ISO Expansion Area Disappoints Drilling at Larocque East recently concluded and had two primary objectives: one, testing for step out mineralization at the Hurricane zone and, two, systematic exploration of the Larocque Lake conductive trend within the project. Winter drilling comprised 30 diamond drill holes totalling 12,147m.
At Hurricane, drilling followed-up mineralization intersected in LE21-101 (0.6% over 4.5m including 3.1% over 0.5m) which was open to the east and for 150m to the west. Testing comprised a series of systematic step outs to test for mineralization. Located 75m west of LE21-101, LE22-115A intersected 2.0m of radioactivity >500 CPS from 335.0m to 337.0m which included 0.5m >5,000 CPS from 335.5m to 336.0m. No significant radioactivity was intersected in the four remaining 2022 Hurricane-area drill holes. Geochemical results, including U3O8 assays from LE22-115A, are pending and will influence future drilling plans at Hurricane. Hurricane-area drilling results are presented in plan view in Figure 3.
The remaining 25 drill holes explored the fertile Larocque Lake conductive trend which extends for approximately 8km east of Hurricane.
Twelve drill holes were completed in Area A (Figure 4) to follow-up anomalous results in previous drilling and test basement electromagnetic conductors with coincident zones of decreased resistivity in the overlying sandstone. Anomalous alteration and structure were intersected in several drill holes along the southeastern margin of the Area A. Key results include drill hole LE22-116 which intersected radioactivity >500 CPS from 282.0 to 282.5m immediately above the unconformity. Like mineralization at Hurricane, radioactivity in LE22-116 is associated with strong, sandstone-hosted hydrothermal hematite and sulphide alteration. A wide zone of weak bleaching was intersected in the basement, but no major structures were intersected by LE22-116. One kilometre northeast of LE22-116, LE22-119 intersected metre-scale zones of massive clay with strong hydrothermal hematite and weakly elevated radioactivity in the basal sandstone. LE22-138 intersected two zones of moderate basement alteration with the upper zone extending from the unconformity at 277.2m to 292m and the second zone extending from 300m to 311m.
Eight drill holes evaluated a 1.2km long area interpreted to have geological and geophysical characteristics analogous to Hurricane (Figure 4, Area B). Completed as a series of two-hole fences, drilling defined a zone of significant sandstone structure and alteration rooted in variably altered basement structures. Follow-up will be guided by pending geochemical results.
Four drill holes evaluated the southern limb of the Larocque Lake conductive trend at wide spacing (Figure 4, Area C). As in Area B, zones of sandstone structure and alteration rooted in basement structures were intersected and follow-up will be determined based on geochemical results.
One drill hole tested the northernmost conductor along the Larocque Lake trend which intersected weak sandstone structure and failed to locate the targeted conductor.