Minto Metals drills 11.4% copper over 4 metres at Minto mine, Yukon

Minto Metals Corp. [MNTO-TSXV] reported final results from its 2022 exploration drilling program at the 100%-owned Minto mine located within the Selkirk First Nation’s territory in central Yukon, Canada.

Drill hole 22EXP058 cut 11.40% copper, 0.51 g/t gold, 43.93 g/t silver over 4.00 metres at approximately 100 metres vertical depth in a newly discovered mineralized zone between the Minto North and Main open pits.

Highlights: Hole 22EXP053 returned 2.19% copper, 0.24 g/t gold, 14.02 g/t silver over 7.31 metres at approximately 450 metres vertical depth and 150 metres northwest of the Minto Main pit;

Hole 22EXP055 returned 1.66% copper, 1.31 g/t gold, 12.10 g/t silver over 1.24 metres at approximately 250 metres vertical depth and immediately south of the Minto North II orebody. Hole 22EXP057 returned 1.33% copper, 0.35 g/t gold, 19.22 g/t silver over 3.12 metres at approximately 300 metres vertical depth and 200 metres north of the Minto Main pit.

“We are very pleased with the results from the last batch of drilling and assays returned. The high-grade mineralization reported for drill hole 22EXP053 are some of the highest grade copper assays returned in the history of exploration at the Minto Mine. Drill holes 22EXP053 and 22EXP058 were drilled in an area of complex geology between the Minto North and Minto Main Pit testing geophysical anomalies at depth below the ‘Inferno’ prospect, a near-surface, undefined prospect.

The 2022 exploration drilling campaign is now complete and we consider it a great success with the discovery and confirmation of two new mineralized zones (Minto North West and Minto East 150 Deep) and numerous other very significant mineralized intersections, as reported in 2022-2023. Future drill campaigns will be designed to follow up on Minto West and Minto East,” commented David Benson, Vice-President Exploration.

In 2022, Minto completed 53 holes for 28,438 metres. Previous results for 2022 were reported in 28Apr22, 20Oct22, 2Feb23 and 28Feb23. Results released today are from the final sixteen drill holes of the 2022 exploration drilling program totalling 9,247.5 metres.

Drill hole 22EXP058 was drilled testing a chargeability anomaly between 100 metres and 300 metres below surface. The hole intersected semi-massive bornite with stringer and blebby chalcopyrite over 4.0 metres. The core of the high-grade mineralization included continuous individual assays of 25.5% copper over 0.5 metres, 38.27% copper over 0.75 metres and 4.37% copper over 0.84 metres.

The former first two assay results were among the 99th percentile of drill hole assays that exist in the extensive Minto diamond drill hole database. This new zone occurs immediately to the east and less than 100 metres below the near-surface Inferno prospect, occurs along a prominent northwest-trending geophysical lineament and remains open to the south-southeast. Spatially, this mineralized interval occurs approximately 450 metres south of planned development at Minto North II and 300 metres north of the Minto Main open pit.

Drill hole 22EXP053 was drilled to follow-up on mineralization intersected in drill hole 21EXP007 of 1.15% copper over 6 metres. Two mineralized zones were intersected: 1) from 395.43 metres downhole, 8.41 metres of 1.07% copper; and 2) 2.19% copper over 7.31 metres from 478.21 metres downhole. The upper interval, spatially, appears to be the SW continuation of the mineralized zone intersected in 21EXP007. The lower interval appears to be a new lens approximately 80 metres below the upper mineralized zone. Both mineralized zones appear open along strike to the south-southwest towards the Minto Main Pit.

The company continues working with ALS Goldspot Discoveries on 3D geology modeling and 2D/3D prospectivity targeting for the Minto Mine site property. Preliminary machine learning generated lithological modeling, structural interpretation and 2D prospectivity results have been reviewed and the company has authorized Goldspot to integrate these results for final 3D prospectivity and targeting.

Minto operates the producing Minto mine. The Minto mine has been in operation since 2007 with underground mining commencing in 2014. Since 2007, approximately 500Mlbs of copper have been produced from the Minto mine. The current mine operations are based on underground mining, a process plant to produce high-grade copper, gold, and silver concentrate, and all supporting infrastructure associated with a remote location in Yukon. The Minto property is located west of the Yukon River, about 20 km WNW of Minto Landing, the latter on the east side of the river, and approximately 250 road-km north of the City of Whitehorse, the capital city of Yukon.