Highlights of the RIP 2024 Phase One Drilling:
First phase drill testing at Rip has confirmed that the largely covered geophysical targets define a Cu-Mo mineralized porphyry system.
Zones of anomalous Cu-Mo mineralization are hosted in multiple phases of porphyritic intrusions and associated vein stockwork. Drill Intersection highlights include (*Table 1):
0.102% CuEq over 126.6 m* in drill hole RP24-001 from 21.4 m
Including 0.267% CuEq over 24.6 m* from 21.4
0.113% CuEq over 114.3 m* in drill hole RP24-002 from 33.6 m
The southern highly prospective, approximately 1X1 kilometer ("km"), annular geophysical anomaly remains untested by drilling. The northern highly prospective, approximately 1X1 km, annular geophysical anomaly remains largely untested (Figure 1).
most 2024 drill assays are anomalous in Cu-Mo with the presence of intense quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration and strongly developed vein sets resembling D veins indicates the presence of a significant porphyry system that has been insufficiently tested.
In 2024, acquired five additional claims by staking, more than doubling the initial 2,308.81 ha road accessible property to its current 4,770.65 hectares in a top tier exploration and mining district, the Bulkley Porphyry Belt.
Brian Thurston, President & CEO of Copper Quest, commented: "We are excited to plan the first ever drill campaign targeting the highly prospective southern geophysical anomaly at RIP. The Phase One drill program successfully demonstrated that a multi-phase, mineralized porphyry system is defined by the geophysical targets interpreted by Copper Quest with extensive Cu-Mo mineralized intersections in both holes of that limited drill program. The drilling of the northern target chargeability high is host to impressive porphyry style stockwork that has potential to improve in grade down plunge and laterally. The majority of the system, including the entirety of the southern target, remains untested and is highly deserving of additional exploration. Copper Quest has assembled a dominant land position in the Bulkley Porphyry Belt and created a unique opportunity that unlocks a district scale copper porphyry pursuit."
In summary, the 2024 mag, IP and drill program successfully resolved the original Rip anomaly into two separate porphyry systems and demonstrated that the northern target contains multiple intrusive phases and long intervals of low-grade Cu-Mo mineralization. This northern target has been partly defined as a 600m wide subvertical cylindrical mineralized zone between a magnetic barren core and a chargeable pyrite halo. The northern target has only been tested by three diamond drill holes (two by Copper Quest in 2024, one historical in 1975). The southern geophysical target is equivalent in size to the northern anomaly and has not yet seen diamond drill testing.
Figure 1: RIP Chargeability and Magnetic Survey Results
Technical Details of the Drill Program
The RIP project is interpreted as a highly underexplored porphyry Cu-Mo system that is predominantly covered by overburden. A small outcrop area contains variably altered porphyritic intrusions which cut strongly hornfelsed Hazelton Group volcano-sedimentary rocks. Porphyritic intrusions and hornfelsed country rock are both host to porphyry style stockwork, including magnetite-chalcopyrite and quartz-chalcopyrite-molybdenite veins. Historical exploration drilling on the project included shallow, predominantly percussion holes targeting a large IP anomaly; within the IP anomaly, the holes intersected predominantly QSP altered lithologies (including altered porphyritic intrusions) with anomalous Cu-Mo mineralization. Multiple holes failed to reach bedrock.
An airborne magnetic survey flown in 2024 revealed for the first time two separate circular magnetic highs within the historical chargeability high, suggesting that RIP contains two porphyry centers. The southern mag high is significantly larger than the northern one but does not crop out. Following the airborne mag survey, a 3D-DCIP induced polarization and resistivity survey was completed over the Rip target in 2024. The new IP survey resolved the original 1980 chargeability anomaly into two chargeability "donuts" around the two separate magnetic highs, the classic "pyrite halo" signature of porphyry systems, providing more evidence for the interpretation that RIP contains two adjacent porphyry systems.
Table 1. Summary of assay results
DDH
From
To
Interval (m)
Cu ppm
Mo ppm
Au ppm
Ag ppm
RP24-001
21.4
148
126.6
514
43.2
0.026
0.50
RP24-001
