Kliyul
-
Target
100% owned by Pacific Ridge, the Kliyul copper-gold project is over 60 square kilometres in size and is located in the prolific Quesnel Terrane close to existing infrastructure. Kliyul is in a similar geological environment to other copper-gold porphyry deposits in BC such as KUG (Centerra), Mount Milligan (Centerra), Red Chris (Newcrest), and Saddle North (Newmont).
Geological Setting
Kliyul is situated in the northern Quesnel Terrane, an island arc that formed along the western North American continental margin in the Late Paleozoic to mid-Mesozoic and now stretches north-south within the Canadian Cordillera. Kliyul is underlain by the Late Triassic Takla Group volcanic, volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks, including the Kliyul Creek unit and overlying Goldway Peak unit. Four main intrusive phases have been identified in and around the property, including the Upper Triassic Kliyul Creek Complex of mafic to ultramafic rocks, a Triassic to Jurassic monzonite porphyry, the Early Middle Jurassic Darb Creek tonalite and the Lower Cretaceous Osilinka stocks of granite, granodiorite and tonalite composition.
Mineralization
Porphyry copper mineralization at Kliyul typically comprises both veined and disseminated chalcopyrite with lesser amounts of bornite. Vein-hosted mineralization is within chlorite-epidote±pyrite veins, quartz-sericite-anhydrite-calcite±pyrite veins and quartz-chlorite-magnetite±pyrite veins. Chlorite-epidote±pyrite veins are the most common vein type and have varied vein selvages including chlorite, albite or sericite. Mineralization is most commonly hosted by andesite and volcaniclastic andesite, although feldspar porphyry and equigranular diorite can also be hosts. Increased copper and gold grades occur within magnetite-cemented breccia and with increased vein density. The presence of bornite is associated with higher copper and gold grades.
Project Highlights
Kliyul hosts six porphyry targets: Kliyul Main Zone ("KMZ"), Bap Ridge, Ginger, Ginger South, M39, and Parish Hill. Each target represents an interpreted porphyry centre over an underexplored 6 km long mineralized trend.
The KMZ was and is the most intensely explored area, with 33 drill holes (5,524 m) drilled prior to Pacific Ridge's 2021 drill program, most of which targeted a near-surface Cu-Au magnetite skarn zone. Deeper drilling in 2006 and 2015 encountered a porphyry copper-gold system.
2021 Kliyul Drill Program
Pacific Ridge drilled a total of 1,544 m in three holes at Kliyul in 2021 (KLI-21-036 to KLI-21-038).
Highlights of the 2021 Drill Campaign:
- Successfully extended mineralization at the Kliyul Main Zone (“KMZ”) to the west and to depth; mineralization at KMZ remains open to the west, south, southwest, southeast, northeast, and to depth;
- Every drill hole returned significant copper-gold mineralization, notably better than the copper-gold mineralization returned in historic drill holes;
- Drill hole KLI-21-037 returned 316.7 m of 0.79% CuEq* or 1.17 g/t AuEq** (0.30% copper, 0.70 g/t gold and 2.17 g/t silver) within 566.7 m of 0.51% CuEq* or 0.75 g/t AuEq** (0.20% copper, 0.51 g/t gold and 0.75 g/t Ag) (see news release dated January 31, 2022);
- Encountered values up to 4.0% Cu and 5.8 g/t Au over select intervals, some of the highest-grade intercepts encountered in deep drilling at KMZ; and
- The presence of bornite in KLI-21-036 and KLI-21-038 is encouraging as it commonly occurs in the core of porphyry systems and its presence can be used to vector towards the porphyry centre.
2022 Kliyul Drill Program
Pacific Ridge drilled a total of 7,014.7 m in 12 drill holes in 2022 (KLI-22-039 to KLI-22-050), completed an Induced Polarization (IP) survey (27 line-km), a high-resolution heli-borne magnetic and radiometric survey (423 line-km), MVI modelling of aeromagnetic survey results, LiDAR survey (257.5 line-km), porphyry footprints geochemical modelling, and a geological mapping and surface sampling (rock) program.
Highlights of the 2022 exploration program:
- The 2022 drilling campaign materially increased the size of the KMZ mineralized body to approximately 600 m (E-W) x 350 m (N-S) x 600 m vertical depth from approximately 350 m (E-W) x 150 m (N-S) x 500 m vertical depth;
- Drill hole KLI-22-050 returned 328.0 m of 0.64% CuEq* or 0.95 g/t AuEq** (0.25% copper, 0.57 g/t gold and 1.25 g/t silver) within 526.0 m of 0.49% CuEq* or 0.73 g/t AuEq** (0.20% copper, 0.43 g/t gold and 1.03 g/t Ag) (see news release dated January 18, 2023);
- Drilling confirmed that the KMZ is not bounded by faults on any side and mineralization remains open in every direction and at depth;
- Drilling confirmed the existence of the modelled NW-striking Lui Fault which separates KMZ block from Kliyul West block and confirmed that the WSW-striking Valley Fault zone has a Late Triassic phase related to mineralization and veining;
- Broad step-outs to the west and east along the Valley Fault corridor confirmed the system centred at KMZ extends for over 1.2 km along this trend before reaching the system edge, and that mineralization is structurally controlled within the Valley Fault zone;
- Drilling confirmed that neighbouring fault blocks (Kliyul West, Kliyul North, East Wedge) to the KMZ block have chlorite-sericite alteration and associated mineralization suggesting these blocks are downthrown several 100 m relative to the central KMZ block, and that these blocks have good preservation potential for different segments of a larger porphyry deposit;
- Drilling in the Kliyul North zone is providing new information on deposit scale geology and attitude of geological features, including dyke and vein orientations, providing key marker units in geological modelling which will aid in resolving if the porphyry system has been tilted post-mineral; and
- Drilling in Kliyul West has provided a vector to distinctively higher Cu:Au ratio in mineralization which increases to 1.5 in Kliyul West versus 0.25-0.50 in the KMZ, and porphyry footprints modelling has suggested a porphyry core to the west or southwest of KMZ.
2023 Kliyul Drill Program
Pacific Ridge completed 10,284 m of diamond drilling in 19 drill holes at Kliyul (KLI-23-051 to KLI-23-069) making the 2023 exploration program the largest ever on the Project.
Highlights of the ongoing 2023 Drill Campaign:
- 8,965 m in 16 drill holes in six contiguous fault block zones of the Kliyul porphyry copper-gold complex tested an area measuring approximately 1,300 m east-west, 600 m north-south, and up to 650 m vertical depth;
- 1,319 m in three drill holes tested three interpreted porphyry centres (Ginger, Ginger South, and Parish Hill) up to 1.5 km from KMZ;
- Drill hole KLI-23-054 returned 305.5 m of 0.59% CuEq* or 0.87 g/t AuEq** (0.23% copper, 0.51 g/t gold and 1.22 g/t silver) within 540.3 m of 0.44% CuEq* or 0.65 g/t AuEq** (0.19% copper, 0.36 g/t gold and 1.09 g/t Ag) (see news release dated August 23, 2023); and
- Known extents of the Kliyul porphyry copper-gold complex now measure 600 m east-west, up to 600 m north-south (previously 450 m north-south), and up to 600 m vertical depth.
*CuEq = ((Cu%) x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Au(g/t) x AuR/CuR x $Au x 0.032151) + (Ag(g/t) x AgR/CuR x $Ag x 0.032151)) / ($Cu x 22.0462). **AuEq = ((Au(g/t) x $Au x 0.032151) + ((Cu%) x CuR/AuR x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Ag(g/t) x AgR/CuR x $Ag x 0.032151)) / ($Au x 0.032151). Commodity prices: $Cu = US$3.25/lb, $Au = US$1,800/oz., and Ag = US$20.00/oz. There has been no metallurgical testing on Kliyul mineralization. The Company estimates copper recoveries (CuR) of 84%, gold recoveries (AuR) of 70%, and silver recoveries (AgR) of 65% based on the average recoveries from Kemess Underground, Mount Milligan, and Red Chris. Factors: 22.0462 = Cu% to lbs per tonne, 0.032151 = Au g/t to troy oz per tonne, and 0.032151 = Ag g/t to troy oz per tonne.
Click on the link below to view drill results for holes 36-58.
https://pacificridgeexploration.com/site/assets/files/5956/2023-10-01_kliyul_assays_36-54.pdf
-
November 24, 2023
November 15, 2022
June 24, 2020