Antofagasta Minerals, the mining division of Antofagasta, and Full Metal Minerals, a generative exploration company, have planned a 3000 m core drilling campaign at the Pyramid Project, which is situated close to the tidewater on the Alaska Peninsula.
The main goal of the drill campaign is to analyze the continuity of copper, gold and molybdenum mineralization and also to follow up on high grades intercepted during the 2011 drill campaign on the southern boundary of the mineralizing system. At the Pyramid project, a major segment of the surface expression of copper mineralization, favorable changes and stockwork veining has not been drilled yet. Mineralization remains exposed at depth and in the entire directions.
The 2011 drill highlights of the Pyramid project are as follows:
- Drill hole PY11-007 intercepted 0.72% copper equivalent at 104.00 m
- Drill hole PY11-010 intercepted 0.53% copper equivalent at 310.29 m
- Drill hole PY11-012 intercepted 0.54% copper equivalent at 208.00 m
- Drill hole PY11-014 intercepted 0.76% copper equivalent at 100.00 m
- Drill hole PY11-016 intercepted 0.97% copper equivalent at 155.94 m
- Drill hole PY11-017 intercepted 0.81% copper equivalent at 117.54 m
Seventeen drill holes were completed at the Pyramid project during the 2010 and 2011 season. Antofagasta Minerals had funded this program. Most of the drill holes were less than 300 m in the entire length and were shallow for a Porphyry system.
At the Pyramid project, a number of hydrothermal centers have been discovered inside an oval-shaped mapped extent of potassic and phyllic modified zones. Standard vein styles have been discovered in the core with A, B, and D veins hosting mineralization. Copper and molybdenum mineralization exist in numerous phases of porphyritic intrusive rocks. Quartz feldspar porphyry and Quartz diorite porphyry intrusives entail the size of the igneous rock types. Mineralization includes molybdenite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite and covellite with supergene enrichment at depths varying from 120 to more than 250 m beneath the surface.