White Cliff Minerals has extended its Danvers copper mineralisation footprint to over 1.8km strike, revealing multiple thick, high-grade zones including bornite-rich sulphides along new fault contacts.
- Copper mineralisation footprint exceeds 1.8km strike
- Visual copper sulphides confirmed over 3.1km strike
- DAN26008 returns up to 2.96% Cu over 9.15m
- New bornite-dominant zone discovered on SE fault contact
- Follow-up diamond drilling and geophysics planned
Danvers Copper System Extends with High-Grade Step-Outs
White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) continues to bolster the potential of its Rae Copper Project in Nunavut, Canada, with its 2026 drilling campaign expanding the Danvers copper system to over 1.8km in strike. The latest assays from reverse circulation (RC) drilling revealed two thick, high-grade copper zones in drillhole DAN26008, grading up to 2.96% copper over 9.15m within a broader 27.43m interval at 1.18% Cu. This hole lies more than 580 metres northeast of previous high-grade intercepts, confirming the system’s impressive lateral continuity.
The copper mineralised footprint now visually extends over approximately 3.1km along the Teshierpi Fault Zone, a major structural corridor that has become the focus of regional step-out drilling. The company’s ongoing exploration has consistently intersected copper sulphides across this extensive strike length, underpinning the scale of the mineralised system.
Bornite-Rich Zone Opens New Exploration Front
Highlighting a fresh discovery, drillhole DAN26015 intercepted a broad 77.72m zone dominated by bornite copper sulphides on the southeastern fault contact of the Teshierpi Fault Zone. This is a notable development as prior drilling largely concentrated on the northwestern contact. The bornite-rich mineralisation, with up to 3% abundance of disseminated and vein-hosted bornite, suggests both fault zone margins may host substantial copper deposits, effectively doubling the exploration search space along this key structure.
Managing Director Troy Whittaker emphasised the significance of these results, stating that the assay and visual data “continue to reinforce the scale and quality of the Danvers copper system.” He noted that the system remains open both at depth and towards surface, with follow-up diamond drilling targeting the high-grade zones set to commence by mid-June.
Ongoing Drilling and Geophysical Integration
White Cliff’s 2026 program is integrating geophysical data to refine drilling targets. Re-modelling of 2025 airborne electromagnetic (EM) and magnetic surveys is underway, allowing on-field targeting of further copper sulphide zones as geological understanding evolves. Quotations for downhole EM and ground-based induced polarisation surveys are expected soon, tools that will help focus drilling into the highest-grade areas identified so far.
Additional drilling is planned to infill and close gaps between known mineralisation, with a second diamond drill rig mobilising from Yellowknife to accelerate work on bornite and chalcocite-rich zones. The program also includes testing sedimentary targets within the Rae Group sediments, expanding the project’s scope beyond the fault-hosted copper system.
Historic Resource and Metallurgical Context
The Rae Copper Project hosts a historic resource at Danvers estimated at 4.16 million tons grading 2.96% copper, though this estimate predates JORC standards and requires modern validation. Previous metallurgical test work demonstrated excellent copper and silver recoveries exceeding 90% via conventional flotation, with concentrates grading around 40% copper and 150 g/t silver, indicating favourable processing characteristics.
White Cliff Minerals is methodically advancing the project through systematic drilling, assay verification, and geophysical targeting, aiming to upgrade the historic resource and explore new zones along the Teshierpi Fault Zone. The recent discovery of bornite-dominant mineralisation on the southeastern fault contact notably expands the potential footprint of the mineralised system.
Bottom Line?
White Cliff Minerals’ expanding footprint and high-grade copper zones at Danvers underscore a compelling exploration upside, but assay results from ongoing drilling and detailed structural modelling will be crucial to confirm the system’s full scale and economic potential.
Questions in the middle?
- How will upcoming diamond drilling refine the geometry and true thickness of the Danvers copper system?
- Can the bornite-rich zone on the southeastern fault contact support a new resource domain distinct from the northwestern zones?
- What insights will integrated geophysical surveys provide in targeting deeper or concealed high-grade copper sulphides?