Western Alaska drills 284 g/t silver over 11.4 metres at Waterpump Creek, Alaska

Western Alaska Minerals Corp. [WAM-TSXV] reported drill assay results from WPC22-20, which intersected two thick multistage massive sulphide horizons for which visuals were announced previously at its 100%-owned Waterpump Creek carbonate replacement deposit, Alaska.

The upper intercept cut 1.1 metres grading 883 g/t silver (28.4 oz/ton), 45.2% lead and 12.2% zinc within 11.4 metres grading 284 g/t silver (9.1 oz/ton), 10.9% lead and 14.8% zinc. The lower intercept cut 2.7 metres grading 297 g/t silver (9.5 oz/ton), 10.6% lead and 2.8% zinc within 20.7 metres grading 171 g/t (5.5 oz/ton) silver, 5.8% lead and 9.4% zinc.

The discussion below incorporates visual data from drillholes WPC22-21 and 22, for which assay data are pending, and from previous drill holes. Mineralization remains open and will be the focus of the 2023 drill program.

Highlights of Hole WPC22-20WPC22-20 is located 50 metres south and 25 metres west of WPC22-018, which cut 101 metres of massive sulphides interpreted as a feeder chimney. The WPC22-20 high-grade intercepts appear linkable to high-grade zones in the interpreted WPC22-018 chimney. Both intercepts show classic multi-phase CRD-style massive sulphide mineralization with silver-rich lead mineralization stages cutting earlier zinc-rich stages. Similar mineralization has now been cut at similar elevations in 10 drill holes indicating a continuous elongate body 30 to 75 metres wide and 400 metres in length.

“These two thick intercepts tie together with similar mineralization in nine other holes to give us 400 metres of continuous high-grade mineralization fed from the chimney we cut in WPC22-018,” said Kit Marrs, CEO. “This discovery stems from our technical team’s follow-up on last year’s initial intercept in the zone. We think we’ve latched onto a major silver-lead-zinc system so the company has purchased three more drill rigs for more aggressive exploration starting next spring.”

Hole WPC22-20 encountered two significant intercepts of massive to semi-massive sphalerite and argentiferous galena in a matrix of secondary dolomite like that seen in previous drilling. The intercepts are separated by 7 metres of weakly to unmineralized host rock. Both intercepts clearly show multiple cross-cutting stages of mineralization, highlighted by distinctive zones of silver-rich galena cutting separate lower-silver sphalerite stages. There are at least two separate stages of sphalerite. The uppermost interval has only minor pyrite while the lower interval has a much higher pyrite content, but neither intercept shows the massive pyrite stage shown in WPC22-18.

Data from this release continue to show a strong correlation between silver and lead with each 1% lead associated with approximately 1 oz/t silver. Zinc grades appear far more variable and reflect different stages of mineralization.

Table 1 shows highlight assay results from drill hole WPC22-20. Full results can be found on www.westernalaskaminerals.com, along with more technical details.

“The multi-stage high-silver mineralization cutting across the multi-stage high-zinc mineralization seen in WPC22-20 indicates that a long-lived source pumped one pulse of metal-bearing fluids after another into the system’s plumbing,” said Dr. Peter Megaw, Exploration Advisor to WAM. “Once you see that kind of system strength it is time to look around for more because very few CRD systems have only one spoke to their wheel and you can track them back to the intrusive hub, which at Illinois Creek is likely a porphyry copper deposit.”

As a result of the drilling achievements in 2022, coupled with the closing of a C$12 million financing in August/September, 2022, WAM is planning for success in 2023. Three new company-owned drill rigs will focus on following the Waterpump Creek high-grade manto with 15,000 metres of drilling proposed. The goal will be to extend the manto along strike and includes resource definition drilling. Our two existing drill rigs will be tasked with exploring the multiple similar intersections of North-South structures with the through-going Illinois Creek Fault with an additional 10,000 metres of drilling.

The existing camp will be expanded to accommodate crews for the five drill rigs. Camp material, equipment and new fuel storage have been transported to Illinois Creek so that operations will be ready to ramp up in early spring, 2023.

WAM fully controls all claims in the historic Illinois Creek Mining District located in western Alaska near the Yukon River, covering 73,120 acres.

The company currently has approximately 22,414,104 common shares issued and outstanding.