North American Nickel announces exploration results from Northwestern Ontario and Sudbury Properties

North American Nickel has announced results from its 2020 exploration programs on its 100% owned Quetico properties located in the Atikokan-Thunder Bay area, and its 100% owned Post Creek Property located in Sudbury.

Quetico Property 

The Company staked a total of 809 claim cells in the Atikokan-Thunder Bay area following project generation and compilation work in 2018 (see news release dated May 15, 2019). 400 of these cells are within the Quetico Sub-province corridor, which hosts intrusions related to an ~2.7Ga late-Archean magmatic event and mineralized with Ni-Cu-Co-precious metal sulphides. 409 claim cells in two distinct blocks were acquired to follow-up on prospective magnetic and geochemical anomalies potentially related to intrusions of the ~1.1Ga mid-continent rift event. Three clusters of claims cells, labeled Quetico South, East and West were acquired in 2018 to encompass magnetic and geochemical anomalies possibly associated with differentiated mafic intrusions localized along splays of the Quetico fault zone (Figure 1).

In June, a program of prospecting was undertaken on the Quetico West and East blocks to search for mineralization related to early mid-continent rift peridotite intrusions and Archean pyroxenites. Targets comprising, magnetic responses, prospective geology and geochemical anomalies, were examined on all three clusters of claim cells.

Exploration was focussed on the East block where previous work identified mafic rocks with geochemical signatures similar to those that host the Current Lake deposit, located 10 km to the east (Figure 2). The Current Lake deposit has an Open Pit Indicated Mineral Resource of 8.46 Mt grading 1.04 g/t Pt, 0.98 g/t Pd, 0.25% Cu and 0.18% Ni (2011 NI 43-101 Technical Report, Magma Metals Limited). 

Sampling in the East block adjacent to Clean Air Metals' Current Lake Property identified outcropping peridotite and gabbroic rocks with trace sulphide. The geochemical signature of the peridotite is similar to the differentiated Current Lake intrusion based on a comparison with historic assessment report data. There is no known electromagnetic (EM) survey coverage in the area and accordingly the next phase of exploration will include airborne or surface EM survey work. These surveys will be designed to detect conductive responses of potential nickel sulphide mineralization associated with the ultramafic intrusions. 

On the West block, a total of eight magnetic anomalies were investigated. Six anomalies remain unexplained and weakly mineralized magnetic pyroxenite was identified at two locations (Figure 3). A weakly mineralized pyroxenite sample associated with a strong tadpole-shaped magnetic anomaly has an elevated Au+Pt+Pd content of 5.28 g/t in 100% sulphide. The configuration of the magnetic anomaly suggests the potential for a 3 km2 ultramafic intrusion and a related feeder-dyke on the west. These intrusions may be separated from a larger intrusion to the east by a keel structure which is a classic target for magmatic sulphide exploration. Future exploration will focus on this intrusion and others that were not prospected in 2020.

On the South block, a strong magnetic target was explained by massive magnetite.

Post Creek Property

The Post Creek property in the Sudbury area is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-precious metal sulphide deposit of KGHM International Ltd. (Figure 4). The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp. 

Earlier this year, NAN advanced its understanding of the Post Creek Property through outcrop sampling and data compilation. Compilation work identified Cu-Au mineralization along strike of the NNE trend of the Whistle Offset quartz diorite. This mineralization is encapsulated by a large area of Sudbury Breccia that extends from the contact deposit at Whistle Mine, through the Podolsky and North Zone mineralization and onto the Post Creek property. The trend has not been significantly offset by structure and the possibility exists that an Archean structural zone hosting a concentric belt of breccia and possibly quartz diorite is present in this location and as such is an additional exploration target.

The rocks to the north of the property comprise Sudbury Breccia with Cu-Au mineralization but with a historic sample assay of 0.83% Ni, 0.74% Cu, 0.07% Co and 3.5g/t Au+Pt+Pd.

Tags: Northern Ontario / Exploration / Minerals / All Articles