NDT Ventures wraps up Labrador drilling

The drilling season has come to an inauspicious end for Vancouver-based NDT Ventures (NDE-V), with no economic sulphides in sight on its myriad joint-ventured projects in north-central Labrador.

The company drilled a total of 5,942 metres in 11 holes on seven individual projects in the Voisey’s Bay and Staghorn Lake areas.

Recent assay results include those of hole 26-11 on Project 11-3, a joint venture with Essex Resource (ESX-V) in the Staghorn Lake area. The hole intersected layered-to-foliated, medium-grained leuconorite and anorthosite to a depth of 697 metres. Mineralization consisted of vein zones and narrow patches of massive pyrrhotite with minor chalcopyrite. Two main areas of mineralization occur: from 485 to 496.6 metres and from 621.5 to 628.5 metres. Sulphide veins constitute 68% of the 624.2-to-628.2-metre interval and have a weighted average of 0.44% nickel, 0.3% copper and 0.1% cobalt.

On Project 13-2, a joint venture with Birchwood Ventures (bir-v) in the Staghorn Lake area, hole 27-13 showed that the troctolite body is 330 metres thick and underlain by foliated leuconorite to norite and massive anorthosite. The hole was terminated in vuggy, coarse-to-pegmatitic anorthosite at 1,094 metres, leaving the magnetotelluric (MT) conductor unexplained. No economic mineralization was intersected and no further drilling is planned.

In the Voisey’s Bay area, drilling was carried out on Project 61, a joint venture with Takla Star Resources (TKR-A), and on Project 54, which is under option from Augusta Metals (AMI-V) (formerly known as First Western Minerals).

On Project 61, hole 28-61 was drilled to 524 metres to test the base of a troctolite intrusion that had been postulated to represent the southernmost extent of the Reid Brook intrusion, which hosts the Voisey’s Bay nickel-copper-cobalt deposits. The drill hole was collared on the peak of a gravity anomaly that is centred over the intrusion. The hole intersected troctolite that had been brecciated and veined by the younger Makhavinekh granite unit down to a depth of 475 metres and then entered granite. No economic mineralization was encountered.

Drillhole 29-61 tested weak MT conductors coincident with a gravity anomaly about 200 metres east of hole 28-61. The hole intersected the same brecciated troctolite as hole 28-61, down to 322 metres, and was stopped after intersecting 102 metres of granite. NDT now believes the MT anomaly was caused by a 5-metre-thick zone of Tasiuyak gneiss carrying 5% sulphides and 3% graphite. The company notes that testing of potential zones beneath the younger granite at depth in these two holes is beyond the depth capacity of the drill rig used.

On Project 54, three holes totalling 338 metres were drilled to test electromagnetic conductors associated with a surface showing of 6.8% zinc found in grab samples. The holes intersected narrow zones of massive pyrrhotite along with wider zones of weakly disseminated mineralization. No economic mineralization was intersected.

MT surveys have been completed over five projects in the Voisey’s Bay area, all of which are in joint venture with Takla Star. On Project 47, east of Nain, hole 33-47 was drilled to a depth of 948 metres on a strong MT conductor associated with a troctolite intrusion. The hole intersected troctolite and magnetite-rich gabbronorite throughout, but drill conditions prevented the completion of the hole, and the cause of the conductor remains unexplained.

NDT has been informed by partners Donner Resources (DRZ-V) and Teck (TEK-T) that drilling is continuing on Project 79 in the South Voisey’s Bay area.

Geological mapping, line cutting and grid-based magnetometer, electromagnetic and gravity surveys have been completed, as has an 8-hole, 1,625-metre drill program.

Crews are demobilizing NDT’s camps, and the company is set to begin a thorough review of all 1997 results.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, field crews are exploring the land package NDT recently acquired in the Belo Horizonte area. Reconnaissance drilling is expected to begin on several targets toward the end of the year.