Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. [TSXV-NOB; OTCQB-NLPXF] has completed geophysical surveys on 214 claims in Way township, northern Ontario. The claims extend from about 4 to 15 km southwest of the town of Hearst. The property area is equivalent to approximately 4,500 hectares or 45 km2. The geophysical surveys were done in preparation for a reverse circulation drill program scheduled for the Spring/Summer of 2024. The recent geophysical program was partially funded by the Ontario Junior Exploration Program.
Historically, a sample of a metalliferous boulder, brought to the Timmins Mining District Regional Resident Geologist in 2019 by A. Cousineau, was submitted for chemical analysis to Geolabs in Sudbury to establish its metal and mineralogical makeup. Geolabs determined that the boulder contained: 71.8% copper; 3.5% lead, 1.09% zinc; 252 g/t silver, 3.79 g/t gold; 4.43 g/t palladium; and 2.22 g/t platinum and consisted primarily of cuprite (van Hees et al., 2020).
In 2021, Noble launched an exploration program to in an effort to identify the source of the boulder. Basal till samples collected from two fences of hand auger holes, located about 100 metres and 1 km north of the boulder, produced 35 gold grains. These gold grains define a southeast-northwest trending dispersion train that indicate they were transported southeast by a glacial transport from a source area located to the northwest. The dispersion train begins near a northeast trending magnetic anomaly. The gold grains are predominantly reshaped (24) but also include modified (7) and pristine (4), supporting evidence of local source.
In 2022 an airborne geophysical survey was flown over the property followed by a ground geophysical survey in November/December 2023. The ground geophysical surveys included 29 line-km of Magnetic, VLF-EM and Induced Polarization Survey.
Compilation of the ground geophysics in conjunction with the airborne data was successful in outlining a significant northeast trending magnetic high unit that was traced from the southwest section of the survey block to the northeast corner of the survey block.
This unit is represented by a strong magnetic high band that pinches and swells along its strike length, The survey also shows that this main high has been crosscut in a northwest to southeast direction by at least 10 to 11 somewhat narrow magnetic highs that may be indicative of dike like units.
The contour plan map of the first vertical derivative of the total field magnetic definitely enhances the northeast striking magnetic high feature as well as the numerous northwest-southeast narrow crosscutting high features.
The approximate location of the mineralized, Cousineau Boulder appears to coincide with a slight bullseye high at the southeast end of one of the northwest striking cross dike like features.
Work will continue during the 2024 field season, including a reverse circulation drill program in the vicinity of the mineralized boulder and along the lines recently surveyed by geophysics.
Vance White, President and CEO, said, “We are pleased with the progress on this property and look forward to the reverse circulation drill program that may give us more clues as to the possible source of this rich boulder.”
Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. is a Canadian-based junior exploration company which, in addition to its shareholdings in Canada Nickel Company Inc., Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd. and MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd., and its interest in the Holdsworth gold exploration property in the area of Wawa, Ontario, will continue to hold approximately 40,000 hectares of mineral rights in the Timmins-Cochrane areas of Northern Ontario known as Project 81, as well as an additional ~11,000 hectares in the Timmins area and 44,000 hectares of mining claims in Central Newfoundland.
Project 81 hosts diversified drill-ready gold, nickel-cobalt and base metal exploration targets at various stages of exploration. It will also hold its recently acquired Nagagami Carbonatite Complex near Hearst, Ontario, as well as the Buckingham Graphite Property, the Laverlochere Nickel, Copper, PGNM property and the Cere-Villebon Nickel, Copper, PGM property, all of which are in the province of Quebec.
