Northstar Gold Corp. Commences Drilling at Historic High-Grade Cam Copper Mine
Northstar Gold Corp. announces the Company has commenced diamond drilling at the historic Cam Copper Mine, a former high-grade copper producer on the Company's 100%-owned Miller Copper-Gold Property, situated 18 kilometres southeast of Kirkland Lake, Ontario. (Figure 1)
Northstar recently reported the Company has contracted Pelletier Drilling Ltd. of Chapais, Quebec, to conduct a 700 metre, Phase I diamond drill program targeting near-surface high-grade copper mineralization extensions at the Cam Copper Mine. Drilling has commenced and Phase I is expected to be completed by month's end.
Northstar's Phase I Cam Copper drill program is predicated on recent sampling results (Click here to see Northstar News Release dated July 5, 2023) and a new 3D mineralization model incorporating detailed historic mine sampling, drilling, development and production records. The Company's intention is to verify a volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) paragenesis at Cam Copper Mine, discover new copper zones, replicate and expand upon historic Zone 1 drill hole intercepts that include 12.4% Cu over 2.4m (Hole No. 3), 7.0% Cu over 1.8m (Hole No.4) and Zone 2 intercepts including 23.1% Cu over 1.4m (Hole No. 4) and 9.6% Cu over 2.6m(Hole 2-1)3.
"Cam Copper Mine represents a unique and compelling high-grade copper exploration opportunity that dovetails with Ontario's Critical Minerals exploration focus," states Brian P. Fowler, President, Director and CEO of Northstar. "While gold exploration at the Miller Property continues to have significant upside and remains a focus of the Company, Northstar sees significant expansion upside at Cam Copper that can be more easily fast tracked. Phase I drilling is aimed to substantiate this."
Mineralized zones at Cam Copper have been defined by surface mapping and sampling, historic drilling, EM and I.P. surveys for 65 metres along strike to the southeast, representing at least 170 metres of down plunge depth extent; well below the 200' level of the historic mine workings. Additional EM and I.P. targets extend for up to 900 metres along strike to the southeast, lateral to the Round Lake Granite Batholith contact.
The Historic Cam Copper Mine
The Cam Copper Mine hosts at least two separate lenses (Zone 1 and Zone 2) of massive copper sulphides about 40 metres apart striking and plunging southeast along the contact with the Round Lake Granite Batholith (Figures 1 and 2). Laminated sulphides hosted in tuff with lower grade copper values are reported to occur on either side of the massive copper sulphide bands. The copper mineralization is focused along the steeply plunging intersection of northeast striking silicified tectonic breccias with southeast striking, vertically dipping bands of silicious sulphide facies iron formation within felsic and mafic tuffaceous units. The copper zones remain open down plunge to the southeast. The nearby former producing Amity and Patterson copper mines occur within the same geologic formation along strike to the northwest.
Figure 1. Cam Copper Mine Geology and Location Map
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Figure 2. Cam Copper Mine Surface Geology,
Underground Workings and Historic Drill Results
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Underground Development and Historic Copper Production
Underground development at Cam Copper Mine took place between 1929 and 1953 and includes a 220ft (66.7m) vertical shaft, 213ft (64.5m) of crosscuts and 267ft (80.9m) of drifts (Figure 3). Historic drill results and Northstar's recently reported surface sampling results (see Northstar News Release dated July 5, 2023) substantiate historic reporting of a 1955 shipment of 346 tons of hoisted underground ore which produced 43,411 lbs. of Cu1 at a Noranda smelter for a recovered grade of 6.3% Cu. The ore was shipped directly from the mine site to the smelter without requiring further concentration in a mill. A previous 1948 shipment of 22 tons of ore to Noranda reportedly graded 12.72% Cu, 0.84 oz/t Ag and 0.03 oz/t Au2, presumably from Zone 1.
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