Content
Exploration highlights
The Seiland Igneous Province
Exploration history
The Reinfjord Mineralization
The Reinfjord geology
The Lokkarfjord Mineralization
Project advisory group
Exploration highlights
Nordic Mining’s exploration in the Seiland Igneous Province in Northern Norway has led to the discovery of new magmatic Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Cobalt (Co) and Platinum/Palladium/Gold (PGE+Au) mineralizations in the Reinfjord and Lokkarfjord areas on the Øksfjord Peninsula.
Click here to see table showing the best intersected metal grades in drill cores from Reinfjord.
Aqua regia multielement ICP-OES analysis by Labtium Rovaniemi.
The sulphide contained nickel varies from about 80 % in the richest zone to about 50 % in the less mineralized parts, see table 2 in attached complete analysis.
Click here to see table showing the best metal grades in samples from Lokkarfjord
Aqua regia digest, ICP-AES analysis by ALS Minerals. Sulphidic Nickel was analyzed by ME-ICP09 sulphide specific analyses.
The Seiland Igneous Province
The Øksfjord Peninsula is part of “The Seiland Igneous Province” (SIP) known for its 5,500 km2 of mafic and ultramafic intrusions (75% by area) that were emplaced 560-570 million years ago. The remaining 25 % of SIP consists of calc-alkaline and alkaline igneous plutons. The complex shares many characteristics with classical PGE-Cu-Ni regions such as the famous Bushveld Complex in South Africa, Stillwater in Montana and Fennoscandian Suhanko and Penikat intrusions in Finland. It has been suggested that SIP represents a deep seated parts of a large magmatic pluming system, that, on the surface, may have fed massive volacanic outpouring systems comparable to for example the Siberian Trap and the North Atlantic Volcanic Province (Larsen et al. 2012).
Figure 2: Geological Map of the Seiland Igneous Province. Circles mark Nordic Mining’s exploration targets. (Map Source: NGU)
Exploration history
SIP is to a large extent unexplored for high-end minerals though erratic base metal findings have been reported in early exploration reports from the 1970’s. Nordic Mining has carried out fieldwork and sampling in several areas of interest within the complex (Often and Schiellerup 2008, Iljina 2011). Airborne geophysical survey (Electromagnetic and Magnetic measurements) was carried out by SkyTem in the two most promising targets, The Reinfjord and Lokkarfjord Intrusions, in July 2011. An expert review of the geophysical data by Revelation Geosciences revealed two conductive bodies side by side in the Reinfjord Intrusion, and four targets within the Lokkarfjord intrusion (Johnson 2011). Nordic Mining holds the exploration rights in both areas.
Nordic Mining prioritised the Reinfjord Intrusion for further investigations and a ground electromagnetic survey (TEM) was completed in early 2012. The result of the survey carried out by Geovista AB confirmed a sizeable conductor in Reinfjord at approximate depth of 100 meters (Thunehed 2012). Exploration drilling was then carried out in May 2012. This drilling lead to the discovery of Ni, Cu, Co, PGE and gold (Au) enriched sulphide mineralizations between 86 and 116 meters fitting well with the interpreted conductors.
The Reinfjord Mineralization
Modeling of the ground geophysical data (TEM) shows a large conductive field (600 x 600 meters) within the Reinfjord Intrusion. The conductor is located between the depths 60 and 110 from the surface, and is open towards the northeast (Fig. 3). The conductor is shaped like a flat lying, open bowl dipping gently towards the northeast. Figure 3 is a 3D interpretation of the conductor (Thunehed 2012).
Figure 3: 3D model of Reinfjord conductor. Each cell has an estimated resistivity of 5 ohm. The conductor is open towards the northeast.
In May 2012 Nordic Mining conducted a drilling program of two holes to 243 and 169 meters in depth respectively. Drill hole RF-1 intersected two zones of disseminated sulphides. A Ni/Cu rich zone (between 86 and 93 meters) underlain by a more PGE+Au enriched zone (between 107 and 117 meters). The PGE zone was characterized by pegmatitic texture with coarse grained pyroxene, blue quartz and plagioclase.
Click here to see table presenting the average base and precious metal contents for the best mineralized sections in drill hole RF-1:
Aqua regia multielement ICP-OES analysis by Labtium Rovaniemi. The sulphide contained nickel varies from about 80 % in the richest zone to about 50 % in the less mineralized parts, see table 2 in attached complete analysis.
Click here for complete assay results for drill hole RF-1.
Microscope observations show that interstices of ore forming pentlandite and chalcopyrite are are present in drill hole RF-1, see figure 4 below.
Figure 4: Microscope picture of RF-1 sulphides, dark brownish yellow is chalcopyrite, light yellow is pentlandite and pyrrhotite is creamish brown.
Drill hole RF-2 showed a more complex lithology with obvious cross-cutting younger intrusive phases. Disseminated sulphides are found especially between 94 and 116 meters. The Ni, Cu and PGE grades were somewhat lower than for drill hole RF-1. The pegmatitic rock type hosting the PGE enriched interval in hole RF-1 is not found in hole RF-2.
Click here to see table showing the average base and precious metal contents in the best mineralized section in drill hole RF-2
Aqua regia multielement ICP-OES analysis by Labtium Rovaniemi. No sulphide specific analysis has yet been made for drill hole RF-2.
Click here for complete assay results for drill hole RF-2 see table RF-2.
Chalcopyrite, cubanite, native copper, and pentlandite (Fig. 5) were identified as ore forming minerals in drill hole RF-2.
Figure 5: RF-2 sulphides- Native copper (orange red) in Cubanite (CuFe2S3) in the right picture and chalcopyrite in left. Cubanite and native copper are alteration products of chalcopyrite.
The Reinfjord Intrusion is situated in the Kvænangen municipality in Troms County. The target area is located at an altitude of approximately 600 meters above the sea level about 2.5 km from the coastline and village of Reinfjord.
Figure 6 shows the geology of the Reinfjord Intrusion. The ultramafic intrusion is bordered by gabbro in the east and garnet gneiss in the west. The intrusion consists of layered olivine-pyroxenites and wherlite/dunites (The Layered Series) and a slightly younger dunite (The Central Series). There are evidences of partial melting and assimilation of wallrock along the intrusion in The Marginal Series. Uneconomic disseminated Ni/Cu mineralizations depleted in PGE-Au are found in several places exposed along the Marginal Series. These seem to be “Contact type” mineralizations formed by country rock contamination and are known as the Småvatna and Bonjikdalen mineralizations (Iljina 2011).
Figure 6: Map showing geological units of the Reinfjord Intrusion. Drill hole locations are marked with arrows.
Field observations show evidences of magma replenishment and geochemical studies of drill cores indicate magma injections of variable compositions. The presence of evolved or contaminated magma and/or fluids has resulted in pegmatitic textures and formation of felsic minerals.
The current exploration model is that the Ni, Cu, PGE deposit is related to magma replenishments and wallrock contamination resulted in concentration of fluids in the possible root area of the magmatic pluming system
Nordic Mining will put effort into understanding the relationship between the geological setting, the mineralized intervals and the modelled conductor.
Figure 7: Overview of the upper part of the Reinfjord intrusion. Drill hole RF-1 is located close to the lower right corner of the photo. The Langfjordjøkelen glacier is seen in the far distance.
The Lokkarfjord mineralization
Lokkarfjord is a smaller hornblendite intrusion located in the so-called “Sulphur Mountain” (Svovelberget) in the municipality of Alta, on the northern part of the Øksfjord Peninsula, in the Finnmark County. The Lokkarfjord intrusion is bordered by older gabbro to the south and the sea to the north. Two massive sulphide bodies have been documented in historic exploration reports on the steep slope close to the sea. The airborne geophysics in the area picked up the sites of these sulphide bodies, and interpretation also revealed three other spot-like conductors on the steep slope (Johnson 2011). The use of airborne geophysics is greatly hampered by the steep hill slope as the Lokkarfjord intrusion raises 600 m almost vertically from the sea.
Nordic Mining’s fieldwork from 2011 comprised of sampling of massive sulphide boulders dropped from higher levels of the slope and a sampled profile along the shore line (Iljina 2011). Samples from the mineralizations show ore grade base and precious metal values. The values for the two best samples can you see here.
Aqua regia digest, ICP-AES analysis by ALS Minerals. Sulphidic Nickel was analyzed by ME-ICP09 sulphide specific analyses.
Click here for complete analysis of samples from Lokkarfjord.
Nordic Mining will continue investigation of the sulphide bodies in Lokkarfjord intrusion. More sampling, field investigations and appropriate ground geophysical measurements are warranted.
Figure 8: Sampling profile in Lokkarfjord Intrusion (Ijina 2011).
Project advisory group
Professor in ore geology at the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Rune Larsen, and consulting geologist Dr. Markku Iljina have been engaged for field exploration, interpretation and competent advisory for the project. Dr. Iljina has 25 years of experience in exploration of nickel and platinum deposits related to layered intrusions and he works as a Qualified Person for Nordic Mining’s exploration projects in SIP.