The Seymour Lake tantalum (Ta), lithium (Li), beryllium (Be) property is located approximately 45 km northeast of Armstrong in northwestern Ontario. The property is road accessible via Hwy 527 from Thunder Bay to Armstrong, east via the gravel Jackfish forest road (57 km), and then south along the Ferland logging road (5 km). The main Seymour property is approximately 10 km from the Ferland Station along the CN Railway and connected by a nearly complete improved road. Two proposed Ontario Hydro hydroplants (2013) are within 10 km along the Little Jackfish River to the east and northeast.
The main claim was optioned from Stares Contracting of Thunder Bay, ON and covers zoned, coarse-grained granite pegmatite dikes carrying significant values in tantalum (Ta), beryllium (Be) and lithium (Li) in the North and South Aubry zones. The property totals 51 claim units, covering the main showings and the area of potential pegmatite extensions (open) to the northeast, east and southeast, for a total of 816 hectares.
Map 1. Seymour Lake Location Map.
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Map 2. Seymour Lake and KM61 Claim Map.
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History
The Aubry pegmatites were discovered in 1957 by prospector Nelson Aubry of Nakina, Ontario. The prospect was worked by Anaconda Canada in the late 1950’s, and by ACA Howe for the Tantalum Corporation of Canada during 1969 and 1970. In 1979, E&B Explorations Inc., in partnership with Cominco Ltd., also briefly explored the prospect. In 1999, geologists from Gary Clark Consulting undertook limited rock sampling, which led to the staking of the main claim covering the Aubry zones by Stares Contracting of Thunder Bay and eventually the option by Linear Resources (now Linear Gold) in January, 2001. Linear completed extensive sampling, trenching and drilling programs in 2001 and 2002.
Linear Metals acquired a 100% interest in the Seymour Lake Property from Linear Gold (formerly Linear Resources) in April 2006. The original core claim (1245661), and additionally those adjoining claims within a 1 mile buffer are subject to a 3% NSR to Stares Contracting (50% purchasable for $1,000,000).
Geology
The Seymour Lake property is located in the Caribou Greenstone Belt, which trends ENE along the top of Lake Nipigon, near the northern margin of the Wabigoon Subprovince. A prominent SW-trending portion of the belt wraps around the NW end of a large composite felsic pluton in the property area. The Linear Metals claim group (including KM61 claims) covers a large (1 km x 7 km) lensoid-shaped contact zone between the pluton to the south and metabasalts to the north.
The pegmatite dikes are associated with the granitic pluton and intrude the mafic volcanics (pillowed lava, amphibolite, and tuff) that make up the majority of the Seymour Lake property. Pillowed lava in TR-NA-5 shows streching in the N-S direction with stratigraphic tops toward the north (after Pye, 1968). Dykes associated with the contact between the metavolcanics and the felsic pluton are generally coarse-grained and contain spodumene, but not tantalite mineralization. Dikes that have injected farther into the metavolcanics and away from the contact are finer-grained and contain beryl, spodumene and tantalite-columbite mineralization (see Image 3). Typical mineralization at the North Aubry pegmatite is an assemblage of muscovite, spodumene, quartz, K-feldspar and albite +/- manganotantalite +/- beryl +/- apatite +/- lepidolite +/- garnet. The South Aubry pegmatite is characterized by spodumene-bearing feldspathic zones, often with accessory blue to green beryl with locally abundant tantalite in the southernmost trenches.
Map 3. Regional Geology map of the Caribou Greenstone Belt, with locations of other regional exploration.
Click map to enlarge.
Linear Resources Exploration Results (2001 - 2002)
The work carried out by Linear in the summer of 2001 demonstrated the economic possibilities for a significant tantalum deposit(s) in the area. The North Aubry vein has been exposed over a +200 m strike length with widths up to 50 m. Values in the TR-NA-5 area at the south end of the zone reach 2.49 % Ta2O5 over 4 m with the tantalum values in the tantalite indicating extreme fractionation. These values are the highest encountered in Ontario and similar to those from the Tanco Mine in Manitoba, Canada's only tantalum producer. Lithium alteration in the mafic volcanics indicates an intense mineralizing pulse which may have produced stacked zones of pegmatites.
Exploration at The South Aubry zone, located 600 m to the south of the North Aubry uncovered coarse tantalite mineralization with significant Ta values; for example: a lepidolite bearing boulder located to the south of the South Aubry near TR-SA-4 yielded Ta2O5 values of 541 ppm (0.054 %).
The last drill program at Seymour Lake, testing primarily for tantalum, was completed during August 2002 with a total of 1,866 metres of NQ core drilled in 32 drill holes. The drilling tested the North and South Aubry zones, where lithium (spodumene), tantalum (tantalite), and beryllium (beryl) mineralization is found in shallow dipping granite pegmatites over a strike length in excess of one-kilometre. The zones remain open to the north and south and down dip, and other stacked pegmatites have been located in the area.
Table 1. Linear Resources Drill Hole Table.
Hole_ID
East_27
North_27
Alt_m
Depth_m
Comment
SL02-01
396973
5585033
387
60.0
SL02-02
396979
5584979
389
71.8
SL02-03
396982
5584935
399
54.0
SL02-04
396985
5584869
403
47.0
SL02-05
396982
5584845
397
39.0
SL02-06
396994
5584778
391
105.0
SL02-07
397031
5584981
394
93.0
SL02-08
396929
5584976
381
30.0
Hole Lost at 30 m
SL02-09
396933
5584931
392
30.0
SL02-10
396882
5584931
391
72.0
SL02-11
396882
5584976
389
54.0
SL02-12
396889
5584778
380
40.0
SL02-13
396868
5584777
371
40.0
SL02-14
396916
5584874
384
18.0
SL02-15
396937
5584876
385
24.0
SL02-16
396906
5584936
378
40.0
SL02-17
396547
5584389
338
75.0
SL02-18
396570
5584417
339
81.0
SL02-19
396554
5584163
339
27.0
SL02-20
396590
5584122
350
81.0
SL02-21
396621
5584084
348
75.0
SL02-22
396635
5584066
343
75.0
SL02-23
396562
5584302
325
137.7
SL02-24
396677
5584022
344
75.0
SL02-25
396915
5584792
369
50.0
SL02-26
396914
5584845
382
50.0
SL02-27
396956
5584900
401
50.0
SL02-28
396936
5584898
386
50.0
SL02-29
396913
5584899
385
42.0
SL02-30
396957
5584868
384
42.0
SL02-31
396961
5584841
397
42.0
SL02-32
396258
5584725
304
95.0
Hole Lost at 95 m
Note: all holes drilled vertically
The 2002 drill program tested the North Aubry zone over a 200-metre strike length with 23 shallow vertical holes (SL-02-1 to 16, SL-02-25 to 31), with 21 of 23 holes intersecting pegmatites hosting Li2O mineralization. In the South Aubry area, drilling tested a 380-metre strike length with eight shallow vertical holes (SL-02-17 to 24), all of which intersected Li2O mineralization. The drill intersections are close to true widths due to the near horizontal to shallow dipping nature of the units.
While the drilling was targeted primarily at the tantalum potential of the zones, significant lithium mineralization was intersected in the North Aubry zone including: 1.735% Li2O over 14.25m in SL-02-2, 2.386% Li2O over 9.20m in SL-02-4, 0.955% Li2O over 20.65m including 1.190% Li2O over 14.74m in SL-02-9, 2.212% over 5.70m in SL-02-14, 1.325% Li2O over 23.85m including 2.059% Li2O over 9.00m and 2.232% Li2O over 3.04m in SL-02-27, and 1.475% Li2O over 17.72m including 1.937% Li2O over 12.97m in SL-02-31. Click here for link to full North and South Aubry DDH highlight table, including Li2O, Ta2O5 and BeO intercepts.
Although not specifically targeted in the drill program, significant lithium (spodumene) mineralization was also encountered at the South Aubry zone including: 1.460% Li2O over 4.25m including 2.389% Li2O over 1.80m in SL-02-17, 0.757% Li2O over 13.30m including 0.976% Li2O over 4.60m in SL-02-20, 0.648% Li2O over 10.36m including 1.368% Li2O over 2.15m in SL-02-21, and 0.390% Li2O over 7.07m including 1.401% Li2O over 2.92m in SL-02-22. Click here for link to full DDH highlight table.
Map 4. Location of North and South Aubry zones at Seymour Lake.
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Map 5. Drill hole and trench locations at North Aubry pegmatite zone, Seymour Lake.
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Map 6. Cross section 99+50 at North Aubry Zone, Seymour Lake.
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Map 7. Cross section 99+25 at North Aubry Zone, Seymour Lake.
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Map 8. Drill hole and trench locations at South Aubry pegmatite zone, Seymour Lake.
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Map 9. Longitudinal cross section at South Aubry Zone, Seymour Lake. Note Li2O intercepts at main pegmatite body and lower horizon.
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The drilling indicates that the pegmatites on the Aubry trend occur as an undulating system of stacked sheets that dip shallowly to steeply eastward. The main part of the North Aubry zone ranges in true thickness from 10 to 28 metres. Mineralization remains open down dip to the east and continues as a narrower zone to the north and south. The main part of the South Aubry zone maintains an estimated true thickness of 15 to 16 metres over a strike length of at least 95 metres. It remains open along strike to the north and south, and down dip to the east.
The results indicate there are higher-grade lithium and tantalum zones to depth at the North Aubrey and there is potential to locate high-grade zones at the South Aubry. Further, there remains excellent untested potential for additional pegmatites, both stacked at depth and along strike, along the Aubry trend. The Seymour Lake property remains highly prospective for further discoveries and a re-evaluation of data is underway leading to a fall 2009, detailed exploration program, including drilling.
Click here for 2002 DDH tables highlighting Li2O, Ta2O5 and BeO intercepts.
Linear Metals Enzyme Leach Soil Sampling Results (2008)
Click here for 2008 soil sampling results for lithium.
2009 Exploration Results
Map 1. Drill Location Map, Seymour Lake Project, January, 2010
Map 2. Lithium Enzyme Leach Soil Results, Seymour Lake Project, January 2010
Map 3. Lithogeochemical Sampling Results, Seymour Lake Project, January 2010
Linear holds a 100% interest in the Seymour Lake property subject to a 3.0% NSR over the area where the previous drilling was conducted ( for claim map). Linear Metals can repurchase 50% of the 3% NSR for $1,000,000.
Image 1. North Aubry pegmatite at Seymour Lake.
Image 2. Li-bearing spodumene crystals a) parallel to crystal axis and b) perpendicular to crystal axis.
2a)
2b)
Image 3. Mineralization at North Aubry pegmatite. Note euhedral tantalite crystals (black) and blue-green apatite crystals in K-feldspar, smokey quartz and Plag-Feldspar (albite).
Ownership
Linear holds a 100% interest in the Seymour Lake property subject to a 3.0% NSR over the area where the previous drilling was conducted (see Map 2). Linear Metals can repurchase 50% of the 3% NSR for $1,000,000.
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