Trilogy Metals Announces First Results of the 2022 Arctic Drill Program at the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects
Multiple Intercepts of High-
The 2022 field program included 10,738 meters of diamond drilling, of which 8,376 meters was drilled at Arctic, the most ever drilled at Arctic in a single field season, while the remainder of the meterage was used on regional targets in the Ambler VMS Belt and near Bornite. The 2022 field program prioritized advancing Arctic with additional infill drilling to further improve the confidence in the resource and for geotechnical studies to further de-risk the project.
Drilling Highlights
Drill holes AR22-0192 and AR22-0195 were drilled as part of the 2022 Arctic infill program designed to increase confidence from Indicated to Measured in areas of the mineral resource block model that would be mined during the first four years of production, based on Trilogy's 2020 Arctic feasibility study† mine plan and with the highest estimated metal value.
Significant zones of high-grade copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver mineralization were intersected, including:
- AR22-0192 intersected four mineralized intervals, including 9.63 meters of 3.58% copper, 5.89% zinc, 1.07% lead, 0.32 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 53.52 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 6.78%.
- AR22-0195 intersected five mineralized intervals, including of 5.55 meters of 3.84% copper, 7.40% zinc, 1.37% lead, 0.36 g/t gold and 63.70 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 7.81%.
______________________________ |
† National Instrument 43-101 technical report titled "Arctic Feasibility Study Alaska, USA NI 43-101 Technical Report" with an effective date of |
The drill results contained in this news release are from the first seven drill holes of the 2022 Arctic drill program, AR22-0191 through to AR22-0197, which include four infill holes and three geotechnical holes (AR22-0194, 0196 and 0197). All drill holes are sized HQ3 (63.5 mm diameter). Within
The results of the remaining holes are expected to be announced in the coming months. For full details of the 2022 drill program, see Trilogy's news release dated
As part of the goal of de-risking Arctic, the geotechnical holes were planned to further define the talc horizons in the pit design as outlined in the 2020 Feasibility Study. The holes were drilled at or beyond the edges of the resource and as expected, drill holes AR22-0194 and 0196 did not intersect mineralization while hole AR22-0197 intersected a narrow zone of weak mineralization as shown in Table 1. Trilogy anticipates that the results may impact engineering of
Exploration outside of
Mineralized intervals of high-grade mineralization at a cut-off of 0.5% copper equivalent are reported in Table 1. The locations of the holes are shown in Figure 2 and Table 2.
Table 1. Drill Intercepts from the 2022 Arctic Infill Drilling Program
Hole |
From (m) |
To (m) |
Length (m) |
Au (g/t) |
Ag (g/t) |
Cu (%) |
Pb (%) |
Zn (%) |
CuEq (%) |
Ba (%) |
Zone |
AR22-0191 |
103.26 |
104.48 |
1.22 |
0.298 |
23.65 |
0.24 |
0.22 |
0.45 |
0.87 |
2.37 |
7 |
108.81 |
114.60 |
5.79 |
0.499 |
41.63 |
2.45 |
0.80 |
3.23 |
4.60 |
2.35 |
5 |
|
133.20 |
133.50 |
0.30 |
0.049 |
11.80 |
1.38 |
0.25 |
2.83 |
2.64 |
0.01 |
4 |
|
138.78 |
145.90 |
7.12 |
0.039 |
6.17 |
2.12 |
0.02 |
1.83 |
2.88 |
0.02 |
3 |
|
231.42 |
232.23 |
0.81 |
0.016 |
1.09 |
0.56 |
0.00 |
0.03 |
0.59 |
0.21 |
1 |
|
AR22-0192 |
118.52 |
128.15 |
9.63 |
0.322 |
53.52 |
3.58 |
1.07 |
5.89 |
6.78 |
6.88 |
5 |
145.25 |
152.61 |
7.36 |
0.354 |
41.25 |
2.38 |
0.30 |
2.40 |
3.95 |
1.43 |
4 |
|
157.17 |
158.38 |
1.21 |
0.053 |
10.45 |
0.29 |
0.32 |
0.81 |
0.82 |
0.06 |
3 |
|
219.60 |
220.10 |
0.50 |
0.061 |
5.83 |
0.59 |
0.27 |
1.69 |
1.39 |
0.01 |
2 |
|
AR22-0193 |
90.53 |
93.00 |
2.47 |
0.138 |
9.24 |
0.29 |
0.06 |
0.33 |
0.60 |
3.43 |
7 |
96.51 |
103.49 |
6.98 |
0.270 |
21.98 |
1.42 |
0.26 |
2.09 |
2.65 |
3.30 |
5 |
|
126.13 |
126.50 |
0.37 |
0.119 |
37.90 |
2.37 |
0.41 |
1.45 |
3.45 |
0.01 |
4 |
|
130.01 |
138.74 |
8.73 |
0.056 |
31.01 |
3.06 |
0.33 |
2.45 |
4.38 |
0.06 |
3 |
|
239.88 |
240.89 |
1.01 |
0.087 |
11.75 |
0.94 |
0.03 |
0.28 |
1.21 |
0.21 |
1 |
|
AR22-0195 |
85.05 |
87.39 |
2.34 |
0.146 |
15.08 |
0.26 |
0.20 |
0.97 |
0.91 |
4.17 |
7 |
92.98 |
98.53 |
5.55 |
0.355 |
63.70 |
3.84 |
1.37 |
7.40 |
7.81 |
3.48 |
5 |
|
128.30 |
132.04 |
3.74 |
0.057 |
4.43 |
0.78 |
0.04 |
0.37 |
1.00 |
0.05 |
3 |
|
143.15 |
143.48 |
0.33 |
0.019 |
2.91 |
0.62 |
0.02 |
0.02 |
0.68 |
0.01 |
? |
|
253.38 |
254.90 |
1.52 |
0.148 |
31.13 |
2.57 |
0.20 |
0.72 |
3.28 |
0.39 |
1 |
|
AR22-0197 |
6.29 |
6.61 |
0.32 |
0.003 |
1.10 |
0.54 |
0.02 |
0.20 |
0.63 |
0.11 |
5 |
Notes:
-
Copper equivalent (CuEq) calculations use metal prices assumptions of
$3.00 /lb for copper,$1.10 /lb for zinc,$1.00 /lb for lead,$1,300 /oz for gold, and$18.00 /oz for silver. - Results are core intervals and not true thickness; true widths have not been determined for the above intercepts but are believed to be within 80% of actual drill thicknesses.
- Cut-off grade of 0.5% CuEq.
- Internal dilution up to three meters of <0.5% CuEq.
- Core recovery averaged 94%.
- Within mineralized zones the minimum sample length was 0.14m, maximum sample length was 2.81m, and the average sample length was 1.49m.
- Some rounding errors may occur.
Drill holes AR22-0191, 0192, 0193 and 0195 which are sized HQ3 (63.5 mm diameter), were drilled as part of the 2022 Arctic infill program to increase confidence from Indicated to Measured in areas of the mineral resource block model that would be mined during the first four years of production, based on Trilogy's 2020 Feasibility Study mine plan and with the highest estimated value (see Figure 2). The holes, as seen in Figures 3 and 4, indicate mineralization is reasonably continuous, especially in Zone 5 which is typically the highest grade and thickest zone at Arctic. Sulphide mineralogy is similar for all intercepts: chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena.
Table 2. Drill Hole Locations at the
Hole |
Easting |
Northing |
Elevation |
Azimuth |
Dip |
Length |
AR22-0191 |
613427.48 |
7453222.71 |
977.33 |
54 |
-63 |
285.6 |
AR22-0192 |
613408.01 |
7453239.69 |
974.71 |
41 |
-58 |
270.36 |
AR22-0193 |
613465.12 |
7453172.51 |
983.18 |
41 |
-68 |
282.55 |
AR22-0194 |
613144.13 |
7453644.46 |
895.11 |
35 |
-65 |
24.84 |
AR22-0195 |
613468.42 |
7453130.31 |
980.45 |
35 |
-70 |
295.66 |
AR22-0196 |
613145.12 |
7453645.07 |
895.29 |
90 |
-70 |
91.44 |
AR22-0197 |
613534.13 |
7453336.95 |
905.04 |
35 |
-70 |
12.95 |
Coordinates are in |
QA/QC Program
The drilling program, sampling and assaying protocol, and data verification were managed by qualified persons (QPs) employed by Ambler Metals. The diamond drill holes were completed using HQ3 diameter core, and recoveries averaged 94%. Drill core was cut lengthwise into halves using a diamond saw, and one-half was cut lengthwise to provide quarter core for sampling. The remainder of the core was retained in core boxes and archived at site.
Samples were collected through mineralized zones using a 0.14 m minimum length and 2.81 m maximum length; average sample length is 1.49 m. Weights of the drill core samples range from 0.81 to 11.94 kg, depending on the size of core, rock type, and recovery.
Each core sample was placed into a bag with a numbered tag and quality control samples were inserted between core samples using the same numbering sequence. Then, samples were grouped into batches for shipping and laboratory submissions. Each batch of 20 samples contains quality control (QC) samples that comprise one certified reference material (CRM), one core blank (BLK), and one crushed or pulp duplicate (DUP). In addition, 1 core duplicate was taken within mineralized intervals for every 20 samples. Chain of custody records are maintained for sample shipments and the custody is transferred from Ambler Metals expeditor to the laboratory upon delivery.
Samples were shipped to ALS Minerals laboratory in
Drill core samples were weighed (
Gold analyses were completed using a 30 g lead fire assay and AAS finish (Au-AA23). Multi-element analyses for 48 elements were completed using a geochemical four acid digestion and ICP-ES/MS finish (ME-MS61). Over-range assays for Ag, Cu, Zn, and S were completed using an ore grade four-acid digestion and ICP-ES finish (ME-OG62). Additional analyses were completed for Ba and Hg.
Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, and Zn assays for QC samples were reviewed to ensure that CRMs are within tolerance limits specified on supplier certificates, BLKs are below acceptable thresholds, and DUPs display statistical patterns normally expected for sample types, methods, and elements. CRMs that returned assays outside of tolerance limits and BLKs with assays above thresholds were deemed to have failed. Sample batches containing failed QC samples were re-assayed to ensure that the QC samples returned acceptable results before release. All QC monitoring data are reviewed and signed off by an independent QA/QC geologist.
There is no known relationship between core sample recoveries and assay grades. Ambler Metals will submit 5% of the assay intervals from prospective lithologies to a laboratory independent of ALS Minerals for check assaying.
Qualified Persons
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and
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