Lac Surprise Gold Property

 

 

Project Introduction

 

The Lac Surprise gold property, as is the case with Northern Superior’s Croteau Est property, is situated in one of Québec’s more important and historic mining camps, Chapais-Chibougamau (Figure 1).

 

Centrally located within this camp, an area currently experiencing aggressive mineral exploration, the Lac Surprise property includes major regional structures associated with recent gold mineralization discoveries. These discoveries include: a) Ressources Géoméga Inc.’s (“Géoméga”) Anik Gold property, located directly north of and tied onto, the Lac Surprise property (see Géoméga news releases, February 23, and September 28, 2015a, b); b) Vanstar Mining Resources Inc. (Vanstar) and IAMGOLD Corporation’s Nelligan property, located directly east of and tied onto, the Lac Surprise property (see Vanstar news releases, February 23, 2015, June 30, 2016, March 14th, 2017); and c) TomaGold Corporation and IAMGOLD’s Monster Lake property, located 10km to the north-northeast of the Lac Surprise property (see TomaGold news releases, February 25, 2015 and June 15, 2016).

 

In addition, these same structures over which the Lac Surprise property occurs host several gold mines and deposits which include the: Lac Short Mine and Fenton Deposit to the west, the Joe Mann Mine and Philibert Deposit to the east and the Chevrier Deposit to the northeast.

 

Much of the following summary of the Lac Surprise gold property has been taken from an internal technical report (Parsons, S.R.G., Tremblay, R.G., and Avery, R.W., 2015, Bold Ventures Inc., Northern Superior Resources Inc., Lac Surprise Gold Project 2014 Exploration Program, Druillettes, Hazeur, Langloiserie Townships, Chapais Area, Québec, Canada [NTS: 32G/6, 32G/7], 402 p.).

 

 

Highlights

 

 

The Property

 

The Lac Surprise Property is located within NTS Map Sheets 32G/06, and 32G/07 in the Hazeur, Druillettes, and Langloiserie Townships. The Lac Surprise property is located approximately 65km south of the town of Chibougamau, and 45km south of the town of Chapais, Québec (Figure 1). This property is easily accessible year-round from three mining service-based communities: Chapais, Chibougamau and Oujé Bougoumou (Figure 1). The property is also in close proximity to an airport, a railway and the hydro grid. The property currently consists of 333 claims covering an area of approximately 18,555 hectares (Figure 2).

 

 

Figure 1:Location of the Lac Surprise gold property, west-central Québec.

 

Figure 2:Current property outline.

 

 

Geology

 

Regional Geology

 

The Chibougamau-Chapais mining camp is located in the northeast corner of the Matagami- Chibougamau Greenstone Belt (MCGB) of the Abitibi Subprovince of the Archean Superior Province (Figure 3). The MCGB is roughly 440km long and varies from 25 to 100km in width (Allard et al., 1985). It is bordered either to the north and south by poorly understood Archean granite and gneissic terrains. At its western extremity, the MCGB is bounded by the Kapuskasing Structural Zone. To the east, the Abitibi Subprovince is terminated by the Grenville Province, wherein the east-west stratigraphy of the belt is abruptly terminated along the Grenville Front which separates greenschist facies rocks of the MCGB from upper amphibolite facies rocks of the Grenville Province. Post metamorphic diabase dykes belonging to the Abitibi swarm have intruded all other lithologies and are dated by Allard et al. (1985) at 1230 Ma.

 

The geology of the Chibougamau- Chapais district consists of two Archean age volcanic and volcano- sedimentary lithologies: the Roy Group and Opemisca Group (Guha et al., 1988). The Roy Group is comprised of the Obatogamau, Waconichi, Gilman, Blondeau, and Bordeleau Formations which represent a 7- 10km thick sequence composed primarily of submarine basalt flows overlying a basement of tonalitic gneiss (Racicot et al., 1984). The formations of the Roy Group have been intruded by a number of mafic to ultramafic sills. The Opemisca Group lies uncomfortably on the Roy Group, and is comprised of Hauy, Stella, Daubree, and Caopatina Formations. The formations of the Opemisca Group are typically comprised of variable sequences of conglomerate, sandstone, argillite, and in some cases minor volcanics (Leclerc, 2012). Of these formations, the Obatogamau formation of the Roy Group and the Caopatina formation of the Opemiska Group exist on the Lac Surprise Property.

 

The volcanics and associated sediments are intruded by a series of large granitoid plutons and septa of probable basement (Racicot et al., 1984) which influence the prevailing tectonic fabric of the district, typified by alternating greenstone belts and aligned granitic plutons. Among the major late-stage felsic intrusives (batholiths) which have intruded the area, the Lac Surprise, and the Horsefly Lake stocks occur on the Lac Surprise Property, and the Hazeur Pluton occurs just NE of the property.

 

Mapping and structural studies by Dimroth et al. (1984) and Daigneault et al. (1990) indicate four district structural events that impacted the structural evolution of the Matagami- Chibougamau Greenstone Belt: 1) synvolcanic structures; 2) folds and reverse ductile faults formed during the Kenoran Orogeny; 3) northeast trending sinistral faults of probable Late Archean age reactivated during the Early Proterozoic, and 4) north-northeast trending Grenvillian faults.

 

Figure 3:Location of the Lac Surprise property in the northeast corner of the Abitibi Sub-province of the Superior Province (Parsons et al., 2015).

 

 

Geology

 

Stratigraphy and Lithologies

 

The Lac Surprise property is underlain by formations of the Southern Caopatina Segment (SCS) of the Matagami-Chibougamau Greenstone belt. Chown et al., (1990) describe the SCS as being comprised of an extensive basalt plain with small interspersed volcanic centres (Obatogamau Formation) and capped by an early sedimentary sequence (Caopatina Formation) (Figure 4). Property geology with notable grab samples, channel samples and drill core intersections on the property. The key areas of interest are also highlighted.

 

The Obatogamau Formation is comprised of primarily tholeiitic basalts, typically 3- 5km thick, and has been recognized for a lateral distance of 150km (east to the Grenville Front; Daigneault and Allard, 1986), west to Miquelon (Gauthier, 1986). Intercalated gabbro sills are common between individual basalt flows, and typically range in thickness from a few meters up to more than 300m (Allard, 1982). The Obatogamau formation is intruded by the large Hazeur Pluton, located 1km northeast of the Surprise claim block and the Surprise Pluton, which occupies the central area of the Property and is reported to be tonalitic in composition. Quartz eye tonalitic rocks observed at many locations west of Lac Phooey are believed to be associated with the latter, which would extend its limits westerly and well beyond those illustrated on government maps. Another circular- shaped late- stage felsic intrusion is reported to underlie the southwest corner of the Lac Surprise property. This intrusion, known as the Horsefly Lake stock is illustrated on various government maps and proposed to be granodioritic in composition.

 

Numerous outcrops of schistosed felsic intrusive observed west of Lac Phooey during the 2014 field season, are more tonalitic in composition and would represent the western extension of the Lac Surprise Batholith. The Caopatina Formation represents a 1- 2km thick volcaniclastic sedimentary unit, locally interstratified by primary ash flow tuffs (Chown et al., 1990). The primary lithological units are conglomerate, sandstone, and argillite which represent material deposited into a sedimentary basin. Chown et al. (1990) describe thick sequences of thin to medium-bedded volcaniclastic sandstone as being deposited from turbidity currents, while the argillite represents pelagic deposition from sediment settling through a water column. Massive, stratified, and graded bedded conglomerates suggest deposition from high-density turbidity currents or massive debris flows representing increasing proximity to closer to a shelf/grade.

 

Structural Geology

 

Deformation in the Lac Surprise area is predominantly a result of the Kenoran Orogeny which was responsible for the formation of large-scale folding and the overall regional schistosity. The age of deformation of the Abitibi Belt is considered to be 2695 – 2700 Ma with corresponds to the Shedandowan event of the Kenoran Orogeny. Chown et al. (1990) report that the actual age of deformation in the Northern Abitibi (i.e. Lac Surprise area) is poorly defined, although ages of syntectonic plutons are similar to those of the Southern Abitibi. Lead-dating of east-west trending shear- hosted mineral deposits in the Chibougamau region as coincide with this range for timing of deformation.

 

 

Figure 4:Property geology with notable grab samples, channel samples and drill core intersections on the property. The key areas of interest are also highlighted. (Parsons et al., 2015)

 

 

Exploration Summary

 

Between 2010 and 2012 Northern Superior defined several high-level gold targets on the property by identifying five gold grain, or gold geochemical-in-till dispersal trains and two broad areas of elevated gold grain and gold geochemical-in- till values. Follow up prospecting across the property was successful in the identification of three new gold showings (Amber, Fox and Black Phoenix) and confirmed the general structural importance of three different fault systems and associated controls on gold mineralization within the property. Prospecting was complemented by an airborne magnetic geophysical survey across the entire property.

 

Exploration Summary, Amber Showing, 2015

 

The purpose of the 2015 drill program was to: a) advance the understanding of structural controls for gold mineralization on the property; and b) define specific core drill targets at the Amber showing. The program consisted of four components: 1) establishing a cut and chained grid totalling 28.85km, consisting of 22.7km of cross lines and 6.1km of tie lines cut perpendicular to the cross line, station spacing 25m; 2) completion of a “B: horizon soil sampling program (918 samples, 25m stations); 3) prospecting and outcrop sampling (28 samples); and 4) completion of a “Frequency Domain” induced polarization (I.P.) survey along all of the cross and tie lines within the cut and chained grid (see Northern Superior press release, June 10th , 2015b).

 

The exploration program was successful in identifying three main mineralized zones trending generally east to west across the area associated with the Amber showing. These were zones consist of: 1) a northern zone at least 400m long and up to 300m wide, consisting of heavily disseminated sulphides at or near surface; 2) a central zone at least 1100m long consisting of semi- massive to massive sulphides at or near surface; and 3) a southern zone at least 1100m long consisting of disseminated to locally semi- massive or massive sulphides at or near surface (see Northern Superior press release, October 5th, 2015a).

 

Exploration Summary, Amber Showing 2016

 

During the spring of 2016 a 1,500m diamond drill program was initiated, with the goal of testing showings and IP trends identified at the Amber Zone (see Northern Superior press release, May 3rd, 2016b). The drill program was successful by establishing: 1) that IP chargeability highs coincident with gold-in- soil anomalies are good indicators of underlying gold mineralization and provide a reliable exploration tool to generate future drilling programs; 2) that the gold-bearing feldspar porphyry in the south IP geophysical trend at the Amber showing continues at depth and is open; 3) a new gold-bearing horizon discovered within the central IP trend and appears to continue east beyond the Amber IP grid within the Lac Surprise property; and 4) that several different types of lithologies can be mineralized with gold as long as deformation in the form of shearing and/ or quartz-carbonate sulphide veining and fracturing are present-emphasizing the relationship between gold mineralization and structural controls (see Northern Superior press release, July 11th , 2016b; Armstrong and Kilbourne, 2016).

 

Exploration Summary, Black Phoenix Area 2016, 2017

 

Northern Superior Resources initiated two exploration programs east of the Black Phoenix showing (note- drilling did not test the original 2014 Black Phoenix Showing):

 

In Q4 of 2016, a 10 line-km Induced Polarization survey and high definition magnetometer survey was completed from which four priority anomalous trends were identified; and

 

In Q1 of 2017, a drill program consisting of 5 drill holes or 1185m was completed. The results indicated that at least one of the anomalous trends is gold bearing and confirms that a hydrothermal gold bearing system exists. 

 

Exploration Outlook

 

The 2011-2017 exploration programs have demonstrated the potential for shear-hosted gold mineralization on the property. Proof that the Lac Surprise property is well-positioned for a significant discovery is demonstrated by the discovery and development of gold deposits on the adjacent properties (e.g. Vanstar’s Nelligan deposit; Tomagold’s Monster Lake Deposit). The Company is currently seeking a strategic partner to assist on moving exploration forward on the property.Building on the success of the 2015-2017 programs, the following exploration objectives for 2019 have been proposed:

 

 

 

REFERENCES CITED