Abermin seeks high grade at Vancouver Island project

Mineral exploration is generally a slow and tedious process and few mines are discovered on one drill hole. So being in the right place is important whether you are talking about geology or nearness to infrastructure.

Abermin Corp.’s Lara discovery on Vancouver Island, the subject of a joint venture agreement with Laramide Resources (35%), occurs in the Sicker Group, a rock sequence which hosts Westmin Resources’ Myra Falls operation to the north. The similarity between Lara and Westmin’s Lynx mine is quite remarkable and it’s the type of situation that Abermin is chasing.

While the fox hunt is still on, the hounds are closing in on what could eventually become a brand new polymetallic gold mining operation near this coastal logging community. Abermin has budgeted $1 million for a 1987 exploration program and a portion of that will go towards the assessment of a very high grade polymetallic massive sulphide deposit in the Coronation zone. A massive barite zone was discovered late in the season in the eastern part of the property and that will also be evaluated.

Eight diamond drill holes have traced massive sulphides in the Coronation zone along a strike length of 530 ft; over a true width of 11.12 ft the massive sulphides averaged 0.24 oz gold, 6.7 oz silver, 14.9% zinc, 3.1% lead and 1.5% copper.

Late last year a new discovery was made 7,000 ft to the north which was tested with four diamond drill holes. Several anomalous polymetallic horizons have been noted there grading up to 4.7% zinc, 0.31% copper, and 0.5% lead. The strike length of the zone is greater than 8,000 ft, says Abermin, the majority of which is untested.

Located about eight miles west- southwest of Chemainus, it has good access and a logging trunk road runs right into the property and also a power line. According to Don Blackadar, senior geologist, the Sicker Group is exposed in at least three areas on Vancouver Island and the Lara property is one of them.

Abermin optioned the property from Laramide in 1982 which had done limited exploration on the ground. A trenching program was mounted in 1983 which located weak polymetallic mineralization on the western part of the property and the Coronation zone was discovered by drilling the following year, he points out. Drilling is generally confined to the spring and resumes in late summer or fall after the fire season is over.

The geology is quite complex with lots of faulting and the Lara appears to be a volcanic-hosted, polymetallic, syngenetic-type deposit, says Mr Blackadar. The Coronation zone dips to the north about 60-65 degrees and is exposed over approximately one mile and some 800 ft down dip. And he notes there is still “tremendous potential on other parts of the property.” Mineral types encountered to date include chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite and gold in its native form.

In-fill drilling has encountered high grade massive sulphides in specific areas and these have occurred in smaller bodies which require extensive drilling. Drill spacing varies from 30 ft to approximately 250 ft and although the mineralization is traceable for long distances the high grade portions are more localized. With tight drilling the grade seems to improve, he confirms. “We have got a million tons of reserves now but would like to find more high grade.” He adds: “It’s getting bigger every year.”

The company is aiming for an economic mineral inventory of two million tons but that could be reduced if a significant high grade, massive sulphide deposit was located. Finding enough high grade would allow them to achieve production and possibly expand at a later date when additional reserves were blocked out. This is exactly what Westmin did at Myra Falls, notes Roger Taylor, Abermin president.

Mr Taylor says: “Consideration will be given to an underground exploration program consisting of decline drifting on the ore zones, if encouraging results achieved to date on the Lara property are continued.” A stage 1 environmental approval process is under way which is a prerequisite to production for any mine in B.C. This is usually done before feasibility.