Manitou Gold (TSXV: MTU) identified awaruite, a naturally occurring nickel alloy mineral, in discovery hole MTU-22-14. The hole returned 0.25% nickel and 100 ppm cobalt over 48 metres. Geophysical interpretation has outlined 60 km of structures hosting large tonnage nickel potential within the orogenic gold target area on Manitou’s 100%-owned Goudreau project near the near the town of Missanabie in northeast Ontario.
The discovery hole was collared in nickel mineralization near the southern margin of the ultramafic intrusion and is not thought to have intersected the full width of the nickel zone. Geophysical interpretation suggests that, although well mineralized, the hole did not test the strongest portion of the nickel anomaly, which as such remains untested at this time.
Manitou considers the awaruite it has discovered to date to be comparable to Canada Nickel’s Crawford deposit, located near Timmins, Ont., and the Dumont nickel project in Quebec. The key benefit of nickel-iron alloy ores over nickel-sulphide ores is that concentrates do not need smelting prior to further processing.
The Goudreau property is located between the Magino project of Argonaut Gold, the Island gold mine of Alamos Gold and Barrick Gold’s past-producing Renabie mine. Manitou’s property covers 366 km3 including the Goudreau-Lochalsh deformation zone in which Manitou’s project also hosts the Island and Magino deposits and the Baltimore deformation zone.
A follow-up ground exploration program designed to test both gold and nickel targets along the Baltimore and Easy Lake deformation corridors is underway. A combination of soil geochemistry, prospecting and mechanized stripping in advance of drill testing these targets.
Learn more about the Goudreau project at www.ManitouGold.com.