EXPLORATION ROUNDUP — Donner keeps faith at South Voisey’s Bay — Teck completes extensive program of mapping, geophysics

Donner Minerals (DML-V) and Teck (TEK-T) have hit only two 1-metre intersections of massive sulphides at their South Voisey’s Bay joint venture in Labrador, but the dream of finding another huge nickel deposit in the area is still alive.

The partners are the major players in the South Voisey’s Bay project, situated 90 km south of Inco’s Voisey’s Bay nickel-copper-cobalt deposit.

Donner acquired its claim in the region in early 1995, and later negotiated for a series of option agreements with 13 other junior companies. The Vancouver-based company currently holds mineral interests covering 1,500 sq.

km.

Teck, which saw many geological similarities between the South Voisey’s Bay and Voisey’s Bay projects, entered the game in September 1996. The company signed a participation agreement with Donner and agreed to act as contractor for the 1997 field program. The major can earn up to 50% interest in Donner’s various projects. The junior’s other joint-venture partners include Aranlee Resources (ARB-V), Birchwood Ventures (BIR-V), BMA Mining (BMA-V), Curion Ventures (CUV-V), Cypress Minerals (CYP-V), Essex Resources (ESX-V), Latitude Minerals (LTU-V), Layfield Resources (LAY-V), Major General Resources (MGJ-V), Mandorin Goldfields (MGD-V), NDT Ventures (NDE-V), Northern Abitibi Mining (nai-a) and privately held Thistle Creek Resources.

During the 1995 and 1996 field seasons, Donner’s preliminary exploration program in the region included extensive airborne magnetic and electromagnetic (EM) surveys that delineated a series of gabbroic intrusions. Grab samples and lake-sediment samples taken on and around the intrusives contained low, but significant, copper-nickel-cobalt values.

Reconnaissance surveys identified a series of gossanous outcrops containing low copper-nickel-cobalt values on ground held by Donner and various partners, including Thistle Creek, Major General, NDT, Cypress and Curion.

Exploration was stepped up once Teck arrived on the scene. Geological work included a program of mapping, geophysics and diamond drilling. To date, 32 holes over 7,447 metres have been drilled on numerous targets throughout the project area. By mid-December, drilling should total 14,000 metres.

The geological similarities shared by the regions are strong (T.N.M., Oct.

27/97). The South Voisey’s Bay project is situated on the southern margin of the Nain intrusive complex and hosts a regionally extensive troctolite sheet similar to the feeder system at the Voisey’s Bay deposit.

Both regions host layered mafic to ultramafic intrusions that appear to be related to the suture zone between the Archean-aged Nain province and the younger Proterozoic-aged Churchill province. Other similarities include “Leopard” troctolite, basal gabbro-gneiss breccias, and magmatic net-textured and massive sulphides.

The South Voisey’s Bay project has been divided into two exploration regions, Northern gabbro and Southern gabbro, which cover the main areas of layered intrusion.

Teck has completed extensive geological mapping, 141 line km of ground magnetics and EM surveys, as well as 285 line km of gravity surveys over Northern gabbro. The gravity anomaly extends along the western border of ground held jointly by Donner, NDT and Latitude, trends northeast on to the property Donner shares with Northern Abitibi and continues eastward on to the Donner-Major General claims.

The most intense section of the gravity anomaly measures 6.5 km long and about 2 km wide. A northerly trending feature is interpreted to be related to the thickening of the troctolite. The centre, or edge, of the anomaly represents what could be a depression, a trough or a feeder sill. Each is considered ideal for the deposition of dense magmatic sulphides. The gravity data also indicate that the gabbro-gneiss contact dips to the east and southeast.

Numerous anomalies have been identified, and three on Northern gabbro are being tested.

The Abitibi anomaly is on the property shared by Donner and Northern Abitibi. Of the 10 holes drilled on the southern part of the property, eight hit sub-economic disseminated sulphides.

Hole 67, which intersected thin intervals of massive sulphides in a thick sequence of disseminated mineralization, returned 1.93% nickel, 1.64% copper and 0.26% cobalt.

Hole 75, drilled 250 metres west of hole 67, hit 1.1 metres of 11.75% nickel, 9.70% copper and 0.43% cobalt. Mineralization there was 90% sulphide dominated by coarse-grained pyrrhotite and pentlandite (nickel-rich sulphides) and chalcopyrite.

An additional five or six holes will test gravity highs on the Abitibi anomaly, as well as the extension of sulphide mineralization around holes 67 and 75. These additional holes are expected to be completed by mid-December.

The Abitibi anomaly can be traced eastward on to ground held by Donner and Major General. A drill rig collared about 1 km northeast of hole 67 is testing the eastern extension of that gravity high.

The second anomaly, known as NDT/Latitude, straddles the boundary of ground held wholly by Donner and ground the company shares with NDT and Latitude.

Seven holes, designed to test the thickness of the layered intrusion, have been drilled along the western part of the latter property. Subsequent holes tested parts of the anomaly thought to be junctions of a feeder system in the main gabbro, but only sub-economic mineralization was encountered.

Drilling there is aimed at identifying a feeder system.

The third anomaly, known as Major, forms part of the Donner-Major General joint venture. Fourteen holes tested this northwest-trending anomaly, as well as a gossan zone near the northeastern border of ground held by Donner, NDT and Latitude.

The holes intersected the basal contact of the intrusion at depths ranging from 50 to 200 metres. Anomalous but sub-economic copper-nickel values were recovered.

The South gabbro area, situated 30 km southeast of Northern gabbro, is covered by parts owned solely by Donner and parts owned by Donner and partners Cypress and Curion. The rocks in this area are essentially the same as those hosting mineralization in the Northern gabbro.

Teck has carried out detailed grid mapping and 101 km of ground magnetic and EM surveys, as well as a gravity survey over 140 line km. Results from this program indicate the presence of a funnel-shaped body that is represented by a strong curvilinear gravity anomaly. That anomaly extends northward over 4.5 km along the boundary of Donner’s own property, and one it shares with Cypress.

The anomaly is interpreted as a possible feeder, or throat, of a funnel-shaped layered intrusion. By the end of October, Teck had completed one hole, to a depth of 701 metres, that bottomed in disseminated mineralization. Additional holes will be drilled on the strongest section of that anomaly.

Two drills are spinning at the Donner-Cypress joint venture, with a third to be commissioned soon. By presstime, hole 3 had been drilled to 240 metres, whereas hole 4 was had reached a depth of 600 metres.

The South Voisey’s Bay project is 60% as large as the entire Sudbury mining camp, and drilling of all prospective targets there could take several seasons.