Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. announced that drill hole KLI-22-041 returned 588.0 m of 0.41% copper equivalent (“CuEq”) or 0.56 g/t gold equivalent (“AuEq”), including 278.0 m of 0.67% CuEq or 0.92 g/t AuEq, from the Kliyul copper-gold porphyry project (“Kliyul” or “Project”), located in the prolific Quesnel Trough in northcentral British Columbia. The program comprised 7,014.7 metres in 12 drill holes, the largest ever drill program at the Project. Results of the first six drill holes, holes KLI-22-39 to KLI-22-44, are reported in Table 1 below.
Drill hole KLI-22-041 returned 588.0 m of 0.41% CuEq or 0.56 g/t AuEq (0.12% copper, 0.39 g/t gold, and 0.90 g/t silver), including 278.0 m of 0.67% CuEq or 0.92 g/t AuEq (0.14% copper, 0.72 g/t gold, and 0.95 g/t silver; see Table 1); Every drill hole returned significant intersections at or above 0.54% CuEq or 0.74 g/t AuEq; Drilling successfully extended the Kliyul Main Zone (“KMZ”) mineralized body to the north, south, and at depth; it now measures approximately 550 m (WSW to ENE) x 200 m (NNW-SSE) x 600 m vertical depth; and Drilling has confirmed that bounding faults of the KMZ fault block do not cut off mineralization to the north or the west. KMZ remains open in every direction.
“Results from the first six drill holes completed at Kliyul in 2022 are a game changer,” said Blaine Monaghan, President & CEO of Pacific Ridge. “We intersected significant porphyry copper-gold mineralization in every drill hole, materially expanded the KMZ mineralized body, and confirmed that KMZ is not fault bound to the north or to the west. We eagerly await the results from the remaining six holes, which included several big step-out holes to the west and east of KMZ.”
Table 1 2022 Kliyul Assay Results Summary, Holes KLI-22-39 to KLI-22-44 (Results from Holes KLI-22-45 to KLI-22-50 will be Reported When Received)
The program comprised 7,014.7 metres in 12 diamond drill holes, the largest ever drill program at the Project. Results of the first six drill holes (3,271.8 m) have expanded the KMZ mineralized body to the north, south and at depth (see Figures 1 and 2). Furthermore, drilling confirmed the east-west trending Valley Fault is a mineralized structural zone at depth and does not cut off the KMZ system on the north. Results suggest KMZ and Kliyul North mineralization is contiguous below an approximate 300 m vertical depth. Drilling also confirmed a modelled fault west of KMZ (informally known as the Lui Fault), and significant mineralization was intersected in the outlying western block starting at about 400 m vertical depth. The KMZ mineralization appears to be hosted in a high standing fault block relative to adjacent fault blocks, which are also mineralized.
Figure 1 Plan View: Kliyul West, KMZ, and Kliyul North with MVI Amplitude Magnetics
Figure 2 Cross Section of Kliyul West, KMZ, and Kliyul North
The first six drill holes (3,271.8 m) of the 2022 exploration program at Kliyul tested three target areas, KMZ, Kliyul North, and Kliyul West. All drilling was collared in KMZ and drill holes were either entirely within KMZ (KLI-22-040, KLI-22-041), or drilled into neighboring fault-defined target areas at depth: Kliyul North (KLI-22-042, KLI-22-044) and Kliyul West (KLI-22-039, KLI-22-043).
Results of the first six drill holes have expanded the east-northeast trending KMZ mineralized body to the north, south and at depth such that it now has an approximate 340 m x 200 m maximum footprint in plan and continues to about 530 m vertical depth. This excludes continuity with neighboring fault blocks. The portions of drill holes KLI-22-039, -040, -041, -042, -043 and -044 within the KMZ block infilled and expanded upon the known porphyry Cu-Au core zone. Highlights from each hole:
21.4 m of 0.76% CuEq or 1.04 g/t AuEq starting from 22.0 m (KLI-22-039); 266.5 m of 0.60% CuEq or 0.82 g/t AuEq starting from 89.0 m (KLI-22-040); 336.0 m of 0.61% CuEq or 0.84 g/t AuEq starting from 106.0 m (KLI-22-041); 170.0 m of 0.44% CuEq or 0.61 g/t AuEq starting from 136.0 m (KLI-22-042); 114.0 m of 0.55% CuEq or 0.76 g/t AuEq starting from 147.0 m (KLI-22-043); and 350.7 m of 0.38% CuEq or 0.52 g/t AuEq starting from 81.5 m (KLI-22-044).
Importantly, drilling confirmed the east-west trending Valley Fault which defines the KMZ block on the north is a mineralized structural zone at depth and does not cut off the KMZ system; also, that the northwest-trending Lui Fault which defines the KMZ block on the west is a mineralized structural zone at depth.
The only drill hole to previously encounter significant mineralization in Kliyul North was KLI-15-035, drilled by Teck Resources in 2015 (19.5 m of 0.43% Cu and 0.56 g/t Au from 414.0-433.5 m). The aim of the deeper portions of drill holes KLI-22-042 and KLI-22-044 was to confirm this occurrence and expand upon it towards the Valley Fault zone.
KLI-22-042 stepped-out laterally 135 m to the southwest and intersected porphyry Cu-Au style mineralization to about 275 m vertical depth below KLI-15-035, extending it to 630 m vertical depth. The Valley Fault was intersected at approximately 311 m core length. KLI-22-044 stepped out 150 m to the southwest from KLI-22-042 and was drilled steeply (-80°) through the Valley Fault zone. It passed into the Kliyul North block at 385 m core length and continued in sulfide mineralization to end-of-hole at 651.0 m. Altogether, these early results indicate a 200 m x 50 m NE-SW trending panel (unconstrained) of porphyry Cu-Au mineralization in Kliyul North starting at about 300 m vertical depth, and this mineralization appears to be contiguous with KMZ mineralization at this depth. Highlights from each hole
(Source: Press Releases – www.pacificridgeexploration.com/news-releases/pacific-ridge-intersects-588.0m-of-0.41-copper-equivalent-or-0.56-g-t-gold-equivalent-including-278.0m-of-0.67-copper-equival/)
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