Between September and November 2021, Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (“Kirkland”) completed eleven (11) diamond drill holes for a total of 4,672 metres on the Detour East Property which covers a portion of the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone (“SLDZ”). These holes were designed to test geologic and geophysical targets for gold and base metal mineralization in proximity to the SLDZ and on interpreted associated structures. Targets were focused on the northern half of the Detour East claim block using geophysical survey data in conjunction with historical drilling based on lithology and assay results. This program satisfies the first year commitments of Kirkland as per the option agreement to acquire 75% interest in the property.

Historically, the major exploration activity in the region was 25 kilometres to the southeast with the discovery of the Selbaie VMS deposit in the mid-1970s. At about the same time, across the border in Ontario, the Detour Lake gold deposit was discovered during a base metal exploration program. 

Drilling by Lynx Exploration (now Encana) in 1987 led to the discovery of the Lynx gold zone, which was subsequently explored by Cyprus Canada and American Bonanza. Following the Lynx discovery, Coleraine Exploration discovered the Rambo gold zone to the east (approximately 30 drill holes). Radisson Mining Resources became the property owner in 1995 and conducted several exploration campaigns, including 13 holes totaling 4,016 metres at the Lynx prospect. 

In late 2010, Balmoral Resources Ltd. (“Balmoral”) optioned the property from Radisson and by 2012 Balmoral held a 100% interest in the property. Short drilling programs (for a total of ~2,400 metres) and IP surveys were completed in 2011 and 2012. In 2016, Balmoral completed a 6 drill holes and extended the Lynx gold zone with an intercept of 0.91 g/t Au over 14.25 m, including a higher-grade interval of 5.53 g/t Au over 1.58 m. It also completed an extensive geophysical survey (induced polarization survey) in the northeast part of the property. In 2017, Balmoral completed 15 drill holes totaling 4,695 metres on a variety of grassroots targets located on the northern half of the Detour East property. Only minor gold mineralization was intersected in 2 holes.

On September 14, 2020, the Company announced it had entered into a non-binding term sheet with respect to a joint venture of its Detour East Gold Property with Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. Under terms of this joint venture, Kirkland can acquired during the phase 1 (option), an undivided 50% interest with a minimum expenditure of $2 million within the first two years. Upon exercising the first option, a Joint Venture will be form and Kirkland will hold an additional 25% interest in the Property by incurring additional expenditures within 5 years of the formation of the Joint Venture. Under terms of this joint venture, Kirkland can earn a 75% interest in Detour East by making expenditures totalling $35 million on the Property.

Two major regional structures cross the Detour East project – the SLDZ to the north and the LDDZ to the south. Magnetic patterns suggest dominantly east-west trending stratigraphy locally cut by northwest to northeast trending fault structures. These secondary structures, which can crosscut or splay out of the SLDZ play an important role in localizing gold mineralization at the nearby Detour Lake mine and also at the Martinière and Fenelon gold systems to the east. 

On the northern portion of the property, gold mineralization has been identified in association with quartz-tourmaline-sulphide veins and zones of strong sericite alteration within regionally extensive fault corridors related to the SLDZ. 

To the south, along the trace of the LDDZ, gold mineralization has been intersected in historic drilling in numerous locations along the 13 kilometres strike length. 

The Lynx gold zone is an east-west striking, shallowly west-plunging zone of quartz-veining with associated pyrite and rare visible gold hosted along the contact between andesitic and mafic volcanic rocks, proximal to a diorite intrusion. Drilling has traced the Lynx zone for approximately 250 metres along strike at shallow depths. The Lynx zone exhibits widths of 50 to 100 metres and drill indicated thicknesses of 0.40 to 13.40 metres. Geological modeling by Balmoral suggested that the gold mineralization at Lynx may be associated with faulting in the nose region of a fold structure drag folded along the margins of the LDDZ (similar model to the high-grade Casa Berardi gold mine to the south). 

The Rambo gold zone is located approximately 2.5 kilometres east of the Lynx zone. Historic drilling on the Rambo area is highlighted by a number of high-grade intercepts associated with quartz-carbonate veining located along a 100 metre long stretch of the LDDZ. 

Maps & Images (click to enlarge)

Regional Overview Geology