The East Gouin property, which NioBay Metals Inc. optioned from Tectonic Resources Inc., has announced the beginning of an overburden drilling program to evaluate the makeup of the till and bedrock. This project comes in the wake of positive prospecting results that reached Nb2O5 concentrations of 0.29%, 0.31%, 0.54%, and 0.57% in glacial blocks with carbonate veinlets.
Satellite image with drill hole location. Image Credit: NioBay Metals Inc.
Numerous niobium geochemical abnormalities were also discovered by surface until sampling, primarily in the site's southern portion. Boulders and anomalous areas surrounded this enormous magnetic anomaly, which is identical in size and structure to the Niobec mine in the Saguenay, the only commercial niobium operation outside Brazil.
The East Gouin property is situated directly east of the Gouin Reservoir dam, some 190 km west of the Niobec mine and 150 km south of Chibougamau.
The Opitciwan Atikamekw First Nation, whose principal community of Obedjiwan has situated roughly 65 km to the northwest on the north shore of the Gouin Reservoir, is where it is situated.
From Route 167, 75 km to the east, a vast network of logging roads provides easy access to every area of the land. Only 20 km to the south of the property is a high-voltage power line.
The program will employ sonic drilling technology to retrieve one- to two-meter bedrock core samples and sample the whole overburden without distressing unconsolidated deposits.
The 30-hole program will pinpoint the bedrock where there is no rock outcrop inside the magnetic disturbance and find probable niobium dispersal trains until up-ice of the surface abnormalities.
The attached map depicts the location of the Sonic holes on a total field magnetic survey view and a current satellite image background, respectively.
It is an excellent opportunity that we had to be able to exercise our right of option on this property which has shown, until now, good potential for the presence of niobium, justifying the current work plan. In addition, we could not ask for better in terms of access. The campaign will continue until mid-September and depending on the results obtained, a diamond drilling campaign could be planned.
Jean-Sébastien David, President and CEO, NioBay Metals Inc.