NovaCopper: Significant Near-Surface Drilling Results from the Ruby Creek Zone at Bornite Copper Deposit

NovaCopper Inc. (TSX:NCQ, NYSEMKT:NCQ) reported  additional assay results from exploration diamond drilling at its Bornite Project, which is part of the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects (“UKMP”) located in the Ambler mining district of Northwest Alaska.

Highlights from the results include:

At a cutoff grade of 0.5% copper selected results are as follows:

• RC13-221 intersected five mineralized intervals, starting at 138.9 meters and ending at 367.7 meters (228.8 meter interval), for a combined 123.8 meter composite interval with a weighted average grade of 1.23% copper and comprised of:RC13-219 intersected one mineralized interval, starting at 425.9 meters and ending at 468.5 meters for a 42.5 meter composite interval with a weighted average grade of 1.44% copper.

  • 10.0 meters at a grade of 0.85% copper;
  • 12.5 meters at a grade of 0.98% copper;
  • 25.8 meters at a grade of 1.18% copper;
  • 16.8 meters at a grade of 1.13% copper; and
  • 58.8 meters at a grade of 1.39% copper.

• RC13-218 intersected three mineralized intervals, starting at 29.5 meters and ending at 340.2 meters (310.7 meter interval), for a combined  73.8 meter composite interval with a weighted average grade of 1.20% copper and comprised of:

  • 14.1 meters at a grade of 0.84% copper;
  • 23.5 meters at a grade of 0.94% copper; and
  • 36.2 meters at a grade of 1.51% copper.

• RC13-217 intersected four mineralized intervals, starting at 159.2 meters and ending at 293.3 meters (134.1 meter interval), for a combined  63.3 meter composite interval with a weighted average grade of 0.99% copper and comprised of:

  • 18.8 meters at a grade of 1.23% copper;
  • 8.6 meters at a grade of 1.08% copper;
  • 5.2 meters at a grade of 0.59% copper; and
  • 30.8 meters at a grade of 0.90% copper.

Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, NovaCopper’s President and Chief Executive Officer said:

We are pleased with the results from the near-surface portion of our 2013 drilling program at the Ruby Creek zone (Bornite deposit). Following on our recent exploration drilling success at the high-grade South Reef zone, this near surface drilling program targeted existing shallow resources at the Ruby Creek zone which management believes could potentially be open-pittable. In addition to the 10 holes drilled in the Ruby Creek zone, this year’s program also included extensive re-logging and re-assaying of 32 previously drilled core holes which had been only partially assayed by Kennecott. These are encouraging results which we expect to yield significant expansion of the defined 800-meter by 1200-meter near-surface mineralization at Bornite.

Click here to view the full report.