Camino Minerals Corp. has engaged Peru-based drilling company AK Drilling International S.A. to commence core drilling at its Los Chapitos copper project near the coastal town of Chala in Arequipa Department, Peru.
Camino said it has received the necessary drilling permit from the Ministry of Energy and Mines at the beginning of August for its high-grade copper and gold Lidia Zone and has submitted its Start of Operations notice to mobilize and commence exploration drilling by the end of August.
The company also reported that it completed the ground magnetometry survey and is processing the results to help guide the proposed drill program over its new Lidia Zone -- which demonstrates similar geophysical signatures to those that host the significant copper intercepts made at the Adriana Zone.
READ: Camino says Los Chapitos copper project's local community in Peru receiving COVID-19 vaccinations
"Our August exploration campaign is focussed on new discovery targets that are 4 km north from previous drilling," said Camino Chief Geologist Jose Bassan in a statement.
"Copper mineralization is structurally controlled along the major Diva Fault and we are seeing imprinting of epithermal mineralization and calc-sodic alteration as part of a large iron oxide copper gold - IOCG system. Targeting these alteration zones that demonstrate high-grade mineralization can lead us to the controls and mineralization traps for a new discovery."
Camino said initial drill holes will specifically target artisanal mining sites with copper workings to depths of 10 meters (m).
Copper mineralization at the Lidia Zone is hosted in the Chocolate Formation with monzonites and calco-sodic and siliceous alteration, in addition to saccharoidal-crystalline quartz veins with gold grades up to 9.3 grams per ton (g/t) gold (Au) and up to 5.1% copper (Cu).
Camino said this is the same Chocolate Formation that hosts other large deposits along the coast of Peru such as the country’s newest copper mine, Mina Justa. Anomalies in soil samples show the presence of copper and gold, and 238 rock chip samples taken in 2018/19 averaged 0.78% Cu, with up to 23% Cu and 11 g/t Au over a 3 kilometer (km) by 4 km area.
"This marks the start of our drilling campaigns in 2021, commencing at a new high-grade copper and gold extension of our Los Chapitos copper project," said Jay Chmelauskas, CEO of Camino. "We plan to keep the drill campaigns going through the rest of the year as we target new areas of mineralization at Los Chapitos, and ultimately, finish the year drilling at our new Maria Cecilia porphyry project, as permits are received. Los Chapitos and Maria Cecilia are big geological systems that show potential for large tonnage copper discoveries."
Copper mineralization near the Adriana Zone
Almost 90% of historical drilling has been near the Adriana Zone where the company has intercepted significant copper mineralization such as:
- DCH-001: 55.3m with 0.73% Cu from a depth 7.2m, 33m of 0.4% from a depth 85.5m, 55.5m of 0.37% from a depth 128.5m;
- DCH-034: 95m with 0.85% Cu from a depth 63.5m, Including 6.2m of 3.16% from a depth 152.3m;
- DCH-012: 96.5m with 0.93% Cu from a depth 175m, including 4.5 m of 5.01% from a depth 245.5m;
- DCH-036: 91m with 0.76% Cu from a depth 90m, including 28.5m of 1.42% from a depth 133m.
Camino said it is now selectively testing new areas to make new discoveries along the 10 km Diva Structure Fault that controls mineralization at Los Chapitos. Following the Diva trend, 4 km to the north from the Adriana to the Lidia Zone, there is an occurrence of copper oxide bodies and gold-bearing quartz veins mainly in the Lourdes-Condori Zone that also extends to the Lidia Zone.
Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com
Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham