Apr 21 2014
Copper Fox Metals Inc. ("Copper Fox" or the "Company") and its wholly owned subsidiary Desert Fox Copper Inc. ("Desert Fox") are pleased to provide an update on activities at the Van Dyke oxide copper deposit located in the Globe-Miami District, Gila Co., Arizona.
Highlights:
- Diamond drilling has commenced on the first hole of the verification drilling program into the Van Dyke oxide copper deposit,
- Two additional drill holes have been pre-collared into bedrock. Pre-collaring of drill holes is a preventative measure employed to protect the environment,
- A second diamond drill is expected to join the drilling program when all surface access agreements are in place,
- SGS Metcon/KD Engineering has been selected to provide metallurgical design inputs and consulting for the proposed Preliminary Economic Assessment, and
- Southwest Exploration Services, LLC will complete down hole geotechnical and geophysical surveys.
Mr. Stewart, President of Copper Fox stated, "The verification drilling program to confirm the historical estimate for the oxide copper mineralization is underway. The work completed by Occidental Minerals at Van Dyke concentrated on the oxide copper mineralization. The current drill program is designed to verify the historical data from Occidental as well as test the potential for sulphide copper-molybdenum mineralization below the oxide zone. With the addition of SGS Metcon/KD Engineering and Southwest Exploration Services, the main consulting groups required to complete the Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Van Dyke oxide copper deposit are in place."
Van Dyke Project:
The Globe-Miami District hosts the Pinto Valley, Carlota, Miami-East, and Miami-Inspiration projects, all currently in operation and the mined out Copper Cities and Old Dominion copper deposits. The Van Dyke oxide copper deposit is located immediately adjacent to the Miami-East operations.
The historical production (in-situ leaching ("ISL") method in the late 1980's) and general characteristics of the Van Dyke oxide copper deposit are comparable to the Florence and Gunnison oxide copper deposits located in the southwest Arizona copper belt.
In the early 1970's Occidental Minerals Corporation ("Occidental") completed an historical estimate for the Van Dyke oxide copper deposit. The historical estimate* is quoted as 119.2 million tons that averaged 0.52% copper using a 0.20% copper cutoff (estimated to contain 1.2 billion pounds of total copper - see news release dated April 12, 2013). Occidental estimated that approximately 62% of the deposit was oxidized. Occidental did not explore for sulphide copper mineralization below the oxide zone.
In the late 1970's Occidental conducted ISL testing on the Van Dyke oxide copper deposit consisting of drilling injection and recovery wells into the deposit and circulating solution to recover copper. This test work suggested that up to 80% of the oxide copper should be recovered using enhanced stimulation of the deposit. In the late 1980's Kocide Chemicals reported the production of 4 million pounds of copper from the Van Dyke oxide copper deposit also utilizing ISL.
*The historical estimate reported for the Van Dyke Deposit is historical in nature, Copper Fox wishes to clarify that an independent Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves, and accordingly, Copper Fox is not treating the above historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. In order to verify the historical estimate additional diamond drilling, metallurgical testwork, updated cost assumption and metal pricing would be required.
Van Dyke Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"):
SGS Metcon/KD Engineering located in Tucson, Arizona has been selected to provide certain metallurgical design inputs and consulting on the metallurgical aspects of the PEA. The consulting work includes but is not limited to suggestions on mineralogical analysis, metallurgical test work on cores from the 2014 verification drilling program.
Southwest Exploration Services, LLC located in Chandler, Arizona has been contracted to complete downhole geophysical surveys (includes Caliper, Gyro, E-logs, Magnetic susceptibility, Flowmeter and Televiewer) to better define the geotechnical characteristics of the rocks and hydrogeology around the deposit.
Elmer B. Stewart, MSc. P. Geol., President of Copper Fox, is the Corporation's nominated Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101, Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed the technical information disclosed in this news release.
About Copper Fox
Copper Fox is a Canadian resource development company listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange (TSX VENTURE:CUU) with offices in Calgary, Alberta and Miami, Arizona. In addition to Copper Fox's 25% interest in the Schaft Creek Joint Venture, Copper Fox holds, through Desert Fox and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, the Sombrero Butte copper project in the Bunker Hill District, Arizona and the Van Dyke oxide copper project in the Globe-Miami District, Arizona. Desert Fox has opened an operations office in Miami, Arizona to advance the work required on the Van Dyke project to a Preliminary Economic Assessment. For further information on these projects, please refer to the Company's website at www.copperfoxmetals.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Elmer B. Stewart, President and Chief Executive Officer