Western Metallica Resources Corp.
(TSXV: WMS)
(“
Western Metallica” or the
“
Company”) is pleased to announce that drill crews
working at the Luz Maria copper-molybdenum drill program have
completed the first hole ever drilled at its 100% owned Caña Brava
project. Drill hole LM24DD001 was completed by contractor Energold
to a depth of 396.1 metres, and drilling of the second hole is
currently underway.
Logging of drill holes LM24DD001 and LM24DD002
confirms the presence of a complex Cu-Mo porphyry system, with
multiple intrusion phases, and multiple alteration and
mineralization events. Alteration and mineralization are observed
in both the intrusive rocks and the wall rock siliciclastic
sedimentary rocks.
The current drill program is aimed at testing
the copper-molybdenum mineralization found over an area of 500 by
300 metres, centered on strongly altered diorite and monzonite
outcrops located at the bottom of a dry creek. This geochemical
anomaly is coincident with strong anomalies identified during
magnetic and Induced Polarization surveys carried out by the
Company during 2024. A recent cluster classification analysis of
the geophysical surveys has highlighted two targets to be
prioritized: class 5 with medium resistivity, high chargeability
and high mag-susceptibility, and class 6 with medium/low
resistivity, high chargeability, high metal factor and high
magnetic susceptibility (refer to figures 4 and 5).
Copper and molybdenum mineralization is closely
related to the intensity of quartz veining within strong potassic
alteration, represented by secondary biotite, overprinted by a
phyllic assemblage of quartz-sericite ± chlorite. The alteration
footprint of the system extends over an area of at least 2.7 km by
1.5 km, while the drilling area covers only 5% of the total.
Samples of core from hole LM24DD001 have been now entirely
submitted to the SGS laboratory in Lima and the expected turn
around time to receive the complete set of assays is 15 days.
Figure 1 – Hole LM24DD001 at 239.2 meters.
Biotite-altered monzonite with (1) sinuous quartz, (2)
quartz-sericite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite, (3)
quartz-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite, (4) irregular
quartz-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-pyrite-molybdenite (sericite
selvage), and (5) sinuous quartz-sericite veinlets and disseminated
chalcopyrite.
Figure 2 – Hole LM24DD001 at 265 meters.
Biotite-altered slate with
quartz-pyrrhotite-molybdenite-chalcopyrite veining and disseminated
chalcopyrite.
Figure 3 – Hole LM24DD002 at 65.90 meters.
Biotite-altered Hornblende monzonite with overprinted
quartz-sericite ± chlorite alteration. Stockworking is constituted
by quartz-pyrrhotite-molybdenite, pyrite-chalcopyrite-molybdenite
and quartz-pyrrhotite-molybdenite veining.
Figure 4 - Luz Maria: 3D views of the Cluster
Analysis Model – Looking WNW.
Figure 5 - Luz Maria prospect: Drill hole
location and 1,150 meters ASL slice of the Cluster Analysis
Model.
Background
Western Metallica holds the option to acquire
100% of the mineral claims, rights, and interests in Caña Brava, a
Cu-Mo project located in Northern Peru (refer to press release
dated August 10, 2023). The project lies within the under-explored
Northern sector of the Cu-Mo metallogenic belt of Eocene age that
hosts, to the South, world class deposits such as Las Bambas (MMG),
Cotabambas (Panoro Minerals Ltd.), Constancia (Hudbay Minerals
Inc.), Antapacay (Glencore) and discoveries such as Elida (Element
29 Resources), the first porphyry deposit of this age discovered in
North Peru. The Company´s Caña Brava Project is well located in
close proximity to industrial ports, major paved roads and is
comprised of large, contiguous mineral concessions conducive to
future project scalability.
The Caña Brava Project is a highly prospective
5,700-hectare package of concessions located 30 kilometres from the
Peruvian coast, at an elevation of 1,500 metres in the Western
Cordillera of the Peruvian Andes. The Caña Brava Project is
neighboring Hudbay’s Llaguen Cu-Mo Project which lies on the
Western margin of the Miocene epithermal-porphyry copper-gold belt
of Northern Peru, with the potential for Caña Brava to similarly
host shallow high-grade mineralization across a considerable
alteration footprint. Western Metallica recently announced the
launch of a first drill program at its Luz Maria copper-molybdenum
porphyry prospect after having received its permit to drill from 19
platforms (refer to press release dated July 15, 2024). Luz Maria
is a well-preserved porphyry system and priority drill target at
the Caña Brava Project, where exploration work to date has
successfully defined a cluster of multi-stage mineralized
intrusions within a large 2.7-kilometre by 1.5-kilometre phyllic to
incipient biotite-replacement alteration footprint, comparable in
size to other major Peruvian porphyry deposits, and featuring
multiple mineralized intrusion events (refer to press release dated
September 24, 2024). The Company is also advancing with the
drilling permitting on its Caña Brava 1 prospect, located on the
Northwest sector of the Caña Brava Project, characterized by a
distinctive 1.5-kilometre by 1.5-kilometre sized leached zone with
goethite and hematite box works. Both environmental and social base
lines, required to support the FTA process, have been completed for
this sector. At Caña Brava 1, the diamond-sawn channel sampling
campaign confirmed grades up to 0.3% Cu from 7 different intrusive
recognized to date.
Quality Assurance and Quality
Control
Sample preparation and analyses are conducted
according to standard industry procedures. Rock samples are
crushed, split, and pulverized prior to analysis of Gold by fire
assay and Atomic Absorption and multi-elements by ICP-AES after
four acid digestion. Analytical performance is monitored by means
of certified reference materials (CRMs), coarse and fine blanks,
coarse and pulp duplicate samples. Samples are prepared and
analysed in SGS lab in Lima, Peru.
Qualified Persons
The technical and scientific information in this
press release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Giovanni
Funaioli, EurGeol, Vice President Exploration of Western Metallica,
who is a “Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument
43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Giovanni
Funaioli is an employee of the Company and is not considered
independent under NI 43-101.
About Western Metallica Resources
Corp.
Western Metallica is an Ontario registered
company with its head office in Toronto, Ontario, trading on the
TSX Venture Exchange under symbol WMS. Western Metallica is in the
business of mineral resource exploration and development and holds
the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Caña Brava
copper-molybdenum project located in La Libertad Department, Peru.
Western Metallica is also advancing its 100% owned Nueva Celti
Copper Property in the Ossa Morena belt in Andalusia, Spain, and
three other Spanish gold projects in the “Navelgas Gold Belt” in
Asturias, Spain (Penedela, Valledor and Sierra Alta).
Further information of the Company can be found
at: www.westernmetallica.com
For more information please
contact:
Western Metallica Resources
Corp. Gregory DurasChief Executive OfficerEmail:
gduras@westernmetallica.com
Investor RelationsEmail:
info@westernmetallica.com
Cautionary Notes
The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved
the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its
Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this press release.
This press release contains statements that
constitute “forward-statements.” Such forward looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or
achievements, or developments to differ materially from the
anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements.
Although the Company believes, in light of the
experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and
expected future developments and other factors that have been
considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in this
forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should
not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance
that they will prove to be correct. When used in this press
release, the words “estimate”, “project”, “belief”, “anticipate”,
“intend”, “expect”, “plan”, “predict”, “may” or “should” and the
negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable
terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and
information. The forward-looking statements and information in this
press release include information relating to the planned drill
program and the development of the Company’s projects and other
mining projects and prospects thereof, the impact of the management
additions on the Company; and the potential and economic viability
of the Caña Brava Project. Such statements and information reflect
the current view of the Company. Risks and uncertainties that may
cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated
in those forward-looking statements and information.
By their nature, forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or
other future events, to be materially different from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking information contained in
this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of
the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to
change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance
on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this
information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event
that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors,
should change.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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