Wallbridge’s Regional Grassroots Exploration Delivers Positive Results Near Fenelon and Martiniere
Wallbridge Mining Company Limited is reporting a new round of positive drill results from the Company's regional exploration program on the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend, which is targeting the discovery of satellite deposits and new mineralized zones near the Company’s Fenelon Gold and Martiniere projects (“Fenelon” and “Martiniere”) in Northwestern Quebec.
Highlights:
- New gold mineralization, including 42.63 g/t Au over 0.50 metre and 9.98 g/t Au over 0.60 metre, was intercepted on the Grasset Property (“Grasset”), less than 10 kilometres east of the Fenelon deposit.
- A new gold system was identified in the northeastern portion of the Casault Gold Property (“Casault”), adjacent to Martiniere.
“Wallbridge’s district-scale property on the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend covers an area roughly the same distance as Rouyn-Noranda to Val d’Or, yet it is comparatively underexplored. We continue to see excellent potential for additional gold discoveries, with the opportunity to add to our existing resource base at Fenelon and Martiniere,” said Attila Péntek, Wallbridge’s Vice President, Exploration. “Approximately 10% of our 2022 exploration budget is dedicated to grassroots exploration on our properties in this district. Initial programs at Casault and Grasset have already delivered some very positive results and we are confident that we can continue to build on this success over the course of the year.”
Grasset Exploration Drilling
Between November 2021 and February 2022, Wallbridge carried out exploration drilling 10 kilometres south-east of the Fenelon deposit, to follow-up on the Grasset Gold showing, where historic intersections include 1.66 g/t Au over 33 metres, with higher grade sub-intervals, such as 6.15 g/t Au over 4.04 metres.
One of the first drill holes of the program, GR-21-109 intersected sulfide-bearing quartz-carbonate veining containing visible gold, assaying 42.63 g/t Au over 0.50 metre. Gold mineralization in this area is hosted by gabbroic intrusive host rocks adjacent to the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone (“SLDZ”), which has an associated unit of thick polymictic conglomerates and is represented by strong brittle-ductile deformation zones. Another drill hole, FA-21-328, testing interpreted structures adjacent to the SLDZ, discovered new gold mineralization with assay results up to 9.98 g/t Au over 0.60 metre.
The geology and orientation of the deformation zones in these holes is similar to the Fenelon gold deposit, and analogous to other well-known gold deposits in the southern Abitibi. Given this very favorable environment for hosting gold mineralization, the Company will continue to explore for new gold zones that may have synergies with a future operation at Fenelon.
Casault Exploration Drilling
As reported in a Wallbridge news release dated October 21, 2021, the Company completed a 13-hole drill program totaling 5,300 metres to test grassroots targets on the unexplored northern part of Casault. This area, one to two kilometres north of the SLDZ, includes the same assemblage of rocks that hosts the Company’s Martiniere gold deposit.
In addition to 6.85 g/t Au over 2.00 metres in CAS-21-123 previously reported, the drill program successfully identified gold mineralization near the eastern border of the property, toward Martiniere. Drill holes CAS-21-126 to CAS-21-130 all intersected anomalous gold mineralization (see Table 1) associated with a volcanic assemblage, a newly discovered ultramafic intrusive complex and the same northwest-southeast structure that is interpreted to control the mineralization intersected in hole CAS-21-123. Structures of this orientation are known to be important conduits for gold at Fenelon, Martiniere, and as reported here, at Grasset and Casault.
A follow-up drill program further testing this newly identified gold mineralized environment will be completed in the second quarter of 2022.
Wallbridge has an option to acquire up to a 65% interest in the 177-square-kilometre Casault Property from Midland Exploration (“Midland”) (see Wallbridge news release dated June 18, 2020). Casault covers a number of grassroots exploration targets four to 12 kilometres west of Martiniere and 34 to 41 kilometres west of Fenelon (see Figs. 1 and 3). The property encompasses more than 20 kilometres of the SLDZ, which hosts the Company’s Martiniere and Fenelon gold deposits and the world-class Detour Lake mine.
Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Grassroots Exploration
An unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) geophysical magnetic survey was completed in the first quarter of 2022 over the Harri Property, which covers 20 kilometres of the SLDZ between the Fenelon and Martiniere projects and the eastern portion of Casault. The purpose of the survey was to provide high resolution magnetic data to help in geologic and structural interpretation and target generation. Such magnetic data has been invaluable at Fenelon in guiding exploration to recognize gold-bearing and other structures.
Further grassroots exploration programs completed in the first quarter of 2022 or planned for later in the year include: biogeochemical (tree bark) sampling, till sampling, outcrop mapping and prospecting, as well as additional UAV magnetics, all with the aim of providing additional geologic information to better define drill targets and improve discovery success.
Figure 1. Overview Map of Wallbridge's Detour-Fenelon land package
Figure 2. Compilation map of the Fenelon-Grasset area
Tags: Quebec / Exploration / Gold / All Articles