EXPLORATION ’94 — Record drilling, staking activity —

The Northwest Territories recorded a banner year for exploration in 1993, with the search for gold, base metals and diamonds racking up record highs for drilling and staking activity.

The Territorial geology division of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs says the 251,000 metres drilled last year represent a high point, surpassed only by 1989’s record of 294,000 metres. About two-thirds of the drilling was on surface, with the remainder occurring underground. Early statistics released in January, 1994, have raised this figure to 260,044 metres, with one company still to report.

Gold was still the clear leader in terms of metres drilled, yet the numbers were still down over those recorded in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Base metals were the second-largest commodity sought, with the number of metres drilled at a 5-year high. Diamonds caused the 1993 graph to shoot up, while drilling on uranium targets remained relatively flat, compared with 1991 and 1992. Staking is believed to have reached a historical high, outstripping any jurisdiction in the world. By year-end, 11.8 million hectares had been staked. Diamond activity was mainly focused in the Keewatin-Arctic Islands-Interior Platform, and to a minor extent in the Cordilleran, as well as what is traditionally considered part of the Bear Structural Province (but is underlain at depth by Slave Craton). All areas contain diamondiferous, ultramafic plugs or dykes.

According to the report, “the number of properties or showings drilled, if one counts (each) potential diamond target drilled as a showing, is the highest in 13 years, and the number of properties or prospects evaluated or explored may be the highest in history, with at least 266 reported so far.” As well, 151 prospecting permits were issued last year, with many believed to be for diamond exploration.

About 80% of the drilling (or slightly more than 210,000 metres) was for traditional commodity targets such as gold, base metals and uranium. This compares with fewer than 50,000 metres for diamonds. But when the number of prospects explored is examined — counting each kimberlite as a prospect — diamond prospects outnumber other commodities. No figures are available on the amount of dollars spent on diamond exploration, compared with other minerals.

It is known, however, that major bulk sampling is occurring on two separate diamond projects this winter. The multi-million-dollar programs are operated by two majors, BHP Minerals Canada and Kennecott Canada.

The breakdown by regions saw about 85% of the drilling centred in the Slave Structural Province, targeting mainly gold and base metals. About 6% were in the Arctic Islands for base metals, and 5% in the Churchill province (Keewatin district), mostly for uranium. Within the Slave, 224 prospects were tested, of which 124 were drilled. Of the total targets, 175 were for diamonds (95 drilled), 28 for gold (17 drilled) and 21 for base metals and silver (14 drilled).

All the Slave Structural Province has been staked for diamonds, the report indicates, and staking is expanding into areas of the Slave subcrop. Stakers are also said to be active in such areas as Somerset Island, the Brodeur Peninsula and parts of the Keewatin where kimberlites, mafic-ultramafic breccias or lamproid dykes and breccias have been identified. Diamonds have been recovered from dozens of pipes in the Slave and micro-sized diamonds were recently recovered from breccias and lamproid dykes in the Keewatin. The report suggests activity will persist, “with staking and exploration likely to continue and expand across large parts of the northwestern Canadian Shield.”

Large amounts of drilling took place at four Slave gold properties. These include: the Boston claims in the Hope Bay volcanic belt (BHP); Goose Lake in the Back River-Beechy turbidite domain (New York-listed Homestake Mining and partners); the Ski claims in the Point Lake turbidite (Toronto-listed Echo Bay Mines); and Damoti Lake in the Indin turbidite domain (Toronto-listed Athabaska Gold Resources and partners). All targets, except for the Boston, are in turbidite-hosted iron formation and thus similar in many respects to the Echo Bay’s Lupin gold deposit.

Significant exploration also took place for base metal deposits in the Slave, as well as at the High Lake deposit, adjacent prospects and the Hackett River deposit. Metall Mining’s (TSE) exploration of the Izok Lake volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit was probably the most expensive project in this area of the Territories, the report states. The company spent nearly $10 million on the zinc-copper-silver deposit. Drill holes were put down on the main Izok deposit and on the nearby Inukshuk zone. Also tested was the Gondor deposit and showings in the High Lake-Anialik volcanic belt. Metall also carried out feasibility, environmental and transportation studies.

In the Keewatin region, 18 prospects were explored, with the largest (as in past years) being the drilling of uranium showings and deposits in the Schultz-Judge Sissons Lake area, west of Baker Lake.

San Andreas Resources (VSE) has an advanced-stage project in the Cordillera. The Prairie Creek silver-lead-zinc deposit is in the Backbone range of the Mackenzie Mountains, just north of the Nahanni River. Significant additions were made to drill-indicated reserves as a result of the intersection of a new type of zinc deposit at the bottom end of the deposit previously worked on. The new deposit is described as either Sedex or Mississippi-Valley-type (MVT) and appears to have significant tonnage potential, although grades are lower than in the vein.

The vein system has been tested for about 11 km south of the mill site, with positive results and seven more (possibly MVT) showings found along the thrust fault to the north.

Two base metal and silver deposits — Izok Lake (Metall) in the Slave Province and the Cadillac or Prairie Creek deposit (San Andreas) in the Cordillera — are reported to be in advanced stages of exploration. “Both may reach production before the end of the decade,” the report says. — The author is a freelance writer who lives in Vancouver, B.C.