Hunt heats up in Quebec

Ashton Mining of Canada (ACA-T) is preparing to drill-test several targets this fall at its Otish Mountains joint-venture project in north-central Quebec.

Ashton flew a geophysical survey over the Otish Mountains region in late 2000, after staking an initial 445-sq.-km block of ground, in joint venture with Quebec government-owned Soquem. The pair picked up the claims based on positive results from reconnaissance heavy mineral sampling. Ashton and Soquem have since added to their position by staking additional land, much of it up-ice from its original claims, to hold a total of 1,760 sq. km.

Ashton followed up with ground geophysics over eight selected targets in March. Several of these targets were reported to be near highly anomalous indicator mineral sample sites. Certain samples contained favourable high-chromium, low-calcium G10 pyrope garnets and picroilmenites. This summer, more than 350 heavy mineral samples were collected. Samples taken near the eight geophysical anomalies were analyzed, and several of the down-ice samples returned what Ashton says are “significant concentrations of indicator minerals.”

In the meantime, BHP Diamonds has completed an 8,500-line-km airborne geophysical survey over the neighbouring Portage property. The wholly owned subsidiary of BHP Billiton (BHP-N) can earn up to a 56% interest in the grassroots project from Majescor Resources (MAJ-M) by funding all costs through to production. Much of Majescor’s original land position sits down-ice from Ashton.

Ground investigations of selected airborne anomalies and follow-up till sampling are expected to be completed by late fall.

Elsewhere, Majescor completed a spring sampling program on its Wemindji property, 40 km east of James Bay in northern Quebec. The Wemindji area was previously worked by the Canadian exploration subsidiary of De Beers Consolidated Mines, which had traced a kimberlite indicator mineral train through the area. De Beers drilled nine magnetic anomalies without success before walking away in July 2000.

One of Majescor’s most promising geophysical targets coincides with several highly anomalous glacial till samples (one of which yielded more than 9,000 indicator grains), as well as several angular kimberlite fragments. The objective of the spring sampling was to increase the density of the sample sites and follow-up on several geophysical anomalies. Of the 370 samples collected this spring, 83% proved positive, including 85 samples that returned greater than 100 indicator minerals. The maximum indicator mineral count was 7,611 in reworked glacial sediment sample, whereas the highest count in till was 1,080.

The junior intends to expand its coverage of airborne geophysics and conduct ground surveys over at least eight priority targets, to be in a position to drill in October.

Regional sampling by Majescor at other localities in northern Quebec has proved positive with the discovery of several distinct dispersion trains. The company has been securing land titles to these areas and continuing with further investigations.