Summary:
The Deposit is a turbidite-hosted orogenic gold deposit hosted within a sequence of alternating argillites and greywacke metamorphosed to greenschist facies. These deposit types are typically characterized by the formation of gold bearing quartz veins within the argillite units, commonly referred to as mineralized Belts, that are interbedded with greywacke units. There are currently 68 stacked mineralized Belts ranging in thickness from 1 m to 20 m in the Deposit. The metasedimentary units on the Property are folded into the tight, gently east-plunging Upper Seal Harbour Anticline and gold mineralization has typically been deposited at various positions and times during the fold formation process. Veins, which form during deformation, occur in three major geometries commonly referred to as reefs: saddle reefs, leg reefs, and spur reefs. Saddle reefs occur about the apex of the fold and are the dominant vein types within some deposits. Leg reefs extend down the limbs of the fold, beyond the saddle reef, and are generally parallel with the metasedimentary layers. These are also commonly termed BP veins in the Nova Scotia goldfields. Spur reefs are veins that cross between layers and may be in the apex of the fold or on its limbs. This style of vein is in part captured under the term “angular” in the Nova Scotia goldfields.
The Deposit contains all three types of reefs outlined above but is also characterized by mineralization within the argillite forming the Belts. Because the Deposit contains saddle, leg, and spur reefs, and often has gold mineralization within the argillite hosting the veins, it has the potential to contain significantly more gold resources than deposits of a similar style that contain gold only within the quartz veins (reefs) themselves. The trace of the Upper Seal Harbour Anticline transects the Property and is found near the Dolliver Mountain prospect 2 km to the west of the Deposit, demonstrating that the structure which hosts gold continues for several kilometres.
The Project is underlain by rocks within the Goldenville Formation dominated by greywacke and argillite. At the Deposit, the Goldenville Formation consists of alternating greywacke and argillite beds with an approximate true thickness of 950 m. The base of the stratigraphic sequence intersected in the BR Gold System consists of roughly 325 m of alternating greywacke and argillite, with varying proportions of both rock types, ranging in thickness from less than 1 m up to 10 m. This is overlain by the Marker Horizon, which consists of a 40 m to 50 m greywacke bed that is commonly intersected during drilling and in underground workings.
High-grade gold mineralization at the Deposit occurs in both quartz veins and host argillite. These high-grade zones are BP and generally continuous around the fold hinge and down the north and south limbs. These mineralized zones are referred to as Belts. Sixty-eight Belts have been modelled within the Deposit and are referred to as Higher-Grade Belt within the model. A more disseminated, generally lower-grade, style of mineralization occurs in the wall rock adjacent to the quartz veins and can extend several metres outward from and between Higher-Grade Belts. These are referred to as Lower-Grade Domains and can include disseminated gold mineralization within altered, sulphide (arsenopyrite) bearing wall rock including greywacke and argillite, gold bearing quartz sulphide veins of variable orientation that do not correlate geometrically to adjacent Higher-Grade Belts.
Gold is associated with sulphide bearing quartz veins and altered, sulphidic wall rock. Arsenopyrite is the most common sulphide species present, although pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite are also associated. Gold commonly occurs as a free-milling phase within quartz veins but is also present in direct association with vein-hosted arsenopyrite. In such cases, it commonly occurs as inclusions within arsenopyrite, as free particles associated with microfractures cutting arsenopyrite crystals, and as free particles attached to arsenopyrite crystal surfaces (Ryan & Smith, 1998). Pyrite also coats fracture and cleavage planes closest to vein contacts and occurs as finegrained, disseminated subhedral crystals. Pyrite locally exhibits wispy and blebby textures and frequently shows association with late faults (Gervais, D.; Carrier, A.; Brousseau, K.; InnovExplo Inc., 2009).
Native gold is nuggety in nature, and grains range from microscopic up to several centimetres in size and is found in all rock types, with visible gold generally associated with quartz veins. Within quartz veins, gold is present as free gold in quartz, and within arsenopyrite grains, along grain boundaries and internal fractures, and is non-refractory in nature. Native gold also occurs as a disseminated phase in altered argillite and argillite/greywacke intervals adjacent to and separate from quartz veins, demonstrating its association with both quartz veins and the altered wall rock.