EXPLORATION 1999 – Kirkland Lake camp attracts juniors

Even though production in the Kirkland Lake camp is now limited to the Macassa mine and Lake Shore tailings projects of Kinross Gold (K-T), persistent junior companies and a lively body of independent prospectors combine to make the area an interesting gold exploration camp.

For the past three years, the centrepiece of exploration in the Kirkland Lake camp has been the joint-venture program mounted by Queenston Mining (QMI-T), with funding from Franco-Nevada Mining (FN-T). The work program this year consisted of geophysical surveys and 15 drill holes.

At the partners’ Anoki property, 15 km east of Kirkland Lake, a new hole (AN98-16) tested deep extensions of the known mineralized structure. A 0.4-metre intersection starting 210 metres down-hole graded 10.7 grams gold per tonne, an intersection at 893 metres graded 1.5 grams per tonne over 2.3 metres, and a third, at 961 metres down-hole, graded 1.5 grams over 3 metres.

West of Anoki, four holes tested structural targets on the main Larder Lake Break and a southern splay of the fault, between 900 and 1,800 metres along strike from the Anoki zones. One hole in the southern splay encountered 0.8 metre grading 0.8 gram gold per tonne. A second, 900 metres farther west, intersected 5.3 grams over 0.5 metre, part of a 1.1-metre intersection that averaged 2.9 grams.

Farther to the west, Queenston drilled targets on the Esker and Biroco properties. At Esker, hole M99-08 intersected multiple zones of mineralization. On the Upper Esker structure, it cut 5.8 metres grading 4.2 grams gold per tonne, including one interval of 1.2 metres grading 12.5 grams. Farther down, it intersected 0.6 metre grading 5.9 grams, and continued into the Lower Esker structure, where it intersected 8.9 metres at a grade of 2 grams per tonne.

A hole at Biroco cut a 34.3-metre intersection grading 0.5 gram per tonne.

Atapa Minerals (AML-M) will be starting work this month on the Doherty Cooper property adjoining Anoki. Atapa has an option deal with owner DCM Gold, a private company, under which Atapa can progressively earn a 100% interest in the property by performing $1.85 million in exploration work, and paying DCM $505,000, over five years. Queenston has a right of first refusal on any deal Atapa makes for its interest in the property.

• Work has resumed at the Cheminis property near Virginiatown, where Fort Knox Gold Resources (FNX-T) is earning a 25% interest from NFX Gold (nfxg-c) by funding $1 million in exploration work. The agreement also covers two properties adjoining the Cheminis, Fernland and Bear Lake, covering a 2.1-km strike length of deformed and altered rocks.

  Four of the five holes drilled on the Fernland property cut gold mineralization, as did two of three drilled on Cheminis and all three drilled on the Bear Lake. The mineralized intersections were in both the northern and southern deformation zones.

  On Fernland, the best results came from hole FL98-5, which intersected four separate zones of mineralization. These included 1.5 metres grading 4.1 grams gold per tonne and 0.6 metre at 66.52 grams, both in the southern deformation zone, and 1.5 metres grading 2.5 grams per tonne and 7.9 metres grading 2.9 grams, both in the northern zone.

  On the Cheminis and Bear Lake properties, grades were lower and widths were generally narrower, although one hole in the Cheminis D-Flow gold zone cut 1.7 metres grading 3.8 grams gold per tonne.

  Two other holes NFX drilled on the Cheminis before Fort Knox came on the scene tested the D-Flow zone at a depth of about 1,100 metres. Hole S98-1 cut a 6.8-metre length that contained an average of 5.1 grams gold per tonne, including a 1.7-metre stretch that assayed 11.6 grams.

  Fort Knox has a further option to earn another 25% by spending $1.5 million on exploration at the end of the present option period. Cheminis was last estimated to have an inferred resource of 2.5 million tonnes grading 5.8 grams gold per tonne.

• Next door at the Armistice (Sheldon-Larder) property, Armistice Resources (ACI-M) is clear of a proxy fight and can turn its attention to proving a reserve on the down-plunge extension of the Kerr Addison deposit.

  Drilling in early 1998 blocked out an indicated resource of 378,000 tonnes grading 8.3 grams gold per tonne, based on a cutoff grade of 3.4 grams per tonne. Increasing the cutoff to 6.8 grams brings that resource to 153,000 tonnes, with an average grade of 13.8 grams.

  A scoping study by consulting firm Roscoe Postle Associates concluded that deep mineralization justified further work but did not justify sinking the existing shaft beyond the present 686-metre depth. Instead, Roscoe Postle recommended evaluating the mineralized zones that could be developed from the existing workings and assessing the economics of bringing those zones into production. More drilling could then be done from the exploration drift on the 686-metre level, providing a denser drill hole pattern that would support a resource estimate.

• Although Sudbury Contact Mines (SUD-T) has discontinued work at its Victoria Creek project, it continues to work on its diamond properties. A flow-through financing from parent Agnico-Eagle Mines (AGE-T) will be applied to its Canadian projects in 1999 and 2000, most of which are along the Break.