Orleans seeks funds to develop Quebec wollastonite play

Having advanced its St. Onge Twp. wollastonite deposit beyond the exploration stage, Orleans Resources (ME) is seeking additional funds for bulk-sampling and development.

The project is “no longer an exploration play,” President Jean-Guy Masse told The Northern Miner during a recent site visit. He hopes to raise $2-3 million to extract a 100-tonne bulk sample and finance metallurgical and market studies. The money is to be raised through a public offering. Orleans wants to establish a broad base of investors, as was evident by the number of prominent investment managers — from Zurich, Geneva, Vienna, Jersey City, London and Toronto — who took part in the tour. Wollastonite was first discovered on the property in 1989 by local prospector Lionel Lefebvre. Subsequent mapping by the Quebec government confirmed the presence of a large wollastonite-bearing skarn. After the ground was staked, an ownership conflict arose and the 2,430-hectare property was mired in litigation until June, 1992, when the investment firm Masvil Capital bought out the disputing parties and acquired the property. Masvil transferred it to Orleans in September, 1992, and now holds a 13% interest in the company. The deposit is contained in a relict, Proterozoic metasedimentary belt within the Lac St. Jean Anorthosite complex. The wollastonite-bearing zone is hosted in a calc-silicate unit bordered to the northwest by quartzites and to the southeast by marbles.

The wollastonite unit, which trends northeast and dips steeply to the west, occurs near the crest of a northwest-facing hill slope. Drilling and trenching indicate that the zone ranges from 40 to 120 metres wide. To date, 63 holes totaling 6,290 metres have been drilled on the property. Based on drill results from 32 holes, probable and possible reserves total 8.7 million tonnes grading 37% wollastonite. The deposit also contains diopside, feldspar, silica and calcite.

The reserves are contained in a block 2.3 km long by 100 metres deep with a true width that averages 60 metres. Consulting engineer Kamil Khobzi says the potential to expand reserves is excellent considering that a hole drilled 700 metres north of Zone W intersected a skarn with a true width of 45 metres grading 48% wollastonite.

Additional results from 31 holes drilled earlier this year are still pending. Wollastonite is a calcium silicate mineral formed by the thermal metamorphism of impure limestone. In its pure form, it is white, lustrous and occurs as acicular (needle-like) crystals.

Wollastonite is used as a filler in ceramics, plastics and paints, and as a flux to accelerate the continuous casting of steel. Its acicular nature makes it an excellent reinforcing agent and its high melting point (1,540 C) allows it to be used as a replacement for asbestos (see “Wollastonite glut a growing concern” on page 16).

Consumption has been steadily growing at 8-12% for the past 20 years and is expected to reach 750,000 to 900,000 tonnes by the year 2000. Masse says the demand in the plastics industry alone has doubled in the past two years. Estimated world production in 1992 was 385,000 tonnes. At present, most of the highest-grade material comes from the NYCO operation near Lake Champlain in New York. China and India are large producers of low-to-medium-quality wollastonite.

Recent froth flotation tests indicate that concentrates produced from the St-Onge samples have a purity of 97.5% to 99.5%, which compares favorably with the best commercial products available.

In addition to extracting the 100-tonne bulk sample, Orleans plans to construct a pilot processing plant at either IMD Laboratories in Concord, Ont., or the Centre de Recherche Minerales (CRM) in Quebec City. Once the sample is processed, the company will test-market the concentrates, Masse says.

He estimates construction of an open pit and mill will cost about $25 million. An on-site mill is planned, but Masse says the viability of such an operation would be determined in a feasibility study.

The property is accessible year-round by road, and hydro lines run only 10 km to the east. Fresh water (necessary for a flotation operation) would be available from the Riviere du Nord which crosses the western portion of the property. Another advantage is that the project is only 2.5 hours by road from the all-season port of La Baie which is managed by Alcan Aluminum (TSE). This summer, the company will continue exploring the property, especially the area along strike to the north. Although the focus will be on wollastonite, Khobzi says other potential targets, such as columbium- and niobium-bearing carbonatites, will also be investigated.