Western Copper Extends Higher Grade Supergene Mineralization at Casino
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/24/10 -- Western Copper Corporation ('Western Copper' or the 'Company') (TSX: WRN) is pleased to announce preliminary results from the 2010 exploration program at its wholly owned Casino Project, located in the Yukon.
Drilling at Casino has extended the flat-lying, shallow copper and gold enriched supergene zone to a 2.0 km by 1.2 km area - a significant expansion over its previously outlined extent as identified in the 2008 Pre-feasibility Study (Figure 1). The average core length of the supergene from the current drilling is 80 m. The copper and gold enriched zone remains open to the north for further expansion.
Highlights of the 33 holes drilled and assayed during the 2010 campaign are summarized in Table 1 and a complete listing of drill-holes and results are shown in Table 2. Hole locations are shown on Figure 1 (to view please click on: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/wrn624.jpg).
Hole CAS-073 is of particular interest. In addition to the 114 m of 0.97% copper equivalent mineralization in the supergene zone, it also contains 110 m of copper, gold and molybdenum mineralization at a copper equivalent grade of 0.69% in the hypogene zone.
Table 1: Highlights from current drilling program
Drill-hole From (m) To (m) Width (m) Au (g/t) Cu (%) Mo (%) CuEq (%)
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CAS-044 50.7 97.5 46.9 0.16 0.39 0.020 0.62
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CAS-059 50.6 102.0 51.4 0.20 0.35 0.011 0.54
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CAS-062 75.6 173.7 98.1 0.24 0.27 0.021 0.57
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CAS-063 67.5 197.8 130.3 0.34 0.37 0.020 0.72
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CAS-066 59.3 178.8 119.5 0.36 0.22 0.020 0.59
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CAS-073 105.4 219.8 114.4 0.34 0.34 0.072 0.97
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Copper Equivalent Metal Prices: US$2.00/lb copper, US$875.00/oz gold and
US$11.25/lb molybdenum
Western Copper has now completed 20,000 m of new drilling since the pre-feasibility was completed in 2008. An additional 6,000 m of drilling is planned for the remainder of 2010 and is expected to be complete by mid-August. All of the new drilling has been drilled in areas outside of the previously defined area of mineralization or in areas previously considered waste.
'We believe the discovery of significant additional near surface supergene mineralization has the potential to considerably improve the project's economics,' said Dale Corman, Chairman & CEO. 'The newly discovered mineralization with overall higher grades would be extracted and processed during the first years of the mine life and much of it occurs in areas of the pit previously thought to be waste material and should result in a lower stripping ratio.'
The Casino project is located 380 km northwest of Whitehorse, Yukon and has a NI 43-101 compliant reserve estimate containing 8 million oz of gold, 4.4 billion lb of copper, and 475 million lb of molybdenum, contained in approximately 1 billion tonnes of ore.
Scott Casselman, P.Geo., is the qualified person responsible for the execution of the Casino Project exploration program and the preparation of the technical information in this news release.
QA/QC including assurance of chain of custody has been implemented in accordance with industry best practices. Split core samples are prepared and analyzed by ALS Chemex. Prepared samples are initially run using a four acid digestion process and conventional multi-element ICP-AES analysis. Additional assaying for total copper and molybdenum is run using a 4 acid digestion - AES or AAS method to a 0.001% detection limit. Gold assays are run using 30 gram sample fire assay with an AA finish to a 0.005 ppm detection limit. The QA/QC procedure involves regular submission of Certified Analytical Standards and blanks and property specific duplicates, with check assaying performed by Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd.
ABOUT WESTERN COPPER CORPORATION
Western Copper is a Vancouver based exploration and development company with significant copper, gold and molybdenum resources and reserves. The Company has 100% ownership of four Canadian properties. The two most advanced projects are the Carmacks Copper Project and the Casino Project both located in the Yukon. The Casino Project is one of the world's largest open-pittable copper, gold and molybdenum deposits. For more information, visit www.westerncoppercorp.com.
On behalf of the board,
F. Dale Corman, Chairman & CEO
This press release includes certain 'Forward-Looking Statements' within the meaning of section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and reserves, financing plans, exploration results and future plans and objectives of Western Copper are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors: The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. Certain terms, such as 'measured,' 'indicated,' and 'inferred' 'resources,' are used in the Company's disclosure documents filed in Canada that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in Western Copper's Form 20- F, File No. 000-52231, which may be secured from the Company, or from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
Table 2: 2010 Drill results
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Width Au Ag Cu Mo Cu Eq
Hole From To (m) (g/t) g/t % % % Category
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CAS-041 no significant mineralization
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8.00 44.1 36.1 0.13 0.7 0.03 0.000 - Leached CAP
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CAS-042 44.10 83.8 39.7 0.17 0.2 0.20 0.000 0.31 Supergene
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83.80 248.5 164.7 0.08 0.2 0.02 0.000 0.07 Hypogene
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21.34 41.6 20.3 0.24 1.6 0.11 0.052 - Leached CAP
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CAS-043 41.60 91.5 49.9 0.15 1.1 0.24 0.013 0.42 Supergene
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91.45 243.8 152.4 0.11 0.5 0.10 0.027 0.33 Hypogene
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6.80 50.7 43.9 0.16 1.2 0.04 0.012 - Leached CAP
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CAS-044 50.65 97.5 46.9 0.16 1.1 0.39 0.020 0.62 Supergene
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97.50 224.0 126.5 0.10 0.2 0.07 0.013 0.21 Hypogene
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3.05 41.0 38.0 0.15 1.0 0.05 0.008 - Leached CAP
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CAS-045 41.00 83.0 42.0 0.15 1.0 0.35 0.007 0.50 Supergene
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82.95 198.1 115.2 0.25 1.3 0.13 0.010 0.36 Hypogene
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7.11 37.2 30.1 0.21 1.3 0.07 0.012 - Leached CAP
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CAS-046 37.20 114.7 77.5 0.12 1.3 0.16 0.016 0.33 Supergene
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114.70 211.2 96.5 0.07 0.4 0.07 0.018 0.22 Hypogene
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3.05 60.6 57.6 0.11 1.2 0.04 0.010 - Leached CAP
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CAS-047 60.60 151.0 90.4 0.09 0.9 0.18 0.016 0.34 Supergene
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151.00 193.6 42.6 0.13 0.9 0.09 0.012 0.25 Hypogene
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4.30 60.7 56.4 0.11 0.9 0.04 0.013 - Leached CAP
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CAS-048 60.70 95.6 34.9 0.12 1.4 0.29 0.009 0.43 Supergene
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95.60 208.2 112.6 0.29 1.0 0.10 0.012 0.36 Hypogene
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9.80 53.3 43.5 0.14 1.7 0.06 0.023 - Leached CAP
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CAS-049 53.30 146.2 92.9 0.15 0.9 0.21 0.018 0.41 Supergene
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146.20 244.2 98.0 0.13 1.0 0.11 0.022 0.32 Hypogene
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8.30 61.9 53.6 0.15 1.1 0.05 0.017 - Leached CAP
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CAS-050 61.90 186.2 124.3 0.16 1.0 0.19 0.015 0.38 Supergene
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186.20 219.5 33.3 0.08 0.4 0.09 0.019 0.24 Hypogene
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50.20 51.8 1.6 0.36 1.0 0.06 0.007 - Leached CAP
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CAS-051 51.80 94.4 42.6 0.20 1.0 0.32 0.010 0.51 Supergene
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94.37 268.2 173.9 0.16 1.2 0.16 0.009 0.31 Hypogene
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12.00 80.6 68.6 0.15 1.1 0.20 0.009 0.35 Supergene
CAS-052 --------------------------------------------------------------------
80.60 248.1 167.5 0.10 0.8 0.09 0.019 0.26 Hypogene
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14.50 39.8 25.3 0.13 1.2 0.07 0.004 - Leached CAP
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CAS-053 39.80 71.3 31.5 0.16 0.6 0.25 0.002 0.37 Supergene
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71.25 236.2 165.0 0.16 0.6 0.15 0.004 0.28 Hypogene
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53.00 55.8 2.8 0.14 2.6 0.05 0.003 - Leached CAP
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CAS-054 55.75 175.4 119.7 0.24 1.2 0.22 0.003 0.40 Supergene
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175.40 249.9 74.5 0.14 1.2 0.16 0.006 0.29 Hypogene
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26.50 36.8 10.3 0.18 0.9 0.04 0.002 - Leached CAP
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CAS-055 36.75 104.2 67.4 0.23 1.3 0.32 0.004 0.50 Supergene
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104.15 201.5 97.4 0.10 3.0 0.12 0.007 0.25 Hypogene
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11.40 61.1 49.7 0.19 0.6 0.08 0.008 - Leached CAP
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CAS-056 61.10 125.8 64.7 0.17 1.0 0.21 0.015 0.40 Supergene
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125.80 199.6 73.8 0.13 0.8 0.11 0.016 0.29 Hypogene
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28.53 130.0 101.5 0.10 1.0 0.05 0.003 - Leached CAP
CAS-057 --------------------------------------------------------------------
130.00 249.9 119.9 0.20 1.4 0.17 0.003 0.32 Supergene
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CAS-058 no significant mineralization
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15.54 50.6 35.1 0.22 1.6 0.08 0.006 - Leached CAP
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CAS-059 50.60 102.0 51.4 0.20 1.2 0.35 0.011 0.54 Supergene
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102.00 210.3 108.3 0.14 0.9 0.13 0.015 0.32 Hypogene
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20.70 44.6 23.9 0.14 0.4 0.03 0.005 - Leached CAP
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CAS-060 44.60 119.1 74.5 0.15 1.2 0.19 0.004 0.31 Supergene
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119.08 249.9 130.9 0.37 1.5 0.12 0.012 0.44 Hypogene
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13.72 50.2 36.5 0.13 2.2 0.06 0.008 - Leached CAP
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CAS-061 50.24 154.8 104.6 0.20 1.4 0.22 0.004 0.38 Supergene
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154.80 249.9 95.1 0.25 3.7 0.19 0.006 0.42 Hypogene
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11.90 75.6 63.7 0.09 1.3 0.02 0.026 - Leached CAP
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CAS-062 75.60 173.7 98.1 0.24 2.5 0.27 0.021 0.57 Supergene
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173.65 250.2 76.6 0.36 3.3 0.26 0.010 0.57 Hypogene
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9.00 67.5 58.5 0.21 1.4 0.03 0.034 - Leached CAP
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CAS-063 67.50 197.8 130.3 0.34 2.6 0.37 0.020 0.72 Supergene
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197.78 201.2 3.4 0.23 2.1 0.24 0.008 0.45 Hypogene
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1.52 55.2 53.7 0.10 1.4 0.03 0.010 - Leached CAP
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CAS-064 55.20 163.8 108.6 0.10 1.9 0.17 0.012 0.31 Supergene
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163.80 203.3 39.5 0.14 1.2 0.10 0.009 0.25 Hypogene
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CAS-065 no significant mineralization
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20.60 59.3 38.7 0.34 3.4 0.02 0.032 - Leached CAP
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CAS-066 59.30 178.8 119.5 0.36 3.2 0.22 0.020 0.59 Supergene
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178.83 201.2 22.3 0.14 0.9 0.05 0.003 0.17 Hypogene
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2.45 79.7 77.3 0.08 1.5 0.04 0.015 - Leached CAP
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CAS-067 79.70 199.7 120.0 0.15 1.5 0.18 0.005 0.31 Supergene
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199.70 249.9 50.2 0.11 0.7 0.05 0.009 0.17 Hypogene
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8.10 46.3 38.2 0.14 1.2 0.03 0.011 - Leached CAP
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CAS-068 46.30 229.9 183.6 0.15 1.7 0.15 0.011 0.32 Supergene
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229.90 304.8 74.9 0.13 1.1 0.05 0.006 0.18 Hypogene
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0.40 61.3 60.9 0.06 0.8 0.05 0.012 - Leached CAP
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CAS-069 61.30 99.5 38.2 0.08 0.7 0.14 0.034 0.39 Supergene
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99.50 250.2 150.7 0.10 0.8 0.08 0.008 0.20 Hypogene
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0.00 116.0 116.0 0.13 1.3 0.01 0.018 - Leached CAP
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CAS-070 116.00 239.0 123.0 0.16 3.6 0.21 0.025 0.48 Supergene
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239.00 295.6 56.6 0.12 1.5 0.11 0.030 0.37 Hypogene
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7.62 72.6 65.0 0.09 1.1 0.03 0.020 - Leached CAP
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CAS-071 72.60 160.6 88.0 0.10 0.9 0.17 0.018 0.34 Supergene
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160.60 251.5 90.9 0.06 0.7 0.07 0.004 0.14 Hypogene
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CAS-072 no significant mineralization
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4.77 105.4 100.6 0.13 0.9 0.01 0.043 - Leached CAP
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CAS-073 105.40 219.8 114.4 0.34 1.8 0.34 0.072 0.98 Supergene
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219.80 330.7 110.9 0.24 1.5 0.16 0.064 0.69 Hypogene
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The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release.
Contacts:
Western Copper Corporation
Paul West-Sells
President & COO
604.684.9497
Western Copper Corporation
Chiara Orrigoni
Manager Investor Relations
604.684.9497
604.669.2926 (FAX)
info@westerncoppercorp.com
www.westerncoppercorp.com