MIN I NG
Pure Nickel exploring the final
frontier of Alaska
by Ellsworth Dickson
Pure Nickel Inc. [NIC-TSX; PNCKF-OTCBB] is concentrating its
efforts on its two mineral projects in Alaska – the MAN property
and the Salt Chuck property
David McPherson, President/CEO, said drilling is under way at
the MAN Project which is readily accessible from two major highways and adjacent to the Alaskan Pipeline in southeast Alaska.
The prospect is about 400 km northeast of Anchorage and 265
km southeast of Fairbanks. Outcrop assayed samples returned
widespread, high-grade, nickel-copper-platinum group elements
(PGE) returning up to 15.4% nickel, 7.19% copper, 170 grams
PGE+gold+silver/tonne.
To advance the project, Pure Nickel has partnered with ITOCHU
Corporation of Japan, a large, Tokyo-based, multi-billion dollar
Japanese conglomerate that can earn a 75% interest in the project
by spending, in stages, US $40 million over seven years.
A one drill program is underway to test the Alpha Complex
focusing on the PGE horizons that were discovered last year.
Several targets on the Rainy Complex, located in the northern
region of the property, have also been identified. The Rainy targets are based on strong geophysical anomalies and geochemistry
analysis (rock, stream and sediment analysis). The 2011 budget is
approximately US $4.8 million.
Exploration at the MAN property began in the 1990s, with Pure
Nickel operating the exploration programs over the past three summer seasons. During 2009, extensive geophysical work and drilling
were conducted that included a 2,672 line-km ZTEM survey. A total
of 4,200 metres were drilled.
Pure Nickel’s Salt Chuck property is located on Prince of Wales
Island in the Alaskan Panhandle, approximately 70 km northwest
of Ketchikan. Access to the property is by ferry from Ketchikan and
then by paved and gravel road. The property is comprised of 146
Federal claims occupying an area of 1,082 hectares.
The Salt Chuck Mine produced approximately 300,000 tonnes of
ore, reported by US government summaries (1948) to be 0.95% copper, 1.96 grams palladium/tonne, 1.12 grams gold/tonne and 5.29
grams silver/tonne. The mine was the largest producer of palladium
in the US during its era of production. The permitting process for
the property is under way and plans for a fall or winter exploration program are being readied. The temperate climate on Prince of
Wales Island is conducive for year-round exploration and drilling.
In a non-Alaska development, Pure Nickel’s partner, Rockcliff
Resources Inc. [RCR-TSXV], has reported results from a 24-hole,
7,500-metre drill program conducted on the Tower Project near
Snow Lake, Manitoba, where Rockcliff can earn a 70% interest
Results to date have been excellent and have consistently
58 www.resourceworld.com
The exploration camp at Pure Nickel’s MAN Project in southeast Alaska.
Diamond drill cores are in the foreground ready to be logged. Photo
courtesy Pure Nickel Inc.
returned high-grade copper values. Drill results include step-out
holes that returned 6.1% copper, 1.6 grams gold/tonne, 2.0%
zinc, 35.9 grams silver/tonne across 4.9 metres, including 10.1%
copper, 1.2 grams gold/tonne, 2.6% zinc, 56.1 grams silver/tonne
across 2.6 metres. Future drilling, subject to Rockcliff Resources
scheduling, will target the mineralization along strike and to a
vertical depth of 600 metres.
Pure Nickel also holds the William Lake Project adjacent to the
Tower Project.
The nearby Manibridge Project is held in a Joint venture agreement with Crowflight Minerals Inc. [CML-TSX]. Manibridge is
a past producing mine that was operated between 1971 and 1977.
A 2008 drill program resulted in the discovery of two nickel zones
located within 400 metres of the old mine. Assays include 16.75
metres of 1.38% nickel, 5.45 metres of 1.18% nickel, and 6.3
metres of 1.37% nickel.
The company has other mineral projects, including Fond du
Lac, northern Saskatchewan, which represents a previously
unrecognized setting for a world-class nickel camp. A geophysical
survey in 2008 was able to test the ZTEM geophysics technology’s
ability to identify potential along-strike and the deep extensions
of known nickel-copper mineralization below 500-metre depths.
The company’s Rainbow Project is located 350 km southwest
of Baker Lake, Nunavut, and covering 20,000 hectares. In 2004,
drilling by Falconbridge discovered gold and nickel mineralization, including 13.15 grams gold/tonne over 2.14 metres.
In far northern Québec, the Raglan (Nuvilik) Project is located in
the central part of the Cape Smith Belt, approximately 80 km westsouthwest of the Xstrata Raglan Mine complex. A 2008 exploration
program included geophysical interpretations over the entire license
and a VTEM geophysical survey in two license blocks totaling
approximately 417 line-km was completed. Field follow-up sampling
returned 2.87% copper in five of the 16 samples collected.
In summary, Pure Nickel has assembled a number of promising
mineral projects that, based on results to date, are all worthy of
further exploration. n
J U L Y 2 011