공고 • Jul 24
Copper Fox Metals Presents Updated Exploration Model for Sombrero Butte Project in Arizona
Copper Fox Metals Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Desert Fox Sombrero Butte Co., has presented an updated exploration model for the 100% owned Sombrero Butte project in Arizona, USA. The updated model supports the interpretation that Sombrero Butte hosts a large, highly evolved porphyry copper-molybdenum system within the Laramide copper province of the southwestern United States. The exploration model integrates the 2024 geophysical survey, recent mapping, high-resolution airborne magnetics, petrography, SWIR, whole-rock, trace-element and fertility geochemistry, fluid-inclusion observations, and historical drilling results. Collectively, these datasets define a coherent porphyry-style footprint characterized by a large chargeability anomaly, Laramide intrusive phases, potassic alteration overprinted by intense phyllic and spheroidal sericite alteration, hypersaline fluid inclusions, copper-mineralized breccias and evidence of multiple high-temperature hydrothermal events. The porphyry target is a combination of a large geophysical anomaly, prospective (fertile) intrusive phases, alteration patterns, hypersaline magmatic-hydrothermal fluid inclusions and copper-molybdenum mineralization in veins, fractures, high-grade copper (+/-molybdenum-gold-silver) magmatic hydrothermal breccias and as disseminations in the Copper Creek intrusive. These porphyry related features support the interpretation that the upper or marginal portions of a larger porphyry copper-molybdenum system occurs at depth. The convergence of multiple independent porphyry indicators at the intersection of two prolific Laramide-age porphyry copper belts in Arizona that hosts the former San Manuel/Kalamazoo porphyry copper mine and the Copper Creek porphyry copper deposit are significant features of the Sombrero Butte porphyry copper target. The porphyry features identified at Sombrero Butte that are typically observed in porphyry copper systems are listed below. Strategic Location; at the intersection of two prolific Laramide-age porphyry copper belts in Arizona. Structural control; located between the Blind Thrust and Holy Joe fault systems. Favorable geology; porphyritic and non-porphyritic phases of hornblende-biotite granodiorite, biotite granodiorite quartz diorite, and quartz monzonite and multiple late-stage dikes of the Copper Creek granodiorite intrusive. Geophysical signature; a 3,200 meter (m) long by 1,300m wide chargeability anomaly (>25 mrad) associated with a moderate (200-500 ohm) resistivity signature. Alteration; early stage potassic (+/- tourmaline) and propylitic overprinted by phyllic (Spheroidal sericite and oxidized quartz-pyrite-sericite veinlets) alteration and lesser amounts of distal advanced argillic alteration. Evolved system; superimposed high temperature hydrothermal events; i.e. sulphidization of magnetite, magnetite rimming pyrite and bornite rimming chalcopyrite (hypogene enrichment). Boiling; widespread hypersaline fluid inclusions with (liquid+ vapor+ daughter minerals) suggests the intrusive source achieved saturation and phase separation into a vapor-rich phase and a high salinity brine phase. Mineralized Breccias; multiple (120) mineralized (high grade copper +/- molybdenum-gold-silver) and non-mineralized, leached, bleached, intensely clay altered magmatic hydrothermal breccia pipes within the phyllic halo (quartz-pyrite-sericite veins). Porphyry target; widespread contact metamorphism and granodiorite outcrops within the Glory Hole Volcanics suggests relatively thin cover of Glory Hole Volcanics overlying the porphyry target within the Copper Creek intrusive. Most of the Sombrero Butte porphyry target is located between the Holy Joe and the Blind Thrust fault systems, both prominent structural components of the Copper Creek mining district. Movement on the Blind Thrust (reactivation of the thrust resulting in west side down-hangingwall during crustal extension) resulted in a vertical displacement of approximately +/- 300-400m of the western portion of the (>10mV/V (or 20mrad)) chargeability anomaly and extends to the west in the Copper Creek granodiorite. At surface, the Blind Thrust juxtaposes a weak sericitic altered biotite granodiorite in the hangingwall and in the footwall a 500m by 800m area of intense phyllic (spheroidal sericite) with relic potassic altered biotite granodiorite, quartz diorite and quartz monzonite that outcrops within an erosional window in the Glory Hole Volcanics. On the eastern side of the project, the Holy Joe fault appears to truncate the upper chargeability anomaly related to a magnetite-rich layer of metamorphosed and hydrothermally altered Glory Hole Volcanics. The geology of the Sombrero Butte project consists predominately of metamorphosed Laramide-age Glory Hole Volcanics intruded by porphyritic and non-porphyritic phases of the biotite and hornblende-biotite granodiorite, quartz diorite, quartz monzonite and late-stage porphyritic quartz latite, dacite, diabase and gabbro dikes of the Copper Creek granodiorite, a Laramide age weakly Peraluminous to Metaluminous calc-alkaline intrusive. The Precambrian age Pinal Schist and Miocene age Galiuro volcanics occur along southern, eastern, and western sides of the project. The Glory Hole Volcanics consists of porphyritic and aphanitic andesite with interlayered volcaniclastic units intruded by multiple outcrops of biotite granodiorite on the eastern side of the project. The contact between the Copper Creek intrusive and Glory Hole Volcanics is marked by a layer of rubbly, light-brown, metamorphosed andesite with abundant fine grained disseminated secondary magnetite that transitions to dark green, dense, fresh andesite toward the eastern side of the project. Over 120 magmatic hydrothermal mineralized and non-mineralized breccias occur as limonitic, vertically dipping pipes exhibiting various degrees of leaching, and weak to intense argillic alteration. The eastern portion of the project is masked by a thick blanket of talus debris derived from the Galiuro volcanics. The distribution of early-stage quartz-magnetite and magnetite veining indicative of potassic alteration, hypersaline fluid inclusions and spheroidal sericite alteration are shown. The 2024 geophysical survey (DCIP and Resistivity) delineated a large positive changeability/low resistivity anomaly that exhibits two distinct chargeability/low resistivity signatures.