The crux of this article surrounds Prospect Ridge Resources’ major decision to launch their maiden drilling program on the Copper Ridge Zone of its Knauss Creek Property. Based in British Columbia, Canada, Prospect Ridge Resource’s Knauss Creek Property spans approximately 7,600 hectares within the Quesnel Trough, which is a region renowned for its rich copper-gold porphyry deposits.
Markedly, the elevation of copper and gold prices has added tremendous significance to the commonly underappreciated copper-gold mineralization in the area. As our knowledge of geology, along with the geophysical methods evolves, so does the realization of the massive economic value that the Quesnel Trough can provide due to its copper-gold porphyry deposits.
Knauss Creek Property is situated around the dip-slope of what is known to be a thrust-faulted sequence belonging to alkalic volcanic units within the Cache Creek Terrane. The units are underlain by black limestone and chert of the Cache Creek Complex. Around the northern boundary of the property, diorite intrusions have been extensively reported showing strong propylitic alteration with copper oxide staining.
The Copper Ridge Zone is considered extremely promising because of the significant geocopper anomalies detected by the company. The anomalies are believed to be associated with a porphyry copper-gold target, which supports the concept of remobilized copper from a more profound mineralized source.
The inaugural drill program at Copper Ridge will seek to confirm the depth extent of copper mineralization. In order to provide comprehensive evaluation, the drilling plan has been designed based on data from aero-magnetic surveys, soil geochemical surveys, and the results of prior rock sampling and mapping.
Prospect Ridge Resources has diligently employed a multistaged exploration strategy, which led to the identification of copper-gold mineralization over an approximate two-kilometer strike length at the Knauss Creek property. With the aero-magnetic surveys, the presence of a large magnetic high has been indicated, correlating with copper in soils anomaly, thereby making it an interesting target for this drilling project.
In the final analysis, the project has potential implications not only for Prospect Ridge Resources, but also for the entirety of the Quesnel Trough and, on a larger scale, British Columbia’s mining industry. Given the favorable climate of rising copper and gold prices, the drilling program at the Copper Ridge Zone could lead to important discoveries for the mining sector, driving economic growth and contributing an exciting new chapter in the narrative around British Columbia’s rich geological resources.