Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 11, 2021) - Bell Copper Corporation (TSXV: BCU) ("Bell Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it has drilled into a new porphyry copper system at its Big Sandy project, a large, truncated porphyry copper-molybdenum target located in northwestern Arizona, approximately 30 kilometers south of the Company's Perseverance Project.
Highlights
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Drilling through gravel cover has discovered a porphyry copper system of suspected Laramide age.
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Minerals observed in core include gossan veins (goethite, hematite, and jarosite), native copper, chalcocite, covellite, sphalerite, galena, disseminated pyrite, and quartz-molybdenite veinlets.
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Downhole IP survey at BS-1 to be performed
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Core drilling at BS-1 continues.
Drilling and Analysis
After drilling a water well to support a multi-hole, potentially multi-rig, drilling campaign, Bell began core drilling BS-1 in early November 2020. At a depth of 889 meters, BS-1 cut leached capping consisting of gossan veins in sericitized quartz monzonite porphyry of suspected Laramide age and Precambrian chloritized (i.e. "greenrocks") granite porphyry. A weak supergene enrichment blanket in which chalcocite forms rims surrounding pyrite grains extends to the base of oxidation at 938 meters. Scattered small grains of native (metallic) copper were seen above the chalcocite-bearing interval. Below the base of oxidation, disseminated pyrite constitutes about one volume percent of the sericitized porphyry host rock. Veinlets of quartz carrying 3-millimeter-wide crystals of molybdenite ("B-veins" of Gustafson and Hunt, 1975) cut the porphyry. Drilling was suspended for the Christmas holiday, and has now resumed on BS-1.
The coexistence of chlorite, sericite, molybdenite, sphalerite, and weak chalcocite in the same small volume of core leads Bell to believe that BS-1 has penetrated a porphyry copper system near the inner edge of the propylitic, or "greenrocks", environment. A copper-rich shell, if one is present, would be expected within a few hundred meters of BS-1.
The Company will take full advantage of having an active drillhole into sulfide-bearing porphyry by conducting 2 borehole studies in BS-1 in the coming weeks. These include an acoustic televiewer (ATV) log and downhole radial Induced Polarization (IP) survey. The combination of information from these studies will help Bell understand the tilt of the porphyry system, the principal vein and fault orientations, and the distribution of chargeable sulfides away from the drillhole. Such studies are expected to be useful in targeting shallower, more sulfide-rich parts of the systems with the upcoming drillholes.
Bell will use the results from the IP survey to determine which of 4 currently permitted sites will be best for drilling any chargeability anomalies that are detected.
Tim Marsh, Bell's President and CEO, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI43-101, said,
"Bell's first hole at Big Sandy intersected leached capping, weak native copper, a weak supergene chalcocite blanket, and quartz-molybdenite veinlets in sericitized quartz monzonite porphyry of suspected Laramide age. Big Sandy appears to be the newest addition to Arizona's prolific Laramide porphyry copper belt. Bell will be giving this greenfields, grassroots, blind discovery the serious drilling attention that it deserves."
About Bell Copper
Bell Copper is a mineral exploration company focused on the identification, exploration and discovery of large copper deposits located in Arizona. Bell Copper is exploring its 100% owned Big Sandy Porphyry Copper Project and the Perseverance Porphyry Copper Project which is under a Joint Venture - Earn In.
Qualified Person
The technical content of this release has been reviewed and approved by Timothy Marsh, PhD, PEng., the Company's CEO and President. No mineral resource has yet been identified on the Big Sandy Project. There is no certainty that the present exploration effort will result in the identification of a mineral resource or that any mineral resource that might be discovered will prove to be economically recoverable.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of
Bell Copper Corporation
"Timothy Marsh"
Timothy Marsh, President, CEO & Director
For further information please contact the Company
Tel: 1 800 418 8250
Email: info@bellcopper.net
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release includes "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "potential", "target", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof.
Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which Bell Copper operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic, and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include actual exploration results, interpretation of metallurgical characteristics of the mineralization, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators, including those described in the Company's most recently filed MD&A. The Company does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable law.
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