The 2023 diamond drilling program at RDP totaled 1,428 metres in three drill holes (RDP-23-007 to RDP-23-009) and tested the Day target ('Day') and the Bird target ('Bird'). Two drill holes were completed at Day (RDP-23-007 and RDP-23-008) where drill hole RDP-22-005 returned 107.2 m of 1.39% copper equivalent ('CuEq') or 2.06 g/t gold equivalent('AuEq') (0.63% copper, 1.10 g/t gold, and 2.91 g/t silver) within 497.2 m of 0.66% CuEq or 0.97 g/t AuEq (0.37% copper, 0.40 g/t gold, and 1.60 g/t silver). The two holes completed at Day were large step-outs over 300 m to the northeast and northwest from the collar location for RDP-22-005. In addition, a single diamond drill hole tested Bird (RDP-23-009), located approximately 2.0 km north of Day, where Pacific Ridge discovered porphyry copper-gold mineralization in a stream cutbank in 2022.
Highlights
Drill hole RDP-23-007 at Day ended in strong porphyry copper-gold mineralization: 19.0 m of 0.45% CuEq or 0.67 g/t AuEq (0.32% copper, 0.19 g/t gold, and 1.08 g/t silver).
The dimensions of Day are now 290 m east-west, 100 m north-south, and up to 600 m vertical depth. It remains open to the east and west, and at depth.
Drill hole RDP-23-009 was the first diamond drill hole to test Bird at depth and returned 18.5 m of 0.43% CuEqor 0.63 g/t AuEq (0.16% copper, 0.38 g/t gold, and 0.59 g/t silver) within 111.0 m at 0.23% CuEq or 0.34 g/t AuEq (0.09% copper, 0.20 g/t gold, and 0.31 g/t silver).
Geochemistry and geophysics suggest that a porphyry core may lie approximately 200 m deeper than the mineralization intersected in RDP-23-009.
'This year's diamond drill program at RDP was small but very successful,' said
Day porphyry copper-gold target
Drill holes RDP-23-007 and RDP-23-008 at Day were designed as broad step-outs over 300 m from the RDP-22-005 collar location to test for a large porphyry copper-gold system. In 2022, RDP-22-005 returned 107.2 m of 1.39% CuEq or 2.06 g/t AuEq (0.63% copper, 1.10 g/t gold, and 2.91 g/t silver) within 497.2 m of 0.66% CuEq or 0.97 g/t AuEq (0.37% copper, 0.40 g/t gold, and 1.60 g/t silver). The 2023 drill holes tested the western and southeastern sides of a large (650 m diameter) ring-shaped aeromagnetic high anomaly interpreted from First Vertical Derivative ('1VD') and 3D Magnetic Vector Inversion ('MVI') models. Porphyry copper-gold mineralization drilled in 2022 lies at the southern part of this interpreted ring anomaly. RDP-23-007 was collared 300 m to the northeast of the RDP-22-005 collar and drilled to the southeast, and RDP-23-008 was collared 330 m to the northwest of the RDP-22-005 collar and drilled to the west-southwest. Copper sulphide mineralization was intersected in both RDP-23-007 and RDP-23-008, however the interval in the RDP-23-007 is higher grade over a wider interval and appears to be an extension of RDP-23-005 mineralization 130 m to the east and to 120 m greater depth, while still being open at depth.
RDP-23-007 (azimuth 125-degree, inclination -70-degree, length 573 m) returned 19.0 m of 0.45% CuEq or 0.67 g/t AuEq (0.32% copper, 0.19 g/t gold, and 1.08 g/t silver) starting at 554 m. Drilling was terminated in mineralization at 573.0 m. This result extends > 0.60% CuEq mineralization another 175 m down plunge to the east of mineralization in RDP-23-005. Results suggest that Day is west-striking, steeply north-dipping (80-degree), and has a tabular or lenticular pipe shape with approximate dimensions of 290 m east-west, 100 m north-south, and up to 600 m vertical depth. Mineralization remains open primarily to the east and west, and at depth.
Mineralization from 554-573 m (end of hole) occurs as chalcopyrite-bornite disseminations and stringer veinlets. It is hosted in monzodiorite with moderate strength potassic alteration (K-feldspar, magnetite, quartz, chlorite).
RDP-23-008 (azimuth 235-degree, inclination -70-degree, length 414 m) returned 4.5 m of 0.18% CuEq or 0.26 g/t AuEq (0.16% copper, 0.03 g/t gold, and 0.45 g/t silver) starting at 182 m. Results suggest drilling stepped too far outward from a porphyry centre as is reflected in the narrow intervals of low grade with low Au:Cu ratio value (0.17). For comparison, the weighted average Au:Cu from RDP-22-005 for the 107.2 m interval of 1.39% CuEq or 2.06 g/t AuEq starting at 15.8 m is 1.75, and the value of the deepest reported interval of 60 m at 0.55% CuEq or 0.82% AuEq starting at 321 m, is 0.39. As such, it does not appear that there is an annulus of high-grade porphyry mineralization surrounding a 650 m diameter porphyry stock complex and that Day is more tabular in geometry and steeply north dipping as suggested by the RDP-23-007 result. In this case, RDP-23-008 would have drilled 300 m laterally outward into the hangingwall block of Day and encountered narrow distal mineralized intervals.
Mineralization from 182-186.5 m is hosted in volcaniclastic andesite with magnetite-chlorite and weak quartz (silica) alteration. Veinlet and fracture-hosted chalcopyrite occurs in trace to minor amounts. A 3 cm wide quartz vein with chalcopyrite-bornite at 158 m returned 0.40% CuEq or 0.59 g/t AuEq (0.31% Cu, 0.11 g/t Au, and 1.92 g/t Ag) over a 1 m sample.
About RDP
Located 40 km west of the Company's flagship Kliyul, RDP is greater than 10,000 hectares in size and lies within the Stikine Terrane, which is host to numerous significant porphyry deposits in northern
RDP contains several porphyry copper-gold targets (Roy, Day, Porcupine, and Bird) that have been explored intermittently since the early 1970's, including prospecting and mapping, various geochemical surveys, ground- and airborne geophysical surveys, trenching and a limited amount of drilling. The Project is underlain by lower
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