Western Metallica Resources Corp. (TSXV: WMS) (“Western Metallica” or the “Company”) is pleased to report initial results from its ongoing drill program at the Luz Maria copper-molybdenum target, located within the Company’s 100%-owned Caña Brava Project, Northern Peru. The initial two completed drill holes hit at least two diorite intrusions and a polymictic hydrothermal breccia, displaying consistent strong potassic alteration, multiple vein systems and sulfide mineralization typical of Andean porphyry systems. Results from these two drill holes confirm homogeneous copper and molybdenum grades throughout the drill hole. A third drill hole intercepted 285 metres of quartz-monzonite and shows increasing alteration and mineralization intensity at depth. While most of the assays from this drilling program are pending, Company geologists believe that the intensity and extent of the alteration and mineralization system at Luz Maria indicates that the Company is operating within a major Cu-Mo porphyry system.
Drilling Highlights:
- Three diamond drill holes have been completed to date at the Luz Maria prospect, all directed from the center of the surface geochemical anomaly to the center of the main chargeability anomaly. All drill holes intersected broad intervals of strongly altered intrusive rocks, with strongly developed potassic, phyllic and sodic alteration assemblages, typical of Andean porphyry systems.
- The ongoing drill program is aimed at testing the copper-molybdenum mineralization found over an area of 500 metres by 300 metres, which represents less than 5% of the Luz Maria alteration footprint area defined so far, and is focused on a sector featuring strongly altered diorite and quartz-monzonite outcrops coincident with strong magnetic and chargeability anomalies identified by drone magnetic and Induced Polarization surveys completed during 2024.
- Drill hole LM24DD001, completed by contractor Energold to a depth of 396.1 metres, intersected 275 metres of an altered and mineralized diorite host rock with continuous and homogeneous grades averaging 400 ppm Cu and 100 ppm Mo.
- Strong, pervasive secondary biotite is observed throughout drill hole LM24DD001, often overprinted by a phyllic alteration assemblage of quartz and sericite. Mineralization occurs as chalcopyrite and molybdenite both as disseminations and in a stockwork of Early Biotite (EB, refer to Figure 1) and B veins.
- Drill hole LM24DD002 was completed to a depth of 329.7 meters, with increasing alteration intensity and veining. Results have been received for approximately 50% of the samples obtained from this hole. The best result obtained so far is 1.8 metres at 0.2% Cu, from 146.7-148.50 metres, within a zone featuring high-density pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite veining.
- Drill hole LM24DD003, the easternmost hole drilled to date, was terminated earlier than planned at a depth of 330.45 metres due to operational issues. It intercepted a strongly altered quartz-monzonite intrusion, which outcrops nearby and is considered a host rock of the porphyry system. The intensity of the potassic alteration increases with depth and is overprinted by sericite. Of significance, the density of pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-molybdenite veining also increases at depth suggesting an eastern vector to mineralization
Giovanni Funaioli, Vice President of Exploration of Western Metallica Resources commented: “Our technical team has designed a 6-hole maiden scout drill program at Luz Maria to test the potential size and grade of the porphyry system. The initial three shallow holes validated our exploration approach and assumptions by confirming that the magnetic and chargeability anomalies are related to a reduced copper-molybdenum bearing porphyry system, the source of which we are yet to find. So far, we have only tested 300 metres of a 2.5 km-major axis of the E-W trending alteration and mineralization surface footprint, and the increase in alteration intensity and veining density to the east suggests that we are getting closer to the core of the system”.
Mr Funaioli continued: “The large alteration footprint, coupled with the multiphase intrusions, widespread potassic alteration and well developed stockwork found in drilling, provide us with enough evidence that we are beginning to test a major porphyry system. Furthermore, we have dated the molybdenite at Luz Maria to 44Ma, a similar age to some of the main porphyry deposits located in Southern Peru such as Hudbay Minerals Constancia Mine, Glencore’s Antapacay Mine, MMG’s Las Bambas Mine, and Panoro Minerals Cotabambas Project.
The technical team is confident that not only will the Luz Maria porphyry system continue to grow with further exploratory drilling but that we will prove prospective size and grades consistent with equivalent deposits such as Element 29’s Elida Project. We continue to explore the other targets identified on surface, such as Caña Brava 1, where the Company plans to drill a 1.5 km by 1.5 km phyllic alteration anomaly in the near future.”
