Active staking in northern New Brunswick

Mining claim staking in northern New Brunswick has been active recently, says the New Brunswick Prospectors and Developers Association (NBPDA).

Approximately 1,100 claims have been recorded along a favorable geological trend that extends from 60 km from the village of Nash Creek to the Upsalquitch Forks area.

Interest in the area centres around the discovery of epithermal- style precious metal mineralization by Lacana Mining and Exador Resources in the Rocky Brook area 60 km west of Bathurst. This discovery was made during follow-up of anomalous silver and gold values from a provincial government till survey.

Additional data utilizing airborne spectrometer surveys and trace element geochemistry to explore for similar occurrences have been published by the province and the Geological Survey of Canada. Favorable areas can be identified on the basis of elevated potassium, sodium depletion and anomalous antimony, arsenic, mercury and silver in bedrock.

Further attention was drawn to the precious metals potential of New Brunswick at the Prospectors and Developers of Canada convention in Toronto by a drill core and rock display sponsored by the NBPDA and New Brunswick’s department of natural resources.

Diamond drill core from recent discoveries by Acadia Mineral Ventures on its West Millstream property (values to 0.32 oz gold per ton over 5 ft), Granges Exploration on its Middle River property in the Bathurst camp (values to 0.225 oz over 34 ft), Caribou New Brunwswick Mining on its Caribou property in Bathurst camp massive sulphides (values to 0.146 oz over 34 ft) and epithermal-style occurrences at Rocky Brook (Lacana/Exador Resources — values to 5 oz over 10 ft) and California Lake (Lacana/ Acadia — values to 13 oz over 15 ft), were displayed. Gold-silver potential

Rock samples with 1% to 2% antimony from the Slacks Lake area (Falconbridge/Acadia) were also shown. Both the Slacks Lake and California Lake properties are located in the Bathurst camp, indicating potential for gold and silver, not only within massive sulphide environments, but also as late epithermal vein systems.

The promotion of the precious metal potential of the province is continuing with a symposium on gold sponsored by the NBPDA and DNR to be held June 8-11. Dr Virginia Gillerman, a consultant from Nevada, will speak on Characteristics of Precious-Metal Epithermal Deposits and will attend the field trips to deposits, recent discoveries and related alteration zones.