Mink Ventures Corporation has made a significant announcement regarding its latest developments at the Warren Nickel Copper Cobalt Project, situated approximately 35km west of Timmins, Ontario.
The company revealed that it has successfully received all assay results from its recently concluded six-hole, 507-metre drill programme, shedding light on the incredible critical minerals potential of the Warren Project.
Warren Project overview
Mink’s Warren Project consists of 14 patented claims covering 251 hectares of land located in Whitesides Township.
The Project resides within the Kamiskotia Gabbro Complex (KGC), believed to share similarities with the Montcalm Gabbro Complex (MGC), albeit separated by a granitic arch.
The MGC is renowned for hosting the former Montcalm Mine, which yielded around 3.93 million tonnes at 1.25% Ni, 0.67% Cu, and 0.05% Co (OGS, Atkinson, B., 2010).
Gabbro complexes like the MGC and KGC are recognised as promising sites for magmatic nickel-copper sulphide deposition, which is evident from the Montcalm Mine’s presence in the MGC.
The Warren property is a valuable complement to Mink’s Montcalm property, given their similar geological environments in the MGC and KGC, along with significant Cu-Ni zones on the Warren Property.
The Warren patents have a sporadic exploration history dating back to the late 1920s. Several promising historical mineralised Cu-Ni zones have been identified.
However, most exploration efforts to date have concentrated on a small fraction of the property, primarily over 60 years ago. Recent geophysical surveys from the early 1990s and 2008-2009 have identified a series of untested targets adjacent to known mineralisation or along the strike from it.
Confirmation of geophysical data
The drilling initiative conducted by Mink Ventures has not only validated the geophysical data but has also unearthed substantial zones of sulphide mineralisation across all six drill holes. These zones exhibit anomalous nickel, copper, and cobalt values, primarily associated with disseminated and net-textured sulphides.
One of the noteworthy findings of the programme is drill hole W-24-01, which penetrated to a depth of 60 metres, revealing a promising composition of 0.48% Nickel (Ni), 0.12% Copper (Cu), and 0.07% Cobalt (Co) over 0.9 metres. These semi-massive sulphides resemble those encountered in the “A” Zone surface trenches.
Exploring the “A” Zone and prospects for further discoveries
Surface sampling conducted in the “A” Zone, coupled with the recent drill programme, has demonstrated that the most lucrative values thus far are linked with massive to semi-massive sulphides.
Initial interpretations suggest that the “A” Zone’s massive sulphide formation might have undergone fragmentation due to a subsequent gabbro pulse. Further exploration through drilling is deemed necessary to delineate the potential of massive sulphide zones along plunge and strike directions.
The geophysical data pertaining to the “A” Zone indicates a potential strike length of approximately 700 metres, hinting at substantial prospects for future exploration and resource expansion.
The Warren Project encompasses several historical surface zones with significant copper and nickel values. These zones correlate with coincidental geophysical anomalies, including magnetics, electromagnetic (EM), and induced polarisation (IP) responses, over extensive strike lengths.
Most of these occurrences have undergone minimal drilling, leaving ample room for exploration and resource delineation. Notably, the “Shaft Area,” along with the “D” and “SW” Zones, are believed to be extensions of the “C” Zone, warranting further investigation.
Natasha Dixon, President and CEO of Mink Ventures, commented on the results: “This initial drill programme enabled us to confirm our understanding of the geometry and geology of the “A” Zone, and fortuitously we clipped the edge of the “B” Zone in several holes, which enhanced our understanding of how the zones sit relative to one another.
“Given the extent of surface nickel, copper, and cobalt mineralisation on the property, over seven historical mineralised zones, with significant untested strike lengths, the data is compelling and more drilling is warranted.
“We look forward to continuing the exploration work at Warren and remain grateful that half of the cost of this initial drill programme was offset with the non-dilutive capital provided through the OJEP grant.”
Future plans and prospecting
Mink Ventures intends to assess several high-priority zones to develop a comprehensive follow-up drill programme. Initial prospecting efforts are slated to commence in early spring/summer, aiming to prioritise targets for subsequent drill testing in 2024.
With promising assay results and a strategic exploration plan in place, Mink Ventures remains poised for further advancements at the Warren Project, underlining its commitment to unlocking the site’s full potential.
