Nexcel Metals Corp. has started a systematic core relogging and resampling campaign at its Burnt Hill tungsten project in central New Brunswick, the company announced. The initiative targets historic diamond-drill core that remains stored at the New Brunswick government core facility in Madran.
Historic core provides fresh data opportunity
The program focuses on 26 historic drill holes that total 5,687 metres and were drilled in 1979. According to Nexcel, much of that core was not fully sampled during the original exploration effort. The company said the core remains in good condition and is suitable for modern relogging and laboratory resampling techniques.
Company materials indicate the original sampling, carried out by Miramichi Lumber Company Ltd., concentrated on whole-core intervals within tungsten-bearing veins. That approach left more subtle mineralisation—thin veins and sediment-hosted zones—largely untested.
Step toward a modern resource estimate
The relogging and resampling work is intended to support a future independent mineral resource estimate. As part of the initial phase, Nexcel plans to relog and reanalyse five drill holes from top to bottom to validate historic assay data before broader sampling proceeds.
In addition to the relogging, the company has scheduled Phase 1 drilling to begin later this month, signalling a move from desktop review and historic-core work toward active drilling to test continuity and extent of mineralisation.
Historical resource figures
Burnt Hill carries historical resource figures that Nexcel has referenced but which are not classified as current mineral resources under modern standards. Those historical estimates are:
| Category | Tonnes | Grade (WO3) |
|---|---|---|
| Indicated (historical) | 1.761 million | 0.292% |
| Inferred (historical) | 1.520 million | 0.263% |
Why relogging matters
Relogging and resampling of historic core can reveal previously untested mineralisation, particularly where past programs focused on coarse, visible veins and left fine-grained or disseminated mineralisation unassayed. Nexcel specifically cites narrow, sediment-hosted veins containing lower-grade tungsten as well as tin and molybdenum that were not sampled in 1979.
To ensure rigour in advancing toward a compliant resource, Nexcel has retained an independent geological consulting firm to carry out geostatistical analyses that will feed into any future resource classification.
What to watch for next
- Results from the initial full-hole relogging and resampling of the five test holes.
- Outcomes of the Phase 1 drilling program slated to start later this month.
- Progress toward an independent mineral resource estimate based on updated sampling and geostatistical work.
Investors and regional stakeholders will be monitoring assay returns and the company’s ability to confirm and expand upon the historical figures cited. The move to validate legacy data and apply contemporary sampling protocols is a common step for juniors seeking to upgrade historical work to standards required for permitting, development planning or financing.
While Nexcel’s announcement did not include assay results or a detailed drill plan, the relogging program and imminent Phase 1 drilling mark a clear escalation in activity at Burnt Hill. Any subsequent resource statement or positive drilling results would be material for the project’s future and for New Brunswick’s mining sector.
Further technical details and assay updates will be required before Burnt Hill’s historical numbers can be classified as current mineral resources. For now, the company’s work aims to modernize old datasets and fill gaps left by the original 1979 program.
