©2011 Beowulf Mining plc, Richmond House, Broad Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire. CB7 4AH

BEOWULF MINING plc

Home About Us Regulatory Environmental Projects Vault Contact Us

Copper

Diamond drilling by the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) in the 1960s and 1970s identified fracture-hosted copper-gold sulphide mineralisation at the Lulepotten deposit.  Re-evaluation of this historic drilling data by Agricola suggested that the drilling had intersected locally significant thicknesses and grades of copper-gold mineralisation that may have sufficient continuity to be amenable to economic extraction through a bulk mining method.

The Lulepotten resource has been estimated on the basis of historical diamond drilling information and assay results recovered from the SGU archives in Malå, Sweden.  This data has been verified by field checking of drill hole collar locations, visual inspection of the drill core and a full review of geological logging, sampling and assaying procedures.  Confidence in the available data is sufficient to establish the geological and grade continuity appropriate for an Inferred Resource classification for the deposit.

The resource model for the Lulepotten deposit was defined by a total of 49 diamond drill holes, drilled perpendicular to strike and completed on a nominal 50 metre by 50 metre grid.  The model comprises a series of sub-parallel, tabular bodies that show continuity over approximately 600 metres of strike length and down dip to the limit of drill testing. The resource estimate has been constrained to model wireframe volumes defined by the available geological and geochemical data.

An average specific gravity value of 2.7 has been used for the resource estimate, in the absence of any representative density measurements for the deposit.  This value has been chosen on the basis of average accepted values for the rock types observed in the diamond drill core.

The Lulepotten copper-gold mineralisation is localised along the contact between a granitoid and a package of intercalated mafic to felsic volcanic rocks and sedimentary units which have all been metamorphosed and strongly foliated.  The mineralisation occurs in a series of sub-parallel structures that follow the local fabric, which strikes southwest-northeast and dips steeply to the northwest.  Sulphide mineralisation within the deposit comprises irregular veinlets and disseminations of chalcopyrite plus bornite, with lesser pyrite. Mineralisation is mainly developed within the metavolcanic and metasedimentary sequence but also locally occurs within the adjacent granite.

During the period from 1960 to 1978, 104 diamond drill holes were completed over the deposit area with approximately 22,265 metres of drilling on a nominal 50 metre by 50 metre grid spacing.  These drill holes, core from which is currently stored at the SGU core archive, effectively tested the mineralised structure to a depth of about 250-300 metres below the surface, and over a strike length of approximately 1,500 metres.  Only a single hole has tested the structure at depth (600 metres below surface) and results indicate that the mineralisation extends down-dip.

The mineralisation is open along strike and at depth and the prospective strike length of the mineralised structure is approximately 5,000 metres.  Geological and geophysical targets with similar characteristics to the known mineralisation have been identified to both the north and southwest of the deposit, along the same geological structure that hosts the mineralisation.

Our new joint venture partner, Energy Ventures Ltd (EVE, www.energyventures.com.au)  has recently completed a 1,600m diamond drilling programme targeted on extensions of the Lulepotten deposit.

Results are expected in May 2010.

To develop this project a company, incorporated in England and jointly owned by both EVE and Beowulf has been set up, Wayland Copper Ltd.

The project will be managed by EVE and will set out its programme in Q4 2010.

In Germanic mythology Wayland was worker of metals and resources. As he is also mentioned in Beowulf, the saga, it is appropriate that he is remembered in the name of the company to build up our copper asset.

A brief presentation is shown here >

Geddaur

The Geddaur licences, acquired from Agricola in September 2009, are located east and south of the city centre of the municipality of Arjeplog in the Norrbotten county of Northern Sweden. The total licence block of 131.5km2, comprising Geddaur No. 1, 2 and 3 licences, joins up with our Ballek licence block.  It has excellent infrastructure and easy field area access via a number of good forest roads. The licence areas have high potential to hold two separate styles of mineralisation, one type being copper-gold deposits and the other high grade uranium deposits.

Copper-Gold targets

Evaluation of the exploration potential along strike from the Lulepotten Cu-Au deposit at Ballek suggests that the Geddaur permits are prospective for repetitions of this style of mineralisation.

Available exploration data indicates that the geological structure which seemingly controls mineralisation at the Lulepotten deposit extends towards SW into the Geddaur 1 exploration permit.  

There has been limited prior exploration conducted on the Geddaur permits.  However, there are numerous boulder occurrences of copper sulphides in the area and the interpreted structure suggests that the permits have potential for copper-gold mineralisation.

The exploration programme on the Geddaur permits is much less advanced than on the Company’s Ballek JV.  A preliminary exploration programme for Cu-Au deposits is as follows:

1. Assessment of the available mapping, geochemistry and ground geophysics;

2. Completion of Induced Polarization (IP)/resistivity surveys as required to augment the historic SGU data (2010 field season); and
3. Reconnaissance drill testing of priority targets (2010-11 drilling season).

The current drill programme of geophysical targets along the Lulepotten trend within our Ballek JV is likely to provide further geological insights into the distribution and controls of copper mineralisation within the Geddaur permits.

Majves (Jokkmokk)

The target of the Jokkmokk area is an iron oxide copper gold deposit (IOCG). Beowulf has been exploring the area since 2003 and still retains the Majves 1, 2 and 3 claims.

The area was previously the subject of a joint venture with the copper major, Phelps Dodge. Drilling in 2004 intersected 110 metres of 0.42% copper and 0.52 grammes per tonne of gold. Follow up drilling in 2005 was less successful and Phelps Dodge withdrew from the joint venture.

The exploration logic is that the area is associated with large north-east south-west fracture zones and similar structures are associated with Boliden AB's Aitik copper mine. Beowulf has had discussions with a major copper producer about a joint venture on its Jokkmokk properties, but to date no joint venture has been completed.

Riikalahti

The Riikalahti 1 licence area covers 1,150 hectares and is targeted on nickel and copper sulphide prospects. It is located about 40km north of the town centre of Kiruna in the Norrbotten County of Northern Sweden. The area is relatively lightly forested. Access by field vehicles and drill rigs is best in the winter months as there are no local forestry roads within the licence area.

The prospect area is occupied by a large, layered mafic-ultramafic intrusive approximately 4 by 3 kilometres in size

and was discovered and surveyed by the Swedish state-owned company LKAB Exploration AB in the 1970-80s. Some geophysical targets were tested by limited diamond drilling comprising 7 holes totalling 968 metres. Mineralised boulders with grades of up to 0.8% of copper and 0.3% of nickel were found in the area. Scout drilling revealed the best grades in a drill hole in gabbroic rock of 0.35% cobalt, 0.18% nickel and 0.21% copper over a narrow sulphide rich section. This hole also contained 0.43 g/t platinum plus palladium over a 1m section. The historic geochemical surveys indicate extremely high contents of nickel and copper present in large areas mainly in the central part of the licence area.  

Based on the available historic exploration data and the large size of the layered intrusive, Beowulf considers that the Riikalahti area is of interest to host potential deposits of nickel and copper-bearing sulphides with platinum group metal credits. Future work will include ground geophysical surveys (magnetics and electro-magnetics (EM)) and potentially follow-up diamond drilling.

Copper

Ballek

The Ballek Joint Venture project comprises four exploration permits over a total area of 109.9km2, located in the Norrbotten region of Northern Sweden. In September 2008 Beowulf reported a maiden Inferred Resource estimate, under the JORC code reporting standard, for the Lulepotten copper-gold deposit on the project. This represented the first stage review of known copper resources in the Ballek area following the diamond drilling programme completed by our former joint venture partner, Agricola, earlier in 2008, which also intersected copper sulphide mineralisation.

The estimate for the Lulepotten deposit outlined a total Inferred Resource of 5.4 million tonnes, grading 0.8% Cu and 0.3g/t Au, representing a total of 43,000 tonnes of contained copper metal and 52,000 ounces of contained gold using a cut-off value of 0.3% for copper.