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History

The history of this advanced exploration site dates back to the 1860s when the Bluebird mine was first discovered and the 1880s when the Bunker Hill mining district was established.

Claims were staked to cover copper deposits prior to 1900, but little work was done in the district until after 1902. Most of the historical interest in the property came as a result of the massive outcropping of breccias, many of which with green copper oxide minerals readily recognized. By 1913, the Copper Creek Mining Company and its successors (Minnesota-Arizona Mining Company and Copper State Metals and Mining Company) had constructed a dam, power plant, dispensary, and a 200 tonne per day gravity concentrator to mine a small ore body. Approximately 360kt of high-grade ore has been extracted over the site's mining history.

Development Timeline

1907

Calumet and Arizona Mining Company (C&A) explored the Copper Giant, Copper Prince, Glory Hole (Globe), and Superior pipes by adits, shafts, and drifts. 

1914

C&A drilled 1,828 meters across 14 surface collared drill holes and found traces of copper in the Glory Hole and Copper Prince pipes.

1915

An adit, driven below the outcrops of the Childs Aldwinkle pipes discovered a copper-molybdenum ore body. These claims were surveyed in 1916 and patented in 1919.

1931

The property title was passed to Phelps Dodge Corporation after the purchase of C&A.

1933

Arizona Molybdenum acquired the property and developed the copper and molybdenum ore body to 158 meters below the haulage level. Between 1933 and 1938, approximately 329,000 tonnes were milled. 

1937

Recorded production from the Copper Prince pipe produced 23,312 tonnes with an average grade of 3.19% Cu.

1959 - 1962

Bear Creek Mining Company (Kennecott) optioned the Childs Aldwinkle patented claims. Bear Creek mounted the first integrated exploration at Copper Creek, including geologic mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and drilling. A total of 15 drill holes were drilled, but none of the intersections appeared minable, so they abandoned the project.

1966

Newmont Exploration Limited (NEL) optioned the Siskon property and enlisted Magma Copper Company as co-venture and operator. The Childs Aldwinkle patented claims were also optioned and additional claims were made on adjacent Federal and State land. This was eventually leased, forming the bulk of how the property is comprised today.

1968

Occidental Minerals Corporation (Oxymin) leased land and drilled 67 surface and underground drill holes to test the Old Reliable, Glory Hole, Copper Prince, and Copper Giant pipes.

1970

By this time, exploration was being directed toward the discovery of major disseminated copper deposits. The geology of the district was mapped and 30 deep core holes were drilled. This work demonstrated a significant copper-mineralized zone, at depth, beneath the American Eagle area. 

1971

Humble Oil (now Exxon Corporation) joined Newmont and Magma in exploration for porphyry copper deposits. It was Humble-Newmont hole HN-12 that discovered the third (north) finger of the Childs Aldwinkle pipe. 

1971

Oxymin assigned their interest in Old Reliable to Ranchers Exploration and Mining Company (Ranchers). Three holes were drilled to confirm Oxymin’s findings. Copper was leached with dilute sulfuric acid and recovered from the leach solution by precipitation on tin cans in a plant below the mine. More than 5,478 tonnes of cement copper were recovered until Ranchers’ lease expired in 1981.

1972 - 1977

Newmont resumed management of the Copper Creek Joint Venture, but interest in porphyry copper exploration had waned. Drilling was reduced to the amount needed to underwrite property maintenance costs, uncovering hole NE-6 as the lower Mammoth feeder-zone and hole NE-10 as the Mammoth breccia pipe. 

1985 - 1987

Exxon ceased contributing to the joint venture and withdrew. Newmont distributed Magma’s equity to Newmont’s shareholders. Newmont’s ownership interest was incorporated into Magma, making Magma an independent company. 

1994

Arizona Mineral Technology (AMT) acquired the Copper Creek property from Magma.

1995

AMT began field investigations at Copper Creek, drilling nine reverse circulation (RC) holes at Old Reliable to confirm that leaching by Ranchers had not significantly depleted the chalcocite ore body there. AMT also obtained an interest in Phelps Dodge Corporation’s patented claims and obtained prospecting permits for State lands in the south half of Section 2, near Bluebird Mine.

1996 - 1997

AMT drilled 37 angled diamond core holes (12,229 meters in total) to test the Childs Aldwinkle pipe above elevations of 853 meters. These holes, plus Newmont’s hole NE-10, comprise the database from which the Mammoth pipe resource was estimated. 

2005

Redhawk Copper acquired AMT’s property at Copper Creek, organizing and consolidating the available data and drill core. The historical core, along with the core from subsequent drill programs, is now housed in a core storage facility in San Manuel, Arizona. 

2007

Redhawk reached an agreement with Phelps Dodge to purchase 27 mineral claims.

2018

CopperBank acquired Copper Creek from Redhawk to conduct advanced exploration, including new drilling and extensive geological, geochemical, and geophysical testing.   

2022

CopperBank was renamed to Faraday Copper Corp.

Faraday Copper completed a Phase I drill program and delivered an updated Mineral Resource Estimate

2023

Faraday Copper delivered a Preliminary Economic Assessment, including an updated Mineral Resource Estimate, and a Technical Report

Faraday Copper completed a Phase II drill program, and commenced a Phase III drill program and a gold re-assay program

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