Québec Nickel Corp reported exciting assay results from its Fortin Sill target at its Ducros nickel-copper-platinum group elements (PGE) property, 80 kilometres northeast of Val-d'Or, Québec.
The Vancouver-based mineral exploration company said Drill hole QDG-22-09, which was collared at the Fortin Sill target in the eastern part of the property, was completed to validate the results returned from Golden Valley Mines Limited in 2008.
The company highlighted that Hole QDG-22-09 returned a 31-metre (m) wide intercept averaging 0.37% nickel (Ni), 0.40% copper (Cu) and 0.55 grams per tonne (g/t) platinum-palladium-gold (Pt-Pd-Au), from 10m to 41m hole depth.
READ: Quebec Nickel receives final airborne VTEM data and plans to mobilize a second drill to its Ducros nickel-copper-PGE project in Abitibi, Quebec
Québec Nickel noted that included within the 31m intercept, are "higher grade sub-intervals" including 0.44% Ni, 0.51% Cu, and 0.69 g/t Pt-Pd-Au over 18.50m and 0.55% Ni, 0.86% Cu, and 0.86 g/t Pt-Pd-Au over 5m. This improves upon the overall grade intersected in the lone historical hole completed at the Fortin Sill target in 2008, said the company.
In addition, a 0.50m sample of semi-massive to net texture sulphides contained 1.31% Ni, 0.38% Cu, and 2.12 g/t Pt-Pd-Au.
Meanwhile, the VTEM electromagnetic-magnetic anomaly interpreted to lie beneath the Fortin Sill showing has yet to be drilled, said the company.
In a statement, Gary DeSchutter, Québec Nickel's Vice President of Exploration, said: "I am very fortunate to have worked at several high-quality nickel projects during my career, including at a producing PGE mine, and I can honestly say receiving assay results like these from the Fortin Sill target is very exciting.”
He added: “I'm really looking forward to seeing what else the Fortin Sill target, as well as the rest of this great project, delivers in the coming weeks and months."
The company noted that the 31m long mineralized intersection from QDG-22-09 represents a greater than 45% increase in intercept length, compared to the 2008 Golden Valley hole. In addition, the Ni-Cu-PGE-Au grades within 18.50m long sub-interval in QDG-22-09 are almost 20% higher than those from the 2008 hole. Significantly, the 2008 hole did not encounter any semi-massive net texture sulphides, or the corresponding higher-grade results, as is the case for QDG-22-09.
The initial geological interpretation of the Fortin Sill showing is that of a Ni-Cu-Pt-Pd-Au-mineralized differentiated mafic-ultramafic intrusion.
Additional holes are being drilled from the same set-up as QDG-22-09 to establish the continuity of the Ni-Cu-PGE-Au mineralization and results will be reported once they come in, said the company.
A drill hole to test the VTEM electromagnetic-magnetic anomaly interpreted to lie directly beneath the Fortin Sill showing, will also be completed in the coming weeks. Val-d'Or headquartered Abitibi Geophysics is currently working on the Ducros project, completing time-domain borehole electromagnetic surveys within several of the key drill holes completed during the 2022 work program.
The borehole electromagnetic work is being done to follow up on the semi-massive sulphide intersection in QDG-22-09, as well as to steer future drilling efforts towards finding new electrically conductive Ni-Cu-PGE-Au-rich sulphides in the Fortin Sill target area. Additional drill holes are being designed to follow up on the results and will be submitted for permitting in the coming days, noted the company.
Ducros consists of 280 contiguous mining claims covering 15,147 hectares within the eastern portion of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in Quebec.
Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com
Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive