Geology

The Martiniere Property is centrally located within Balmorals' Detour Gold Trend Project. The Property is underlain by rocks of the Harricana -Turgeon Belt which comprise the northern most of a series of volcano-sedimentary sequences with the prolific Archean-aged Abitibi Greenstone Belt. In addition to the gold deposits and occurrences located along the Detour Gold trend the Harricana-Turgeon Belt also hosts the Selbaie, Matagami, Joutel, Brouillan base metal mining districts and the gold deposits of the Casa Berardi district. The region is underlain by sedimentary and mafic to felsic volcanic rocks with coeval intrusions, all of Archean age. The major regional structural features in the Martiniere area are the east-west trending Sunday-Detour Lake and Lower Detour Deformation Zones and the Martiniere Deformation Zone which cross-cuts the Property.

The Martiniere Property is almost entirely covered by glacial overburden which ranges in thickness from 10 to 35 metres. Only scattered areas of bedrock are exposed along small hill ranges mainly on the northern part of the Property and along major rivers. The Sunday Lake Deformation Zone which crosses the southern end of the Property separates a sequence of sedimentary rocks from a volcanic dominated terrain to the north. The Sunday Lake Deformation Zone itself is a 200-300 metre wide zone of moderate to strong alteration and deformation marking a major regional fault structure which can be traced across Ontario and Quebec for over 150 kilometres. "Timiskaming-type" conglomerate basins, located along the northern margin of the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone indicate a geological setting similar to that observed along the Destor-Porcupine Deformation Zone in the Timmins Gold Camp.

North of the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone the Martiniere Property is dominated by mafic volcanic rocks with intercalated sedimentary rocks. The basaltic rocks are intruded by a series of mafic intrusive rocks, porphyritic felsic intrusions and local ultramafic bodies. Limited regional drilling has indicated the presence of volumetrically minor felsic volcanic rocks throughout the belt which is significant given the prolific volcanogenic massive sulphide districts located immediately to the south.

In addition to the regional scale deformation zones which cross-cut the property recent drilling and geophysical studies indicates the presence of an early series of north-northeast trending fault structures throughout the property. At least one of these structures -- the Bug Lake Fault -- is known to be associated with significant gold mineralization. A series of north-northeast striking diabase dykes are also present regionally.



The south-central portion of the Property, which has been the focus for the majority of recent exploration by Balmoral is dominated by mafic volcanic rocks. A northeast trending shear -- the Martiniere Deformation Zone -- is centered on a multi-phase gabbroic intrusion which appears to sit along the contact between north mafic volcanic rocks and sedimentary rock to the south. Abundant laminated to disseminated sulphide is present within the sedimentary rocks which is locally conductive. Weak to moderate shearing is present over 200-300 metres centered on the West Zone gabbro body.

Midway across the Martiniere Property the 350 degree trending, east dipping Bug Lake Fault Zone separates the West Zone gabbro from mafic volcanic rocks to east. The Bug Lake Fault dips approximately 50 degrees to the east but has a sigmoidal dip plane. The overlying mafic volcanic rocks dip and young to the south and host pyritic VMS-style mineralization. Initial movement along the Bug Lake Fault appears to pre-date gold mineralization.

The majority of the Martiniere Property remains to be drill tested and as such there is little to no geological information for large parts of the property.