Introduction
Mineral Mountain is a ‘drill ready’ Laramide age, porphyry copper project located in the Mineral Mountain Mining District, 16 miles east of Florence, Arizona. A Plan of Operations to conduct a proposed four hole (2,500m) ‘maiden’ drilling program has been approved by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The next step to being able to commence drilling is awaiting confirmation that the Surety Bond submitted to the BLM is acceptable.
The project occurs within a northeast trending porphyry copper belt that hosts some of the largest porphyry copper deposits in Arizona including Santa Cruz and Resolution. The project is located approximately 25 kilometers (km) (15 miles) southwest from Rio Tinto and BHP’s giant Resolution porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit and approximately 25km northeast of Taseko’s Florence porphyry copper deposit.
Arizona is a Tier 1 mining friendly, politically secure jurisdiction with excellent and readily accessible infrastructure.
Property Description
Copper Fox, through its subsidiary Desert Fox Mineral Mountain Co., owns 100% interest in the Mineral Mountain project. The Project consists of two Arizona Mineral Exploration Permits and 260 BLM mining claims covering approximately 2,633.8 ha (6,508.2 acres).
Geological Model
The porphyry copper deposits in the Safford Mining District of Arizona are being used as geological/exploration models for the project. The large copper footprint at Mineral Mountain is interpreted to represent the oxidized surface expression of a buried, gold enriched, porphyry copper-molybdenum system. The level of exposure at Mineral Mountain is interpreted to represent the interface between the sericite-chlorite and potassic alteration zones of the interpreted buried porphyry copper system.
Exploration
In 2023, a project wide, deep penetrating geophysical survey (employing Quantec’s ORION 3D Swath DCIP configuration) complimented by detailed mapping of the geophysical lines to better interpret the chargeability/resistivity signatures was completed.
Recent investigation of the geophysical characteristics of porphyry copper systems in Arizona shows that the oxidation/supergene processes that affected these porphyry copper systems have altered the petrophysical properties of the mineralization and host rock resulting in lower chargeability and increased resistivity signatures within the oxidation/supergene zone of porphyry copper deposits. Source: B. Howe, Sara G.R. Devriese, March 2023; An Empirical Geophysical Model for Porphyry Copper Deposits in the Laramide Copper Province.
The 2023 geophysical survey mapped the depth of the chargeability and resisitivity signatures underlying the copper ‘footprint’ identified in previous mapping programs. The survey outlined an open-ended northeast trending 3,200m long by 1,200m wide positive (>18mrad) chargeability/resisitivity anomaly within which three areas of higher chargeability occur designated Targets 1, 2 & 3.
Target 1 is characterized by a zone of coincident gold enriched copper-molybdenum mineralization estimated to be approximately 1,200m long by up to 900m wide exhibiting abundant secondary copper mineralization, (malachite-chrysocolla-chalcocite-covellite). The mineralization is hosted in quartz veins, quartz veinlets and in copper-hematite filled fractures associated with potassic and sericite-chlorite alteration patterns and intrusive rocks known to host other porphyry copper deposits in Arizona.
Target 2 is a buried 1,300m by 1,000m chargeability anomaly that is interpreted to start at approximately 300m below surface and extends below the 600m depth of geophysical investigation. The Target is underlain by porphyritic quartz monzonite, granodiorite, and late stage granodioritic, hornblende dacit and aplite dikes. Secondary copper minerals (malachite-chrysocolla-chalcocite) are hosted in quartz veins, quartz veinlets and in copper-hematite filled fractures along the northern and western portions of the target. The molybdenum signature in this target is restricted in extent and subdued compared to Target 1 and 3.
Target 3 is a circular 300m by 300m chargeability anomaly located at the southwest end of the project underlain by porphyritic and non-porphyritic fine and coarse-grained granodiorite, quartz monzonite and late-stage, hornblende dacite, granodiortie and aplite dikes. Alteration minerals in outcrop (tremolite) suggest the inner portion of the prophylitic zone. Secondary copper minerals (malachite-chrysocolla-chalcocite) are hosted in quartz veins, quartz veinlets and copper-hematitie filled fractures. This target exhibits a strong copper-molybdenite association.
Planned Drill Program
In February 2024, Copper Fox submitted a Plan of Operations to the BLM to complete a four hole (2,500m) drilling program to test Target 1 and 2. The approval for the Plan of Operations was received on May 23, 2025. Within the approval notice the BLM advised Copper Fox that operations can only commence upon receipt of a reclamation bond acceptable to the BLM. A reclamation bond has been submitted to the BLM as we await their response.
Porphyry Copper Footprint
The northeast trending porphyry footprint is located on the eastern side of the PreCambrian/Laramide intrusive contact. The shape of the porphyry footprint is generally consistent with the location and trend of the positive chargeability anomaly.
The porphyry footprint measures approximately 3,500m long by 1,000m wide and is characterized by a copper-magnetite (now hematite) association with enhanced gold-molybdenum concentration hosted in phyllic (sericite-chlorite) and potassic altered porphyritic granodiorite and quartz monzonite. Modelling outlined a northeast trending zone measuring approximately 3,000m by 700m of greater than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) copper within which occurs two distinct zones (1,500m by 750m and 750m by 500m) of greater than 30 ppm molybdenum.
Over 800 showings of primary and secondary copper mineralization (chrysocolla, malachite, chalcocite +/- covellite +/- chalcopyrite) have been located within the porphyry footprint. The secondary copper mineralization is hosted in northeast trending quartz veinlets, in copper-hematite veins filling fractures and as disseminations associated with mafic mineral sites within the Laramide intrusive. Quartz-molybdenite veins have been observed. Abundant hematite (after magnetite) filled fractures and hematite veins occur throughout the copper footprint.
The abundance of chalcocite and occasional occurrence of chalcopyrite and covellite suggests the present topographic surface at Mineral Mountain could represent the lower portion of the ‘oxidization/supergene’ zone consistent with the current geophysical interpretation.