RE: 153 Meters of Diabase Here is my answer:
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The Diabase units (cant use the D word) are North "trending". This does not mean they strike (direction/azimuth) at 360 degrees exactly, but probably around 315-345 degrees, and generally have a steep dip of 70-80 degrees.. im using these numbers based on the Diabase I have seen on properties in N.Ontario...
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From the latest plan map, you can see the azimuth of the WB-12-14 is also northwest...
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My interpretation as to why there is soo much diabase is that the drill hole interected the diabase at a sub parallel angle.. this means, that although the diabase may only be 10-50m's wide (true width), the drill hole deviated just enough to the west (as is the case with 90% of every diamond drill hole) that it got "caught" in the narrow unit.. so now the azimuth of the hole is the same as the diabase.. they would have gotten out of it eventually because the hole would keep curving to the right and break out the other side...
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To make a guess at the last part of you question, why did they continue to drill in diabase ? 1) GTA probably only has 1 or 2 geos (as you stated, their budget is small). 2) Diabase is a relatively soft rock, so it can be drilled quickly.. Either the geo(s) werent paying close enough attention as to what is coming out of the drill each day, or they kept hoping that the hole would come out of the diabase sooner, but were driven by curiosity to see what was "on the other side"... if the drill company is good, they could have drilled 153m in 3 12 hour shifts..
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Im sure they will be searching for a detailed mag map now, as it will show diabase units very clearly (they are much much more magnetic than a felsic intrusive... the geo will have some explaining to do to Clausi and Deuss (they probably dont get out to the field much) as to why there is 153m of diabase... wouldnt want to have his job.. hahhaa..