Lac Chibougamau

The Lac Chibougamau property is located in the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield. The Abitibi Sub-province is known for its prolific and diverse rich mineral deposits; total gold production of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt (AGB) since the beginning of the 20^th century is estimated at over 210 million ounces (Moz) Au (Dumas, 2024).

The Chibougamau region hosts some of the eldest rocks of the AGB; the Project area straddles the contact between the mafic magmatic rocks of the Lac Doré Complex (LDC)  to the south and sediments and mafic volcanics of the Roy Group to the north. The property area is largely underlain by variably sericitized, massive anorthosite and anorthositic gabbro of the LDC, which grade into the iron-rich ultramafic units. Within the Property, the stratigraphy of the Roy Group comprises predominantly basalt and andesitic basalt, mafic to felsic volcaniclastic rock, dacite, rhyolite, banded iron formations (BIF), chert, and argillite. The anorthosite Doré Lake Complex and the Chibougamau Pluto were emplaced into this volcano-sedimentary package, and both played a major role as regional mineralized features, and the vast majority of mines in the Lake Chibougamau area are located within or near these two intrusions.

All rock units in the area were affected by multiple deformation events and are folded into a succession of east-west trending anticlines and synclines. Lithological units tend to have steep to subvertical dips. Faults and shear zones in the region strike dominantly northeast and east. Regional metamorphism is at the greenschists grade.

The Chibougamau Mining District is located in the northeastern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt and hosts a variety of deposit styles; Leclerc et al. (2012) documented volcanogenic massive sulphide (“VMS”) deposits, magmatic Fe-Ti-V and Ni-Cu ± PGE mineralization, early polymetallic (Au-Ag-Cu-Zn-Pb) vein deposits (to which the Property mineralization might belong), Chibougamau-type Cu-Au-veins, shear zone-hosted Au deposits, and Opemiska-type Cu-Au veins. Total production of the Chibougamau mining camp since the beginning of the 20^th century is estimated at 1,624.9 Mlbs Cu and 3.22 Moz Au (Houle, 2019).

Mineral production from the Chibougamau Mining Camp was derived largely from mesothermal Cu-Au veins. The discovery of Cu-Au deposits in the Lac Dore Intrusive Suite, historically known as “Chibougamau-type mineralization,” led to the development of the Chibougamau-Chapais mining camp (Pilote et al., 1998). Between 1954 and the end of 1977, 15 deposits were discovered and were periodically in production. Most of the past producing mines are located within the anorthositic gabbro phase of the Lac Doré Complex. When the Chibougamau Pluton intruded the bedrock, the Lac Doré anorthosites were fractured and filled with metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids. Mineralization on the Lac Chibougamau property is characterized by strong injection of quartz-iron carbonate (ankerite-siderite) veins or veinlets hosted in E-W-oriented shear zones (GM73771).

The presence of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) on the Mont Sorcier project is strongly associated with ultramafic units inside rocks of the Lac Doré Complex. The Lac Chibougamau is located in strike with the geological units and with the mineralized zones at Mont Sorcier. Some UM sills are known on the property.