White Cliff Minerals has revealed promising deep drilling results at its Danvers Copper Deposit in Nunavut, Canada, extending known copper mineralisation beyond previous limits and identifying new near-surface zones.
- Drillholes DAN25020 and DAN25021 confirm copper mineralisation to ~200m depth
- Significant copper grades up to 6.01% Cu with associated silver
- New near-surface mineralised zones identified outside historic footprint
- Historic resource estimate of 4.16Mt at 2.96% Cu now extended vertically and along strike
- Ongoing integration of drilling and geophysical data to guide 2026 exploration
Deepening the Danvers Deposit
White Cliff Minerals Limited (ASX – WCN) has announced encouraging results from its recent deep drilling campaign at the Danvers Copper Deposit, part of the Rae Copper Project in Nunavut, Canada. Two key drillholes, DAN25020 and DAN25021, spaced approximately 160 metres apart, were designed to test the vertical extent of copper mineralisation and have successfully confirmed mineralisation to depths of around 200 metres; significantly deeper than previous drilling efforts.
DAN25020 returned multiple copper zones including a notable 64 metres grading 0.89% copper starting at 128 metres downhole, with higher-grade intervals reaching up to 6.01% copper over shorter widths. Meanwhile, DAN25021 intersected 16.76 metres at 1.28% copper from nearly 186 metres depth, extending mineralisation some 60 metres below prior known limits. These results suggest the deposit is not only deeper but potentially larger than earlier understood.
Expanding Beyond Historic Boundaries
Importantly, the drilling also identified new, previously untested mineralised zones near surface, outside the historic footprint of the deposit. These zones coincide with geophysical anomalies, hinting at further exploration upside. The historic resource estimate, which is non-JORC compliant and stands at 4.16 million tonnes at 2.96% copper, covered only a portion of the strike and depth extent now confirmed by White Cliff’s drilling.
White Cliff’s Managing Director, Troy Whittaker, emphasised the significance of these findings, noting that the combination of depth, grade, and scale aligns with the company’s growth-oriented strategy. The Rae Copper Project’s location along the Teshierpi Fault Zone; a major regional structure known for hosting copper mineralisation; adds to the prospectivity, with over 10 kilometres of strike length under the company’s control and multiple targets identified for follow-up.
Strategic Outlook and Next Steps
The company’s dual-pronged approach aims to both expand the near-surface Danvers Deposit and explore for high-grade, high-tonnage sedimentary copper targets nearby. Recent geophysical surveys, including MobileMT and HeliTEM, have highlighted several drill-ready targets with geophysical signatures similar to Danvers but larger and more conductive, providing a pipeline for future drilling campaigns.
White Cliff is awaiting assay results from the 2025 drilling program and final geophysical data integration, which will inform the 2026 exploration strategy. The company holds all necessary permits and has secured funding to continue advancing the project, positioning 2026 as a potentially value-defining year for shareholders.
While the historic resource estimate provides a useful benchmark, it is important to note that it is not compliant with current JORC standards and will require validation and potential revision as new data emerges. The true thickness of mineralisation is still being assessed, and further drilling will be necessary to delineate the resource with greater confidence.
Bottom Line?
White Cliff Minerals’ latest drilling at Danvers points to a larger, deeper copper system, setting the stage for a pivotal exploration year ahead.
Questions in the middle?
- How will upcoming assay results refine the size and grade of the Danvers Deposit?
- What is the potential for discovering additional Danvers-style deposits along the Teshierpi Fault Zone?
- How might updated JORC-compliant resource estimates impact White Cliff’s valuation and development plans?