TDG Gold discovers copper-molybdenum porphyry target at Bot, Toodoggone District, B.C.
TDG Gold Corp. [TSXV: TDG] provided an update from ongoing targeting work within TDG’s 100%-owned, ~140 km2 Bot project, Toodoggone District, Northern British Columbia. TDG has identified a copper-molybdenum porphyry target (Erebus) through a multi-disciplinary approach as part of TDG’s ongoing porphyry target1 generative program.
The Toodoggone District includes a ~300 km southeast-northwest porphyry corridor extending from Centerra’s Mt Milligan Au-Cu mine in the southeast, through Northwest Copper’s PEA-stage Kwanika-Stardust Cu-Au project2 and Centerra’s former producing Kemess Cu-Au mine2, up to Freeport-Amarc’s joint venture Cu-Au Joy-Pine project2 in the northwest. Through systematic, low cost, high impact exploration, TDG has potentially extended the known porphyry belt for up to another ~50 km, through its Baker Complex, Saunders, Oxide Peak and Bot properties.
Erebus target1 displays the geological features that suggest potential to host an intrusive related Cu-Mo porphyry, covers at least 15 km2, and has never been drill tested. In 2024, TDG undertook prospecting, rock and soil sampling to complement TDG’s 2023 Lithic Drainage Sampling (LDS) survey and historical geophysics.
Steven Kramar, VP Exploration, commented: “Erebus is the third, multi-square kilometre porphyry target area that we have identified within our Toodoggone mineral tenures. In combination with our North Quartz and Trident porphyry targets1 (both located within the Baker Complex), Erebus has the potential to extend the discovered portion of the Toodoggone Porphyry corridor well to the northwest. Our aim is to complete the final screening to spot potential drill collar locations on Erebus this 2025 season, so that it is drill-ready by 2026.”
TDG has now identified three targets for potential porphyry-style mineralization within its Toodoggone portfolio: Trident – located within the Baker Complex; North Quartz – located within the Baker Complex. TDG drilled the northwestern edge of the target area in 2021. Subsequent studies, including TDG’s 2023 LDS survey, indicates the porphyry target is located deeper and to the southeast than tested in 2021. Erebus – located within the Bot mineral tenures.
TDG has an ongoing porphyry target generative program and continues to analyze historical data, alongside information from more modern studies, in order to identify further targets. This includes re-evaluating existing projects for porphyry potential, such as the Oxide Creek area.
Refer to original press release for selected assay results.
The Erebus target1is defined as ~15 km2 area that encompasses four Minfile occurrences that received limited historical geological work, despite first discovery of anomalous base and precious metals in rock and float samples during sporadic exploration programs by multiple operators starting in the 1960s up until Talisker undertook geophysics in 2017. Mapped geology has identified both Takla Group rocks and intrusive rocks of the Black Lake Plutonic suite – the same setting as other porphyry deposits such as Kemess Mine2 (Centerra Gold) and Joy Project-Pine Deposit (Freeport-Amarc joint venture) in the area.
Additionally, multiple overlapping coincident anomalies suggest the setting of a porphyry system including elevated base and precious metals in geological samples, a deep resistive target defined from a 2017 ZTEM anomaly indicating the potential presence of an intrusion at depth, a circular magnetic low feature, (iv) a strong 6 km by 800-metre northeast-trending illite anomaly defined by TDG’s hyperspectral imaging in 2022, location adjacent to a major, regional-scale northwest-southeast-oriented structure in the same orientation as mineralized trends within the district, TDG’s geochemical sampling suggesting a Cu LDS vector and, identification of porphyry vein type and mineralization during 2024 geochemical sampling and prospecting work.
The geochemical signature of base metal and silver at the periphery, and elevated Cu concentrations in the core in addition to geological and geophysical anomalies, is typical of the porphyry exploration model and may suggest a porphyry system at depth.
Geological mapping and prospecting work have identified zonation in alteration assemblages and mineralization encountered throughout the Erebus target area. At higher elevations, and peripheral to the main cirque, rocks encountered were dominantly underlain by volcanic and subordinate sedimentary facies with an epidote-chlorite-magnetite assemblage of alteration. Multiple generations of vein sets are evident throughout the area. These higher elevation rocks were extensively hornfelsed.
The central area of the main cirque, in the valley bottom, was underlain dominantly by felsic to intermediate intrusive rocks.
Also encountered in the Erebus target area are interpreted late porphyry dykes cross cutting into the Takla Basalts and the Black Lake Suite. This suggests a long-lived, multi-phase, intrusive cycle in the target area.
2024 Exploration: The reconnaissance program consisted of prospecting and geochemical sampling in the area. These samples confirmed and correlate with an increase of Cu concentrations central to the Erebus target1 area suggested by the 2023 LDS sampling and demonstrated elevated silver and base metal concentrations at the periphery. Geological observations identified both mafic volcanic rocks (interpreted to be the Takla Basalt Sequence) and granitic rocks (interpreted to be the Black Lake Intrusive Suite).
Approximately half (115) of samples collected in 2024 demonstrate appreciable Cu concentrations, with an average aggregate mean of 0.39% Cu, ranging from 200 parts-per-million (ppm) to 11,000 ppm Cu. Approximately 20% of the samples collected in the area have greater than 5 ppm Mo, with an aggregate mean of 38 ppm Mo, ranging from 5-375 ppm Mo. Both these metals demonstrate concentrations of anomalous interest and justification for further follow-up work to refine the Erebus target.
The Bot/Erebus area has been previously explored, with recorded exploration dating back to the 1960s when Kennco first arrived in the area and began evaluating the Toodoggone District as part of a regional exploration program. The Erebus target has never been drill tested.
The Erebus target needs further detailed geological mapping, including detailed study of the type, orientation, paragenesis and alteration assemblages of all veins, in particular those veins hosting base or precious metal mineralization. TDG anticipates this work to be undertaken in parallel with its 2025 exploration season at the Greater Shasta-Newberry, Mets and Baker Complex. This work could result in selection of potential collar locations to launch an inaugural drill program on the Erebus target area.
TDG is a major mineral tenure holder in the historical Toodoggone Production Corridor of north-central British Columbia with over 32,000 hectares of brownfield and greenfield exploration opportunities under direct ownership. TDG’s flagship projects are the former producing, high-grade gold-silver Shasta and Baker mines, which produced intermittently between 1981-2012, and the historical high-grade gold Mets developed prospect, all of which are road accessible, and combined have over 65,000 metres of historical drilling. The projects have been advanced through compilation of historical data, new geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys and, at Shasta, 13,250 metres of modern HQ drill testing of the known mineralization occurrences and their potential extensions. In January 2025, TDG published an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for Shasta which remains open at depth and along strike; including the Baker Mine Tailings.