Phone: +1.403.870.4349 | Email: [email protected]
The 90,460ha Albert Lake property is located approximately 135km north-northeast of La Ronge. The property is 100% owned by Fathom. Access to the property is currently by fixed wing aircraft or by helicopter. A 20-25 person, all season camp has been established on the property to allow for all season exploration; the exception being the freeze-up and break-up periods during the year.
The Albert Lake property lies within the Rottenstone Domain of the Proterozoic Trans-Hudson orogenic belt. The Rottenstone Domain is described as a broad belt of early to late syntectonic, northeast trending arcuate tonalite to granite intrusive rocks with associated injection migmatites. The Albert Lake property is underlain by a northeast striking, northwest dipping meta-tonalite-trondhjemite-pelitic migmatite complex of Paleoproterozoic age. The area has been subjected to numerous episodes of deformation, and the metamorphic grade across the property is mid to upper amphibolite. Albert Lake stratigraphy is divided into 2-phase granitoids and supracrustal rocks. Nickel-copper-PGE mineralization occurs within and associated with ultramafic intrusions that range in composition from pyroxenite to harzburgite. Ultramafic intrusions that host the Rottenstone deposit, the Tremblay-Olson showing, the newly discovered Bay-Island Trend, and several other showings on the Albert Lake property, occur within the metasedimentary supracrustal rocks. The property is host to the famous, historic, past producing Rottenstone Mine that produced 28, 724 tons grading 3.28% Ni, 1.83% Cu, 9.63 g/t 3E1. Mineralization at the Rottenstone deposit is hosted within a harzburgite-orthopyroxenite sill. Rottenstone mineralization occurs in the form of dense, net-textured sulphides, consisting of up to 50% pyrrhotite, with lesser chalcopyrite and rarely visible pentlandite. Similar style of host rock and similar style of mineralization was discovered at the Bay-Island Trend 500m west-northwest of the Rottenstone deposit. Other mineralized ultramafic occurrences are documented occurring south of the Rottenstone deposit in the Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson (SMDI#0959) area approximately 2km south of the Rottenstone deposit.
The “hill of rotten stone” (Rottenstone); a local indigenous Cree term to describe the very gossanous outcrop, first drilled in 1929. The approximate 50m diameter by 10m high outcrop was mined during the period 1965-1969. Mining and milling on site took place during the summer months and the concentrate was collected in the wintertime by trucks that transported the concentrate to the nearest highway (Hwy 102) using winter trail and ice roads. Ultimately the concentrate was shipped to INCO’s facility in Copper Cliff ON for final refinement. Exploration again occurred at Rottenstone intermittently 1987 – 2007. The very-high Ni-Cu+3E Rottenstone grade deemed to be in a small volume of rock estimated to be approximately 50,000 tons does not make geologic sense. The contained metal and exceptional metal tenors (Ni-tenor of 10-12%) has led exploration efforts in the belief that the Rottenstone deposit was derived from a very robust magmatic nickel system and Rottenstone was a hint of this robust magmatic system. Fathom Nickel Inc. is the very first company to prove this concept is correct. The Fathom 2021 discovery of the Bay-Island Trend; 300+m of Rottenstone-like mineralization, is proof of concept that the Rottenstone deposit is not an isolated occurrence but indeed part of a dynamic and open magmatic nickel sulphide system. The pathway for additional discoveries has been opened.
Fathom Exploration
As a public company Fathom initiated exploration at the Albert Lake property in 2021. The entire 90,000+ha was flown by a heliborne gradient MAG survey. Additionally, select areas near to the Rottenstone deposit were flown with a heliborne AirTEM system. Soil geochemistry surveys, initiated by previous operators, was expanded to the north and south of the Rottenstone deposit area. Importantly soil geochemistry was performed over the Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson area; approximately 360ha, that the Company was able to secure by staking the summer of 2022. Drilling, ground EM, and gravity surveys have been concentrated in the Rottenstone deposit and Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson area. BHEM has been routinely performed after all drillholes and some historic drillholes were probed with BHEM. To date the Company has drilled 66 drillholes, 12,100 meters, on the Albert Lake project.
Exploration Highlights
The Rottenstone deposit occurs within a harzburgite-orthopyroxenite sill-like body with a slight plunge to the east where it appears to have been truncated by a well-defined shallow dipping fault. The deposit occurs within the hanging wall of the fault. The Rottenstone host ultramafic rocks and associated pegmatoid occur within supracrustal rocks that trend northeast over a strike of 10km. Drilling south of the historic deposit confirms Rottenstone mineralization continues a minimum 40m south of the historic workings. Drilling in an area 500m west-northwest of the Rottenstone deposit discovered the Bay-Island Trend. Examples of mineralized intervals2:
Rottenstone Deposit:
- AL21017; 2.53m – 1.79% Ni, 2.09% Cu, 3.02 g/t 3E
- AL21024; 7.47m – 1.06% Ni, 0.88% Cu, 4.36 g/t 3E
- Including 0.96m – 1.71% Ni, 1.21% Cu, 20.04 g/t 3E
Bay-Island Trend:
- AL22052; 13.27m – 0.62% Ni, 0.29% Cu, 0.63 g/t 3E
- Including 8.14m – 0.87% Ni, 0.41% Cu, 0.85 g/t 3E
- Including 3.54m – 1.09% Ni, 0.42% Cu, 0.75 g/t 3E
- AL22057; 4.20m – 0.73% Ni, 0.22% Cu, 0.43 g/t 3E
- Including 2.35m – 1.00% Ni, 0.31% Cu, 0.52 g/t 3E
Nic5 – Tremblay Olson:
- AL24077; 2.01m – 0.42% Ni, 0.06% Cu, 0.18 g/t 3E
Dime:
- AL21029; 1.17m – 0.42% Ni, 0.09% Cu, 1.25 g/t 3E
Exploration has confirmed that the Rottenstone deposit remains open to the south. The deposit occurs within the hanging wall of a well-defined, shallow dipping fault which is suggestive of a possible foot wall offset. The Rottenstone host stratigraphy (ultramafic + pegmatite within supracrustal rocks) has been intersected at the Bay-Island Trend, the Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson and the Dime areas. The Bay-Island Trend; 500m west-northwest of Rottenstone, has been defined by drilling as a structurally controlled keel-like feature with 300+ meters of continuous Rottenstone-like mineralization. In comparison, Bay-Island Trend mineralization and overall metal tenors are approximately a third of the grade and Ni-tenor encountered at Rottenstone (~3% Ni-tenor vs. ~10% Ni-tenor respectively). The Bay-Island Trend remains open along strike. The Company is very optimistic that the high Ni-tenor (10.5%) associated with drillhole AL24077 at Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson, within Rottenstone-like lithology is a very positive development. Numerous gravity and EM features detected from surface and by BHEM remain high-priority drill targets within the Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson area. At the Dime occurrence; 4.3km south of Rottenstone, the Ni-Cu+3E mineralization in drillhole AL21029 occurs within a 12.91 m2 intercept in Rottenstone-like lithology. The interval contained <1% sulphur (S) through the entire interval; not allowing for a Ni-tenor calculation. The >1 g/t 3E and elevated Ni in ultramafic rock is a positive development and an indication of Rottenstone-like mineralization in the area. The Dime remains a high-priority exploration target. The extensive soil geochemistry program has highlighted numerous multi-element (coincident Ni-Cu-Co-Pd-Pt-Au + Cr-Mg) anomalies occurring within the favourable supracrustal rocks. Of interest soil samples in the Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson area have returned up to 1.2 g/t 3E. The very robust soil geochemistry signal in the Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson area and high Ni-tenor in Rottenstone-like rock in AL24077 is very good evidence of mineralized ultramafic rock occurring subsurface in the area. At the Bay-Island Trend the Ni-Cu+3E mineralization is reflected in a modest soil geochemistry anomaly. The Nic5 – Tremblay-Olson soil geochemistry response covering 4 square km is significantly more robust. Soil geochemistry has highlighted a trend; the Dime – Nic5-Tremblay-Olson – Rottenstone – Bay-Island Trend and beyond that covers 8.0km of strike. At the southern boundary of current soil geochemistry coverage multi-element (Ni-Cu-Co-Pd-Pt-Au + Cr-Mg) soil geochemistry anomalies occur east and south of Kenyon Lake.
Exploration Summary
Fathoms diligent exploration approach at the Albert Lake project has successfully demonstrated that there are detectable, geochemical and geophysical signals / footprints associated with Rottenstone-like mineralization. The Bay-Island Trend is proof. The 300+ meter trend lies beneath a soil geochemical anomaly, and BHEM surveys through the drilling process highlighted areas of increased conductivity that drilling confirms is Rottenstone-like mineralization. In comparison, Rottenstone sulphide mineralization is significantly less conductive than Gochager sulphide mineralization but nonetheless detectable by BHEM. Gravity surveys appear to highlight on a broad scale the favourable supracrustal rocks and gravity inversions have highlighted potential internal anomalies of interest. The area worked to date by Fathom remains highly prospective for additional Rottenstone-like discoveries. The Company is confident knowledge gained thus far will lead to additional discoveries.
Prospecting (144 grab samples) at the southern part of the Albert Lake property has defined a new gold zone. Six grab samples returned very anomalous – highly anomalous gold values (0.016 – 2.68 g/t Au). Mafic-ultramafic rocks with elevated Ni were also detected in an area approximately 17km along strike of the Ramp Metals gold discovery. This area and the prospect of Au mineralization occurring with the Rottenstone Domain is being evaluated by the Company.
