands of samples at Arthurs Seat and previously announced rock chip assays up to 58.1 g/t gold, 16.5% copper and 4,890 g/t silver. To date, it said four of the planned 25 drill holes have been completed. Assays are pending for the first two holes with the third and fourth holes being prepared for shipment to the assay lab.
"C3 Metals applied for Arthurs Seat drill permits in late September 2022 and received approval two months later,” Symons said. “We commenced a 25-hole, 5,000m drill program at Arthurs Seat in December 2022 and are awaiting the first assays from that program. We are now preparing applications for a Main Ridge drill permit.”
The company said it is continuing an aggressive mapping and sampling program along the 20 km trend of the CRFZ, from the northern portion of Bellas Gate, through Arthurs Seat to Main Ridge. Surface mapping and sampling will continue over the coming months to define drilling priorities.
"The important CRFZ extends over 20 km within our mineral concessions in Jamaica,” Symons added. “We are in the process of determining whether district-scale mineralization extends along the entire CRFZ structure. From what we see from the data to date, that potential exists.”
C3 Metals is a junior minerals exploration company working on the discovery and development of large copper and gold deposits. C3 Metals also holds a 100% interest in five licenses covering 207 square kilometres of highly prospective copper-gold terrain in Jamaica and a 2% royalty in Tocvan’s Rogers Creek project in British Columbia.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com