In Stelmine Canada (“Stelmine” or “The Company”), a recent till geochemical survey completed on the Courcy project (100% STH) confirmed several additional exploration targets. A total of 186 till samples (fine fraction) and 8 rock samples were collected. This geochemical survey targeted the extensions of known gold-mineralized zones.
Highlights include:
- Five anomalies defined by high values in gold and/or copper and arsenic were outlined (Figures 1 and 2)
- The main anomaly, in the area of Zone 3, is located approximately 7.5km SW of the discovery area drilled by SOQUEM in 2006 and by Stelmine in 2021-2022.
- The anomalies are found within an area of 7.8 x 2.8km
- Gold values of up to 272 ppb were obtained in the tills.
Stelmine drilling completed by the winter of 2022 2021-2022 in Zone 1, gave up 2.86 g/t Au over 10.0m, including 5.28 g/t Au over 4.4m. Three of Stelmine’s twelve drill holes in this zone included intersections showing visible gold. Note that this is comparable to the 2006 discovery intersection (by SOQUEM) that also included visible gold.
Isabelle Proulx, President and CEO, states: “Stelmine is very pleased to be able to disclose the presence of new exploration targets on the Courcy property, where exploration work is ongoing. The Company firmly believes that the results of this additional work will help define new high priority drilling targets.”
Formation of Glacial Sediments
The till sampled at Courcy is a sediment formed thousands of years ago by glacial erosion. As a glacier advances, any exposed mineralization will be crushed, transported and eventually deposited downstream as glacial sediment. Basal tills are a mixture of sediments that are generally transported over a limited distance, and do not represent a point source. The till is therefore characteristic of a sampling area larger than a single outcrop, which therefore makes it possible to broaden the sampling grid. The presence of anomalies indicates a nearby upstream source; however, the absence of an anomaly does not allow us to conclude that there is no mineralized source, since it could be at depth and therefore not exposed to glacial erosion.
QA/QC Protocol for Till Samples
Stelmine implements a strict QA/QC protocol in the manipulation of till samples collected on the Mercator property. A clean metal shovel is used to dig through the topmost soil layers and to sample the glacial till (C-horizon) at a depth of between 50-130cm. Roughly 1 kg of till is collected, cleaned of coarse pebbles (greater than sixteen millimeters) and organic material, and put in single use plastic bags that are sealed and numbered with plastic cable ties, For each sample collected, the sample number, UTM coordinates obtained with a portable GPS, and a brief description are systematically recorded on an electronic tablet by the geologist. The samples are then transported to base camp, dried for at least 48h, then put in larger rice bags and kept securely in a field tent before being sent by floatplane to the city of Wabush. Transport to the Actlabs laboratories in Ancaster, Ontario is done by truck using dependable transport companies. Gold and other elements are analyzed by the INAA+ICP_OES (code 1H) methods.