Mining News: Robust copper seen in Zackly core

PolarX Ltd. Oct. 3 announced that mineralization has been observed in all of the holes drilled so far this year at its high‐grade Zackly copper‐gold skarn deposit at the Stellar project in Southcentral Alaska. A historical resource for Zackly outlines 1.54 million metric tons grading 4.5 grams per metric ton (218,944 ounces) gold and 2.9 percent (66.9 million pounds) copper. This year’s drilling is focused on upgrading the historical Zackly resource to Australian Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) mineral reporting standards, which is similar to National Instrument 43-101 standards in Canada. So far, 11 holes for 1,778 meters have been drilled. PolarX said the drill core shows evidence of multiple phases of mineralization in the skarn deposit – an initial phase that introduced iron copper and molybdenum sulfides; and then stronger overprinting mineralization in later events. The company says widespread garnet‐bearing skarns containing covellite, native copper and bornite, with local formation of secondary chalcocite, observed in most holes drilled this year are characteristics of the later events. A further two holes, each about 150 meters, are being drilled at Zackly. Further drilling is being planned to establish the potential scale and commercial extent of the Zackly deposit. PolarX said it is extremely encouraged by the presence of the higher‐grade minerals observed in drilling to date and has accelerated laboratory assays which are expected to be reported during the next few weeks. Zackly is one of a number of exciting and potentially much larger prospects within PolarX’s extensive Stellar-Caribou Dome land package. The company said there is evidence of the potential for a much larger mineralizing system at depth and has significance for a number of untested targets – Mars, Jupiter, Gemini, Moonwalk and Senator – across the larger property. PolarX is processing and reviewing induced polarization geophysical surveys on some of these targets.

-SHANE LASLEY