Location, Access, Description
Globex owns four (4) properties of interest for uranium exploration in the administrative region of Côte-Nord, Québec. The properties are located a few kilometres north of Sept-Îles, and totalize 156 claims (8,504.16 Ha) in NTS 22J08, 22J09, 22J10 and 22J15.
The properties in question are named, from south to north, Lac Kachiwiss, Lac Burma-Sud, Lac Burma-Nord and Lac Diamant.
The four (4) properties in question are located between 15km and 50km north of the town of Sept-Îles in Quebec Province (Figure 1), approximately 780 km northeast of Montreal. They consist of 156 mining claims dispatched into five (5) distinct blocks totaling 8,504.16 Ha in SNRC 22J08, 22J09, 22J10 and 22J15 (Figure 2). The claims are fully owned by Globex and are not subjected to any underlying royalties or third party interests.
Access to the properties is not possible by road. One can access either by small float plane thanks to the presence of numerous lakes in the vicinity of each properties, or by helicopter from Sept-Îles regional airport. A network of old exploration trails then allows to move easily by walk or VTT within the Lac Kachiwiss property.
This area enjoys quick access to a large selection of contractors and amenities in Sept-Îles, in particular for accommodation of remote workers. The Sainte-Marguerite-3 hydroelectric power facility is located 25km NW of the area of the 3 properties, on the Ste-Marguerite river.
Regional topography is that of an undulating peneplain cut by steep valleys carved by rivers. The ground rises progressively from south to north to reach altitudes up to 750m above sea level on the northern block of claims. The geology has a direct influence on the topography ; large areas with plain or little accentuated topography are occupied by gneisses, whereas intrusive rocks, in particular anorthosites and gabbros, give a rugged topography. Most of the property is covered with Boreal vegetation (spruce, birch trees essentially) and wildlife is abundant in the woods (moose, caribou, red fox…) and rivers (red and speckled trout, salmon…). According to aerial photographs of the Quebec Government, outcropping conditions seem to be quite good in that area.
Quebec Government’s climate data recorded over 30 years, between 1981 and 2010, indicates that the average annual temperature in that area is 1.6°C. The hottest month is July with 14.6°C, and the coldest one is January with -13.4°C. Total annual precipitations are 1 092.6mm, including 839.8mm of rain and 251.7cm of snow.
Geology and Mineralization
Regional Settings
Rocks of the Sept-Îles area belong to the Allochtone unit of the Grenville Province of the Canadian Shield. It mainly consists of gneiss derived from Precambrian sediments and granitoids (Figure 3). These rocks overlapped those of the Parautochtone unit during the Grenvillian orogeny (1.09 to 0.98 Ga). Metamorphism of low pressure – high temperature reached the granulite domain and generated anatectic granites and pegmatites. The greater part of gneiss have parageneses of the lower amphibolite facies (RG162).
The intrusive rocks occupy about 30% of the area. In order of importance, intrusive rocks consist of anorthosites, charnockites (mangerites-jotunites), gabbros and diabases, and finally acidic rocks (granite, syenite, monzonite) (RG162). Numerous pegmatite and carbonatite dikes and sills are also observed within metamorphic rocks of that area.
A northeast trending zone of pink potash and smoky quartz pegmatites is observed in the area of Kachiwiss lake. The Baldwin feeder dyke hosts the Lac Kachiwiss deposit. That structure has been first described in 1968 following aerial and ground radiometric surveys (Baldwin – GM24612) and consists of a 975 x 700m dyke oriented N045/-30°. Uranium (U) – Thorium (Th) mineralization is found as Uranitite, Uranothorite, Monazite and Allanite. At Lac Kachiwiss-2, U-Th mineralization is located in biotite / magnetite-enriched zones within pegmatitic granite.
The Sept-Îles mafic Complex is located southwest of the area of interest. That structure has been intensively explored and drilled in the past decades for its potential for phosphate (apatite), iron and titanium (ET97-05).
Economic Geology
The area offers interesting economic possibilities for iron-titanium and for uranium. The iron-titanium are associated with the anorthosite massifs and the iron formations of the Sept-Îles Complex, and the uranium is related to the acidic rock intrusions. Pegmatites and carbonatites are of particular interest as these rocks are often associated with U-Th-REE mineralization. The gneisses are generally quite poor in mineralization and the iron and copper sulphides are highly disseminated (RG162).
Recent work by the MERN led to the discovery of Nb-Zr-Y mineralization within a syenogranite east of the property area (BG 2023-12), which highlights new interesting potential of alkalic rocks of the Grenville Province and therefore in Globex’s properties area.
Several showings are listed in the area of the 3 Globex’s properties. Most of them were discovered by airborne radiometric surveys carried-out during the 60’s ans 70’s and are described as follows :
- Lac Burma-Nord showing: Disseminated uraninite within granitic pegmatite dikes and sills, assays up to 015% U3O8.
- Lac Burma-Sud showing: U-Th-Nb ±Mt-Mo-Py-Cp mineralization within granitic pegmatite dikes and sills. A N045°-oriented main pegmatite zone is delimited with a strike length of 800 metres, 400 metres wide and 180 metres SE of Lake Burma. Historical stripping, channel sampling and diamond drilling returned assays up to 05% U3O8 on the A Zone measuring 91 x 23 x 15 metres.
- Lac Kachiwiss showing: U-Th deposit (Baldwin feeder dyke) composed of three clusters of pegmatites containing uriniferous biotite. Following the 2008 DDH campaign by Terra Ventures (GM 64198), a historical Resource has been estimated at 3 Mt grading 0.02% U3O8 on the Lac Kachiwiss deposit.
- Prospect Reid showing: Highly radioactive N135/-90° pegmatite dyke in gneiss, observed over 155 metres in strike, and 0.15m to 2.75m wide. Assays up to 82% U3O8 on grab samples.
- Tortellier lake : A large regional Uranium anomaly was defined both by airbone radiometry and lake sediments geochemistry (GM49160). The anomalous area comprises the entire 22J09 western half. No source for the anomaly has been identified yet.
History
The Sept Iles area has a fairly limited history of uranium exploration. The area was previously mapped by Faessler (RG021 ; 1945) and Franconi et al. (RG162 ; 1975). Most significant works are described below.
The eldest exploration work known in the area was completed by Seven Islands Mining Company (Hogan, 1953 – GM02296 & GM02463). They reported the results of prospecting and trench along 510 feet of a pegmatite dike of irregular narrow width, along with the drilling of 4 shallow diamond drill holes totalling 709 feet. The reports state that the widest pegmatite intersection was 9 feet, and all assays were below 0.1% U3O8. The exact location for this work is unclear but it likely refers to the Reid prospect located 8km south of Kachiwiss lake.
In 1968, Satellite Metal Mines staked claims as the result of an airborne radiometric survey and carried out prospecting and trenching which led to the discovery of the Lac Kachiwiss deposit (0.075% U3O8 equivalent over 30 feet). Between 1975 and 1978 Getty Minerals staked additional claims and carried out extensive work including line cutting, geologic mapping, geochemical surveys, magnetic and radiometric surveys two diamond drilling programs (GM33074 & GM34330) and metallurgical testing (GM33620). Coll (1979 – GM33620) reported that using conventional leaching methods a 92.9% recovery of an ore averaging 0.4 lbs U3O8 per ton was possible. The two drilling programs included 19 holes in 1976 and 7 holes in 1978 totalling 2,173m. Coll (1979) also reported (Not 43-101 compliant) “drill indicated plus geologically inferred resources amounting to 18.3 Mt averaging 0.31 lbs U308/ton within a pegmatitic granite-aplite body”.
Between 1976 and 1978, SOQUEM carried-out extensive Uranium and Base Metals regional exploration over a large property (Manic Project) extending from Sept-Îles to Lake Manicouagan located approximately 200km NW (GM49160, GM49161, GM49164). The program covered Globex’s properties and included photo-interpretation, geological mapping, lake sediments geochemistry as well as airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys. Several radiometric anomalies were encountered in the lake Tortellier and Vallée River areas (NTS 22J09 & 22J10) then prospected on the field. Rocks that cause these anomalies are of different origins : white pegmatites, pink pegmatites, granite, fractures filled with radioactive material and charnockitic gneisses.
In 1994, the MERN makes available to the public a new series of color geochemical maps covering NTS sheet 22J (MB95-53). The original data are taken from lake sediment sampling carried out by SOQUEM during the 70’s. Each map shows variations in regional lake sediment concentrations for a given metal. The entire area north of Sept-Îles appears highly anomalous in Uranium.
In 2008, Terra Nova undertook a 4,399.86m DDH program leading to the discovery of the Lac Kachiwiss-2 showing (Metsaranta and Bambic – GM64198). Surface grades were usually quite low but higher uranium concentrations were obtained at depth, justifying that there is possibly significant potential to expand the extent of known mineralization at depth and in strike. A historical Resource has been estimated at 18.3 Mt grading 0.02% U3O8 on the Lac Kachiwiss deposit after the 2008 DDH campaign.
Geological mapping of the area was actualized in 2010 by Quebec Ministry geologists (CG SIGEOM22J).
Resources and Potential
Historical works in the area north of Sept-Îles defined a fertile environment for uranium (±Th ±REE) exploration on Globex’s Lac Kachiwiss, Lac Burma-Sud, Lac Burma-Nord and Lac Diamant properties. While Prospect Reid and Lac Kachiwiss uranium showings were already known, SOQUEM’s lake geochemistry sampling and airborne radiometric surveys both carried out in the 70’s highlighted numerous new anomalies that led to the discovery of the Lac Burma-Sud and Lac Burma-Nord uranium showings. The entire area north of Sept-Îles is characterized by moderate to strong radiometric anomalies, in particular between Tortellier lake and Burma lake in western 22J09. These anomalies don’t seem to be associated with evident magnetic anomalies and U ±Th-Nb mineralization is hosted in granitic pegmatites injected within gneisses and migmatites. Not much detailed work was done there after SOQUEM and the source of the large anomaly still has to be defined.
Two (2) strong anomalous axis of uranium concentrations in lake sediments appear in the area north of Sept-Îles on the coloured map released by MERN in 1994 (Figure 5). One is north-south oriented and the other one is oriented northwest-southeast, running from the Lac Kachiwiss property area (NTS 22J08) to the Lac Diamant property located almost 100 km to the NW (NTS 22J15), englobing both Lac Burma-Sud and Lac Burma-Nord properties. That configuration could either be the result of a NW-SE mineralized structure or due to flow dispersion in streams and rivers. On the vertical gradient of magnetic
field presented in figure 6 one can interprete a structure running N315-320° from east of Lac Kachiwiss property and which roughly coincides with the large uranium anomaly observed in lake sediments. That structure could be due to the presence of NW-SE pegmatite swarms and in that case all that area would therefore be considered as fertile for U-Th-REE exploration. Pegmatites are indeed noted east of Lac Diamant property (Figure 3).
If the hypothesis of flow dispersion is considered however, as relief gradually increases from south to north in this area, indicating a flow direction of streams and rivers globally from north to south, the source of uranium lake sediments anomalies therefore has to be investigated upstream to the north / northwest.
A historical Resource has already been estimated on the Lac Kachiwiss deposit by Terra Nova in 2008, predicting 18.3 Mt grading 0.02% U3O8 (GM64198). Following the conclusions of Terra Nova, the potential to expand known mineralization is still open at depth as well as in strike. Both exploration and infill drilling should therefore be undertaken to better define an economic resource.
It appears then that orthogneisses and migmatites that undergone granulite metamorphism are a regional metallotect for uranium mineralization in that area. Indeed, partial melting of a large volume of intrusive rocks can lead to the segregation of a mobilisate enriched in U-Th and other REE, that will eventually migrate and crystallize in pegmatite dikes. As pegmatites are competent rocks it is often possible to observe them directly on surface outcrops. In areas without visible outcrops, ground radiometric surveys as well as soil geochemistry surveys with narrow spacing will help to constrain the sources of anomalies and identify new deposits. Bibliography also mentions the presence of carbonatites (RG162), but this type of rocks does not seem to be widespread in the area of Globex’s properties.
Finally, as pegmatites can also be associated to rare metals mineralization too (Li, Cs, Nb, Ta), in particular in the present context of partial melting of paragneisses, these elements should be considered in further exploration in that area.
It is therefore recommended to proceed in :
Lake Kachiwiss property
- Refresh historical strippings at Lac Kachiwiss and Lac Kachiwiss 2 showings to observe mineralization style and geological context ;
- Re-assay in trenches to confirm historical values ;
- Review all historical DDH data and sections as well as core from selected DDH in order to plan further exploration / infill drilling ;
- High resolution airborne magnetic survey, in order to better determine geology and structures, and eventually trace new pegmatite dikes ;
Lac Burma-Sud, Lac Burma-Nord & Lac Diamant properties
- Observation of mineralization style and geological context on outcrop at Lac Burma-Nord showing ;
- High resolution airborne magnetic survey, in order to better determine geology and structures, and eventually highlight new pegmatite dikes ;
- Ground prospection with a radiometer and an excavator to localize new radiometric anomalies and, anytime possible, describe and sample the source of each anomaly ;
- Soil geochemistry survey to constrain the area of investigation in search for the source of the large uranium anomaly covering the entire area ;
Stripping and channel-sampling over the best prospection and soil anomalies.