VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Thunderbird Minerals Corp. (TSXV: BIRD.V) (“Thunderbird” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has expanded its land package at the Argo Copper-Gold Project (the “Project”) by approximately 39%. The Argo Property now encompasses 10,147.42 hectares (ha) covering additional areas with potential for epithermal and porphyry-style copper-gold mineralization, including the historic York mineral occurrence.
Highlights from the York Mineral Occurrence
- The York mineral occurrence is situated at the intersection of interpreted fault structures that likely facilitated the movement of hydrothermal fluids related to regional magmatic activity.
- Historical exploration efforts at the site have included rock, soil, and stream geochemical sampling, trenching, airborne magnetic geophysical surveys, and drilling, primarily targeting gold mineralization.
- Past sampling identified a NW-SE trending gold (Au), copper (Cu), and molybdenum (Mo) geochemical anomaly that aligns with several magnetic geophysical anomalies. Historical soil assays include values up to 194 ppb Au, while rock outcrop samples assayed up to 2.55 g/t Au.
- Trenching exposed various rock types, including schists, gneisses, hornfelsed zones, and graphitic sediments of the Nicola Group, intruded by biotite granodiorite and monzonite. Skarn alteration occurs along some contacts, and shear zones up to 18 m wide with limonitic alteration contain anomalous Au, Cu, As, Ag, and Sb values.
- Historical drilling campaigns included shallow reverse-circulation/percussion drilling programs in 1982 (457.2 m across 7 holes) and 1988 (919 m across 10 holes), and a diamond drilling program (809.07 m across 13 holes) in 1983. All drill holes encountered anomalous gold values, including: 5.7 g/t Au over 0.3 m; 2.8 g/t Au over 5.1 m; and 1.18 g/t Au over 10.15 m. Drilling also returned an intercept of 164 ppm Cu and 200 ppm Mo over 71.32 m. These results indicate potential for both epithermal gold and porphyry-style Cu-Mo mineralization.
- Gold mineralization is associated primarily with arsenopyrite-bearing quartz veins, and with shear zones hosting calcite and quartz veins that may have overprinted an earlier porphyry system. Chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, and molybdenite occur as metasomatic mineralization at granodiorite-hornfels contacts.
- The York target shares several geological, geochemical, and geophysical anomalies with similar characteristics to other alkalic copper-gold porphyry and intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) within the Quesnel Trough. Potentially analogous deposits within the Quesnel Trough include Taseko’s Gibraltar Mine, located approximately 90 km to the southeast. The Gibraltar Mine is Canada’s second-largest copper mine, with reserves of 1.1 Bt @ 0.25% Cu and 0.007% Mo.
The 100% owned Argo Project is located approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. The project is in close proximity to major transportation-utility corridors; including Highway 97 and nearby electric transmission lines. The Argo Project is located in the Quesnel Trough, which is host to some of British Columbia’s most productive copper-producing mines, including the Copper Mountain, Gibraltar, Mount Polley and Highland Valley mines.
John Newell, President and CEO of Thunderbird, states:
“The expansion of our Argo Copper-Gold Project further enhances our strategic position within the prolific Quesnel Trough, a region known for hosting some of British Columbia’s most productive copper mines. The additional claims not only increase our footprint by nearly 40%, but they also encompass prospective ground with potential for significant epithermal and porphyry-style mineralization. This new territory provides exciting exploration upside as we advance the Argo Project. The favorable geological setting, historical work, and strategic location close to infrastructure underscore the Project’s potential to be developed into a significant copper-gold asset within Thunderbird’s growing portfolio.”
Figure 1: Location of the Argo Project within the prolific Quesnel Trough, which is host to many of British Columbia’s most productive copper mines.
Figure 2: Claim expansion at the Argo Project covers a large airborne magnetic geophysical anomaly. The Talos target was defined by a geochemical soil sampling program in 2022 by Thunderbird.
Figure 3: Historical work on the York target includes airborne geophysical surveying, soil sampling and drilling. The most clearly delineated zone is a ~2 km northwest-southeast trending shear zone in contact with a granodiorite intrusion. Pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite were observed in all drillholes over significant widths. There is potential for Cu-Au porphyry-style mineralization and/or Intrusion-Related Gold System (IRGS) style mineralization at the York target.
About Thunderbird Minerals Corp.
Thunderbird is a junior grassroots explorer focused on the discovery of new precious metal and copper projects through systematic exploration of metal-endowed terranes located in Tier-one mining jurisdictions in North America. Thunderbird’s focus is on development of its portfolio of projects to the mineral resource stage. Thunderbird’s projects include its flagship Bullseye property in the Wels District of the Yukon Territory. Thunderbird’s other properties include the Eagle Mountain gold property in the Cassiar Gold District in northern British Columbia, the Argo copper and gold property near Quesnel B.C., and the Apache copper and gold property in Kern County, California. Thunderbird continues to look for attractive properties throughout North America to add to its early-stage project pipeline.
More information can be found at the Company’s website at www.thunderbirdminerals.ca
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
John Newell, President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Thunderbird’s exploration projects and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
For new information about the Company’s programs, please visit Thunderbird’s website at www.thunderbirdminerals.ca or contact John Newell by telephone (604) 568-8807 or by email at info@thunderbirdminerals.ca or john.newell@thunderbirdminerals.ca.
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.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain information contained in this news release constitutes “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking information”). Without limiting the foregoing, such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the process and completion of the Offering, the use of proceeds of the Offering and any statements regarding the Company’s business plans, expectations and objectives. In this news release, words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “likely”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate” and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking information is based on information available at the time and/or the Company management’s good faith belief with respect to future events and is subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. The forward-looking information set forth herein reflects the Company’s expectations as at the date of this news release and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
Figures accompanying this announcement are available at:
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https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea8a4cfe-6b41-4ff7-8f85-6116a9bf4e63
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