Drilling on the Wolverine polymetallic deposit in southeastern Yukon is expanding the mineralized zone to the west, and, moreover, the zone appears to be thickening.
Operator Westmin Resources (WMI-T) holds a 60% interest in the project, with Atna Resources (ATN-T) holding the balance.
Assay results are still pending from hole 96-61, which intersected 8.3 metres (true width) of copper and zinc-rich massive sulphides.
It is the most westerly-drilled hole to date, a full 150 metres west of the last reported hole, 96-48, which intersected a 4.9-metre true-width interval grading 1.6 grams gold and 379 grams silver per tonne, plus 5.34% zinc, 0.26% copper and 1.68% lead.
Hole 96-56, a stepout 110 metres west of hole 48, cut a true thickness of 6.9 metres grading 0.71 gram gold and 219 grams silver, plus 13.23% zinc, 0.92% copper and 1.1% lead.
Hole 96-52 stepped out 50 metres west of hole 48 and returned a true width of 3.2 metres grading 1.47 grams gold and 522 grams silver, plus 13.64% zinc, 0.87% copper and 2.07% lead. Hole 96-53 was drilled 100 metres updip of hole 52 and hit a 1.9-metre true-width interval grading 0.44 gram gold and 38 grams silver, plus 9.68% zinc, 0.44% copper and 0.53% lead.
Hole 96-50, drilled 100 metres updip of hole 48, cut a true thickness of 5.3 metres grading 0.37 gram gold and 48 grams silver, plus 3.13% zinc, 0.08% copper and 0.44% lead.
The mineralization in holes 50 and 53 is described as “unusual” by Westmin and Atna, as it consists of thin bands of massive sulphides within much thicker beds of weakly mineralized argillites (up to 22 metres in hole 53).
The companies believe the mixed sulphide-argillite sequence may represent an overlap, or an interface between two massive sulphide lenses. Holes 56 and 61 would seem to have intersected a new lens, which appears to be thickening to the west.
Results were also released for hole 96-49, which intersected a true width of 5.6 metres grading 0.84 gram gold and 255 grams silver, plus 10.51% zinc, 0.82% copper and 1.51% lead. Hole 49 was a 75-metre stepout drilled downdip of hole 96-25, which intersected a previously reported 9.5 metres true width grading 0.31 gram gold and 83.7 grams silver, plus 7.53% zinc, 1.22% copper and 0.43% lead.
Hole 96-54 was drilled off a section of hole 95-16, about 100 metres updip, and encountered a true width of 1.6 metres grading 2.44 grams gold and 381 grams silver, plus 15% zinc, 0.3% copper and 1.89% lead.
The southern and southwestern side of the deposit was further defined by holes 57, 58 and 59, which hit massive sulphide intersections of 4.1, 3 and 1.5 metres, respectively. Assay results are pending.
Prior to this year’s program, the Wolverine deposit was partially defined by 15 holes over a strike length of 250 metres and a downdip length of 400 metres. The resource is estimated to exceed 3 million tonnes grading 1.87 grams gold and 350.2 grams silver per tonne, plus 12.99% zinc, 1.27% copper and 1.43% lead.
This year’s drilling has since expanded the deposit a further 80 metres to the east, where the mineralization is apparently thinning, and 250 metres to the west, which remains wide open.
The deposit appears to continue downdip to the north, on to ground held by Cominco (CLT-T).
Westmin has added a third drill rig on the Wolverine deposit and is stepping out on the western extension.
In related news, Westmin has elected to option the nearby Puck property from
Expatriate Resources (EXR-V); it can earn a half interest by spending $2 million over the next two years.
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