Commander Resources Ltd.
Show printable version of 'Baffin Island Au, Nunavut' item in a New WindowEmail 'Baffin Island Au, Nunavut' item to a friend



AVAILABLE FOR OPTION


Figure 1
PROPERTY DETAILS:
  • central Baffin Island, Nunavut Canada
  • Qimmiq leases cover approx. 28,000 hectares with agreements in place with the KTI
  • AANDC owned leases cover approx. 40,000 hectares total area covers ~140 km belt
OWNERSHIP: 100% Commander Resources Ltd.

LOGISTICS: The property hosts two "Distant Early Warning" (DEW line) radar stations each with an operational 4,000 foot airstrip (Fox 2 and Fox 3), to which the Company has been granted access. Both airstrips can be serviced with heavy cargo aircraft (HS-748, DHC-5 Buffalo, Hercules etc.) which can be chartered from Iqaluit or Yellowknife. Commercial airlines operate daily from Montreal and Ottawa to Iqaluit.

INTRODUCTION

Commander's Baffin Gold Project is a wholly owned, district-scale gold belt with similar geological and genetic origins as the large Homestake area in South Dakota and the Morro Velho Mine in Brazil. To date the Baffin Project has yielded numerous gold prospect areas occurring over a strike length in excess of 140 kilometres. The property includes high-grade gold values in at least 3 separate iron formation units, within shear zones and quartz veins in younger granodiorite, gabbro, and metasedimentary units. In each of the different settings, gold occurs primarily as free gold.

Baffin Island Timeline to Discovery

--------------- Learn More -----------------

Figure 1


HISTORY


The initial land position was first acquired by both BHP Billiton and Falconbridge in 2000 for lead-zinc-silver and nickel-copper exploration respectively. In mid 2003, Commander signed agreements with BHP Billiton and Falconbridge to explore for gold and other commodities on the Qimmiq, Dewar and Bravo Lake properties covering an initial land area of approximately 1,000,000 acres. The agreements provided Commander the right to earn 100% in the entire Property package which was completed in 2009 as part of the deal with AngloGold Ashanti Inc. There are no back-in rights to gold deposits for either BHP Billiton or Falconbridge. Historically the area had not been subject to any significant systematic exploration. Previous Work was directed towards base metal mineralization, mainly zinc, lead and nickel but not for gold.

From 2003 to 2009 Commander worked solely on the Baffin project exploration and discovered over 14 gold showings of which five were drilled by the Company, totaling over 12,000 metres of core.

In 2009, AngloGold Ashanti Inc. entered into a six year, US$20 million Farm-In Agreement with Commander whereby Commander would retain management of the project. From 2009 to Spring 2012, Anglo spent approximately US$12M exploring the belt. During this time 4,000 metres was drilled on the Malrok prospect and 2,000 metres was drilled on the Kanosak Zone. In addition, a 3D IP survey was completed on the Kanosak Zone. Sea-lifts were completed in both 2009 and 2010 to move supplies to the property and a new 30-man camp was established to accommodate future exploration programs. In 2012, AngloGold decided that they would not pursue continued development of the Baffin Island project but instead, invest their exploration budget in Columbia. The property has been handed back to Commander with a significant advancement in the knowledge of the area, specifically the Kanosak target area.


BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION



REGIONAL GEOLOGY

The entire project area is underlain by rocks of the Piling Group, a sequence of Lower Proterozoic (ca. 1.9 Ga) supracrustal rocks of the Foxe Fold Belt (Morgan et al. 1975, 1976). The Foxe Fold Belt is a lower Proterozoic supracrustal basin stretching from Melville Peninsula to central Baffin Island to the West Coast of Greenland. It is correlative to other Trans Hudson-aged supracrustal belts in North America. The belt is divided into groups including the Penrhyn, Piling, Hoare Bay and Karrat Groups dependent on geographical regions, but all the groups can be correlated both stratigraphically and lithologically.

These groups formed a zinc metallogenic province as exemplified by the numerous low-grade, base metal occurrences in both the Penrhyn and Piling Groups. The Black Angel deposit (13.6 Mt @ 12.3% Zn, 4.0% Pb and 29 g/t Ag) in Greenland is the best known example. There are numerous iron formation sequences within the Piling Group that are potential targets for B.I.F. hosted gold deposits. Mafic to ultramafic rocks in the basin are prospective hosts for magmatic nickel-copper sulphide deposits.

The framework for the regional geology in central Baffin Island was constructed by the Geological Survey of Canada, with work by Jackson (1969, 1978, 1984, 2000), Jackson et al. (1972, 1990), Morgan (1983), Morgan et al. (1975, 1976), Tippett (1980), Henderson and Henderson (1994), and Henderson et al. (1988, 1989) and more recently by Corrigan et al. (2001) and St-Onge et al. (2002, 2002a, 2002b, 2002c, 2004).

The Piling Group (see figure 1) has been mapped as consisting of an assemblage of deformed and metamorphosed sedimentary and igneous rocks and is divided into a lower and upper group:

Lower Piling Group
This consists of three formations, and starting from the base up, consists of the following suite of rocks:

Dewar Lakes Formation is a platform sequence of quartzites, feldspathic quartzite and pelites with local occurrences of both sulphide and oxide-facies iron formation.

Bravo Lakes Formation, a rift-related sequence of psammitic to pelitic schist, iron formations and mafic and ultramafic flows up to 3,000 m in thickness and occurs near the southern margin of the Piling basin. The southern margin of the basin represented a deep-rooted structure which was a conduit for mafic rock extrusions.

Astarte River Formation consists of sulphidic schist, graphitic pyrrhotite-pyrite schist and slate, and sulphide facies iron formation.

Upper Piling Group
A foredeep flysch sequence of wacke and turbidite named the Longstaff Bluff Formation. Comprised chiefly of psammite, semipelite, pelite, and arkosic and lithic wackes, with minor calc-silicate sediments.

The stratigraphic thickness of the Piling Group is approximately 10,000 to 15,000 metres. The units are thin to thickly bedded, and subdivisions have been made on the basis of metamorphic grade. Within the property a garnet-cordierite assemblage occupies the central portion of the property which grades into a biotite-sillimanite assemblage to the east and north.

A large assemblage of Palaeoproterozic intrusive rocks, possibly related to the Cumberland Batholith, wraps around just west and south of the property. Much of the area south of the permit areas is underlain by rocks of the Cumberland Batholith which include various phases of monzogranite, granodiorite, and syenogranite.

The entire belt of Piling Group rocks was complexly deformed by thrusting and at least three phases of folding. Thin skinned thrust stacking of the Piling Group (D1) was followed by thick skinned folding (D2) of the Piling Group and the Archean basement, creating tight isoclinal folds trending east-west. Peak metamorphism occurred syn- to post-D2 deformation. D3 deformation formed north trending open folds and northwest trending cross faults. Northwest-trending Franklin-aged Dykes, diabasic in composition, form a large regional dyke swarm and are mapped intermittently throughout the area.

Figure 1: Stratigraphy of the Piling Group (from St-Onge et al., 2002)




BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION


KANOSAK PROSPECT


Prospecting in 2007 discovered a new, mineralized trend called "Hebert" that covered a seven kilometre by two-kilometre area consisting of quartz veins carrying arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, and minor galena. This area has since been re-named the Kanosak Prospect.

Kanosak Area Oct 2012


Geology of the Kanosak Area

The Kanosak area is underlain by palaeo Proterozoic sediments which have been intruded by gabbro sills and mafic volcanics. To the west of the Kanosak area lie a north south trending steeply dipping linear trend of the Mafic volcanics, whilst the meta sedimentary package dips 25 degrees to the east. Overlying this formation is a gabbroic sill which interleaves with the sedimentary formation, suggesting a syn depositional phase of volcanics and sediments. The discovery zones of the Kanosak area are easily identifiable by a stockwork of quartz veins.

To date, mapping, channel sampling, grab rock samples, till sampling, IP surveys and a 2,000 m 13 hole exploratory drill program have focused the gold mineralization along a 3 km north-south striking trend. Figures 1 to 3 show some of the work that has been done across the Kanosak prospect area.

Kanosak Main w channel table Oct 2012




A total of 200 channel samples have been taken from 29 different outcrops of quartz-arsenopyrite veins. The majority of the channel samples were taken from an area of well-developed outcrop and covered approximately 200 metres by 200 metres.

In addition to the channel samples, 175 grab and chip samples were collected from outcrop and felsenmeer.

The mineralization mostly occurs in metre-spaced, 0.1 to 0.8 metres wide quartz veins contain 5-75% arsenopyrite. The quartz veins strike 330 to 020 degrees, dip 55 to 90 degrees east and are continuous along strike for 5 to 100 metres. Locally the arsenopyrite occurs as semi-massive "gossans" within the quartz veins and as stratigraphic units within the hosting sediments. There is a possibility that mineralization could extend into the micro conglomerate unit. Albitisation of the host rock unit has also been mapped suggesting an extensive hydrothermal event took place. Locally up to 10 % arsenopyrite is present within the albitized wall rock unit.



Exploration of the Kanosak Area

In 2010 an exploratory 13 hole 2,000m drill program was carried out to test the mineralized zones of Kanosak South, Kanosak main and Kanosak north. A 2D 40 line km shallow I.P. survey was carried out simultaneously in order to better define the potential target zones.
The highlights from the drill program are shown in table 1:

Table 1

Drill Hole
 Interval
 Width
 Grade
 From
 To
 (m)
 (g/t)
KAN-10-01
7.47
17.25
9.78
0.98
includes
11.89
16.51
4.62
1.55
includes
88.53
89.47
0.94
22.50
KAN-10-02
2.03
3.66
1.63
1.89
KAN-10-03
2.86
29.53
26.67
0.21
includes
4.46
5.26
0.80
3.36
KAN-10-04
8.88
13.09
4.21
2.16
KAN-10-05
7.70
10.36
2.66
1.37
KAN-10-06
20.56
28.50
7.94
0.79
includes
26.15
27.60
1.45
7.48
KAN-10-07
3.54
16.77
13.23
1.80
includes
7.38
16.77
9.39
2.26
includes
10.72
11.23
0.51
31.38
KAN-10-11
17.10
25.01
9.32
1.18
includes
17.10
19.76
2.66
2.60
KAN-10-12
67.83
69.01
1.18
6.14


Gold mineralization was found to be concentrated in quartz veins and within arsenopyrite. The 2010 work extended the mineralized trend as gold mineralization and associated arsenopyrite was observed on surface between the Kanosak Main Zone and the North Zone. Fifteen grab samples were taken with five of the samples returning assay values that range from 1.30 g/t to 226.3 g/t gold. The highest grade sample was taken from an area of outcrop, and contained abundant visible gold. This mineralized area is particularly significant as it indicates that gold mineralization could be extensive in this poorly exposed area.

Arsenopyrite containing gold occurrences was observed primarily in outcrop 500 metres to the northeast of the Kanosak North Zone. Twelve grab samples were taken with five of the samples returning assay values ranging from 1.17 g/t to 5.35 g/t gold. This mineralization is significant as it corresponds to a northeast trending, 300 metre wide by 1,800 metre long anomaly defined by the 2010 IP survey. Moderate to very strong chargeability values 2 to 3 times stronger than the targets drilled this season define this anomaly.

Two other zones of arsenopyrite mineralization carrying gold were discovered both to the east and to the southwest of Kanosak. Sixty grab samples were taken with thirteen of the samples returning assay values that range from 1.23 g/t to 9.68 g/t gold.

In 2011, a large 3-D I.P. survey was conducted across a 3 km by 3 km area along the Kanosak mineralized corridor, as well as to the east. The aim of this survey was to test the geology to 200m below surface beneath the drilled areas and also to test for possible sediment controlled mineralization to the east. Due to adverse weather conditions and logistical issues, the IP survey was not completed as intended. Figure 3 shows the area that was covered by the 2010 survey and 2011 survey. Also highlighted are the till sampling results with visible gold grain counts. Interpretation by two geophysical companies confirmed that the chargeability and resistivity figures show a north east linear trend that is stronger at 150m below surface than at shallower depths. This interpretation suggests that this could be due to increasing concentrations of arsenopyrite and therefore corresponding values of gold constrained within the quartz stockwork system rather than stratiform controlled within the meta sediments. However this theory has not been drill tested. Figure 4 shows the area covered by the 2011 IP survey with the overlying interpretation.





In Figure 5, the schematic cross section shows the interpreted geology and possible reasons for the chargeability and resistivity response.


The exploration program to date has successfully confirmed the Kanosak mineralized corridor is over 3 km in length and 300 m wide and contains the highest gold intercepts encountered to date on Baffin Island. The current research has defined targets that are drill ready and Commander is excited at the opportunity of moving this program forward. The following points conclude the reasons for this:

Sample Type
Gold grade
Grab rock
1,388 g/t
Channel sample
104.3 g/t
Till sampling
45 grains in one sample
Drill core
22.50 g/t



BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION


OTHER ZONES


Figure 1


Other Zones / MALROK PROSPECT



The Malrok gold mineralization is hosted in siliceous, garnet-amphibole-sulphide-bearing iron formation and has been traced through surface sampling and drilling over a strike length of approximately 2 kilometres. The horizon varies in thickness from approximately 0.5 to 9.0 metres. Surface samples have returned high-grade gold assays of up to 212 g/t gold.

Drilling results down to 50 metres depth included 15.12 g/t gold over 3.0 metres and 12.1 g/t Au over 3.3 metres. The 2010 program was designed to follow up results from the 2004 campaign in which significant gold mineralization was discovered in silicate iron formations extending to surface. Results from the first nine holes of the 2010 program (MAL-10-40 through 48), in conjunction with previous drill results from 2004, demonstrate the potential for one or more continuous mineralized zones within the Malrok structure. As expected in this type of gold system, variable grades and thicknesses were intersected.

Holes MAL-10-45 and MAL-10-46 were drilled 35 and 95 metres respectively, down-dip from hole MSD-04-29, which intersected 9.86 g/t over 4.54 metres in the same rock unit. MAL-10-42, a further 200 metres to the east, indicates the favorable target zone extends out under Malrok Lake as expected. Hole MAL-10-47, drilled 75 metres to the south of MAL-10-45 and 100 metres from MSD-04-29, confirms that the mineralized unit is continuous and extends an unknown distance to the south and east. Seven of the remaining 10 holes for which assays are awaited tested the south-east extension over a further 500 metre strike length.

Drill Hole ID
From (m)
To (m)
Width (m)
Gold Grade (g/t)
MAL-10-42
85.25
88.00
2.75
2.05
including
86.90
88.00
1.10
3.18
MAL-10-44                  (upper IF)
26.65
28.29
1.64
1.45
                                     (lower IF)
43.66
49.08
5.42
2.02
MAL-10-45                  (upper IF)
34.26
37.50
3.24
7.65
including
36.04
37.50
1.46
16.28
                                    (lower IF)
59.62
66.42
6.80
2.18
MAL-10-46                (upper IF)
48.36
49.40
1.04
2.88
                                    (lower IF)
70.24
74.98
4.74
2.28
including
71.84
74.48
2.64
3.19
MAL-10-47                  (upper IF)
44.18
47.05
2.87
5.90
including
45.22
47.05
1.83
8.64
                                     (lower IF)
63.15
63.65
0.50
14.40
MAL-10-48                  (upper IF)
35.95
41.44
5.49
1.94




The shallow gold zone with local high grade sections extends down-dip from surface for at least 130 metres and remains open along strike and down dip. Drilling to date has not penetrated deep enough to intersect the lower sulphide iron formation target.




BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION


Other Zones / BRENT SHOWING

BRENT SHEAR ZONE:
The Brent Shear Zone was found in 2006, five kilometres southwest of Ridge Lake. The zone consists of a 1400 metre long shear zone with well developed quartz veining that contains arsenopyrite (5-50%) and pyrrhotite (3-5%). A total of the 66 grab samples were collected along the length of the shear zone, with results ranging up to 113.95 g/t gold. A total of 21 samples (32%) assayed greater than 5 g/t gold and 9 samples (14%) assayed greater than 10 g/t gold.

Seven diamond drill holes have tested the Brent shear zone. The first two holes were drilled 100 metres apart on the eastern portion of the near vertical shear zone. Hole Q2-06-01 intersected the shear zone between 19.0 metres and 59.0 metres. Within the wide shear zone, a 33 metre interval contained 5 percent quartz veining with arsenopyrite and a 13.7 metre wide zone of more intense alteration, sulphides and quartz veining was cut between 45.50 and 59.20 and is interpreted to be the same zone sampled on surface. This drill hole interval contains 5-10% quartz veins containing up to 25% arsenopyrite. Sulphides consisting of 1-10% arsenopyrite and 1-3% pyrrhotite are also disseminated in the host rock surrounding these veins. In hole Q2-06-02, drilled 100 metres west from hole Q2-06-01, the same shear zone and mineralized zone was intersected between 16.50 metres and 45.00 metres. The strongest alteration zone was intersected between 25.0 metres and 31.0 metres with a similar alteration and mineral association to that intersected in hole Q2-06-01.

Assay results from the two holes contained gold with the best intersection being 6.14 g/t Au over 1.0 metre in hole two. Highlights of the drill program are presented in the following table:

Drill hole
From
(m)
To
(m)
Length (m)
Gold
g/t
Q2-06-01
44.5
48.5
4.00
0.93
including
46.5
48.5
2.00
1.25
and
47.5
48.5
1.00
1.92
Q2-06-02
40.8
42.6
1.80
3.47
including
41.6
42.6
1.00
6.14
Q2-07-07
23.80
24.60
0.80
1.65
Includes
39.00
39.50
0.50
2.54


Hole Q2-07-07 drilled in the vicinity of holes Q-06-01 and Q-06-02 was targeted to drill directly across the northwest trending vein system. This hole intersected the northwest trending vein system between 23.80 and 39.50 metres depth down the hole. Three modest intersections over this interval included 1.65 g/t over 0.80 metres, 4.22 g/t over 0.50 metres and 2.54 g/t over 0.50 metres. All intersections were associated with quartz-feldspar-arsenopyrite veins hosted in quartz diorite.




BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION


Other Zones / RIDGE LAKE PROSPECT

In the Ridge Lake area, the Bravo Lake formation comprises an inter-layered sequence of amphibolite, gabbro, Banded iron formation (BIF), sulphidic schist and metasediments. The Ridge Lake Prospect area was discovered late in the 2003 exploration program when high-grade gold assays of up to 17.3 g/t Au were returned from rock chip samples. Follow-up surface work in 2004 yielded additional high-grade gold assays from both chip and channel samples extending the prospect to a strike length of more than 2.5 km.

Preliminary diamond drill testing in Ridge West in 2004 produced encouraging results, including 17.48 g/t Au over 2.15m, 15.06 g/t Au over 1.50 m and 3.95 g/t Au over 6.65 m.

Detailed ground magnetics, completed in 2005 over the Ridge Lake prospect outlined areas of thickened iron formation and a number of key structural features which corresponded to high gold values. A further 32 holes were drilled and which confirmed the mineralization within an upper silicate formation and lower sulphide formation with the best intersection of 10.24 g/t gold over 1.90 metres in the upper silicate iron formations and 10.63 g/t Au over 8.89 m in the lower gold-bearing "sulphide" iron formation. A further 18 holes were drilled in 2006 and three more in 2007.

The following table highlights the gold intersections discovered by these drilling programs:

2004
Drill hole
From
(m)
To
(m)
Length (m)
Gold
g/t
04-02
67.05
69.20
2.15
17.48
Including
68.05
69.20
1.15
31.34
04-08
35.13
37.61
2.48
5.44
04-09
28.68
30.18
1.50
15.06
04-10
35.08
41.73
6.65
4.08
Including
35.08
36.14
1.06
12.00
2005
Drill hole
 
 
 
 
05-19
35.07
36.97
1.90
10.24
05-32
25.25
26.87
1.62
14.16
including
25.25
26
0.75
27.71
 
80.08
83.77
3.69
3.46
05-33
91.97
96.01
4.04
2.84
05-35
84.45
93.34
8.89
10.63
including
89.1
93.34
4.24
21.30
including
89.1
90.1
1.00
27.95
and
90.1
91.1
1.00
36.21
and
91.1
92.1
1.00
19.51
05-36
88.22
90.09
1.87
5.39
05-38
23.44
25.43
1.99
9.34
05-40
48.73
52.85
4.12
2.31
05-41
33.61
35.32
1.71
7.18
05-43
115.93
116.81
0.88
10.15
05-44
157.33
159.00
1.67
15.13
2006
Drill hole
 
 
 
 
RLD-06-46
48.05
48.57
0.52
0.82
RLD-06-47
52.38
53.83
1.45
1.54
RLD-06-48
38.38
40.53
2.15
3.97
Including
38.38
40.00
1.62
5.09
RLD-06-50
105.2
109.65
4.45
10.17
Including
105.20
108.00
2.80
15.96
RLD-06-52
85.28
88.59
3.31
3.15
Including
86.05
87.59
1.54
6.53
RLD-06-53
28.70
29.55
0.85
4.29
RLD-06-53
92.50
93.34
0.84
4.46
RLD-06-54
115.79
117.34
1.55
2.60
RLD-06-55
106.53
108.33
1.80
8.79
including
106.53
107.43
0.90
17.11
RLD-06-57
109.53
113.81
4.28
1.82
including
111.67
113.81
2.14
2.74
RLD-06-60
40.94
41.96
1.02
2.19
RLD-06-61
41.56
42.14
0.58
5.34
RLD-06-62
202.69
206.67
3.98
1.21
including
203.74
205.83
2.09
2.02
2007
Drill hole
 
 
 
 
RLD-07-63
35.93
36.50
0.57
7.37
 
 
 
 
 


The longitudinal section below shows the grade/thickness plot on the Ridge central area where most of the program has been focused. In 2005 a ground HLEM survey was carried out revealing the extent of the Iron formation within the Ridge Lake area.



The combined exploration techniques of prospecting, ground electro-magnetic surveys and drilling have established the Ridge Lake area as having the potential to host gold mineralization within a duplicated Banded Iron Formation (BIF) which has been complicated structurally by thrust faulting and folding. Future exploration will test the potential of this area both down dip and along strike.




BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION


Other Zones / PENNINSULA

coming soon....


BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION


Other Zones / DURETTE AND 2369

In 2005 the exploration program was operated out of a camp situated next to the Fox-3 airstrip. Access to the work areas was via a helicopter which was based in camp for the duration of the program.

Durette is located 40 kilometres to the northeast of the Ridge Lake prospect. The in underlain by a structurally complex sequence of psammites and pelites with lesser amphibolite, quartzite, iron formation, calc-silicates and thin massive sulphide horizons complexly folded about a broad synform axis which trends south-easterly.



Work in 2005 included detailed mapping, sampling and a detailed ground magnetic and HLEM survey. This work identified an intense plumbing system with high-grade gold in a quartz + arsenopyrite stockwork system hosted by quartzite. Grab samples up to 59 g/t gold and channel samples up to 29.8 g/t gold over 2 metres identified a minimum 450 metre strike length target.

The quartzite unit occurs stratigraphically above the iron formation horizons which host gold at Ridge Lake and it represents a third stratigraphic gold target on the property. The target area was tested with a small 3 hole drill drill program in 2006 and an 8 hole drill program in 2007. Highlights of the drill program are presented in the following table with the location map below.

Drill hole
From
(m)
To
(m)
Length (m)
Gold
g/t
DUR-07-07
31.00
39.00
8.00
1.22
Includes
34.00
36.00
2.00
2.28
DUR-07-08
34.50
38.25
3.75
1.14
Includes
34.50
35.00
0.50
3.05
Dur-07-09
35.87
42.89
7.02
2.08
DUR-07-10
28.00
29.50
1.50
1.71
AND
34.50
35.29
0.79
1.70



BACK TO BAFFIN INTRODUCTION  

©2006 Commander Resources Ltd. All Rights Reserved. | Disclaimer
Adnet Communications Inc.