Mining News: News Nuggets: New JV chases copper, gold near Pebble

Kijik Corp. and Alaska Earth Sciences Inc. Dec. 30 announced the formation of Chuchuna Minerals Company, a joint venture partnership to advance exploration at the Groundhog copper-gold project, situated immediately north of the Pebble project in Southwest Alaska. Alaska Earth Sciences, an Anchorage-based geological consulting firm that discovered the Groundhog prospect, will own 51 percent of Chuchuna Minerals; the remaining 49 percent will be owned by Kijik, the Alaska Native village corporation for Nondalton, the nearest community to the Groundhog property. Kijik brings local experience and resources to the project, which is expected to improve the development of community engagement and work force development programs. Results from a number of geophysical surveys over several years infer that Groundhog lies along the northeast margin of the Kaskanak batholith and is intersected by a north-northeast-trending corridor of distinctive intrusives. Alaska Earth Sciences said these surveys reveal very large conductive and resistive bodies in northeast trending structures on the Groundhog property. Multiple occurrences of porphyry-style mineralization and breccias occur within this belt, including Pebble West and East and several other significant discoveries. Chuchuna Minerals will be seeking an option partner to continue exploration.