Can White Cliff Minerals Turn Historic Rae Resource into a Modern Copper Giant?

Strong Assay Results Reinforce Rae Copper Potential

White Cliff Minerals Limited (ASX: WCN) has announced further encouraging assay results from its reverse circulation drilling campaign at the Rae Copper Project in Nunavut, Canada. The highlight is a substantial 90-metre intercept grading 4% copper and 7.5 grams per tonne silver starting right from surface at the Danvers prospect. This confirms the presence of continuous, shallow, high-grade copper mineralisation that could underpin a significant resource.

Within this broad intercept, the company identified multiple high-grade zones, including an 18-metre section grading 6.5% copper and 11.4 g/t silver, a remarkable 1.52 metres at 19.45% copper, and a further 14 metres at 7.7% copper. These results not only demonstrate the quality of the mineralisation but also its continuity along the mineralised breccia veins.

Strategic Drilling and Funding Position

The drilling was strategically oriented perpendicular to the strike of the copper-rich breccias, confirming the mineralisation continuity observed in previous holes to the northeast and southwest. Additional assays from nearby drillholes are pending, which could further delineate the down-dip extensions of the mineralised zones.

Importantly, White Cliff Minerals is well positioned financially, having raised $14.4 million to fund its 2025 drilling program. This capital injection supports an aggressive exploration agenda aimed at expanding the known mineralisation along a 9.5-kilometre faulted structure that hosts the Danvers prospect.

Historic Context and Future Outlook

The Rae Copper Project benefits from a rich exploration history, including a historic resource estimate of approximately 4.16 million tons at 2.96% copper. However, this estimate predates modern reporting standards and is not compliant with the JORC Code. White Cliff Minerals plans to undertake verification drilling and resource estimation work to upgrade this historic resource to JORC standards.

Geologically, the project hosts sediment-hosted copper deposits with multiple mineralisation styles, including breccia-hosted and flow-top replacement copper mineralisation. Metallurgical testwork from historic studies suggests favourable copper recoveries and concentrate grades, although modern validation will be required.

Environmental and Regulatory Considerations

The company holds all necessary permits and licenses to conduct exploration, including a type B water license and a Class A Land Use Permit. Engagement with local Indigenous groups has been secured, reflecting a responsible approach to exploration in this sensitive Arctic environment. Environmental factors such as permafrost and waste management will be critical considerations as the project advances.

White Cliff Minerals’ Managing Director, Troy Whittaker, expressed optimism about the results, highlighting the significance of the high-grade zones and the potential for a material maiden exploration target at Danvers. The company’s ongoing drilling and forthcoming assay results will be closely watched by investors seeking exposure to high-grade copper in a proven Canadian jurisdiction.