The Jerome Mine – Maps and Data
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Introduction
Augen Gold Corporation has acquired 113 staked mining claims and 63 patented mining claims in the Swayze Greenstone Belt (SGB) between Sudbury and Timmins, Ontario, for a total of 1223 claim units or 48,893 acres. The claims encompass the past-producing Jerome Mine, which recovered 56,800 oz gold and 15,100 oz silver during the years 1941-1943, and which contains reserves calculated by previous operators (these are non-NI 43-101 compliant) as 577,000 tons at a grade of 0.20 ounces per short ton (opt).
Augen has recently completed an airborne geophysical survey over its claims, and is compiling historical data from the Jerome Mine and regional data from the surrounding area in preparation for a diamond drill program planned for the New Year.
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Geological Setting
Recent studies by the Geological Survey of Canada and the Ontario Geological Survey have confirmed that the Swayze Greenstone Belt (SGB) is the western extension of the richly mineral-endowed Abitibi Greenstone Belt (AGB). The AGB and SGB are separated by the Kenogamissi Batholith, a large granitic body, but the recent studies have been able to correlate similar rock sequences of the same age in the AGB to the east and the SGB to the west of the batholith. Furthermore, the major structural zones which host the world-class mesothermal gold deposits of the Timmins and Kirkland Lake areas have been indicated to wrap around the northern and southern margins respectively of the batholith and extend into the SGB. Augen's claims straddle the 'Ridout' deformation zone, which is inferred to be the western continuation of the Cadillac-Larder Lake break. A series of felsic porphyritic intrusions occur along the southern Swayze belt and which are closely associated with gold mineralization.
Jerome Mine Geology
The Jerome Mine is underlain by meta-arkose and -conglomerate, that have been intruded by the 'Jerome Porphyry'. The porphyry includes trondhjemite, granodiorite and syenite varieties, with quartz and/or feldspar phenocrysts. The contact between the Jerome Porphyry and the metasediments is strongly sheared and altered over a width of some 400 feet. Within this zone it is commonly difficult to differentiate between the porphyry and the metasediments. The shear zone and its contacts with the metasediments and porphyry dip sub-vertically, and strike northwest-southeast. The Jerome mine is located on a peninsula on the south side of Opeepeesway Lake, and limited historical diamond drilling from lake ice has indicated that the shear zone and gold mineralization extends to the west of the peninsula. A set of north-striking, eastward-dipping thrust faults was observed in the mine workings, as well as some steeply dipping faults oblique to the ore zones.
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Mineralization
Gold mineralization at Jerome mine is hosted by blue-grey to black cherty quartz, which also contains the fine grained sulphide minerals pyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, galena, sphalerite and molybdenite. Erratic values of gold also occur in a glassy quartz associated with white carbonate, with chalcopyrite and tourmaline. The gold-bearing cherty blue-grey quartz bodies commonly occur as breccias or disaggregated ribbons and thumbnail-sized fragments, and are cut by glassy quartz veins. Intense alteration of much of the 400 foot-wide shear zone consists of quartz, ankerite, calcite, hematite and sericite, which have commonly obliterated any trace of the original porphyry or metasediment. Gold mineralization extends out from the quartz veins a short distance into the highly altered wall rocks.
The bulk of the mineralization identified to date occurs with two parallel zones some 400 feet apart – the Main and South zones. These are located along the north and south edges of the shear zone, respectively. A smaller zone of mineralization – the South Zone 2 - has been identified some 250 feet south of, and parallel to, the Main Zone. Historical drilling results indicate a number of narrow gold intersections scattered throughout the shear zone between the more coherent gold-bearing structures.
In the 1940's the Jerome mine recovered 56,800 oz gold and 15,100 oz silver (Au:Ag ratio of 3.6). Mining was by shrinkage stoping. Gold recovery is reported as 92%, using a cyanide milling process. Although the presence of molybdenite was known, molybdenum was not routinely analysed prior to Osprey's program, which included analysis of a suite of major and trace elements. In its NI 43-101 report, Behre Dolbear noted that for the 66 core samples of Osprey's that exceeded 0.1 opt Au, the weighted average value of Mo was 0.0892% (1.78 lbs/ton). Hence the recovery of molybdenum should be evaluated in any future feasibility study.
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Description of Long Section
The longitudinal section shows the underground drifts developed on the Main Zone by Jerome Gold Mines and Muscocho Exploration, and the mined-out stopes from which gold was recovered from 1941 to 1943. The section also shows the 'pierce points' where numerous diamond drill holes, drilled from the surface and from the underground workings, intersected the Main Jerome vein. Results are shown as ounces of gold per ton over the length of core. Gold values are also shown where detailed sampling of the drifts has been undertaken. Results are expressed as ounces of gold per ton over the average true width of the indicated length along the drift.
The calculated gold resources occur adjacent to and along strike from the mined stopes and are all accessible from the existing mine workings above the 1100 foot level.
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Description of Cross Section
Work is still in progress to compile historical drilling and underground data, but this schematic cross section, located 1200 feet (365 m) east of the shaft, illustrates the relationship of the Main Zone and South Zone to the enclosing feldspar-quartz porphyry and metasedimentary rocks, and shows the position of the underground workings. The deformation zone which hosts the gold-bearing zones is some 400 feet wide (122 m) and is open at depth.
Potential
Augen believes that there is potential to identify additional gold resources within the immediate mine area by undertaking further diamond drilling. Previous workers have noted that alteration and deformation are open to depth. In particular, hole J88-46 drilled by Muscocho in 1988 intersected "a very strong Main Zone structure at the 1500 ft. level but didn't return significant values" (Millard, 1989) In vein gold deposits of this type it is not unusual to obtain low or zero values of gold. What is important is that the structure and alteration were intersected, and additional drilling in the vicinity is should be undertaken.
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The Main zone has been drilled only at shallow depths west of the Jerome Mine peninsula. However, the structure has been identified and is mineralised. Muscocho noted that hole S89-14 intersected 0.068 oz/t Au over a core length of 8.3 feet "in a Main Zone-like structure" (Millard, 1989) This intersection lies 1500 m west of the Jerome Mine peninsula and demonstrates that potential exists to identify significant mineralization along strike.
Recent geoscientific work in the region has established that the deformation zones that underlie Augen's claims are the western extension of the Cadillac-Larder Lake Deformation Zone. Augen plans to explore for additional gold deposits along these zones. It is expected that data from Augen's recently completed airborne geophysical survey will assist in identifying specific structures for more detailed exploration.
Diamond Drill Hole Location Plan
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Osprey Drill Holes Re-sampling
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Jerome Drill Core Assay Comparison
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Airborne Radiometrics Potassium
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Apparent Resistivity 1000Hz
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Directionally Filtered Tilt Derivative
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Jerome Coplanar 56kHz Quadrature
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Total Magnetic Intensity
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