Amarc Resources drills 0.33% CuEq over 542 metres at Duke, British Columbia

Amarc Resources Ltd. [AHR-TSXV; AXREF-OTCQB] reported received assay results from the first drill hole of the continuing 2022/2023 drilling program at the Duke deposit, within its 100%-owned Duke porphyry Cu-Au district in central British Columbia.

The current drilling is part of the first phase program being financed under the mineral property earn-in agreement with Boliden Mineral Canada Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boliden Group. Boliden can earn up to a 70% interest in the district by financing $90-million of staged earn-in expenditures. Amarc is project operator during the earn-in phase.

Hole DK22009 is the first of two holes completed in December 2022, in the central area of the Duke deposit to test the geometry and depth potential of the mineralization. The hole was drilled in the vicinity of previous Amarc drill holes (including DK17001 and DK17002. The hole intercepted significant Cu-Mo-Au-Ag (copper-molybdenum-gold-silver) mineralization from the bedrock surface to the bottom of hole, including several subintervals of higher grade. The results are of good tenor and continuity and indicate that the Duke deposit extends to significantly greater depth than previously known.

Highlights include 542 metres of 0.33% copper equivalent (CuEq) (0.24% Cu, 0.016% Mo, 0.04 g/t Au and 1.2 g/t Ag) from 9.4 metres, including 183 metres of 0.43% CuEq (0.31% Cu, 0.019% Mo, 0.07 g/t Au and 1.5 g/t Ag) from 65 metres, including 126 metres of 0.52% CuEq (0.38% Cu, 0.024% Mo, 0.08 g/t Au and 1.8 g/t Ag) from 122 metres.

“With the release of these initial encouraging results, we are pleased with the excellent progress has already been made in our first work program with partner Boliden,” said Amarc President and CEO Diane Nicolson. “Our teams are excited about Duke’s tremendous potential, and are looking forward to further expanding and delineating the mineralization at Duke while also testing the multiple other targets within the Duke District.” Amarc’s 2023 drill program continues, with two core rigs operating on site. One rig is focused on further delineating the Duke Deposit, where mineralization remains open laterally in all directions, while the other will drill test the largely overburden covered, 3 km² Induced Polarization (IP) chargeability anomaly which hosts the Duke Deposit. Drilling and additional surface programs testing some 12 compelling deposit targets are planned across the Duke District for later in the year.

Amarc’s Duke District is located 80 km northeast of Smithers within the Babine Region, one of BC’s most prolific porphyry Cu-Au belts. It hosts the former Bell and Granisle Cu-Au mines that were operated by Noranda Mines, and the advanced stage Morrison Cu-Au deposit. Significant infrastructure exists in the region servicing the former mines and the very active forestry and exploration industries.

Central to Amarc’s extensive mineral tenure is the Duke Deposit discovery, located 30 km north of the former Bell Mine. Although explored historically, the extensive porphyry Cu system at the Duke discovery has not been delineated or drilled off. Many of the 21 historical shallow and closely-spaced core holes intersected and ended in significant Cu-Mo-Au-Ag mineralization. These holes were restricted to a small portion of a robust, 3 km north-south by 1 km east-west IP chargeability anomaly indicating a large sulphide mineralized system. Amarc completed initial drilling at the Duke Deposit in 2017 and 2018. Seven of the eight core holes drilled over an area measuring approximately 400 metres north-south by 600 metres east-west successfully intersected porphyry copper-style mineralization to a vertical depth of 360 metres. This mineralization remains wide open to expansion. The eighth hole was drilled off a road 1 km to the north and within the 3 km² sulphide mineral system; it intersected similar copper-molybdenum-silver-gold porphyry mineralization.

Amarc has also completed a comprehensive compilation of government and historical data over the entire Duke District. This detailed scientific work provided a new interpretation of the geological, geochemical and geophysical characteristics of the Babine belt, and identified 12 previously unrecognized porphyry Cu deposit targets with exciting potential.

Amarc is associated with HDI, a diversified, global mining company with a 35-year history of porphyry Cu deposit discovery and development success.

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