Lac Chix
Location, Access, Description
The Lac Chix property is located about 70 km north of the town of Chibougamau, in the Nord-du-Quebec administrative region. The property is composed of three (3) mining claims covering 164,12 Ha in NTS 32J10, Eeyou-Istchee James Bay Territory. Titles are owned by a company registered under the name 9474-9454 Québec inc. and Globex retains a 2% Gross Metal Royalty (GMR) on it. The property is set on Category III lands where exploration is allowed under authorization of Native Communities.
The property is accessible by road from Chibougamau, driving about 20 km on Road 167 north then turn left on Route du Nord for about 80 km. Then a network of gravel roads leads to the property about 5 km further to the east.
Many commodities can be found in Chibougamau regarding contractors, equipment rental, as well as sleep and food accommodation of remote workers. A hydro power line strikes approximately N-S toward Chibougamau, about 4 km east of the property.
Geology and Mineralization
The Lac Chix property is located in the Opatica Sub-province of the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield (Card and Ciesielski, 1986). Rocks of the Opatica deposited between 2.82 and 2.68 Ga (Davis et al., 1995) and consist of both volcano-sedimentary rocks and gneissic domains (Hocq, 1994). Metamorphism gradually increases from south to north from the greenschists grade to the granulites grade, with evidences of partial melting (Sawyer and Benn, 1992). New geological and geochronological data indicate that the Abitibi and Opatica sub-provinces form a single lithotectonic block where Opatica represents the basal part of the Abitibi crust (MB2014-04, MB2016-01).
Rocks of the area of the Lac Chix property belong to the Archean Frotet-Evans Volcanic Belt (FEVB), a 250 km long structure which represents the second most important belt in Quebec and hosts the former Au-Cu Troilus Mine located about 45 km north of the property (Production 1997 – 2009 : 67.95 Kt @ 0.1% Cu and 1.07 g/t Au ; DV2010-01). The FEVB is a E-W to ENE-oriented Archean volcano-sedimentary band steeply dipping toward north, hosted in gneiss-plutonic terranes.
The FEVB is generally divided in four (4) different segments : Evans-Ouagama; Storm-Evans; Assinica and Frotet-Troilus (Boily and Dion, 2002) ; the Lac Chix property is located within the Frotet-Troilus one. Rocks of the Frotet Formation mainly consist in calco-alkaline pyroclastic deposits with intercalated gabbro and UM sills deposited between 2,793 and 2,755 Ma (Pilote et al., 1997, MB2000-12).
Numerous Gabbro sills are intercalated within the volcanic rocks of the FEVB and seem comagmatic with the volcanics. Historical geophysical surveys highlighted strong magnetic axis corresponding to peridotite and pyroxenite sills, as well as EM conductors. Granophyre sills are frequently observed in intercalation within the volcanics and are interpreted as the end product of fractional crystallization of the parent mafic magma.
Polyphase deformation of the area occurred between 2.7 and 2.65 Ga and varies from weak in the central part of the FEVB to intense on the south and north edges. The major structural features of the area are the Nottaway River and the Lucky Strike Stream shear zones and the Frotet anticline.
Granitoids intruded the area after major deformation phases (ET84-08). Metamorphism of the FEVB is at the upper greenschists grade to lower amphibolitic grade (RG96-11).
The Lac Chix property is located in the south structural domain of Gosselin (ET96-02). Regional foliation is NE-oriented. Several NE-SW fold axis are recognized in the property area and are concordant to the regional foliation. Both NE and ESE faults are also recognized in the vicinity of the property.
On the property, the Frotet-Troilus segment is mostly represented by magnesian basalt and amygdaloidal andesite of the De Maurès Formation. Volcanic rocks of the De Maurès Formation generally show pillowed textures, sometimes porphyritic. Affinity is tholeiitic to calk-alkaline from base to top of the rock sequence (ET96-02). Some pyroclastic and sedimentary horizons are locally intercalated within the volcanics, as well as quartz-feldspar porphyry (QFP) dykes.
Since the 1950s, numerous mineralized showings have been discovered in the Frotet-Troilus region. These are grouped into three main categories: 1) Au-Cu, Cu-Au-Ag vein-type mineralization ; 2) Sulphide associated gold mineralization (Py-Po-Cp) and 3) Zn-Cu-Ag-Au volcanogenic mineralization.
The Lac Chix gold (Au) showing was discovered in prospection in 1983 on the Lac Chix property. An outcrop shows some amphibole-rich gneiss intruded by pegmatite. Weak disseminated pyrite is observed, as well as minor chalcopyrite and sphalerite (GM09316-A). Grab samples taken in 1983 returned up to 1.2 g/t Au and 1.9 g/t Au (ET84-08).
The Boulder Lake zones A to C Zn-Au showings extend from 5 to 12 km NE of the Lac Chix property. Mineralization is composed of various quantities of pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite disseminated in the volcanics. On the Vertical Gradient of Magnetic Field, these showings appear to be associated with NE-oriented high magnetic anomalies associated with moderate to strong input anomalies.
The Lac Odon Cu-Mo deposit is located within the De Maurès syncline hinge, about 18 km north-east of the Lac Chix property. Mineralization is both massive and within quartz veins ; it is hosted in a N220°/-25° shear zone injected with felsic material, inside a sericite-altered gabbro. Historical Resource (non NI 43-101 conformable) is estimated to 8,000t @ 3.01% Cu and 0.10% Mo (GM28490, ET96-02).
Platinum Group Element mineralization (PGE) is also present in association with UM intrusive rocks in the area of the Lac Chix property. Trenching by Virginia Mines west of the property in 2001 exposed a massive and homogeneous gabbro containing up to 1% finely disseminated pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite (GM59830). Historical work highlighted the Pyrox II East (0.15 ppm Pt, 0.73 ppm Pd, 0.14 g/t Au, 0.28 % Cu and 0.07% Ni), Pyrox II West (0.3 g/t Au, 0.57 g/t Pt and 0.81 g/t Pd over 0.55 m) (GM58478) and Rose (0.97 g/t Pt, 1.1 g/t Pd and 0.53 g/t Au) showings, located about 20 km north of the property (GM59830).
The former Troïlus mine, located about 50 km north of the property, produced 2 million ounces of gold and nearly 70,000 tonnes of copper between 1997 and 2010.
Spodumene pegmatites are also listed at Moblan, about 30 km NW of the Lac Chix property, within the Frotet-Evans volcanics. Mineralized dykes are grouped in the hinge of the Frotet anticline (Pearse, 2008). In date of January, 2024, Probable Reserve at Moblan are estimated to 34.54Mt @ 0.63% Li (NI 43-101 Feasibility Study Report for the Moblan Lithium Project, Eeyou Istchee James Bay Territory, Quebec, Canada).
History
Exploration on the property essentially dates from the late 1950s and mainly consisted in geophysical and prospecting work with limited DDH (GM09316-A, GM09316-B, GM08922, GM08477). DDH intersected some pyrite-pyrrhotite mineralized horizons within mafic volcanics, returning weak base metals anomalies of 0.1% Cu and 0.3% Zn over 1.5 m (5 ft) in DDH F-1.
Trenching and diamond drilling by Tache Lake Mines in 1963 (GM13723) led to the discovery of the Lac De Maurès-Est showing (1.60% Cu over 2.8 ft – DDH B2) about 3.6 km NE of the property. The company drilled 5 holes (1,521 ft) in 1963, then executed 6 more DDH (1,150 ft) in 1966 (GM18180). No economic mineralization has been encountered and the company dropped the claims (GM18254).
The Lac Odon showing was discovered in 1971 by prospection and trenching by Cerro Mining (GM27663). Numerous exploration work have then been carried-out by successive companies in the surroundings of the Lac Odon showing. Works included geophysics Mag, EM and IP surveys (GM31741, GM44954, GM46960, GM53518), lake sediments geochemistry (GM34169, GM34187), trenching (GM54407) and diamond drilling (GM28490, GM55787, GM62463). Historical exploration succeeded in defining a ENE to NE-oriented mineralized structure over more than 400 meters within sheared gabbro and peridotite. Historical resource of 8,000t @ 3.01% Cu and 0.10% Mo have been estimated on the Lac Odon deposit (ET96-02).
In early 90s, following the discovery of an angular Cu-Zn-bearing massive sulfide boulder in the Lac De Maurès area, Inco Exploration undertook airborne and ground electromagnetic and magnetic surveys, geological mapping, prospecting, trenching and diamond drilling on the Boulder Lake and Claudette properties (GM52209, GM52828 and GM52492). These works led to the discoveries of the Boulder Lake and Claudette Zone showings. Subsequent DDH by Inco in the mid-90’s failed to identify any significant VMS style mineralization or alteration (GM52210).
In 2006, Falconbridge Ltd. implanted 1 DDH 1.2 km north of the property which didn’t intersect any significant metallic anomaly (GM62463).
In 2022, Troilus Gold Corp. conducted an extensive exploration program within the Frotet-Evans segment of the FEVB (GM73251). The Boulder property area has been investigated by this work but no grab sample was taken there.
Resources and Potential
Mineralization of the area appears to be strongly associated with ENE to NE positive magnetic anomalies concordant with regional foliation and associated with moderate to strong input anomalies, which makes it easy to identify on geophysical surveys.
Historical DDH by Falconbridge NNE of the Lac Chix property tested weak to moderate input anomalies within the volcanics. Stronger input anomalies are present west of the Lac Chix showing, a few tens of meters west of Globex’s claims, and have not been tested in DDH yet.
Very few recent exploration work is reported on the Lac Chix property ; most historical work dates from de 50’s. New mag and IP/EM ground surveys with current technologies would possibly detect some unknown anomalies and therefore generate new exploration targets in this area.
Globex also holds numerous strategic claims and royalties in the vicinity of the Lac Chix property (maps below).
