Martiniere West Gold Trend

The Martiniere West Gold Trend is a somewhat arcuate zone of shearing, alteration and associated gold mineralization which has been traced over 1,500 metres from just north of the Sunday Lake deformation zone through its intersection with the Bug Lake Gold Trend. The southern portion of the Trend, while still sparsely tested, strikes roughly north-south. The structural zone then arcs to a northeast strike approximately 1,000 metres north of the Sunday Lake and then traverses another 600 metres before intersecting the Bug Lake Gold Trend.

Gold mineralization along the Martiniere West Trend is hosted within weakly to moderately sheared quartz gabbro near its eastern and southern contacts with a package of mafic volcanic and sedimentary units. Gold mineralization is associated with broad zones of sericite alteration cored by zones of silica-sulphide veining and flooding. Highest gold grades are most commonly associated with abundant pyrite, lesser arsenopyrite with minor base metal bearing sulphides. The style and multi-sulphide metal association of the Martiniere West trend is distinct from that associated with the Bug Lake Gold Trend suggesting the presence within the broader system of at least two, discrete, gold-bearing fluids which have both produced high grade gold mineralization.

The Martiniere West Gold Zone (MWZ) is a 400 metre long by 3 to 15 metres wide zone of sulphide-associated gold mineralization which has been traced from the bedrock surface to vertical depths of 325 metres and which remains open to depth. The MWZ is best developed within the northeast-striking portion of the Trend just east of the “bend” in the structural trend. It exhibits a plunge to the southwest.

Located midway between the MWZ and the Bug Lake Gold Zones, the Martiniere Central Zone (MCZ) was originally discovered by Cyprus Canada in 1996. Drilling between 1996 and 2006 returned a number of high-grade gold intercepts along strike from the MWZ within the same gabbro host. Drilling to date has not established any significant continuity to the mineralization in the MCZ area.