News
Capella to begin Kjoli drill permitting in Q2
2021-01-14 09:43 ET - News Release
Mr. Eric Roth reports
DRILL TARGETING ADVANCING AT THE KJOLI HIGH-GRADE COPPER PROJECT, NORWAY; CARDS AI TECHNOLOGY TO ASSIST WITH TARGET PRIORITIZATION
Capella Minerals Ltd. has provided the following update on drill target generation activities being undertaken on its high-grade Kjoli copper project in central Norway. The Kjoli property lies in the northern part of the Roros mining district, which saw copper production from a number of high-grade massive sulphide (VMS) deposits from the mid-1600s until the mid-1980s. Kjoli represents a district-scale brownfields/greenfields exploration project covering the former Kjoli and Killingdal copper mining operations, together with approximately 15 kilometres of strike of underexplored but highly prospective stratigraphy for the discovery of new copper-rich VMS deposits.
Highlights
Drill target generation activities at Kjoli have focused on an initial 4.5 km long segment of the interpreted 15 km strike of prospective stratigraphy for copper-rich VMS deposits. The area contains four known (and previously undrilled) occurrences of high-grade copper mineralization: Svenskmenna, Rorosmenna, Guldalsgruve and Godthap.
A detailed ground magnetic survey was completed within the 4.5 km long initial target area, with a prominent northeast-trending pyrrhotite-bearing horizon (typically associated with copper-zinc-silver-gold mineralization) being well defined by the survey.
Exceptional soil copper anomalies have also been generated from ionic leach geochemical survey lines in and around the Guldalsgruve and Rorosmenna sectors.
The original 120-square-kilometre Kjoli claim block as acquired from EMX Royalty Corp. was expanded by 25 per cent (30 square kilometres) through the staking of new exploration claims over previously unexplored surface occurrences of VMS mineralization. These represent new targets for Capella to evaluate during the 2021 summer field season.
Separately, Windfall Geotek has been contracted to perform a CARDS artificial intelligence (AI) and data mining evaluation for the entire Kjoli claim block using all available geological and geophysical data sets. The CARDS analysis will allow Capella to accelerate the definition of high-probability VMS targets at Kjoli during the winter season.
Permitting for initial diamond drilling at Kjoli is expected to begin in Q2 2021, and will incorporate targets defined from the CARDS AI evaluation and Capella's in-house targeting.
Eric Roth, Capella's president and chief executive officer, commented today: "I am very pleased to be providing this update on our exploration activities at Kjoli, which serve to confirm the exceptional potential of the project for the discovery of new high-grade copper deposits. Our own field-based target generation activities are now being complemented with the CARDS AI evaluation, and these will form the basis for the permitting of a maiden diamond drill program on the project. In parallel, we will continue our generative activities on new drill targets throughout the remainder of this high-potential, district-scale property holding.
"Kjoli represents an extraordinary opportunity for Capella to make a high-grade copper discovery in the short term, and I look forward to keeping the market updated as we move towards drilling."
Kjoli project -- drill targeting
Field activities at Kjoli have been focused on the generation of drill targets within an initial 4.5 km long segment of the interpreted 15 km strike of prospective stratigraphy for copper-rich VMS deposits. The selected area contains four known (and previously undrilled) occurrences of high-grade copper mineralization: Svenskmenna, Rorosmenna, Guldalsgruve and Godthap. The targeting has been based on a detailed ground magnetic survey (primarily used to follow a pyrrhotite-bearing horizon which is intimately associated with copper mineralization) and trial ionic leach soil geochemical surveys in the Guldalsgruve and Rorosmenna sectors.
Ground magnetic survey
A high-resolution 195-line-kilometre ground magnetic survey was completed over the initial 4.5 km target area. Whilst detailed interpretations are still in progress, three key initial observations include: i) the definition of a northeast-trending main mineralized corridor (interpreted to indicate pyrrhotite which is intimately associated with copper-zinc-silver-gold mineralization) across the entire 4.5 km strike length of the survey area, ii) additional potential satellite bodies of massive sulphide mineralization west of Rorosmenna and around Godthap, and iii) the potential for buried massive sulphide systems beneath a thrust fault located at the northern end of the survey area.
Soil ionic leach geochemistry
The Kjoli project consists of flat to undulating terrain and is typically covered by thin soil and local bog cover. A total of 382 soil samples were collected for a trial ionic leach analytical survey in the Guldalsgruve and Rorosmenna sectors, with strong copper anomalies (over 1,000 parts per billion Cu or ppb) being returned by 133 soil samples taken from around, and along strike from, known workings. A total of 55 samples returned over 10,000 ppb Cu in soils and these represent priority areas for follow-up work and drill testing.
The ionic leach analyses for the Kjoli soil samples were performed by ALS Laboratories in Loughrea, Ireland, utilizing a partial leach extraction with ICP-MS finish. ALS utilizes industry standard quality assurance/quality control methods in order to ensure sample result quality.
New claim staking
A further 30 square kilometres of new exploration claims were staked during Q4 2020 to cover a group of previously unexplored surface occurrences of copper-rich VMS mineralization located immediately to the WNW (west-northwest) of the main prospective horizon at Kjoli. These represent additional targets for Capella to evaluate during the 2021 summer field season.
Windfall Geotek CARDS AI analysis overview
In addition to Capella's in-house field activities, Windfall Geotek has been contracted to perform a CARDS artificial intelligence (AI) and data mining evaluation for the entire Kjoli claim block using all available geological and geophysical data sets. The CARDS analysis will allow Capella to accelerate the definition of high-probability VMS targets at Kjoli during the winter season. The identification of high-probability target areas using the CARDS AI data mining system is based upon the following procedures:
- Algorithms analyze each layer of information for every rock/soil sample and data site to create a unique signature for the mineralization that is being sought (copper at Kjoli).
- The MCubiX data mining engine (with numerous supporting algorithms) analysis recognizes patterns of information. The system uses these algorithms to find the new patterns that are often not recognized by the naked eye.
- CARDS analysis identifies locations of the new mineralization signature in the exploration area. Predictions are given a cell rating by percentage.
- Millions of spatial data points and their relationships are analyzed.
- The CARDS system becomes trained and cross-validates each model that CARDS generates. The cell rating percentage weeds out unwanted (low percentage cells) targets, leaving only the highest probability areas for the discovery of mineralization.
Qualified persons and disclosure statement
The technical information in this news release relating to the Kjoli project has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101, and approved by Eric Roth, the company's president and chief executive officer, a director and a qualified person under NI 43-101. Mr. Roth holds a PhD in economic geology from the University of Western Australia, is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), and is a fellow of the society of economic geologists (SEG). Mr. Roth has 30 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation.
The scientific and technical data relating to the CARDS AI data mining system have been prepared and reviewed under the supervision of Grigor Heba, PhD, PGeo, principal geologist of Windfall Geotek and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
About Capella Minerals Ltd.
Capella is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of quality mineral resource properties in favourable jurisdictions with a focus on high-grade gold and copper deposits. The company's precious metals focus is on the discovery of high-grade gold deposits on its recently acquired Southern Gold Line project in Sweden, in addition to its active Canadian joint ventures with Ethos Gold Corp. at Savant Lake (Ontario) and Yamana Gold Inc. at Domain (Manitoba). The company also retains a residual interest (subject to an option to purchase agreement with Austral Gold Ltd.) in the Sierra Blanca gold-silver epithermal project in Santa Cruz, Argentina.
The company's copper focus is on the discovery of high-grade massive sulphide (VMS) deposits within district-scale land positions around the past-producing Lokken and Kjoli copper mines in central Norway. Field activities are continuing on all projects, with the primary focus being to advance priority targets through the permitting process and onward to drilling and discovery.