Capstone Mining Corp. entered into an 18-month access agreement to conduct drill and metallurgical test work at BHP Copper Inc.’s (BHP) Copper Cities project located 10 kilometers (km) east of the Pinto Valley Mine.
“I am excited that we have started test work on a property neighboring our flagship Pinto Valley operation,” Capstone CEO Darren Pylot said. “Historic drill data from more than 300 holes suggest a shallow copper target and a potentially low strip ratio pointing to a significant development opportunity.”
Capstone Senior Vice President of Strategic Projects and Exploration Brad Mercer said Copper Cities is geologically a mirror image of Pinto Valley with the same host rocks and age.
The plan calls for a $6.7 million two-phase drill program aimed at twinning historical drill holes and to select a portion of these for metallurgical testing. “Discussions between Capstone and BHP are at an early stage,” Mercer said.
