Swapping aluminum for copper will maintain China’s resources, group says
China depends on overseas imports for 60% of its aluminum resources as opposed to 70% of its copper resources.
Phase one drilling at Rockcliff Metals’ (CSE: RCLF) Freebeth property in central Manitoba has returned high-grade copper and zinc mineralization including 5.28% copper equivalent over 2.3 metres and 4% copper-equivalent over 4.7 metres.
The drill program also pinpointed the historic Last Hurrah zone on the property, which is 3.5 km southeast of the past-producing Spruce Point copper-zinc mine, and within trucking distance of a processing and tailings facility that Rockcliff has leased about 125 km away.
The Last Hurrah zone is associated with a 1.4 km long airborne geophysical anomaly, Rockcliff said in a press release, and drilling identified a zone of high-grade copper and zinc mineralization that remains open along strike and at depth.
The company is working on a preliminary economic assessment for the Tower deposit, which it hopes to complete before the end of the year or early in 2021
President and CEO Alistair Ross said the Last Hurrah Zone is now a high-priority advanced exploration target.
Assay results released on May 21 include 2.3 metres grading 4.02% copper, 1.02% zinc, 0.81 gram gold per tonne and 44.36 grams silver per tonne (5.28% copper-equivalent) starting from 297.10 metres in drill hole LH20-005, including 1.60 metres of 5.52% copper, 1.04% zinc, 1.11 grams gold and 59.46 grams silver (7.11% copper equivalent).
Drill hole LH20-009 returned 8.30 metres grading 1.79% copper, 1.92% zinc, 0.28 gram gold and 13.52 grams silver (2.79% copper equivalent), starting from a depth of 97.60 metres.
Rockcliff’s other projects include its high-grade, copper-rich Tower deposit, 130 km from Wabowden in central Manitoba, where in April it announced a new high-grade nickel-PGE discovery about 600 metres to the south of Tower.
The company is working on a preliminary economic assessment for the Tower deposit, which it hopes to complete before the end of the year or early in 2021.
Tower currently has an indicated resource of 1.03 million tonnes grading 4.69% copper, 1.32% zinc, 0.85 gram gold, and 23.7 grams silver. Inferred resources stand at 0.4 million tonnes grading 3.53% copper, 1.05% zinc, 0.57 gram gold and 18 grams silver.
Rockcliff also owns the Rail deposit in Manitoba and is working on a PEA.
Rail has indicated resources of 1.17 million tonnes grading 3.52% copper-equivalent for a total of 90.7 million lb. contained copper-equivalent metal. Inferred resources add 728,000 tonnes grading 4.09% copper- equivalent, for a further 65.6 million lb. copper-equivalent.
The Rail deposit remains open along strike and at depth and the company says there are several additional nearby copper targets that remain untested.
(This article first appeared in The Northern Miner)
