Bell Confirms Presence of Porphyry-Related Copper Mineralization at Kabba Project
Thursday, July 12, 2007
VANCOUVER, British Columbia: Bell Resources Corporation (TSXV: BL) today confirmed the presence of porphyry-related copper mineralization at its first drill hole of the Kabba Project located in Mohave County in northwestern Arizona. The announced results are in conjunction with Bell's Phase I drill program at Kabba.
The Kabba drill program is targeted at a down-faulted, major copper-molybdenum porphyry system and will consist of up to five holes to a depth of 1,000 metres.
"We are encouraged by the success of hole K-1," said W. Glen Zinn, President & CEO. "The presence of many geological indicators common to porphyry copper-molybdenum systems spread across more than 250 metres of the drill hole suggests that a large porphyry system is nearby."
Bell controls 232 unpatented mining claims covering more than 4,200 acres on the highly productive Copper Creek-Resolution-Bagdad porphyry trend in Arizona.
K-1 Drill Hole Results
A simple reconstruction of faulting across the east face of the Hualapai Mountains shows that the offset top of the known porphyry copper-molybdenum system lies buried beneath the Kabba prospect under relatively shallow cover. Drilling of hole K-1 demonstrated that basement rocks hosting porphyry-related copper mineralization are present beneath 658 meters of post-mineral cover.
Drillhole K-1 encountered pervasively albitized gneissic host rocks immediately upon exiting the post-mineral cover rocks. Thick intervals of Precambrian diabase cut by locally abundant quartz-carbonate veinlets suggest that the fault-block penetrated by this drill hole originated about one mile west of the heart of the porphyry system. Spotty mineralization included blebby chalcopyrite, rare chalcocite rims on veinlet pyrite, a short interval of massive pyrite, and local quartz-zeolite-pyrite breccia. The hole was completed in an altered quartz monzonite porphyry cut by abundant milky quartz veins at a total depth of 914 meters. The quartz monzonite porphyry strongly resembles Laramide-age intrusive rocks in several of Arizona's other porphyry copper districts.
Rare native copper in the deepest cover rocks suggests that supergene copper enrichment may be an important process in the heart of the porphyry system. Underground mining of Arizona porphyry copper deposits can extend several times the depth tested in drill hole K-1. For example, in 1999 BHP's Kalamazoo porphyry copper deposit was being mined at a depth of 1,100 meters, and Rio Tinto is planning to block cave the Resolution deposit at a depth of over 2,100 meters.
Future Drilling at Kabba
At Kabba, depth of cover is expected to diminish eastward from K-1 toward the next drill site, hole K-2, where a rotary pre-collar for the next diamond drill hole is currently in progress.
Drill hole K-2 is optimally located one mile due east of K-1 to test the hypothetical hanging wall position of the porphyry system. Coring operations on this site are expected to commence in mid-July, following completion and casing of the rotary pre-collar hole.
Drilling is being conducted by Layne Christensen Company of Chandler, Arizona, under the supervision of Chester Oakley, Project Geologist.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements, including those describing Bell's future plans and the expectations of management that a stated result or condition will occur. Any statement addressing future events or conditions necessarily involves inherent risk and uncertainty. Actual results can differ materially from those anticipated by management at the time of writing due to many factors, the majority of which are beyond the control of Bell and its management.
Qualified Person
For the purposes of this news release, the Qualified Person is Timothy Marsh, P.E., PhD, the Company's Vice President of Exploration.
Kabba Project
Bell Resources owns 100% interest in the Kabba porphyry copper prospect located in Mohave County in northwestern Arizona. The prospect is situated approximately 19 miles southeast of Kingman and 150 miles northwest of Phoenix. The Company controls 232 unpatented mining claims covering over 4,200 acres on the highly productive Copper Creek-Resolution-Bagdad porphyry trend. |
