Copper Fox Announces Strategic Acquisitions to Enlarge Schaft Creek Property and Purchase of Liard Copper Mines Ltd. Shares
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Sent by e-mail: Thursday, March 24, 2011
Vancouver, British Columbia -- March 24, 2011 -- Mr. Elmer Stewart, President and CEO of Copper Fox Metals Inc. ("Copper Fox" or the "Company") (TSX-V: CUU) announced today that Copper Fox has completed the acquisition of two very significant mineral properties and the purchase of shares of Liard Copper Mines Limited (Liard). He stated that "both the Paget and the Greig/Kreft mineral claims cover the interpreted extension of the mineralized trend that hosts the Schaft Creek deposit. The widespread copper-gold mineralization, geology and apparent control on the mineralization on these claims show many similarities to that seen at Schaft Creek. Based on these criteria, the potential to find additional mineralization to the north of the Schaft Creek deposit is considered excellent. Furthermore the Company is delighted to have acquired a direct minority interest in Liard, which holds a 30% NPI in the Schaft Creek project."
Highlights of Acquisitions:
1.Copper-gold mineralization that measures 1,100m long by 300m wide, based on historical and current surface grab and chip sampling, has been outlined on the Paget mineral claims.
2.The average of the 32 samples collected from the Paget claims was 0.87% copper and 0.31 g/t gold,
3.Wide spaced reconnaissance sampling on the Greig/Kreft claims in 2008 consisted of 17 grab and chip samples that averaged 1.24% copper, 16 g/t silver and 0.07g/t gold according to a property assessment report filed in 2008, and
4.The interpreted Schaft Creek mineralized trend (including the Schaft Creek deposit) extends for a distance of at least 10 kilometres to the north end of the newly acquired Greig/Kreft claims.
Rationale for the Acquisitions:
To view the location of the interpreted Schaft Creek mineral trend, visit the Copper Fox website at www.copperfoxmetals.com.
The Paget and Greig/Kreft mineral claims located north of the Schaft Creek deposit cover an area that extends over a distance of approximately 8 kilometres. The historical exploration of this 8 kilometre trend completed between 1960 (primarily in the 1960's) and 2008 confirmed the presence, where exposed in outcrop of significant, widespread copper-gold-molybdenum-silver mineralization. The copper mineralization is reported to be exposed primarily in the Mount LaCasse volcanics and is associated with widespread argillic and propylitic alteration. Exploration and property assessment reports indicate that the copper mineralization (disseminated and fracture controlled bornite and chalcopyrite) occurs along the contact between the Mount LaCasse volcanics and the underlying intrusive rocks. This is a setting similar to that defined by Copper Fox in 2010 for the higher-grade copper-gold-molybdenum-silver mineralization at the north end of the Schaft Creek deposit. The widespread mineralization, geology, alteration and the apparent control of the mineralization show many similarities to that seen at Schaft Creek. Based on these criteria, the potential to find additional mineralization on the recently acquired mineral properties is considered excellent.
Mineral Claim Acquisitions:
Details of the transactions are provided below and the Purchase agreements will be filed on Sedar:
1.The purchase of two mineral claims (2,786.54 hectares) from Charles James Greig and John Bernard Kreft ("Greig/Kreft") are contiguous to the Company's Schaft Creek project. Consideration paid by Copper Fox was $250,000 cash, 1,250,000 common shares of Copper Fox and a 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty on the mineral claims subject to a "Partial NSR Buyout Option". The Partial NSR Buyout Option allows Copper Fox at any time to purchase half of the NSR for a cash payment of $1.5 million such that the net smelter royalty is reduced from 2% to 1%.
2.The purchase of one mineral claim (192 hectares) from Paget Resources Ltd ("Paget") that abuts the current Schaft Creek mineral claims owned by Copper Fox. Copper Fox paid Paget $350,000 cash and granted Paget a 2% net smelter return royalty on the mineral claim subject to a "Partial NSR Buyout Option". The Partial NSR Buyout Option allows Copper Fox to purchase half of the NSR for a cash payment of $1.5 million such that the net smelter royalty is reduced from 2% to 1%.
3.Copper Fox acquired 26,954 shares of Liard Copper Mines Ltd. (Liard), a private company incorporated in BC from Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Dunn for a cash payment of $269,540 and 245,000 common shares of Copper Fox. Liard holds a 30% Net Profits Interest (NPI) royalty in the Schaft Creek project. Teck Resources Limited (Teck) owns 78% of the issued and outstanding shares of Liard. Upon completion of a positive Feasibility Study, Copper Fox will acquire Teck's 78% interest in Liard. The shares acquired by Copper Fox as a result of this transaction with Mrs. Dunn represent approximately 1.47% of the issued and outstanding shares of Liard.
Resource Estimate:
AMEC has advised that the resource estimate originally scheduled for completion at the end of March has been temporarily delayed. Copper Fox is working with AMEC to resolve database issues identified during the data verification. AMEC have established there is an inconsistency between the silver analysis of core samples analyzed by Asarco, Hecla, Teck and Copper Fox over approximately 60 years of exploration on the Schaft Creek property. The inconsistency in the silver concentrations may require that the silver content of the mineralization not be reported in the pending resource estimate which is expected before the end of April, 2011. Mr. Stewart stated "the majority of the data from the Schaft Creek deposit was collected before 1985. The issues we are dealing with are typical of deposits with a considerable amount of historical data where verification of the historical data is challenging. Re-sampling of between 5% and 10% of the historical core (approximately 3,000m) combined with a geostatistical analysis of the silver data base will be required to obtain the confidence necessary to estimate the average silver content of the mineralization. This work is expected to commence in mid May 2011 in conjunction with the start of the planned 2011 diamond drilling program. On completion of the re-sampling and 2011 diamond drilling program, the resultant data will be included in an updated resource estimate.
The re-sampling and additional diamond drilling proposed above would not affect the completion date for the feasibility study on the Schaft Creek deposit which is expected to be completed either by the end of June or early July.
