Falconbridge pursuing Mirage in hopes of finding Sudbury twin

Nickel producer Falconbridge has staked an additional 358 claims along the Wanapitei anomaly near Sudbury, Ont., and is planning to drill the large magnetic structure later this year.

Sometimes called the Temagami anomaly, Falconbridge refers to it as its Mirage project. In the company’s 1990 annual report, it is listed as the second exploration highlight.

According to Mike Knuckey, senior vice-president of exploration, Falconbridge decided to stake the additional claims after receiving results from recently completed airborne and seismic surveys. Falconbridge alone staked more than 1,500 claims in the area in 1990.

But he added that more time would be needed to interpret visible structures and establish potential drill targets. Some of the seismic results are still outstanding.

“We saw some interesting structures, but what they mean is anybody’s guess,” he told The Northern Miner.

Falconbridge is exploring the deep-seated Wanapitei anomaly with the goal of finding a structure similar to the 29×58-km Sudbury igneous complex, which hosts the Sudbury ore deposits. The two anomalies are similar in size and shape, and together produce one of the largest magnetic responses in the Canadian Shield.

Since last summer almost 1,500 new claims have been registered over the previously unexplored Wanapitei structure. Teck (TSE) holds about 200 of these new claims.

The most recent activity took place in both Aylmer and Mackelcan twps., on the north shore of Wanapitei Lake, immediately west of the claims registered on the anomaly last summer. Including 200 claims held by Flag Resources (TSE), all of the available ground in Mackelcan Twp. has now been taken.

Although the source of the anomaly could lie as deep as five kilometres below surface, Knuckey said Falconbridge would not drill deeper than 1,000 metres in its first hole. At that stage, the company would follow up any indication of mineralization with deeper holes if deemed necessary.

Falconbridge has budgeted about $500,000 for exploration on Wanapitei this year. The project is expected to extend over a 5-year period.

Meanwhile, seismic data recently collected by Lithoprobe, a 5-year multidisciplinary study of the earth’s crust, are currently under interpretation. By mapping subsurface structures in the Sudbury area, the project is expected to help mining companies develop long-term exploration strategies.