Class 1 Nickel completes Phase I drilling program at at Somanike, Quebec
Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Ltd. [NICO-CSE; NICLF-OTCQB] has completed 40 drill holes (16,510 metres) on its 100%-owned Somanike nickel-copper project, located near Val d’Or, Quebec. Assays are pending for all drill holes and are expected in Q1 2023.
Diamond drilling has intersected sulphide mineralization in 23 drill holes. Mineralization is within, and in close proximity to, ultramafic rocks. The host rocks are komatiitic flows and can be correlated with the horizons in the mine sequences at Mine 1, Mine 2, Mine 3 and Mine 4.
Drilling confirmed that Mine 1 is in a separate stratigraphic/structural sequence from Mine 2, Mine 3 and Mine 4, that are in the hanging wall to Mine 1.
Down hole time domain (BHEM: borehole electromagnetic survey) geophysical surveys on holes drilled to date have identified multiple off-hole anomalies for follow-up.
Drone mag and lidar (light detection and ranging) surveys have been completed over the main Marbridge area. These have identified magnetic trends that demonstrate both definition of known nickel-bearing ultramafic rocks and the significant continuation of ultramafic rocks into underexplored areas.
The company’s primary objective is to make a major discovery of high-grade magmatic nickel sulphides in an environment of known nickel mineralization with significant opportunity for new discoveries.
David Fitch, president and CEO, stated: “We are very pleased to have completed comprehensive drilling both below and adjacent to the four historical mines at Marbridge. The application of modern borehole geophysics has successfully demonstrated its viability in targeting sulphide mineralization. We know from the drilling to date that we are in a very fertile geological environment with abundant ultramafic rocks that host sulphide mineralization.”
The Somanike project consists of 148 mining titles (mining rights area) covering 6,882 hectares within a large northwest-trending ultramafic complex within the Abitibi greenstone belt that hosts several nickel sulphide occurrences, recognized nickel targets, ultramafic trends and geophysical anomalies. The project is located in the prolific and mining-friendly Abitibi region of northwestern Quebec approximately 25 km north of the mining centre at Malartic, 40 km northwest of Val d’Or and 60 km east of Rouyn-Noranda.
The Somanike project includes Quebec’s first nickel mine, the historical Marbridge mine, which was a high-grade nickel mine operated by Falconbridge Nickel. The Marbridge mine occurs within a large northwest-trending deformed and altered ultramafic complex. The Falconbridge Nickel mine reported production of 702,366 tons grading 2.28% nickel and 0.10% copper from 1962 to 1968, prior to being placed on care and maintenance in 1968. The mine consisted of two shafts accessing four separate mineralized zones over a combined strike length of 1,000 metres. The mineralized material was trucked 25 km south and processed at the Canadian Malartic plant. Since 1968, leading groups have reviewed Marbridge data and reports, and unanimously concluded that mining ceased in mineralization and the four nickel sulphide zones remain open to expansion by drilling along strike and down-dip/plunge.
Class 1 Nickel is a mineral resource company focused on the exploration and development of its Somanike komatiite-hosted nickel-copper sulphide project in Quebec. The company also owns the Alexo-Dundonald project, a portfolio of komatiite-hosted magmatic nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide deposits located near Timmins, Ontario.