It occured to me as I re-read some of the previous Copper Lake press releases that the strongest part of a conductor, as defined by borehole geophysics, doesn't necessary represent all or the best part of a potential ore body's valuable metal deposition.
The latest drilling results which gave us a geological visual interpretation of the drill core drawn from the center of MT #1 conductor showed us that this portion of the potential ore body contained massive amounts of pyrite (iron sulfides) as well as the many intervals containing zinc and copper.
Thinking about this matter further, it occured to me that it must be the heavy quantities of iron found here that drew the company to find this target as the most interesting one to drill. The drilling program was a success as it found many intervals with good metal mineralization.
But the geophysics that directed this drilling target was determined mostly by the high iron content of the main mass of this target. However, looking over past hole drilling results, it has become apparent to me that
the central core of an MT target, though heavily magnetic may not always represent the most complete picture about where the best amount of the valuable mineralization is to found.
The center of the MT target merely represents the part of any potential ore body that is the most magnetic!
It may contain much of any metalization, but certainly not all of it! The historical drill hole CML-93-10 confirms this idea:
"...A second drill hole, CML-93-10,
drilled proximal to MT target 1 also intersected felsic volcanic rocks with widespread alteration assemblages. It encountered disseminated and stringer chalcopyrite over
a width of 12 metres from 436 to 448 metres, down-hole. Alteration consists of sericite, chlorite and cordierite over most of the length of the drill hole. As is the case with hole ML-95-16, the trace of CML-93-10 did not penetrate the strongest part of the MT conductor..."
https://copperlakeresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CPL-News-Release-September-26-2023-Combined-2.pdf The presence of high amounts of iron pyrite in a VMS target only suggests about where to begin the search for ore. The first hole is only meant to determine if any metal actually exists below. So the strongest magnetic geophysical target doesn't mean that surrounding regions of lessor magnetism are any less valuable than the central core. It simply means that the metal could be distributed much more widely than the strongest geophysics target suggests!
That kind of mineralization might be exactly what one might expect to find in a stringer feeder zone where valuable metal is deposited in various locations. (The original volcanic fluids were originally fed to the surface inside a tube or pipe encountering sea water, etc. while cooling at different rates, depositing dissimilar kinds of metals at various locations in the process, while some overlap in metal deposition is to be expected, even in stringer zones.)
The company in past press releases has suggested that the Marshall Lake VMS deposit has at least two different time horizons of underwater volcanism indicated by sedimentary core sample information. So the implication is that the original volcanism may have begun where the we first encountered the top most region of MT conductor #1.
"...Terry MacDonald, Copper Lake CEO, commented “The exploration programs over the last three years have provided us with significant new information and a much better understanding of the geological structure of the Billiton Zone, with each program adding to our understanding and giving us better targets.
We now have evidence of a time horizon with sedimentation encountered just above the MT conductor, at a depth of 370m. The strongest part of the MT conductor appears to start at a depth of 700m, and continues as deep as the MT can see. We are eagerly looking forward to drilling this target. And the new Build-Up Conductor two km to the south-east is also very exciting. This conductor follows on the trend line of the stringer zones and is stratigraphically higher in younger rock – the ideal location for a VMS deposit.”
https://copperlakeresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CPL-News-Release-23-05-July-19-2023-Combined.pdf So the higher up, heavily metalic, but narrow EM plates and the Billington stringer deposit found above them, likely represent regions that were deposited in a later period of VMS feeder zone deposition.
As well, the heavy tectonic structural deformation consistent with the regional stratigraphy of the Marshall Lake geography suggests to me that the MT #2 conductor might represent a shift or a physical displacement of the original volcanic feeder pipe to the west, occurring at the time of some major tectonic structural event!
Since the much deeper and much larger, volcanic massive heat source was likely uneffected by such a shift, MT#2 conductor may represent the same volcanic feeder zone created at the same time horizon as MT conductor #1.
MT#2 conductor is the same VMS feeder zone as MT# 1, but it shifted to the west! They are both the same stringer zone built at the same time horizon! This is just an idea. But if it is possibly correct, then MT# 2 conductor, once drilled should demonstrate similar alteration and depositional features as the hole already drilled in the MT#1 conductor.
This idea still has to be proved by later drilling at MT#2 conductor!
Similarly, MT# 3 might be found to represent the same time horizon as MT conductors #1 and #2. But the Earth displacement has shifted it upwards instead of sideways. The Earth moves in mysterious ways!
This is just a theory and I am no geologist, but it might be a good one!
It seems likely to me that all three of these deeper MT conductors are events of the same time horizon that are remnants of the original VMS feeder zone and heavily altered and mineralized with similar metals!
Since we already have found that MT #1 conductor has been proved, then it only takes a small leap of faith for an investor to believe that
the other conductors have at least the same good metal mineralization! And if all of these MT conductors, indeed represent VMS feeder zones, then the larger VMS zones of deposition, must lay elsewhere. But where?
OK maybe they do lay under a lake! Or maybe they lie in a more westerly direction. But
if it continues to exist after eons of geologic events including above sea level
weathering events,
it must be a huge one!
However, if we can assume that these tectonic events first interrupted the original VMS deposition, then we might also logically assume that the main massive volcanic deposition might still exist in a heavily folded zone, but much deeper in depth!
Maybe nothing remains after planetary weathering of the later deposited Billington feeder zone, but it might still be possible to find the VMS remnants of those much deeper, MT stringers!
Perhaps the company didn't drill deep enough
at the build up conductor zone to find any metal or perhaps they have to drill at some location,
further to the north, on land, closer to Marshall lake? But drill as deep as the bit will drive the hole! Perhaps, they also need to consider other directions as well? Who knows where underground earth movements, might shift a body of ore?
To be fair to management, the Marshall Lake VMS deposit is a most difficult puzzle to figure! All the best, Java