Geological Setting

Regional geology

The Louvicourt area is located within the archean rocks of the Abitibi sub-province, Superior Province.

The basement is composed of volcano-sedimentary belts trending generally east-west, and intruded by pre, syn or post-tectonic batholites. Within typical abitibian belts, volcanic units account for approximately two thirds of the total rock volume, the rest being equally distributed between sedimentary and intrusive rocks.

Mineralogical assemblages are typical of the green schist regional metamorphism up to the amphibolite facies at the contact with intrusive bodies.

The main structural features are: a penetrative east-west and steeply dipping schistosity, steeply dipping isoclinal folding, major east-west shear zones or deformation corridors, and late north-east south-west faults.

Local Geology

Recent mapping and geological interpretation, completed by Rocheleau, M. and als (MB 97-11), indicates that the property is centred on the Val d’Or litho-stratitgraphic domain, a group of formations located between two major east-west deformation corridors (the Lake Guegen corridor to the north and the Lake Villebon corridor to the south). As defined by Imreh (1984), this area should correspond to the eastern extension of the La Motte –Vassan anticlinal south limb, younger formations being through the south. Table 3 presents the regional stratigraphy, as defined by Imreh.

From bottom up, the Val d’Or domain is composed successively of the Dubuisson, Jacola, Val d’Or and Héva formations.

These formations overlay the sedimentary units of the Garden Island Group (in the northern part of the property), mostly composed of finely bedded sandstones, siltstones and mudstones, along with some lensy conglomerates and iron formations. This sequence is characterised by omnipresent shearing which defines the limits of the Lake Guegen deformation corridor.

More information can be obtained by reviewing the 43-101 Technical report prepared in August 2007 by Consultations Géo-logic by clicking here.

Geology of the property

Very few outcrops are present on the property. Most on the geological understanding comes from drill cores and therefore is concentrated on the Jacola Formation which hosts the Adelemont and Norcourt gold bodies.

The following details come from a document published by Gaudreau and als, MB 88-33 who visited the property at the time and also had access to the drill cores and the decline.

• Basalts
Mafic volcanic rocks of the Jacola Formation are homogeneous and fine grained dark green massive flows and pillow lavas. Some lava horizons show irregular concentrations of light green amygdules.

These volcanic rocks suffered numerous alterations, namely: chloritization, carbonatization and silicification. Plagioclase remnants are now enclosed in an actinote, tremolite and chlorite rich matrix. Secondary minerals include carbonates, magnetite, quartz and pyrite. Amygdules described above are composed of epidote with a halo of iron oxide and chlorite.

• Ultramafic rocks
Ultramafic lavas are interbedded with the basalts. They can be recognised by a darker colour (dark green to black), a very smooth surface, a very fine granulometry and a magnetic susceptibility.

Two distinct facies were observed. The ultramafic rock can either be massive or schistose. The massive facies reveals a mineralogical assemblage composed of talc, tremolite, chlorite and carbonate with minor amounts of sericite and magnetite. The schistose facies is essentially composed of chlorite, talc and carbonate.

• Gabbro
Some gabbroïc dykes, a few metres thick and of unknown lateral extension were observed associated with the mineralized zones. These green to grey coarse grained dykes contain epidotized plagioclases in a chlorite, carbonate and magnetite matrix.

• Feldspar porphyry
Feldspar porphyry dykes and sills are cross-cutting or interbedded with the volcanic units. Thickness of these intrusions may reach 6 to 9 meters. The rock is light grey, generally foliated and composed of deformed and altered feldspath phenocrists in a matrix of quartz and albite.

• Structures
The S0 planes measured within the lavas show an average strike of 2800 and dip steeply (700 to 900) to the north.

The most penetrative schistosity, S2, is conformable to S0, strikes between 2800 to 3000 and dips 800 to 900 to the north.

Regional shearing show a lineation to the east, between 750 and 900 and plunges east at 500.

The major structures known to occur can be grouped into two main networks. The most intense and laterally continuous are shear zones, tens to hundreds meters wide that develop most preferably within or along ultramafic horizons. They strike longitudinally to the main fabric, around 2850 and dip 700 to 800 to the north.

The second network consist of late faulting, striking 0100 to 02050 that shows dextral displacement of the previous network. This system is parallel to the regional diabase dykes emplacement.

More information can be obtained by reviewing the 43-101 Technical report prepared in August 2007 by Consultations Géo-logic by clicking here.