January 25, 2010
BCGold Corp. Defines More Copper-Gold Drill Targets at Minto / Carmacks Properties

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January 14, 2010
BCGold Corp. Re-negotiates Engineer Mine Property Agreement

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January 11, 2010
BCGold Corp. Grants Stock Options

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MINTO/CARMACKS COPPER-GOLD PROPERTIES 

Exploration Strategy

BCGold’s Minto/Carmacks Copper-Gold Properties were staked over areas with geological, geochemical and geophysical characteristics known to reflect near surface, high-grade, structurally controlled copper-gold mineralization in the region, such as that at Capstone Mining Corp.'s Minto deposits and Western Copper Corp.'s Carmacks Copper Project.

The Minto Mine is one of the highest-grade open pit copper-gold mines in the world, and is forecast to be a low cost producer. In the second quarter of 2008, Minto produced concentrate with 12.8 million pounds of payable copper (Cu) at an estimated total cash cost of $0.96 per pound of payable copper.

On April 16, 2009, Western Copper Corp. announced the company had been granted a Quartz Mining License for the Carmacks Copper Project. This license permits Western Copper to build the Carmacks Copper Mine and establishes many of the terms and conditions under which the mine will operate. The Water Use License is the next and final milestone of the permitting process and will allow the mine to operate. Western Copper expects to hear shortly of the status of its application, which was updated and submitted to the Yukon Water Board in December 2008. The project has an NI 43-101 compliant proven and probable reserve estimate of 10.611 million tonnes at 1.044% total Cu, 0.484g/t gold (Au) and 4.62g/t silver (Ag). The Carmacks Copper Project is currently planned as an open pit operation using solvent extraction/electrowinning technology (SX/EW).

BCGold’s exploration strategy in the Carmacks Copper-Gold Belt is focused on the discovery of stand-alone and/or satellite copper-gold deposits, the latter of which could be used to supplement mill feed for the nearby Minto and future Carmacks mining operations.  

Exploration History

BCGold Corp. has been methodically exploring and advancing its Minto/Carmacks Copper-Gold Properties since November 2006. To date, the company has incurred exploration expenditures in excess of $2.7 million and has delineated the Carmacks Copper-Gold trend by geophysical and geochemical techniques over a 15 kilometre distance within the Carmacks Block of properties.

In 2007, BCGold spent $1.5 million in exploration and outlined 4 “Carmacks-style” copper-oxide deformation zones on its ICE and WS properties. The 2007 exploration work included a 3,295 kilometre airborne magnetic and radiometric survey, 7 property-scale Mobile Metal Ion (MMITM) surveys (>4,500 samples), geological mapping, prospecting, trenching, reconnaissance induced polarization (I.P.) surveys and diamond drilling of 7 holes in 1,360 metres. The Company discovered 4 significant “Carmacks-style” copper-gold mineralized zones on the ICE and WS properties, and identified a number of additional geophysical and copper geochemical targets as a result of this work.

In 2008 BCGold Corp. conducted a comprehensive $1.2 million, 2-phase exploration program on 9 properties. Exploration work entailed geological mapping and prospecting, line cutting, 87 kilometres of induced polarization (I.P.) geophysics and 91 kilometres of mobile metal ion (MMITM) geochemical surveys. A multitude of new coincidental geochemical and geophysical targets have been defined by this work on a number of the Company’s Minto/Carmacks Copper-Gold Properties.

In October 2008, BCGold Corp. completed a 5 hole, 1,235 metre diamond drill program on the WS property, targeting geochemical and/or geophysical anomalies believed to represent strike extensions of Western Copper’s Carmacks deposits. Results are presented in Table 1 below. Drill hole WS08-09B intersected 2 near-surface copper sulphide horizons over 63.1 metres that averaged 0.17% Cu (containing 23.6 m averaging 0.34% Cu). This hole targeted a weak copper MMITM anomaly coincident with a pronounced, 2 kilometre long linear I.P. geophysical anomaly. This I.P. anomaly is along strike and 1 kilometre from Western Copper’s Zone 14. Western Copper intersected 79.7 metres averaging 0.23% copper in Zone 14 during its 2007 drill program (Western Copper News Release – November 22, 2007). BCGold’s drill holes WS08-10, 11 and 12 did not intersect any significant copper mineralization.

Table 1. 2008 Diamond Drill Results
WS Property, Yukon

Drill Hole
Dip / Azimuth
(degrees)
Length
(metres)
From
(metres)
To
(metres) 
Width
(metres)
Copper
(%) 
Gold
(ppb)
Silver
(ppm)
WS08-08
WS08-09B

or
-50/230
-60/230
292.3
294.1
 
261
46
85.5
46
263
66
109.1
109.1
2
20
23.6
63.1
0.12
0.13
0.34
0.17
2.5
5.2
64.7
26
0.7
0.76
2.65
1.27

2009 Exploration Program

The Company commenced the 2009 Minto/Carmacks Copper-Gold Properties field exploration program in mid May. Phase I entailed geological mapping and prospecting over a number of copper +/- gold soil MMITM and I.P. anomalies defined on 6 of BCGold’s Minto/Carmacks Copper-Gold Properties. Trenching and diamond drill targets were confirmed on all 6 properties. Phase II exploration entailed excavator trenching, road and drill pad construction, additional geochemical and geophysical survey work, mapping and sampling. 

Carmacks Block 

On BCGold’s WS and ICE properties, situated within the Carmacks Block of properties, BCGold commenced 2009 exploration with 2 separate programs of drill target definition by structural analysis and multi-element MMITM studies by company consultants. Results of this work corroborated on a number of trenching target trends, some of which were subsequently trenched by excavator. 

Geological mapping and prospecting programs by a geologist and prospector team were carried out on the WS, ICE, Peanut and Copper Properties. Fieldwork also included, linecutting and 23 kilometres of pole-dipole I.P. surveys on the ICE and WS East target areas. Survey results are pending. 

A Caterpillar excavator was utilized to open up 3 kilometres of drill access roads and excavate 260 metres in 7 trenches on the WS property. Trenching was greatly inhibited over target areas owing to permafrost conditions, however all trenches were mapped and sampled in detail. Analytical results of this work are pending. 

Minto Block 

In 2009 BCGold completed detailed geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs on 5 properties north of Minto mine, following up copper ± gold soil M.M.I.TM anomalies and coincidental “Minto-type” magnetic and I.P. anomalies defined previously by BCGold. The Company is in receipt of NI43-101 technical reports for the Toe and Pepper properties, recently prepared by Company consultant Jean Pautler, P.Geo., that recommend additional I.P. survey work and diamond drilling on both properties. The Toe and Pepper properties meet the requirements of a “Qualifying Transaction” (QT), for the purposes of the Policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and BCGold is currently seeking suitable joint venture partners to advance them. 

On September 9, 2009 BCGold announced that exploration field work had been accelerated on the Company’s 6 Minto-area copper-gold properties (“Minto Block”), in light of continued exploration success at Capstone Mining’s newly discovered Minto North deposit. At BCGold’s Apex East property, situated immediately north of Capstone’s Minto property, BCGold conducted a program entailing geological mapping, prospecting, linecutting, MMITM sampling, and a 15 kilometre pole-dipole I.P. survey. Results are pending. 

The field portion of BCGold’s 2009 Minto/Carmacks Copper Gold Properties exploration program concluded September 19, 2009. Data compilation and interpretation work is ongoing. 

BCGold expects to spend $750,000 exploring the Minto/Carmacks Copper-Gold Properties in 2009. This total is expected to be offset by up to $137,000 in grants awarded to BCGold by the Yukon government through the Yukon Mineral Incentives Program (YMIP). BCGold will be compiling exploration results over the winter months and plans to follow up the WS Copper discovery, and a number of “Minto-type” targets in the Minto Block with additional drilling in early 2010. 

BCGold is actively seeking a major partner to assist in advancing the Minto/Carmacks Copper-Gold Properties by way of an exploration alliance or joint venture agreement. The Company has had a number of promising, high-level discussions with potential partners and is optimistic a suitable partnership can be arranged. 


ICE Zone 2007 Drill Program

WS Property, 2007/08 Drill Hole Plan


 

 

last updated: January 14, 2010

 

 

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