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Canada
North Rock, Ontario
North Rock: Copper-Nickel-PGE
Status
- 100% owned, Tier 1 Project.
Target
Magmatic copper-nickel-PGE mineralization hosted by an Archean age mafic intrusion.
Location and Setting
The North Rock project is located approximately 25 km east of the town of Fort Frances in northwestern Ontario and is easily accessed via Highway 11 and local gravel roads. The project is also crossed by rail and hydro lines.
The North Rock Property consists of 343 unpatented claims totaling approximately 7,000 hectares.
Geology and Mineralization
The North Rock project is underlain by the 20 km-long, Archean age Grassy Portage layered mafic intrusion and hosts four known zones of magmatic copper-nickel-PGE mineralization; the Beaver Pond, the Main South, the East and the West zones, all of which occur at or near the base of the intrusion along its western contact.
Copper-Nickel Mineralization
The mineralization is copper-rich magmatic sulphide and is focused along the basal contact of the Grassy Portage Complex with mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks. The mineralization occurs in two main styles: “gabbro hosted”, disseminated to locally net-textured sulphide within the basal heterolithic, variable-textured gabbro, and as massive copper-PGE-rich sulphide “footwall vein” style within the footwall volcanic rocks. In addition to these two main mineralization styles, a third style of biotite-rich and low-sulphide footwall-style mineralization containing high Pt grades has also been intersected, which remains poorly understood.
The most significant of the zones is the Beaver Pond Zone, which was discovered by Noranda in 1958 and subsequently explored from a 90-meter-deep underground shaft, and one drift on the 70 m level. Historical Resource Estimates1 for the Beaver Pond Zone reported by Bergman (1973) range (depending on the cut-off grade) from 1,020,458 tons grading 1.17% copper to 265,230 tons grading 2.08% copper. The resource estimate was calculated to a depth 90 m and the deposit appears to remain open at depth.
Very little historical data exists regarding the abundance and distribution of nickel, cobalt, and platinum group metals (PGM). However, historical grab samples from a 10,000-ton surface stockpile of material recovered from underground development of the Beaver Pond Zone yielded assays of up to 8.9% Cu, 0.8% Ni, 5.2g/t Pt, 0.7 g/t Pd, and 0.7 g/t Au . Although grab sample assays are selective by nature and typically not representative of the overall grade, these results do confirm the presence of significant nickel, cobalt, PGM and gold values associated with the copper mineralization.
Additional Mineralized Zones
The three other known sulphide zones are less explored and occur over a 1.5 km strike-length along the base of the intrusion, extending northeast from Beaver Pond Zone (Figure 5). These areas, as well as other sulphide occurrences higher up in the intrusion, are all considered highly prospective for hosting additional magmatic nickel-copper sulphide mineralization with significant polymetallic byproduct potential (+/- PGE’s, Co).
Geophysics
An airborne magnetic (mag) and electromagnetic (EM) survey (Aeroquest AeroTEM II) was completed on the property in 2005. This survey highlighted the prospective 13km trend along the basal contact of the gabbro complex and outlined numerous EM anomalies along this contact and elsewhere on the property.
Historical Drilling
Limited data is available for pre 2005 drilling, the majority of which occurred in the 1960s and 1970s during the underground development on the Beaver Pond Zone.
The first phase of drilling for which complete data is available was carried out in 2005 and consisted of 14 diamond drill holes totaling 3,906 m targeting the Beaver Pond Zone. All drill holes intersected widespread and varied amounts of net-textured copper-nickel sulphide mineralization similar to that reported in historical drilling by Noranda. Hole NR05-004 appears to have intersected the core of the zone with assays returning 1.5% Cu over 13.7 m (MetalCorp June 28, 2005 news release). Drilling also intersected a “hanging-wall” platinum group metal (PGM) zone that can be traced for 500 m along strike and to a depth of 270 m, which remains open. Assay values as high as 3.7 g/t Pt + 7.1 g.t Pd over 0.8 m in hole NR05-005 and 2.3 g/t Pt over 3.5 m in hole NR05-004 were reported (MetalCorp March 27, 2008 news release).
Airborne magnetic and EM geophysical surveys over the property highlighted numerous anomalies, including a 1 km-long anomaly coincident with the East Zone, which is 1.2 km northeast along strike with the Beaver Pond Zone. Mapping and sampling confirmed the presence of PGM mineralization at the East Zone. A phase 2 drill program consisting of 21 holes was completed totaling approximately 4,000 m, with several holes intersecting high-grade PGM mineralization. Hole NR06-020 intersected 12.2 g/t Pt, 0.1 g/t Pd, 0.1 g/t Au, 0.6% Cu and 0.2% Ni over 3.7 m from 151.9 to 155.6 m (MetalCorp March 27, 2008 news release).
In 2007, a third phase of drilling was completed consisting of 25 holes totaling approximately 8,000 m to tested several airborne EM conductors over a 20 km strike length across the property. Drilling in the Belacoma area, approximately 4 km northeast of the Beaver Pond Zone, intersected additional platinum and palladium mineralization of 3.5 g/t Pd over 2.8 m, 1.2 g/t Pt and 1.0 g/t Pd over 1.0 m, 2.9 g/t Pd over 0.9 m and 1.6 g/t Pd over 0.9 m (MetalCorp March 27, 2008 news release). Several additional airborne EM conductors were tested, with the majority explained by pyrrhotite veins and/or sulphide iron formation. The sulphide iron formation in the Nickle Lake area was found to be zinc-rich with notable assay results from hole NR07-057 of 0.5% Zn over 19.6 m (MetalCorp March 27, 2008 news release).
The most recent drilling was carried out in 2017 which consisted of 3 holes totalling 843 m (MetalCorp October 19, 2017 news release)
Proposed Exploration Program
Reconnaissance mapping, prospecting, and a bore hole electromagnetic survey (“BHEM”), followed by diamond drilling is proposed to target net-textured to massive sulphide on strike and at depth along the 13 km prospective mineralization trend along the lower contact between the Grassy Portage Gabbro Complex and footwall rocks.
Agreement and Terms
The North Rock Property is subject to an NSR.
Note 1 – Historical Resource Estimates
Readers are cautioned that the Company has not attempted to verify historical mineral resource estimates and therefore readers should not place any reliance on any historical estimate. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify a historical estimate as a current mineral resource; additionally, a qualified person has not yet determined what work needs to be done to upgrade or verify a historical estimate as a current mineral resources or mineral reserves. The Company is not treating historical estimates as current mineral resources.
A Historical Resource Estimate on the Beaver Pond Zone of the North Rock project is quoted at 1 million tons grading 1.2% copper by Bergman (1973) (Ontario Mineral Deposit Inventory record MDI52C11NE00029). The parameters, methodology and categories used are not known, and thus the reliability of the estimate cannot be determined. However, information regarding the resource is relevant, as underground development and diamond drilling in the 1960 & 1970s supported the estimate and provides a guide for future exploration work.