North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

Under the new leadership of longtime Alaska and Northern British Columbia explorer Rob McLeod, Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd., formerly Heatherdale Resources Ltd., is bringing new vigor and geological ideas to the exploration of its Niblack copper-gold-silver-zinc project on Princes of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska.

"Our name change to Blackwolf Copper and Gold better reflects the company's spirit and vision, particularly with consultation and inclusion with indigenous people," said McLeod, president and CEO of Blackwolf Copper & Gold. "Growing up in the Pacific Northwest on the border of Alaska and British Columbia, I was fascinated with the distinct wolf packs that were either traditional grey, or with dominantly black fur. We see Blackwolf as a symbol for strength, inclusion and loyalty within our own pack of mining professionals and the transboundary nature of our business strategy."

While Heatherdale advanced Niblack to the brink of considering the feasibility of mining the high-grade volcanogenic massive sulfide mineralization found there, debt hampered progress, and the economic difficulties for the junior mining sector in 2008 and 2012 stunted any possible growth.

After pouring over the data from Heatherdale's exploration a decade earlier, Blackwolf theorized that high-grade VMS-style mineralization outcropping along the shoreline adjacent to the historic Niblack Mine is hosted within an overturned antiform- (synform – upward convex) type fold.

The 2020 drilling at Niblack confirmed this new geological interpretation, allowing the company to adapt and work toward underground drilling, which continued into 2021.

"The validation of the new structural model has opened up a prospective 1,000-meter-long area between these assay results and the current mineral resource at the Lookout Zone," said McLeod.

Results from this underground resource expansion and exploration drilling program cut substantially thicker intervals of copper-gold-silver-zinc mineralization than expected at the Lookout deposit, which hosts the bulk of the resource identified so far at Niblack.

Highlights from this drilling at Lookout and Lookout extension zones included 27 meters averaging 1.06% copper, 1.87 grams per metric ton gold, 32.83 g/t silver, and 1.04% zinc in hole U21-226; and 32.6 meters averaging 1.03% copper, 1.49 g/t gold, 26.54 g/t silver, and 0.92% zinc in hole U21-227.

According to Blackwolf, the drilling program was very successful, intersecting high-grade polymetallic mineralization, as well as confirming the revised geological model.

"Two drill holes were completed to test our revised geological model relating to the expansion of current mineral resources at the Lookout zone and encountered substantially thicker intervals of mineralization than expected, with remarkable continuity between the drill holes," the Blackwolf CEO noted.

In addition to its continued successful exploration of Niblack, Blackwolf expanded its portfolio of mineral projects in Southeast Alaska by staking Casey, a high-grade gold-silver VMS property just northwest of Hyder, Alaska and Stewart, British Columbia, as well as the initial exploration of Cantoo, found within the same area.

"Staking the Casey property adds another highly prospective unexplored project to our pipeline, particularly targeting polymetallic base and precious metal mineralization similar to our flagship Niblack project," added McLeod.

With the staking of 85 new federal claims covering 1,757 acres (711 hectares), Blackwolf now holds 10,873 acres (4,400 hectares) of mineral exploration targets across three properties in the Hyder area.

Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd.

The yellow path shows the original interpreted mineralization trend for Niblack. The orange-red path shows the updated trend according to Rob McLeod's theory.

"I've closely followed Golden Triangle mining history and exploration throughout my career, and this is certainly one of the most exciting targets that I've seen," said McLeod in regards to the Cantoo property, which very well could have gone overlooked without the aid of a local Hyder resident sharing historic maps of the area.

While initial reconnaissance is being undertaken for Casey and Cantoo, both have the potential to become significant properties for the Blackwolf portfolio.

Individual high-grade samples from Casey include: 5 g/t gold, 62.2 g/t silver, 0.1% copper, and 29.5% zinc; 195.4 g/t silver, 2% copper, and 2.6% zinc; 300.3 g/t silver, 0.3% copper, 6.8% lead, and 19% zinc; and 680.6 g/t silver, 15.9% lead, and 2.6% zinc.

Results from sampling at Cantoo include: 18.5 g/t gold, 1,206 g/t gold, 9.2 g/t gold, and 1,173 g/t gold.

While Blackwolf persevered for Niblack, the momentum continues to build with Texas Creek, Casey, and Cantoo, only adding to the potential for this Southeastern Alaska explorer.