Fireweed Metals drills 6.48% zinc over 71.89 metres at Macmillan Pass, Yukon
Fireweed Metals Corp. [FWZ-TSXV; FWEDF-OTCQB] reported the first assay results from its 2023 exploration at the 100%-owned Macmillan Pass project in Yukon and provide an update from its largest-ever drill program.
These results reveal a continuous mineralized zone of stratiform laminated to massive sulphide in addition to extensive near-surface vein and breccia mineralization.
The Boundary Zone stratiform mineralization has a strike length of over 400 metres and has been followed down-dip for at least 350 metres.
This zone is trending to higher grades and greater thicknesses at depth, where it remains open.
NB23-003 intersected 71.89 m of 6.48% zinc, 3.09% lead, 97.8 g/t silver, including 21.96 metres of 10.70% zinc, 6.96% lead, and 178.6 g/t silver.
NB23-001 intersected 38.00 metres of 9.12% zinc, 1.50% lead, 52.6 g/t silver, including 20.00 metres of 15.32% zinc, 2.53% lead, 86.2 g/t silver.
NB23-002 intersected 4.20 metres of 18.71% zinc 0.30% lead 47.1 g/t silver.
Brandon Macdonald, CEO, stated, “The first results of the season have already been a game-changer for Fireweed, demonstrating the presence of a high-grade layer of massive sulphides and stratiform mineralization feeder system which connects Boundary West and Boundary Main in one single zone which we are now just calling Boundary. We are delighted with the 2023 drill program so far, and we are excited to continue drilling step-outs in and around this potential feeder, as well as the other step-out targets at Boundary, Tom, Jason, and beyond.”
The initial phases of the 2023 drilling program have targeted a gap in the drilling between two of Fireweed’s best-ever drillholes at Boundary Zone, NB22-002 and NB22-023, where Fireweed has been testing a high-grade feeder zone target that was interpreted to link Boundary West and Boundary Main within a sediment hosted massive sulphide system.
These 2022 holes intersected very wide, high-grade zones and flank either side of the target being tested in Phase 1 of the 2023 drill program: NB22-023 intersected 298 metres of 4.5% zinc, 1.4% lead, and 30.9 g/t silver, including a stratiform zone of 9.6 metres grading 24.5% zinc, 15.1% lead, and 323.2 g/t silver; and hole NB22-002 intersected 124 metres at 12.3% zinc, 1.3% lead, 45.9 g/t silver.
Hole NB23-003 intersected 72 metres of massive sulphide grading 6.48% zinc, 3.09% lead, and 97.8 g/t silver that is interpreted to be a successful test of the conceptual feeder zone target.
Hole NB23-001 intersected sphalerite and galena mineralization, with a 38 metres intercept of semi-massive sulphide correlated with the stratiform layer of mineralization grading 9.12% zinc, 1.5% lead, and 52.6 g/t silver.
Hole NB23-002 intersected a 4.2 metres, high-grade, interval of semi-massive sulphide containing 18.71% zinc.
Additional step-out drilling in the area between the Boundary Main and Boundary West zones has continued to intersect wide intervals of zinc-lead mineralization with assays pending. Hole NB23-012 intersected 48 metres of feeder-style massive sulphide representing a 40-metre step-out immediately along strike to the southeast from hole NB23-003. Hole NB23-016 intersected 67 metres of massive sulphides 95 metres down-dip from NB23-003. In the footwall of the Boundary Ramp fault, hole NB23-007 intersected 119 metres of massive sulphide, hole NB23-011 intersected 47.6 metres of massive sulphide and breccia, and hole NB23-013 intersected 24.5 metres of massive sulphide. These intersections correlate with hole NB22-002-one of Fireweed’s best intercepts-which is now thought to correlate to the broad zone of mineralization seen in hole NB23-003.
The 2023 program is utilizing five diamond drill-rigs, targeting over 16,000 metres of drilling mostly focused on Boundary, Tom, and Jason zones with >8,000 metres completed thus far. The drill program will focus on step-out targets at Boundary Zone, Jason, and Tom, as well as test several exploration targets away from the known zones.
The new 48-person camp expansion is commissioned and occupied. Both camps are operating smoothly with a total of roughly 96 people on site. Together with the existing camp, the new all-weather camp allows Fireweed to support around 100 people on site to complete the 2023 season objectives. This work is an important step to build out Macmillan Pass camp capacity to the approved capacity of 150 people, allowing for both larger drill programs and simultaneous environmental baseline studies and occupancy during colder months.