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Axe Property
Key Highlights:
    click to enlarge

    Weststar's Axe Property, Road and Property Location Map
  • Large porphyry system approximately 3.2 km in diameter, containing four significant zones of copper mineralization -- South, West, Adit & Mid Zones
  • Project Potential:
    • Significant copper values to 370m depth
    • Significant gold values expanded 100 meters to north - gold zone open to north
    • Strike length combined gold/copper zone: +700 meters
    • Resource has potential for skarn type mineralization
2007 Program Underway: 3,200 meters of HQ diamond drilling
  • Drilling intended to:
    • Further define the limits of the West Zone in both strike length and at depth
    • Test the extent of the newly discovered gold zone, as well as test other exploration targets
click to enlarge

West Zone Drill Location Map 2006/2007
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Axe Property Claims


Location

The Axe property consists of 25 mineral claims covering an area of some 4,900 hectares
click to enlarge

Chalcopyrite-magnetite
(12,500 acres) and is located in Similkameen Mining Division, 20 km north of Princeton, in South Central British Columbia, Canada.

South-central British Columbia is considered the copper mining center of Canada. In total, some 3 billion tonnes have been identified in ore at Highland Valley grading an average of 0.45% copper and up to 0.8 grams per tonne gold. Current annual production from the Highland Valley mine operated by Cominco is 160,000 tonnes of copper.


Historical Resource

The Axe property consists of a large porphyry system approximately 3.2 km in diameter, containing four significant zones of copper mineralization referred to as the South, West, Adit and Mid Zones.

In total, 39.0 million tonnes grading 0.38% copper is classified as an indicated resource at a cut-off of 0.25% copper. An additional 32 million tonnes of the same grade is classified as an inferred resource.

Deposit Indicated Resource
(tonnes)
Grade Copper
(%)
Inferred Resource
(tonnes)
West Zone 9,080,000 0.37% 6,000,000
Adit Zone 6,020,000 0.55% 6,100,000
South Zone 23,600,000 0.34% 19,600,000
Mid Zone 300,000 0.55% 300,000
Total Property 39,000,000 0.38% 32,000,000


History

The exploration for porphyry copper style of mineralization on the Axe property initially commenced in the 1960's. Major exploration programs were completed on the Axe property by companies including Cominco Ltd. during the 1970's and early 1980's, just prior to the meltdown in the metals sector in the 1980's. In total, 185 holes totaling some 14,000 meters were drilled during this period, which resulted in provision of an initial resource estimate in 1971, followed by estimates in 1972 and 1973.

Weststar Resources acquired the advanced stage Axe property in 2005 to take advantage of the anticipated long term mining markets. The Company then entered into an option/joint venture agreement in 2005, when the price of copper and mineral commodities started to show indications of long term recovery from the previous declines in prices seen in the 1980's, to earn up to 66% interest in the Axe Property.

Subsequently, Weststar completed a 3D Induced Polarization (IP) survey over the property and resource areas that confirmed previous near surface results. In addition, the survey collected reliable depth readings to 300 meters, establishing deep viable chargeability drill targets in areas of known resource.

The West Zone was discovered as a chargeability anomaly in 1972, therefore the new target became a principal area for ongoing exploration. In the fall of 2005, the Company completed a 5 diamond drillhole program consisting of 683 meters to test the chargeability anomalies outlined by the previously completed 3D survey.


The Region

The porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) deposits of central British Columbia have been the main base/precious metal mining operations of the province for the past five decades. Exploration for these type of deposits were at a peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s, however by 1980 and mainly due to weak copper prices, much of the interest in porphyry deposits had ended, as emphasis was placed on exploration for precious metal deposits. Therefore, much of the exploration glamour of central British Columbia had shifted to other areas of North America and the rest of the world.

Improvement in base and precious metal prices and recent advances in exploration tools, such as airborne geophysical systems, induced polarization techniques, geochemistry, and drilling techniques, has led to a resurgence in the area. Major changes to mining and recovery methods have vastly improved the efficiency of large-scale, open-pit mining operations. Coupled with a better geological understanding of the nature of porphyry deposits, the opportunity now exists to focus on this style of mineralization, applying new and advanced techniques of exploration, mining and recovery of the metals.  


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