- Final results to hand for Phase 1 drilling at the Bronze Fox project
- Mining license conversion process ongoing for Bronze Fox
- Three holes completed for three targets at the East Tsagaan Suvarga project
- Drilling commenced at Badrakh project
Vancouver, BC – November 18th, 2019 – Kincora Copper Ltd. (the “Company”, “Kincora”) (TSXV:KCC) is pleased to provide an update on results from activities to date from the 2019 field season following first phase target testing drilling at the Bronze Fox and East Tsagaan Suvarga (“East TS”) projects.
A total of 9 holes for 6,112 metres were drilled testing 5 targets across both projects. The first of a proposed 2-hole program has just commenced at the recently optioned Badrakh project.
Project generation and earlier stage project pipeline exploration activities continue as Kincora is the most active foreign listed junior seeking to make the next Tier 1 discovery in Mongolia.
- Bronze Fox: 6 holes completed at two targets for 4,264 metres
- Confirmed and better defined a large lower grade porphyry system with localised higher-grade zones at the West West Kasulu target.
- Preparations ongoing for mining license application for the eastern exploration license.
- Drilling has added geological information to support an updated block model, enhance the dataset sufficiently for NI 43-101 purposes and a maiden resource.
- East Tsagaan Suvarga: 3 holes completed at three targets for 1848.2 metres
- Drilling has failed to confirm the targeted geological concepts meaning the project has become too high a risk proposition for a junior to solely fund.
- Badrakh: 2 holes proposed at two targets for a budgeted 1,ooo metres
- Drilling has commenced at the recently optioned earn-in Badrakh project (see the November 11th, 2019, press release).
- The agreement provides a path to control alongside a well-credentialed vendor and partner, for a priority drill ready project underpinned by large-scale porphyry targets, which are favourably located to existing infrastructure and on the doorstep to China.
Peter Leaman, Senior Vice-President of Exploration, commented, “Field activities have been under budget, safely and successfully executed, systematically advancing the Company’s wholly owned 828.3km2 district scale portfolio, focused on first phase target testing drilling at Bronze Fox and East Tsagaan Suvarga.
The Company remains well funded to continue to pursue our dual exploration and project generation strategy, with two prospective targets being drilled at the Badrakh project, and with budget for a significant phase 2 drilling in 2020 across the license portfolio.”
Figure 1: Location of Kincora’s projects in the Southern Gobi copper belt
Location the Bronze Fox, East Tsagaan Suvarga and Badrakh projects to existing infrastructure and other noteworthy exploration and mining projects
Bronze Fox
Final assay results from drilling have been received (see Figure 2), with the Kincora team relogging a total of 6,286.5 metres of core in the West West Kasulu target area to support detailed vein density and orientation, mineral paragensis analysis and integration to geophysics. Results from field season activities are interpreted as having better defined the large lower grade porphyry system with localised higher-grade zones proximal to a key regional fault and localised parallel fault.
Activities have also supported the required datasets for conversion of the existing eastern exploration license to a mining license, which the Company will now pursue over the winter period as potential follow up phase 2 drilling targets for the 2020 drilling program are further considered (which is funded for).
The 2019 drilling and recent field activities (including gathering specific gravity samples for all prior drilling) have added geological information to support an updated block model, enhanced the dataset sufficiently for NI 43-101 purposes and a maiden resource. As announced in the January 25th, 2018 press release, prior activities supported an exploration target 416 Mt to 428 Mt grading 0.26% to 0.30% copper for up to 2,437Mlb of copper and 0.84Moz gold. The potential quantity and grade ranges are conceptual in nature and based on nearest neighbour and ordinary krige estimates, and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.
Figure 2: Bronze Fox phase 1 2019/20 drilling program – Significant intercepts1
Previously not reported intercepts outlined in bold outline – intervals reported as down hole length, not true widths
Figure 3: Bronze Fox project – Bronze Fox Intrusive Complex (“BFIC”) plan view
East Tsagaan Suvarga
Kincora’s wholly owned East Tsagaan Suvarga (“East TS”) project is located approximately 10-15 kms to the east of the Tsagaan Suvarga porphyry mine (“TS”). With previous drilling having confirmed East TS sits within a brownfield setting of the targeted Devonian age Tsagaan Suvarga Intrusive Complex (“TSIC”), and subsequent ground magnetics and Induced Polarisation (“IP”) refining a number of large scale coincident anomalies, the 2019 drilling program sought to confirm the potential for a preserved porphyry system may be present beneath the younger cover in a favourable preserved porphyry setting, a similar style and setting to the Hugo and/or Heruga orebodies within the Oyu Tolgoi mineralised system.
The maiden target testing drill program focused on three independent targets with a total of 1848.2 metres drilled (ETS holes #15, 16 and 17). Drilling this field season (ETS017) and previously at the most northern target failed to intercept the TSIC at explorable depths. The targeted TSIC was intercepted in ETS015 and ETS016, with quartz monzonite; weak to moderate chlorite altered and disseminated pyrite observed.
Activities this field season have failed to provide the targeted vectors to refine targets for Phase 2 step out or infill drilling, which coupled with the depth of cover means that further drilling is too high a risk for a junior to solely fund.
Figure 4: East Tsagaan Suvarga drilling relative to TSIC
Figure 5: East Tsagaan Suvarga plan view over magnetics and chargeability
Figure 6: East TS 2019 drilling program – Drill hole collar locations
Badrakh
Drilling has commenced at the recently optioned earn-in Badrakh project (see the November 11th, 2019, press release), that will for the first time test the potential for a preserved and large scale copper-gold porphyry system, as well as for a nearer surface supergene cap.
New activities and reinterpretation of previous field geological mapping, soil and rock chip sampling, ground magnetics and induced polarization (“IP”) has been undertaken by Kincora with two holes proposed this field season.
The first hole, BDD001, will test a large scale coincident chargeability high oversetting a donut magnetic anomaly on the margin of a silica cap, brecciated quartz–baryte zone and a phyllic alteration zone. Anomalous copper, gold and molybdenum geochemistry lies on the margin of an interpreted fault zone, potentially related to an underlying system that hole BDD001 is looking to test. The exploration concept to be tested by this first hole is outlined in Figure 8.
Figure 7: The Badrakh projects hosts silica caps, zones of brecciated quartz–baryte and a distinct phyllic east–west trending alteration zone, supportive that the erosion levels are at the top of a potential porphyry and/or epithermal high sulphidation overprint
Figure 8: Drilling will for the first time test the potential for a large-scale porphyry system
The second hole proposed this field is within the western section of the outcropping phyllic and propylitic alteration system, in proximity to hole KHUD002, that intersected chalcocite and chalcopyrite, in a weak supergene cap but failed to test the underlying primary potential.
Figure 9: Multi purpose rig operational at hole BDD001, testing the first of two large target zones at the Badrakh project for this field season
Qualified Person and Sample Protocol
The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with the standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) and was reviewed, verified and compiled by Kincora’s geological staff under the supervision of Peter Leaman, Senior Vice-President of Exploration of Kincora Copper, who is the Qualified Person for the purpose of NI 43-101.
All samples have been assayed at ALS Laboratory in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition to internal checks by ALS Laboratory, the Company incorporates a QA/QC sample protocol utilizing prepared standards, blanks and duplicates for 5% of all assayed samples. All samples undergo 4 Acid ICP-MS (48 element) geochemistry. All drill core was logged to best industry standard by well-trained geologists and Kincora’s drill core sampling protocol consisted a collection of samples over 2 m intervals over mineralized sections of the logged core. Sample interval selection was based on geological controls or mineralization, and/or guidance from the Technical Committee provided subsequent to daily drill and logging reports.
Drill core selected for assaying was cut in half with a diamond saw, with half of the core placed in sample bags and the remaining half securely retained in core boxes at Kincora’s exploration camp. All samples were organized into batches of 30 including a commercially prepared standard, blank and either a field duplicate, consisting of two quarter-core intervals, or a laboratory duplicate. QC monitoring is an active and ongoing process on batch by batch basis.
1 Significant intercepts – intercepts reported as an interval with “from” and “to” and not as true widths
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information regarding Kincora contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Kincora believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Kincora cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Kincora currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. Kincora does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.