Oreterra Metals’ Kevin Keough Discusses Early Drill Indicators at Trek South

Speaking from the core shack in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle, Oreterra CEO Kevin Keough explains why bornite, chalcopyrite, magnetite and red garnet have strengthened the company’s geological interpretation—and why assays remain the decisive test.

Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC | OTCQB: OTMCF | FSE: D4R0) has reached one of mineral exploration’s most compelling stages: the point at which a geological theory meets the drill core. In a new InvestorNews interview, CEO and Director Kevin M. Keough joined Tracy Hughes from the Trek South camp, where the company is conducting the first drill program ever undertaken on the copper-gold prospect.

The discussion followed Oreterra’s August 25 drilling update. The company reported strong porphyry-style alteration in hole TS26-06, together with local bornite, chalcopyrite and magnetite mineralization, as well as epidote and red garnet. Oreterra believes this combination may indicate that drilling is approaching the source intrusion thought to centre the Trek South porphyry system.

Why the Minerals Matter

Bornite and chalcopyrite are copper-bearing sulphide minerals, while magnetite and garnet can form in the hotter parts of a mineralizing system. Their appearance alongside increasingly strong alteration gives Oreterra’s team additional evidence that it may be moving inward from the outer alteration halo toward the intrusive source.

“I’m not interested in just drilling a bunch of pretty rock,” Keough said. “It’s got to have the right sulphides, it’s got to have copper. And that’s why we got excited.”

That excitement is not confirmation of a commercially viable deposit. Keough emphasized that visual observations cannot determine whether the intervals contain economic grades. Copper, gold and silver values must be established through laboratory analysis.

“Visuals alone won’t tell us whether we’ve hit an economic body,” he said. “We do think we will have values of metal in what we’ve drilled. It’ll be up to the assays to determine to what level.”

Drilling From the Outside In

Because Trek South had never been drilled, Oreterra designed its initial campaign using surface geology, alteration, geochemistry and geophysical data. The company is drilling progressively from the outside of the altered area inward, with each hole helping refine the potential location of the intrusive source.

Current holes are targeting depths of approximately 600 metres. The initial objective is to locate the system in plan view before potentially testing it at greater depths in a future program.

“The idea is to find near surface where we really need to be,” Keough explained. “Then we will follow what we hope to be the root of this system to depth.”

Drilling has progressed somewhat more slowly than anticipated because of rugged terrain, drill-pad requirements and other operational challenges. Nevertheless, Keough said the geological results have met the team’s expectations. He and Vice President of Exploration John Biczok have remained at the camp, allowing the company to adjust subsequent holes as new core is examined.

Assays Will Guide the Next Stage

Laboratory results will determine the copper, gold and silver grades present and help Oreterra decide where to drill next. Assay timing remains uncertain because late summer is typically a busy period for laboratories.

The company expects to continue drilling into September before progressively demobilizing as weather conditions change. Oreterra is also conducting exploration at its nearby JW property, where prospecting has identified mineralization and assays are pending.

For now, attention remains on Trek South. Its alteration and mineral assemblage have strengthened Oreterra’s geological interpretation, but the assays will provide the evidence needed to assess the importance of what the company has encountered.

For more information, visit oreterra.com.

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