McFauld's Lake Project
Jeremy Niemi, Vice President, Geology for Noront Resources is the qualified person who prepared or supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information disclosed herein.
Eagle's Nest
Geological and Mineralization Model
On-going exploration work on the Double Eagle Property is partly predicated upon a conceptual model of the mineralizing systems associated with the Ring of Fire. This model has been formulated by incorporating recent drill data along with geophysical, geological and other technical survey results. Salient features from other established geological models for similar mineralizing systems from around the world have also been incorporated into the conceptual model, which is in a constant state of revision as new data become available.
Key points of the Ring of Fire model are as follows:
- A mantle derived, highly magnetic ultramafic intrusion ("the Ring of Fire Intrusion" or "RFI") has been emplaced along the margin of a regional scale granodiorite pluton which had been intruded into and caused a doming of the host Sachigo greenstone belt rocks The RFI is thus situated between the granodiorite on one hand (footwall) and the surrounding Sachigo greenstone belt rocks (hangingwall) on the other. The RFI is magnetically distinct allowing it to be traced more or less uninterrupted, for tens of kilometres along the granodiorite margin. It appears that a series of conduits cutting across the granodiorite have acted as feeders to the main RFI.
- On a world wide basis ultramafic intrusions, such as the RFI, are known to host several types of deposits:
- Layered chromite deposits
- Nickel-Copper deposits and
- Platinum Group Metals (PGM) deposits
- Recent drilling within the Ring of Fire area confirms that both PGM-rich Ni-Cu deposits (Eagle One and Two) and now chromitite deposits, (Blackbird One and Two) are associated with the RFI and its related conduit feeder system. On-going drilling by Noront and others suggest that the layered chromite mineralization is, as conceptually expected from the model, confined strictly to the main RFI while the platinum rich Ni-Cu sulphide mineralization appears, at least at this stage of exploration, to be related to the conduit feeders. Based on observations from similar intrusives globally there is no reason, at least conceptually, why Ni-Cu or PGM deposits could not be hosted by the RFI itself. The exploration potential in this regard remains to be tested.
- According to the conceptual model, the high-grade Eagle One Deposit is interpreted as occurring well within a conduit feeder, at some distance from the main RFI. The Eagle Two discovery on the other hand is interpreted as occurring within the "throat or mouth" portion of the conduit where it empties into the main RFI. The mineralization at this point in the system consists of mineralized zones that contain numerous thin Ni-Cu bearing sulphide layers or "fingers" that "feather" out into the main RFI.