La Fosse Platinum going underground at Blue Lake

A $2-million underground exploration program has been started by La Fosse Platinum Group on the company’s Blue Lake sulphide deposit north of Schefferville, Que. The program will include the driving of a 200-m ramp to a depth of 50 m, La Fosse director Fenton Scott tells The Northern Miner.

The Blue Lake deposit is known to host probable reserves of 506,400 tons grading 0.85% copper and 0.4% nickel per ton. However, little assessment of the deposit’s potential for platinum group metals was performed by previous operators. Work completed by La Fosse has returned several encouraging platinum assays. Drilling this summer cut a 2.9-ft section assaying 0.04 oz platinum and 0.18 oz palladium per ton (N.M., Sept 14/87).

The underground program, Mr Scott explained, will focus on mapping and sampling the copper- nickel-platinum deposit and wallrocks. This will enable the company to better determine controls on platinum mineralization and grades. Also, bulk sampling for metallurgical purposes will be carried out.

Another $9 million will be devoted to additional drilling on the company’s 23 other deposits and showings spread out across the Labrador Trough — a major Proterozoic basin striking across northern Quebec.