Vancouver - ArcWest Exploration Inc. (TSXV: AWX) ('ArcWest') is pleased to provide an update for partner funded exploration of its wholly owned Oxide Peak copper-gold ('Cu-Au') project, situated in British Columbia's Toodoggone District, northern B.C.
The project is being advanced by partner TDG Gold. The Toodoggone district ('the District') hosts extensive Early Jurassic porphyry Cu-Au and epithermal gold-silver (Au-Ag) mineralization including several past producing Au-Ag mines (Baker, Lawyers, Shasta) and the Kemess Au-Cu porphyry deposits (Centerra Gold). The southern half of the Oxide Peak project adjoins Benchmark Metal's Lawyers project, which recently received an investment by Yamana Gold. Historical production in the District exceeds 3.2 million ounces of gold and 360,000 tonnes of copper.
Highlights
2022 partner funded exploration at Oxide Peak will include a first phase drill test of the Oxide Peak porphyry Cu-Au target
The Oxide Peak porphyry Cu-Au target is completely untested by drilling. It comprises a large coincident geophysical and geochemical anomaly including widespread outcrops of predominantly quartz-sericite-pyrite/chlorite-epidote-pyrite altered and variably Cu-Au mineralized porphyritic intrusions and associated breccias with high pyrite to chalcopyrite ratios. Local advanced argillic alteration and associated high sulfidation-like Cu-Au mineralization is also present, suggesting the presence of a shallowly eroded porphyry Cu-Au system. Chlorite-epidote-pyrite altered Cu-Au mineralized breccias in Oxide Creek contain relict potassic alteration and associated quartz-magnetite-chalcopyrite veins, suggesting potential for porphyry Cu-Au mineralization at shallow depths in the target area
Multiple, additional Cu-Au exploration targets exist throughout the property, all of which are untested by diamond drilling. These include large, variably Cu-Au mineralized gossans at the Gordonia, Falcon and Saunders Creek targets, where grab samples have returned assays up to 46.1 g/t Au. Stream sediment samples collected from the Saunders target area have returned assays in excess of 10,000 ppb Au. This gold anomaly has yet to be traced to source.
TDG is operator for exploration at Oxide Peak and is responsible for the design and implementation of exploration programs on the property.
Tyler Ruks, President and CEO of ArcWest, commented, 'ArcWest thanks our partner TDG Gold for advancing our Oxide Peak project. Our wholly owned Oxide Peak property contains multiple exciting targets for porphyry copper-gold systems, and we are eagerly anticipating TDG's first phase drill test of the Oxide Peak target this summer.
'In addition, ArcWest is fortunate to have received expressions of interest in our Todd Creek copper-gold project from multiple mining companies. Our wholly owned Todd Creek property is contiguous with Newcrest's Brucejack mine property, which it recently acquired from Pretium in a $3.5 billion transaction. Although a deal for Todd Creek is not guaranteed, we are optimistic that we will be able to secure a partner in order to advance the project in 2022 and beyond. Todd Creek is host to one of the largest underexplored porphyry copper-gold systems in the Golden Triangle, and is situated in close proximity to one of the world's largest endowments of base and precious metals, including the KSM-Iron Cap porphyry copper-gold deposits (Seabridge Gold), Tudor Gold's Treaty Creek gold-silver deposit, and Newcrest's recently acquired Brucejack high grade gold-silver mine. We are looking forward to an exciting 2022 exploration season, with partner funded drilling planned for multiple ArcWest copper-gold projects.'
In 2020, an extensive program of geological and alteration mapping, rock and soil sampling, and geophysics (airborne magnetic and induced polarization [IP] surveys) outlined a porphyry copper-gold target in the northwestern part of the Oxide Peak project (McBride, 2021). At the Oxide Peak porphyry Cu-Au target, a multiphase intrusion cores an extensive zone of quartz-sericite-pyrite (QSP) and advanced argillic alteration surrounded by sericite-chlorite and propylitic alteration. The 2020 IP survey outlined a 1.5 by 0.6 kilometer chargeability high which overlaps the QSP alteration at its north end.
Geochemical surveys at Oxide Peak, including 380 soils and 65 rock samples, delineated a significant multi-element soil anomaly: up to 728 ppb gold (range
ARCWEST EXPLORATION INC. 
