Viscount Mining Corp. [TSXV: VML; OTCQB: VLMGF] reported a pivotal early-stage discovery at its Passiflora porphyry target in Silver Cliff property, Colorado. The company’s first deep drill hole (PF-03A) intersected 843.9 metres of continuous copper-gold mineralization averaging 0.214% CuEq, including multiple higher-grade zones such as 189 metres at 0.326% CuEq and 45 metres at 0.417% CuEq. These grades exceed typical early-stage porphyry exploration thresholds (~0.15% CuEq) often seen in the initial drilling of deposits that evolved into world-class, long-life operations, and the target remains open in all directions and at depth.
Drill hole PF-03A was designed to test a very strong geophysical anomaly identified by Quantec Geoscience’s Titan MT survey in 2023. The survey outlined a strong conductive target beginning at ~400 metres and extending to at least 1,500 metres depth and over 2km in horizontal distance. Drilling began in mid-January 2025 and concluded March 7, 2025 at a final depth of 1,144 metres due to equipment challenges, short of the planned 1,500 metres target.
The upper 300 metres of core were not assayed, as the Titan MT model indicated the main conductor began around 400 metres. However, visual inspection of the core confirmed strong sulfide mineralization from surface to 300 metres. This zone remains a high-priority target for future sampling and reassessment. The principal objective of the drill hole was to determine whether the geological target was indeed a porphyry system, and not a different type of conductive anomaly. We are thrilled to report that not only did the drilling confirm the presence of a copper-gold porphyry system, but it also revealed consistently anomalous concentrations of copper, molybdenum, zinc, and lead, alongside a significant presence of gold.
Jim MacKenzie, CEO, stated, “With grades like this, especially with nearly half the samples above 0.20% CuEq, are a clear signal we’re dealing with a significant deposit. The presence of multiple, thick, higher-grade zones-such as 189 metes at 0.326% CuEq including 45 metres at 0.417% CuEq, and 99 metres at 0.278% CuEq including 24 metres at 0.306% CuEq-well above typical early-stage porphyry levels, reinforces Passiflora’s potential as an extensive, long-life copper-gold system.”
“From a geological standpoint, PF-03A is an exciting first step,” said Mark Abrams, VP of Exploration. “The consistent copper values throughout the hole, the upward grade trend with depth, and the presence of multiple minerals typically associated with mature porphyry systems all point to a robust porphyry deposit. These are exactly the kind of early results we look for in a discovery program – the system is open in every direction, and we’ve only just begun to explore its full potential.”
Lead, zinc, and molybdenum are also present. Lead up to 1.02%, zinc up to 0.33% and molybdenum values reaching 892 ppm.
All 303 samples reported above the detection limit for gold, with scattered half-gram per ton results, with a high gold anomaly of 918 ppb Au. The hole is averaging 134.16 ppb Au.
Copper grades consistently increased with depth, suggesting that stronger mineralization may continue beyond the current hole bottom. Anomalous zinc and lead were encountered throughout, with lead peaking at 1.02%. Gold was detected in every fire-assayed sample over the 843.9 metres, with values up to 918 ppb.
With grades already above typical early porphyry exploration thresholds and nearly half our samples in the economic range, these results from hole PF-03A are an exceptional start.
The Passiflora deep discovery hole is located approximately 3.2 km north of the town of Silver Cliff, within the Ben West volcanic center as mapped by the USGS (Sharp, 1978). The project remains open in all directions and at depth.
The main body of the conductive anomaly starts at a depth of ~400m and continues another ~1.5km, maybe deeper (this was the extent of the MT survey depth capability). The length of the anomaly is ~2.4km in the SW-NE direction with a width of at least 700m and an open interpretation in multiple directions. This represents a total volume of over 665,000,000m3 as determined by Quantec.
Passiflora’s early CuEq intercepts (~0.18-0.21% CuEq) sit within the range of early-stage results from some recognized world class porphyry discoveries. The results are encouraging, particularly because copper is
Viscount’s technical team is planning an expanded drilling campaign to test deeper into the Titan MT anomaly at the Passiflora and step out laterally to define the system’s scale. Further metallurgical work will be undertaken to assess potential recovery rates for all metals.
The Silver Cliff property lies within the historic Hardscrabble Silver District in the Wet Mountain Valley, Custer County, south-central Colorado. It is located 44 miles WSW of Pueblo, Colorado, and has year-around access by paved road. The property consists of 96 lode claims where high grade silver, gold and base metal production came from numerous mines from 1878 to the early 1900s.
