Arras Minerals drills 547 mteres of 0.70% CuEq at Elemes, Kazakhstan
Arras Minerals Corp. [TSXV: ARK; OTCQB: ARRKF] has released the results from the final five holes from its initial phase 1 drill program, targeting the 8.8-km-long Berezski target, located on its Elemes project in northeastern Kazakhstan. The first 11 holes of the phase 1 drill program encountered thick intercepts of widespread copper-gold and gold porphyry and/or epithermal-style mineralization.
The Elemes project is in the Bozshakol-Chingiz magmatic arc and is 61 km southeast of Kaz Mineral’s Bozshakol copper mine, which commenced operations in 2016 and in 2023 produced 105,000 tonnes of copper and 115,000 ounces of gold at 95 U.S. cents per pound Cu (net) cash costs. Reported reserves are 1.003 billion tonnes at 0.33% Cu and 0.13 g/t Au.
Highlights: EL24005: 547 metres of mineralization grading 0.70% copper equivalent (CuEq) (0.23% Cu and 0.48 g/t Au), starting from 14 m depth; including 44 metres grading 1.15% CuEq (0.48% Cu and 0.64 g/t Au) starting from 14 m depth; 206 m grading 0.83% CuEq (0.27% Cu and 0.54 g/t Au) starting from 24 m depth; 58 m grading 1.02% CuEq (0.32% Cu and 0.69 g/t Au) starting from 172 m depth.
The hole ended in strong mineralization grading 64.8 m at 0.68% CuEq (0.16% Cu and 0.55 g/t Au). EL24006 returned 56 m grading 0.68% CuEq (0.36% Cu and 0.33 g/t Au) starting from four m depth, including 20 m grading 1.02% CuEq (0.72% Cu and 0.32 g/t Au) starting from 40 m depth.
EL24010 returned 152 m grading 0.13% CuEq (0.07% Cu and 0.06 g/t Au) starting from 262 m depth. EL24011 returned 76 m grading 0.20% CuEq (0.06% Cu and 0.14 g/t Au) starting from 247 m depth.
Tim Barry, CEO, commented: “We are extremely encouraged by the results of the phase 1 drill program at Elemes. Holes EL24005 and EL24006 strongly suggest the presence of another porphyry centre developing at the Berezski target. Notably, the porphyry-style mineralization identified in quartz-chalcopyrite veining in the deeper sections of EL24005 provides a solid vector for us to pursue in the phase 2 program. Furthermore, EL24006 intersected porphyry-style mineralization approximately on km to the west, on the western edge of the copper soil anomaly, giving us follow-up targets between the two holes, as well as to the west, north and south — even beyond the current anomaly boundaries.”
He added: “Over the last three field seasons, we’ve significantly advanced the Elemes-Aimandai licences from an initial 530 km2 land package to identifying two major copper targets spanning nearly nine km at Berezski and 14 km at Aimandai. Our drilling this past year has confirmed at least two porphyry centers on the Berezski target, approximately five km apart, with associated epithermal mineralization along the eastern boundary. With roughly 90 per cent of the Berezski target still open and untested, the early success of phase 1 gives us a strong foundation to hone in on two key areas, while continuing to develop additional high-priority targets across this large, highly prospective region.”
The Elemes phase 1 drill program targeted geophysical and geochemical anomalies identified by the company’s extensive airborne magnetic, ground pole-dipole induced polarization (IP) surveys, and greater than 35,000 soil samples collected in 2022, 2023 and 2024, which identified several distinct porphyry-epithermal exploration targets. Additionally, historical drilling at the Berezski East and Berezski North were reviewed when possible.
Historic shallow drilling at Berezski North identified an area of mineralized structurally controlled hydrothermal breccia that has been overprinted by later low temperature epithermal quartz veins and mineralization.
Drill hole EL24006 was drilled approximately one km west of hole EL24005. This hole appears to have identified another target with porphyry-style mineralization and alteration. The hole intersected propylitic altered diorites that have been partially overprinted by argillic alteration. Mineralization is present as quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite porphyry-style veins, with disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite. Drill hole summaries
Drill hole EL24005 was designed to test a Cu-Mo soil anomaly at Berezski North that had a coincident annular magnetic low and high chargeability induced polarization (IP) anomaly. The drill hole collared in hydrothermal breccias with visible copper oxides and intersected diorites with moderate argillic alteration in first 200 m, where it passes into moderate potassic/sodic altered diorites. Within the diorites are intervals of hydrothermal breccias cemented by tourmaline and pyrite.
Near-surface mineralization is characterized by massive pyrite patches with minor copper oxides on fractures, zones of quartz-pyrite veins containing minor chalcopyrite. With depth, chalcopyrite content increases up to 3 per cent, with areas of sheeted chalcopyrite veins are narrow zones of massive chalcopyrite in patches and fractures with rare sphalerite and galena. The drill hole ended in mineralization.
Final review and planning is under way for a phase 2 drilling program at Elemes. The success of phase 1 identifying and confirming at least two porphyry centres for follow-up along with approximately 90 per cent of the Berezski target remaining open and untested provides for significant opportunities to follow up in 2025.
Subject to the necessary financing in place, the company believes that a phase 2 program will comprise ground magnetic survey focusing on the Berezski and Aimandai targets to help with structural interpretation and target generation.
Full analysis of select soil samples collected in 2023 and 2024 over high-priority targets to provide data on porphyry pathfinder elements to allow for vectoring towards the porphyry centre and allow for lithogeochemistry and alteration mapping.
Approximately 20,000 metres of core drilling targeting key priority areas at the Berezski target. Initial Vector IP geophysical survey at the Aimandai target with intention to identify priority drill targets. An approximately 5,000-metre initial drill program at the Aimandai target.
Darren Klinck, president of Arras Minerals, commented: “We are excited about the initial outcomes from the phase 1 program at the Berezski target on our Elemes project. There are two high-priority areas to focus on at Berezski Central and Berezski North, where we plan to undertake systematic grid drilling following a ground magnetic survey this spring. In addition, with approximately 90% of the Berezski target still untested, we also expect to be testing new target areas as well. Furthermore, while we paused additional follow-up work at the Aimandai target in 2024, with the positive results we have generated from Berezski in the phase 1 program, we plan to undertake geophysical surveys to help identify priority drill targets for an initial drill program at that 14 km copper-in-soil anomaly later this year.”
Klinck went on to add: “It is very pleasing to see the systematic exploration work from the team over the past two to three years paying dividends. With the opportunities emerging at Elemes combined with the multiple targets we expect to be drill testing on the Arras-Teck exploration alliance licences this year, we plan to have at least two core drills operating across the licence package starting in Q2. Arras is in a unique position to have six to nine target areas that we expect to be drill testing across the entire licence package this year with all of these being prospective for copper-gold porphyries.”
Elemes project: Drilling commenced in September 2024, and the phase 1 program was completed in late December 2024. This program of approximately 4,000 metres of diamond drilling has generally focused on priority targets at Berezski Central, Berezski East, Berezski North and K-Ozek targets. These targets were identified following two field seasons of comprehensive exploration work at the Elemes project, including airborne magnetic and pole-dipole IP geophysical surveys, as well as extensive soil sampling and mapping. In addition, some historical drill holes from the Berezski East and Quartzite-Gorka (Berezski North) targets were reassayed, with those results reported in January 2024.
Arras Minerals is advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the option agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The company has established the third-largest licence package in the country prospective for copper and gold (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue).
In December, 2023, the company entered into a strategic alliance with Teck, in which Teck may solely finance a US$5 million generative exploration program over a portion of the Arras Minerals licence package in 2024 to 2025.