Barraute
Location, Access, Description
The Barraute property is located in the Abitibi MRC of the Abitibi-Temiscamingue administrative region, about 40 km east of Amos (Qc) and 48 km north of Val-d’Or (Qc). It is composed of 6 contiguous mining titles totalling 286.29 ha in Barraute township (NTS 32C12) (Figure 1). These titles were sold to Prospectus Capital in March, 2024, and Globex retained a 2% Gross Metal Royalty (GMR) on the property.
The property is easily accessible by Provincial Road 397 which connects Val-d’Or to La Morandière. Several trails allow for truck or VTT travel through the property.
Topography is quite flat on the property, with elevations comprised between 320 and 330 metres above sea level. The vegetal cover is dominated by black spruce, jack pine and mixed leafy trees. Limited outcrops can be observed, essentially in deforested areas. A streams runs in a ESE orientation in the south part of the property and seems to follow the path of a dextral fault (Sigeom).
Main commodities can be found in Amos / Val-d’Or regarding contractors, equipment rental, as well as sleep and food accommodation of remote workers.
Geology and Mineralization
Regional Settings
The Barraute property lies within the Archean Greenstone Belt of the Abitibi Sub-province of the Canadian Shield. The Abitibi Sub-province includes a series of bands of ultramafic, mafic and felsic volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks deposited between 2,790 and 2,690 Ma. All these rocks were deformed several times and verticalized during the Kenorean orogeny that occurred between -2.7 and -2.5 Ga (MB2016-01). Sub-circular pre- to post-tectonic TTG-type plutonic domains intruded Archean volcanic and sedimentary rocks.
The area of the property has been mapped several times in the past (MB86-21, MB95-24, RG2000-08, Projet 2015-01). The property is located in the Taschereau-Amos-Senneterre furrow (STAS) which is a large volcanic segment belonging to the Northern Volcanic Zone of Chown et al., (1992). The STAS is limited by a series of NW-SE shears : the Landrienne corridor to the south, the Macamic corridor to the west and the Chicobi-Sud corridor to the north.
The geology of this area is formed by an archaean age volcano-sedimentary sequence including mafic, intermediate and felsic volcanics and volcanoclastic rocks (2,727 ±2 Ma to 2,716 ±2 Ma; MB2009-09).
From south to north rocks of that area belong to the Lower Figuery Group, Upper Figuery Group, Amos Group and Lac Arthur Group (Figures 3 & 4). All these groups are mostly composed of mafic volcanics dominated by basalts and andesite of tholeiitic to calc-alkaline affinity. Gabbro sills, felsic volcanics and tuffs, as well as fine sediments horizons are locally intercalated within mafic volcanics.
Regional metamorphism is of the greenschists grades and affects all volcanic and sedimentary rocks described above. Primary structures and textures are generally well preserved, except in some areas of intense deformation (RG2000-08). Metamorphism reached the amphibolite facies near the granitic intrusions.
Property Geology
The northern half of the Barraute property is occupied by the Laflamme Pluto which have been described as a syenitic intrusion in the past (RG109). Most recent works proved though that it is made up of varying proportions of monzonite, quartz-monzonite, monzodiorite and minor granodiorite of calc-alkaline affinity (BG2020-06). The Laflamme Pluto covers an area of ~6 km2. Its long axis is oriented WNW-ESE and extends for 3.6 km, while its short axis is oriented NE-SW and extends for 1.7 km. Laflamme Pluto’s syn- to late-tectonic age looks favorable for gold mineralization (RP2009-04 ; RP2014-01).
The southern half of the property is composed of calc-alkaline intermediate to felsic volcanoclastites of the Figuery Group which represents the southern part of the STAS. Rocks of the Figuery Group are sub-divided into a Lower Figuery Group and an Upper Figuery Group (Projet 2015-01). The Upper Figuery Group is mostly composed with massive to porphyritic calc-alkaline andesites intercalated with lenses of felsic volcanics and volcanoclastites as well as mudstone. Some pyritic and graphitic tuff are also intercalated and locally in faulted contact within porphyritic andesites of the Upper Figuery Group in the central part of the property (Figure 4). The Lower Figuery Group is mainly composed of tholeiitic basalts and mafic volcaniclastites, and minor andesites. Some wide gabbro sills are also present locally.
These units are ESE-oriented and host numerous airborne electromagnetic anomalies INPUT and/or MEGATEM (Figures 4 & 5) which are generally associated with graphitic and sulphide-rich (pyrite, pyrrhotite) volcanosediments (“tufs”). On figure 5 we can see that both Barraute VII-56 and Barraute-Zinc showings are associated with strong Input / MEGATEM anomalies.
Metallogeny
The Barraute area hosts four (4) main metallogenic contexts (BG2020-06) : 1) Au orogenic hosted in shear zones (Barraute VII-56) ; 2) Zn-Cu-Ag mineralization of VMS type (Abcourt Mine, Barraute Zinc) ; 3) Cu-Au-Mo mineralizations related to alkaline porphyritic intrusions and 4) Au related to porphyritic intrusions (Swanson). Most of NW-SE ductile faults and shear corridors of the Taschereau-Amos-Senneterre furrow (STAS) are host of Au mineralization (Projet 2015-01). Gold mineralizations can be subdivised into 3 groups : 1) Au veins on the edge or inside synvolcanic plutos ; 2) Au veins associated to shear zones ; 3) Au veins inside late-tectonic intrusions (Projet 2015-01).
The Barvue (Abcourt) Mine is located 6.5 km west of the Barraute property and consists of a Zn-rich (±Ag ±Pb ±Cu) VMS deposit hosted in felsic volcanics of the Figuery Group. This mine had a historical production of 5.08 Mt @ 2.96% Zn and 38.05 g/t Ag (1952-1957) and 640.66 Kt @ 5.1% Zn and 130 g/t Ag (1989-1990).
The Swanson Au (±Ag ±Cr ±Zn) deposit is located about 2.5 km NNE of the Barraute property and consists in auriferous quartz-fuchsite veins related to the Swanson syenite, hosted in mafic/UM rocks of the Amos Group. DDH intersected numerous significative anomalies up to 2.59 g/t Au over 89.5m (GM63152) and 89.1 g/t Au and 28.8 g/t Ag over 1.5m (GM40148). This deposit has an Indicated Resource of 1.75 Mt @ 1.85 g/t Au (Faure, 2016 – Projet 2015-01).
Several Ultramafic (UM) sills are known in the STAS, the most known being the Dumont-Nickel one located about 65 km WNW of the Barraute property in UM rocks of the Amos Group, with Proven & Probable Reserves of 1,028 Mt @ 0.27% Ni and Resources of 1.67 Mt @ 0.27% Ni in the Measured and Indicated Categories (NI 43-101 Technical, Royal Nickel Corp., dated July, 2019).
Pilote and Marleau (BG2020-06) recently defined a series of favorable metallic zones in the Barraute area. The Laflamme Pluto is a granodioritic-composed porphyroid pluton which represents a favorable zone (Laflamme zone) for Cu-Au-Mo quartz vein mineralization located in fractures and shear zones. These veins are commonly oriented NW and E-W with moderate to steep dips towards the north. Several of these veins show carbonated and sheared edges. The Barraute VII-56 showing is contained within this area. Molybdenite is observed locally in some quartz veins.
The Figuery Group also includes two favorable areas (Figuery North and Figuery South ; Figure 6) which both include pyrite and graphite tuff, as well as dacitic and andesitic units (BG2020-06). The continuity of these conductive units is well illustrated by the Input anomalies (DP2008-09 ; Figure 5). The favorable zone of Figuery Nord is present on the Barraute property and it contains VMS-type zinc mineralized zones (Damascus, Nealon-1) which consist of subconcordant pyrite and sphalerite clusters oriented E-W to WNW, and galena-silver veins (Frebert-FS-20). The favorable zone of Figuery Sud contains the VMS-type zinc mineralized zones of Barraute Zinc, which consist of WNW-oriented subconcordant pyrite and sphalerite clusters.
The Barraute property hosts both the Barraute VII-56 and the Barraute-Zinc showings. The first one is described as a N250°/-55° oriented and 50 m long by 2 m wide quartz vein within a sheared section of the Laflamme Pluto. Historical grab samples returned up to 22.28 g/t Au and assays up to 1.34 g/t Au over 1.0 m (GM41543) are reported on DDH BB 06-01 (GM63153). The second one is composed of 2% sphalerite and 0.5% galena disseminated in a quartz breccia within felsic volcanics. Assays up to 0.79% Zn and 0.08% Pb over 1.50 m returned from DDH BB-06-05 (GM63153).
History
Mining exploration in the region began in 1959 when prospector G. Paquette discovered a 51.8 m long by nearly 2 m wide quartz vein in the eastern part of lot 56, rank VII, Barraute Township. The samples collected during this survey returned grades of up to 13.7 g/t Au and 1.6% molybdenite (MoS2). This vein is oriented N250°/-55° and defined the Barraute VII-56 showing.
Further airborne geophysical surveys (magnetometric and electromagnetic) were undertaken in the Barraute area in 1965 by Bargold Mines Ltd and Keevil Mining Group Ltd. Several conductive axis were highlighted and their locations were determined by ground surveys. Some of these conductors were then drilled to test the cause of their conductivity.
In 1966, 6 holes were thus drilled, including 4 on the Barraute property (B 66-1 to B 66-4 for a total of 540 meters). It appeared that several of these conductors were caused by graphitic horizons containing significative amounts of pyrite and pyrrhotite with lesser amounts of sphalerite and chalcopyrite (GM17767).
The Barraute property has been sold to Prospectus Capital on 1st march, 2024. Globex retains a 2% GMR on any future production on these claims.
Resources and Potential
The Barraute property appears to be well located in an area where numerous gold and base metals showings and deposits are listed. Two (2) main metallogenic contexts are reported on the Barraute property : 1) the first one is represented by base metals related to VMS inside felsic volcanics and felsic volcanoclastites of the Figuery Group (Barraute-Zinc showing). The south half of the Barraute property has thus recently been classified as a favorable zone (Figuery South zone) for VMS mineralization (BG2020-06). 2) The second type corresponds to Cu-Au-Mo quartz vein mineralization located in fractures and shear zones related to the Laflamme Pluto (Barraute VII-56 showing). Pilote & Marleau (BG2020-06) thus classified the half north of the Barraute property as a favorable zone for Au (±Cu ±Mo) mineralization (Laflamme Zone).
Considering the styles of mineralization in presence on the property, the best approach for further exploration work would be as follows :
- Detailed compilation of historical geophysical surveys in a GIS in order to highlight coincident anomalies (Mag / EM / IP / Input) ;
- Reading of the old DDH logs in order to better characterize hostrocks, alterations and structures associated to each of the two mineralization styles known on the property ;
- New high definition airborne Mag survey (NOVATEM) on the entire property ;
- New ground IP and EM surveys of the entire property, following N-S grid lines (See Rioux, 2019 – GM71669) ;
- Mechanical stripping / Diamond drilling of the best anomalies.