NorthWest Copper (TSX-V:NWST) Corp told investors that drilling has started at its Kwanika project in north-central British Columbia.
The company said it has an extensive drill program planned for 2022 with over 30,000 metres (m) in total over its entire portfolio, with a minimum of 8,600m at Kwanika as it takes advantage of the infrastructure at Kwanika to begin 2022 drilling almost three months earlier than in 2021.
The first holes will target potential expansion on the south side of the deposit at Kwanika Central, it added.
READ: NorthWest Copper announces first phase of 2022 exploration plans on its 100%-owned project portfolio in British Columbia
"This is only the second field season for NorthWest as a company and we look forward to building on the success of the 2021 program," president and CEO Peter Bell said in a statement.
"The early start gives us a jump on our exciting 2022 exploration effort and will provide news flow through the remainder of the year. I look forward to what our team can deliver from our target-rich portfolio of projects. We begin this season with more targets and greater financial strength than 2021 and look forward to more success.”
The company said its 2022 drill program at Kwanika has three goals: add additional high grades within Kwanika Central and Kwanika South; increase the size of both those deposits, and search for new satellite deposits.
The drill program is being done in parallel to the work on the Kwanika/Stardust preliminary economic assessment (PEA), it added. While current exploration will not inform the preliminary PEA, NorthWest said it will continue to explore opportunities to grow and enhance the overall project.
"Kwanika delivered multiple positive surprises throughout 2021 including the high-grade breccia zone in K-21-217, higher than expected grades at the South Zone and opportunity to expand the Kwanika Central Zone to the north," Bell continued.
"We are also continuing to work with the Takla Lake First Nation, with community members working at site and supporting water baseline studies.”
Kwanika Central
NorthWest said successful step-out drilling north of Kwanika Central in 2021 highlighted an undrilled gap with the potential to expand the deposit footprint. It plans to test the area between the edge of the existing resource and the long intercept of anomalous mineralization encountered in recently released hole K-21-2213.
That hole encountered encouraging potassic alteration, quartz veining and chalcopyrite with minor bornite. On the south side of the current resource boundary, it said it will test for incremental elevated grade tonnage with its first few holes of 2022. The program is designed to extend near-surface mineralization through shallow holes, the company added.
South Zone
NorthWest said the South Zone is less well explored but attractive targets were identified in 2021. Located about 1 kilometre (km) south of Kwanika Central, it said the South Zone has upside potential, and any new discoveries or extensions are additive to the proposed Kwanika/Stardust project.
Before 2021, the company said the South Zone was regarded as low grade, however, in late 2021 hole K-21-223 encountered 34m of 1.3% copper equivalent (CuEq), highlighting the existence of higher grades at South Zone.
Surrounding historical holes, including K-09-140, suggest a southward plunge to mineralization and the opportunity for additional high-grade mineralization. South Zone will be an important target for NorthWest in 2022, the company said.
New satellite deposits
NorthWest noted that Kwanika Central and South Zone are near the northern end of a north-northwest oriented mineralized trend and its mineral claims cover over 30 km of that trend. Current targets include the South Creek Zone and the Rottacker Zone, which have encouraging geophysical and geochemical signatures, it added.
The company said it starts the 2022 drill program with one rig, increasing to three rigs at the peak of activity. It will be using Matrix Drilling, based in Kamloops, British Columbia, the same contractor it used in 2021.
It said it expects to complete the first phase of Kwanika drilling by late May with follow-up likely later in the 2022 season.
“Getting an early start on drilling will allow us to complete our programs and to have a longer exploration news flow cycle,” the company concluded.
NorthWest Copper (TSX-V:NWST) has an exciting pipeline of projects in British Columbia. With a robust portfolio in a tier-one jurisdiction, the firm is well-positioned to participate fully in a strengthening global copper market.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com