Abstracts 2008

January Technical Presentation

Northland Resources Inc.'s Iron-Oxide-Copper-Gold projects Northern Fennoscandia

Buck Morrow
Northland Resources Inc.

Northland Resources Inc., a Toronto, Oslo, and Frankfurt exchange listed Canadian junior exploration company, has been exploring for iron, copper, and gold in Northern Finland and Northern Sweden since 2004. The company has secured targets in the Kolari area (Fe-Cu-Au) in Northern Finland and in Pajala (Fe-Cu), Lannavaara (Fe-Cu-Au), Saarïjärvi (Cu-Au), Paljasjärvi (Fe), and Salmivaara (Fe-Cu-Au) areas in Northern Sweden. The key targets Northland has focused in are the Hannukainen, Stora Sahavaara, and Tapuli deposits in the Kolari-Pajala region located on both sides of the border between Northern Finland and Sweden. About 25 historically known iron oxide deposits are known within this district that has been under exploration by LKAB, SGU, and Rautaruukki Oy between the 1950's and 1980's. Two of the deposits, Rautuvaara and Hannukainen at Kolari were mined for iron by Rautaruukki Oy from 1975 - 1989. In addition to iron; copper and gold were also produced from the Hannukainen deposit.

The bedrock of the Kolari-Pajala area consists of 2.44-2.05 Ga Karelian succession of rift-related greenstones and associated sedimentary units overlying metamorphosed Archean basement complex, c. 1.91-1.88 Ga Svecofennian supracrustal unit of sedimentary rocks with minor felsic volcanic rocks. Intrusive in the area are dominated by syn-orogenic, 1.89-1.86 Ga Haparanda Suite intrusions and c. 1.80 Ga late-orogenic granitoids. Minor amount of c. 2.2 Ga dolerites and c. 1.78 Ga post-orogenic granites have been detected in the eastern part of the area. The structural geology of the area is dominated by the Pajala Shear Zone (PSZ) system first described by Berthelsen and Marker (1986) who named it as Baltic-Bothnian mega-shear. The PSZ is a complex, NNE-SSW trending, about 250 km long and 10 km wide, crustal-scale shear zone system that at Pajala-Kolari area consist of several juxtaposed shear and thrust zones. The PSZ outlines the boundary between the Karelian and Norrbotten cratons and was initially formed during the amalgamation of these cratons during the Svecofennian collisional events in 1.89-1.86 Ga (e.g. Lahtinen et al. 2005). Subsequent compressional and extensional orogenic events in 1.86-1.79 Ga lead to re-activation of the PSZ structures as indicated by Northlands drillings.

All of the known occurrences are located within or immediately next to the structural lineaments of the PSZ. The mineralization style display considerable variation between and within the known Fe and Fe-Cu-Au occurrences ranging from semi-massive skarn¹ hosted magnetite bodies to albitite - and granite-breccia hosted magnetite-pyrite - chalcopyrite bodies to disseminated magnetite-chalcopyrite-pyrite deposits in highly Na-K-altered mafic metavolcanic rocks. Copper and gold display background elevated values in almost all of the known occurrences, however economically interesting grades are known in only limited number of these. So far the highest public Cu-Au results are from the Laurinoja ore body at Hannukainen with best intercept containing 1.11% Cu and 0.99 g/t Au along 9.6 meter of core. The NI 43-101 compatible resource estimate of the Laurinoja magnetite body is 35.40 Million tonnes @ 37.6% Fe, 0.32% Cu, 0.170 g/t Au in measured category. Besides Cu and Au the deposits contain background elevated concentrations of Ag, Ba, Bi, Ce, Co, F, La, Ni, Mo, Se, U, and Te the ultimate metal association varying between deposit to deposit (Niiranen et al., 2007; unpublished Northland Resources Inc data).

The genetical interpretations of the Kolari-Pajala district Fe and Fe-Cu-Au deposits vary. It has been proposed that they're metamorphosed expressions of syngenetic iron formations i.e. BIFs (e.g. Frietch et al., 1995), epigenetic skarns related to the 1.89-1.86 Ga Haparanda Suite intrusions (Hiltunen, 1982), or that they belong to the broad group of epigenetic Iron oxide-Copper-Gold deposits (Niiranen et al., 2007). The data gathered during Northland's work from the Kolari and Pajala targets has revealed several features that favor IOCG model for the origin of the deposits in this area.

During the time period from 2005 to September 2007 Northland has secured total of 39,185 hectares land area on its Fe-Cu-Au targets by claiming. Exploration program in the Kolari-Pajala region has included drilling of about 280 drill holes totaling roughly 45,000 meters. Exploration campaign has also included relogging about 43,500 meters of historical drill core from various targets in the Kolari-Pajala area. As a result, Northland has been able release NI 43-101 compliant resource estimates from Stora Sahavaara and Hannukainen targets with total iron resources of 130.2 Mt in measured and 76.1 Mt in indicated, and 105.0 Mt in inferred category. Besides iron, the resources at Hannukainen include significant amounts of copper and gold. Parallel to the exploration campaign Northland has carried out metallurgical test work at its Stora Sahavaara, Hannukainen, and Tapuli targets. In addition to the Hannukainen, Stora Sahavaara, and Tapuli targets, Northland is carrying out exploration drilling in several of the Fe-Cu-Au targets in its possession at Northern Fennoscandia. For the further information of the results of current programs visit www.northlandresourcesinc.com

¹Skarn used here in purely descriptive sense with no implication of the genesis of the deposit

References:
Berthelsen, A., Marker, M., 1986. 1.9-1.8 Ga old strike-slip megashears in the Baltic shield, and their plate tectonic implications. Tectonophysics 128, 163-181.
Frietch, R., Billstr"m, K., Perhdal, J.A., 1995. Sulphur isotopes in Lowwer Proterozoic iron and sulphide ores in northern Sweden. Mineralium Deposita 30, 275-284.
Hiltunen, A., 1982. The Precambrian geology and skarn iron ores of the Rautuvaara area, northern Finland. Geological Survey of Finland Bulletin 318, 133p.
Lahtinen, R. Korja, A., Nironen, M., 2005. Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution. In: Lehtinen, M., Nurmi, P.A., R,m", O.T. (eds), Precambrian Geology of finland Key to the Evolution of the Fennoscandian Shield. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, 481-532.
Niiranenen, T., Poutiainen, M., M,ntt,ri, I., 2007. Geology, geochemistry, fluid inclusion characteristics, and U Pb age studies on iron oxide Cu Au deposits in the Kolari region, northern Finland. Ore Geology Reviews 30, 75-105.

February Technical Presentation

Alternate view of Great Basin extension and implications for mineral deposit targeting

Quinton Hennigh, VP Exploration, Evolving Gold Corp, 500 Coffman St, Suite 201, Longmont, CO 80501 720-938-1945 quinton@evolvinggold.com

Consensus among geologists is rare, yet there is near unanimity of opinion that extensional tectonism has given rise to the Great Basin and its basin and range geomorphology. That, however, is where agreement ends. Views concerning the magnitude of extension vary from a mere 10% to an extreme, >100%. A growing body of evidence indicates that the latter of these numbers may prove closer to correct.

Continental-scale seismic analysis indicates that the crust of the Great Basin is ~50% or less as thick (<30km) than surrounding continental crust (>50 km). The anomalously high geothermal gradient of the region is also suggestive of thin crust. Voluminous bi-modal volcanism, indicative of contemporaneous lower crustal and upper mantle melting, has accompanied extension from Late Eocene to present, another testament to high heat flow and significant thinning of crust.

Seismic velocity profiles across parts of the Great Basin provide evidence that the crust has been appreciably attenuated. These data also suggest that upper-crustal "blocks" are segregating as they are pulled apart from one another. Such brittle blocks appear to grade downward into highly stretched, largely ductile lower crust. Seismic sections from the Great Basin more closely resemble those from highly attenuated passive plate margins than those of any other crustal settings.

Gravity data, too, illustrate patterns of crustal block segregation. While it is acknowledged that gravity gradients in the Great Basin partially reflect contrasting material types, especially bedrock versus alluvium, it is the author's opinion that the sharp, ubiquitous gravity gradients of this region appear to define structural boundaries of upper-crustal blocks. Astonishingly, gravity gradients of the Great Basin are one to two orders of magnitude steeper than one would find in most other places on earth.

Normal fault patterns visible in all ages of rock in all parts of the Great Basin, serve as the best testament to pervasive, hyper-extension of this region. Geologic sections through many deposits illustrate ubiquitous "piano-key" normal faulting with early extensional faults lying flatter through time (i.e. fault rotation) only to be cut by successively younger, steeper normal faults. Some early fault segments can even end up rotated into positions that give them the appearance of having a reverse sense of motion. Where brittle rocks such as limestone are juxtaposed against ductile rocks such as shale, patterns similar to boundinage can develop. Patterns such as those described above can be seen at nearly every scale from mountain ranges to hand samples.

Analogue modeling can provide insight in the processes of extension and its associated structural patterns (Figure 1). Such models replicate fault patterns seen in the field and even illustrate more subtle elements of deformation that, to this point, may have been misinterpreted. Some analogue models display striking similarities to seismic sections from the Great Basin.

Although the author acknowledges that the compilation of data supporting hyper-extension is nowhere near complete, this model can serve as a worthy "working hypothesis" for exploration in the Great Basin. An appreciation of this model can help generate new ideas whether it is looking for the fault offset of a vein (Figure 2) or the dismembered parts of ore bodies. (severed half of a mining district). In fact, exploration, using the principles of this model, is precisely what is needed to test its validity.

Figure 1. Two images from an analogue model showing similarities to structural elements in the Great Basin. The top image displays a series of segregated crustal blocks. The bottom image illustrates repetitive, "piano-key" normal faulting.

Figure 2. The left image displays a vein dipping toward extensional faults. The vertical hole in the center failed to intersect the downdip projection of the vein, but the real target is to the left. A vein dips subparallel to an extensional fault in the image on the right. Again, the vertical hole failed to intersect the downdip projection of the vein. The real target lies in the footwall of the extensional fault.

March Technical Presentation

How to Use GIS with Mine and Geology Data

Willy Lynch. Mining Industry Specialist. ESRI, One International Court, Broomfield, CO 80021 wlynch@esri.com

GIS has evolved to be the standard tool to help the modern mining geoscientist in many aspects of their activities, from field data collection to data management, visualization, analysis, and reporting. This presentation will include a brief introduction to uses of GIS in the mining and geology industry and continue with more detailed discussions of spatial concepts and the use of ESRI's ArcGIS with mine and geology data.

An ArcGIS 9.2 compatible geologic map showing the geology of Placitas, New Mexico, USA will be utilized as an example. This map includes data from the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Geology, USGS, USBM and was originally created as an ESRI "Sample Map" in version 8. Additional mine data created using Geosoft's Target for ArcGIS extension will also be described.p

Concepts in creating a GIS project and geodatabase for a mine and geology application will be presented including creation of vector and raster data (from GPS, Remote Sensing, digitizing sources), conversion of data (from table, shapefile, coverage, MapInfo, CAD, geodatabase and grid formats), use/creation/maintenance of metadata, and accessing data from server sources.p

Use of a simple geology data model will be briefly discussed. Additional concepts to be demonstrated include data visualization (map projections, datum's and 3D) and data analysis using the ArcGIS geoprocessing framework and model builder.

April Technical Presentation

Similarities and Contrasts: Exploring Two Sediment-Hosted Gold Districts in Nevada and the Yukon
Dorian L. (Dusty) Nicol, Executive Vice President Exploration, Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp.

Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp.'s two principal properties are the Jerritt Canyon Gold District, Nevada and the Ketza River Gold District, Yukon Territory. The two camps are similar in many respects: gold mineralization at both properties is sediment-hosted and exhibits both strong structural and strong stratigraphic control. The principal ore controlling structures at both camps are northwest and northeast trending faults. Orebodies at both camps occur where these structures intersect favorable stratigraphic horizons, with the best potential ore zones where structural intersections coincide with favorable stratigraphy.

There are, however, significant differences in the two districts: at Jerritt Canyon, the favorable stratigraphic horizons tend to be limestone and calcareous siltstones. There are few if any reliable visual guides to ore at Jerritt Canyon, though arsenic minerals (orpiment and realgar), silicification, and argillization / decarbonatization can be spatially associated (at varying degrees of proximity) with ore. At Ketza River, the favorable horizons tend to be a micritic limestone and a (possibly locally hornfelsed) argillite. Gold mineralization at Ketza is associated with massive sulfides (pyrrhotite +/- pyrite +/- arsenopyrite) and there is a clear visual guide to mineralized zones, but not to gold grade.

Geologic mapping, geochemical sampling, and geophysics have all been successful in guiding exploration at both camps. This talk will discuss similarities and contrasts that have been useful in designing and implementing successful exploration programs at Jerritt Canyon and Ketza River.

May Technical Presentation

Uranium Deposits of the Northern Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, U.S.A.
Keith A. Laskowski MSc. Vice President- Bayswater Uranium Corporation

The merger of Northern Canadian Uranium Corporation (TSX-V: NCA) and Bayswater Uranium Corporation (TSX-V:BAY) in December 2007 has consolidated the ownership of historic sandstone-hosted uranium deposits of the Hullett Creek uranium district in northeast Wyoming and deep deposits discovered in the 1970s, located in southeast Montana. Bayswater, through its U.S. subsidiaries NCA Nuclear Inc. and Kilgore Gold Corp., has acquired the following properties and historical uranium resources: