Apr 23 2013
WestKam Gold Corp. ("WestKam" or the "Company") has announced details of its proposed 2013 exploration program on the company's Bonaparte Gold Project near Kamloops, British Columbia.
The program is based on past exploration results and geological studies that demonstrate the potential for two distinct deposit types:
- Shear-hosted, high-grade gold mineralization in quartz veins
- Bulk tonnage porphyry copper-gold mineralization (supported by recent studies from the British Columbia Geological Survey)
The overall goal is to advance and test both key deposit types. The proposed program includes geophysical surveys, soil geochemistry and diamond drilling. Work will focus on the following:
High-grade Gold in the Discovery Zone
High-grade gold mineralization on the Bonaparte Property has been explored by soil geochemical sampling, trenching, diamond drilling, and bulk sampling. Mineralization at the Discovery Zone consists of shear hosted, gold-chalcopyrite quartz vein networks. Facets of the 2013 Exploration Program are designed to test the expansion and extension of these zones through geological, geophysical, geochemical and diamond drilling programs.
Anomalous Gold Trend Extending for 2 Kilometers
East of the Discovery Zone, along Cooler Creek, historical soil sampling identified a 2-kilometer long anomalous gold geochemical trend. Prospecting and sampling in this area encountered angular quartz vein float grading up to 74 grams/tonne gold. No follow-up work has been carried out along this trend. The 2013 Program will deploy geological, geochemical and geophysical studies to be followed up by diamond drilling if results warrant.
Porphyry Copper-Gold Potential Identified by BCGS
The British Columbia Geological Survey recently published a paper entitled "Bonaparte gold: another 195Ma porphyry Au-Cu deposit in Southern British Columbia?". The paper illustrates how the Bonaparte Intrusions align with a north-west trending belt of Early Jurassic porphyry deposits in the Takomkane-Wildhorse Magmatic belt (TWM belt). The metal and alteration assemblages at Bonaparte are shared by porphyries within the TWM belt such as the Brenda Cu-Mo and the Woodjam Au, Cu-Mo deposits. As well, drilling at Bonaparte in 1986 reported the presence of polylithic breccias indicative of high-level porphyry processes. Therefore the 2013 Exploration Program is also designed to advance and test the porphyry deposit potential of the property. Geological and geophysical programs will be deployed to define porphyry targets, followed up by diamond drilling.
The scope of the program is contingent on future financing.