Mineral Explora- Tion
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tively accounted for $110M of work Québec created 3050 direct jobs and expenditures in 2011, compared to a about as many indirect jobs in 20102. total of less than $5M in 2005. The majority of the direct jobs are in resource regions, although a large The applications for these “strategic” part of the indirect jobs are in the substances are growing and diversify- metropolitan regions of Montréal ing, particularly in the high-technology and the city of Québec (equipment and green technology sectors, such suppliers, accounting services, legal as uses for hybrid and electric cars, services, geophysics, etc.) wind turbines, and high-performance rechargeable batteries. In 2012, revised spending intentions 4.2 CHAPTER 4 for exploration and deposit appraisal Mineral exploration activities, as recorded in spring/ summer 2012, are down slightly to highlights MINERAL $800M. This reduction is negligible given that 2011 marked a historical James Moorhead, Pierre Doucet, EXPLORA- high representing a 63% increase Louis Madore and Abdelali Kharis over the already high total for 2010 TION ($512M). Recall that in the early This section summarizes the main 2000s, the spending level was much exploration projects in Québec that lower, between $100M and $300M. have experienced notable progress in Nevertheless, metal prices and mining terms of: company market capitalizations have • a new resource calculation; dropped significantly since the • the discovery of a new mineralized summer of 2012, which may have zone; 4.1 had a negative effect on the intensity • a mineralized drill intersection along Introduction of exploration work during the second the extension of a known zone. half of 2012. Details of these exploration projects Martin Labrecque Exploration and deposit are presented in tables 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5. Targeted commodities appraisal expenditures Aluminum In 20111, nearly 300 mining com- by region panies reported exploration or In August 2012, Orbite Aluminae deposit appraisal work in Québec In 2011, most of the $834M in explo- obtained a mining lease for its as project operator. Expenditures ration and deposit appraisal expen- Grande-Vallée property located 32 km totalled $834M, of which $347M ditures was divided between three northeast of Murdochville. The lease was for major companies, $461M administrative regions where most allows the company to mine a surface for junior companies, and $26M for mining activities have historically area of 90 hectares containing some public corporations. The head offices taken place: Nord-du-Québec ($438M, 70 million tonnes of aluminous clay. of these companies are located in 52%), Abitibi-Témiscamingue ($286M, In addition to the Grande-Vallée Ontario (36%), Québec (30%) and 34%), and Côte-Nord ($68M, 8%). property, the company is continuing British Columbia (23%), and the rest its exploration of a large land area in are based elsewhere in Canada or Jobs in the mineral the Bas-Saint-Laurent region where abroad (11%). activities will include diamond drilling exploration sector and a geophysical survey. As in every year, exploration and deposit appraisal work is largely Some information on the number of focused on precious metals ($448M, jobs related to mineral exploration Copper and Zinc 54%) and base metals ($125M, 13%). activities is not compiled as part of Nevertheless, the last few years has the mining statistics program of the East of Senneterre, Cartier Resources seen a resurgence in the interest for Institut de la statistique du Québec drilled holes on its Cadillac Exten- iron ore, and a growing interest for due to the complexity of gathering sion property along the lateral and some substances that Québec does reliable and representative data. depth extensions of the polymetallic not yet produce or only in small However, as part of a study on the Langlade (Zn-Cu-Ag-Au) deposit. quantities. This is true for lithium, economic benefits of mining activ- rare earth elements, diamonds, ities published in 2012, the firms graphite and uranium, which collec- Deloitte and E&B Data estimate that mineral exploration activity in 1 - Based on data compiled by the Institut de la statistique du Québec as part of its mining statistics program 2 - fr.ebdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EB_Data-Etude-miniere-260912-1.pdf. Report on Mineral Activities in Québec - 2012 27 In the Barraute area, a drill program 4 and 97, as well as definition and A first resource estimate for the intended to increase resources and exploration drilling, were carried out Montviel project of GéoMégA reserves on the Abcourt-Barvue in 2010-2011. In 2012, development Resources, located north of Lebel- (Zn-Ag) (Abcourt Mines) property work continued and the commercial sur-Quévillon, was completed in 2011. intersected Zn-Ag mineralization in production threshold was attained in In 2012, drilling improved the defini- the western part of the property. July 2012. tion of the Montviel main zone. The crescent-shaped core of the zone is In the Chibougamau region, Cogitore Northeast of the Caniapiscau enriched in rare earths and niobium. Resources announced that drill hole Reservoir, drilling by Virginia Mines In addition, a heavy rare earth-enriched SC-72 intersected, at a distance of 50 revealed a new lens of massive zone (the TRL-S Zone) has also been metres from the 34 Zinc Zone, mas- sulphides (lens 257: Zn-Cu-Ag-Au). It discovered. sive and net-textured sulphides. This represents the ninth lens discovered zone is stratigraphically related to the on the Coulon project. Quest Rare Minerals has completed West lens. a resource estimate for the B Zone Partners Corvus Gold and of the Strange Lake project in the South of Chibougamau, Nuinsco Les Ressources Tectonic carried Labrador Trough. Resources has completed a resource out exploration work on the Gerfaut estimate on the Corner Bay (Cu, Au, project in the Cap Smith Belt, to the In May 2012, Commerce Resources Ag) deposit, which consists of two south of Salluit. Selected samples, announced the positive results of a distinct mineralized veins (V1 and V2). enriched in gold, silver and copper, preliminary economic assessment were collected from outcrops over a for the Eldor project located 130 km Beaufield Resources has completed distance of 11 km. south of Kuujjuaq. a resource estimate for the polyme- tallic Tortigny (Cu-Zn-Ag-Au) deposit IAMGOLD carried out rare earth on the Troilus JV property located Diamonds exploration in an area next to its north of Chibougamau. Niobec niobium mine in Saint- In 2012, Stornoway Diamond Honoré, in the Saguenay region. This Western Troy Capital Resources Corporation obtained a mining work defined inferred resources of has commenced a feasibility study lease from the MRN and a certificate total rare earth oxides (TREO). and a natural and human environ- of authorization from the MDDEFP mental impact study on its Macleod for the Renard project north of Lac Lake (Cu-Ag) project, located north Mistassini. A bulk sample of 5,147 t Iron of Chibougamau, with a view to min- was extracted from the Renard 65 Iron continued to be an important ing it by open pit in the future. Drill pipe and sent to the dense media exploration focus in Québec. Iron holes encountered intervals of Cu-Ag separation facility. mineralization. projects were mainly concentrated in the geological units of the Labrador South of Matagami, the tandem Rare earth elements Trough in the Côte-Nord and Nord- of Donner Metals and Xstrata du-Québec regions. Canada Corporation (Zinc) In the Témiscamingue region, started construction of the Bracemac- Matamec Explorations announced Champion Iron Mines Limited McLeod (Zn-Cu-Ag-Au) mine on July during the first quarter of 2012 the (formerly Champion Minerals) per- 9, 2010. Ramp excavation reached positive results of a preliminary formed a resource estimate on the the Bracemac Main and Bracemac economic assessment for its Zeus Oil Can deposit of the Fire Lake North KT zones and is continuing towards project. The company also announced property located 60 km southwest of the McLeod Zone. A drill program the signing of a joint venture agree- Fermont. up-dip from the McLeod Zone led to ment with Toyotsu Rare Earth Canada In September, Labec Century Iron the discovery of a new Zn-Cu-Ag-Au to finance the project’s feasibility Ore (a subsidiary of Century Iron mineralization. study. Results are expected in the Mines Corporation) and Champi- second quarter of 2013. In September, on Iron Mines Limited announced Since 2009, NQ Exploration has the partners announced that ore completed 10,000 metres of drilling the results of a resource estimate concentration and hydrometallurgi- for the Hayot Lake deposit, located on the Carheil property to the west cal tests to generate bulk rare earth of Matagami. The drilling revealed within the Attikamagan project 22 km precipitates have been completed. In north of Schefferville. Ag-Zn mineralization (the Ag1 Zone) December, the partners announced associated with a horizon of silicified that 195 drill holes totalling Century Iron Mines Corporation rhyolite. The first resource estimate 16,158 metres had been drilled on and its partner WISCO International began in early September 2012. the deposit since May 2012. The work completed a new resource estimate The Gonzague-Langlois mine (Nyrstar) also led to the discovery of new for the Full Moon deposit on the near Lebel-sur-Quévillon closed in showings, including Certitude Nord, Rainy Lake property, which is located November 2008. Development work Makwa and Pakwa. about 87 km north of Schefferville. on two access ramps in zones 3, 28 Report on Mineral Activities in Québec - 2012 From May to mid-October 2012, the Graphite ing its 2010-2012 drilling programs. A joint venture of Adriana Resources preliminary economic assessment is and WISCO International com- Graphite exploration is growing in currently underway. pleted a drilling program on their Lac the Grenville Province.