By Edwin Gaucher, ing., Ph.D. September 2007
Introduction Chronology of exploration What is a Beep Mat Why use Beep Mats Where to use Beep Mats Is the Beep Mat a proven technology? References Instrumentation GDD Inc.,
A new copper-zinc mining camp (Gaumont, 2007) is being presently drilled off in central Quebec by Breakwater and Virginia Gold. Two new techniques contributed to the discovery: Beep Mats InfiniTEM pulse system 3 Instrumentation GDD Inc., 2007
Summer 2003: a gossan is spotted from a plane. August: - Geological crew - Favourable geology - Samples: no economical values September: - Beep Mat crew - At first, ten bedrock conductors are discovered - The first two blasted are barren - The next eight are all in ore. For example: 22.4% zinc Winter 2004 : - Coulon project covers 65 sq. km - Three promising sulphide lenses … Beep-Mat VTEM survey Ground MaxMin Diamond drilling Pulse EM surveys InfiniTEM pulse system survey Beep-Mat VTEM survey Ground MaxMin Diamond drilling Pulse EM surveys InfiniTEM pulse system survey 4 Instrumentation GDD Inc., 2007 Chronology of exploration
Instrumentation GDD Inc., Winter 2004: VTEM survey covers all the claims Beep-Mat followed by MaxMin and pulse EM surveys and DDH result in the discovery of three promising massive sulphide lenses Following seasons: InfiniTEM pulse survey discovers a fourth massive sulphide lens too deep for previous work Geologists discover a fifth sulphide lens Chronology of exploration
Position of the lenses of massive sulphides 6 Instrumentation GDD Inc., 2007
Role of Beep Mats and InfiniTEM Instrumentation GDD Inc., Beep Mats 1 - They allowed to discover subcrops of the first three ore lenses. 2 – They allowed to blast 80 % of all VTEM airborne EM targets. Up to today, except for the first three ore lenses, none of the others sites sampled seem to have warranted any serious follow up. InfiniTEM The deep penetration of the InfiniTEM allowed to discover a new conductor near the three known ore lenses. It became the fourth ore lens.
Author’s «subjective » conclusion Instrumentation GDD Inc., In a proven mining camp, the odds to discover a new hidden orebody are high, so every valid deep geophysical target warrants to be drilled. When in moose pastures, barren conductors are so numerous that it is often more cost effective to pre-select them by blasting Beep-Mat targets before using serious geophysics and DDH. Millions of conductors and geochemical anomalies have been already found in Canada. The fact that no one even walked over them suggests that a lot of people agree that they do not warrant expensive follow up. Still, in my opinion, checking them with Beep Mats is warranted.
Powerful miniaturized electromagnetic survey instrument Measure conductive and magnetic outcrops or boulders hidden under up to 4.5 meters of overburden or snow. New BM8 - GPS position - Store data for a whole day 9 Instrumentation GDD Inc., 2007
Two sizes of BM probe: - smaller size to be pulled by a single operator - large size can either be carried by two men or be pulled by a skidoo on the snow or by an ATV. The operator can be warned by distinct sound. A conductor, a magnetite or both are detected. A walking mag can also be simultaneously recorded. 10 Instrumentation GDD Inc., 2007
Main Advantage A detected conductor can be examined, sampled and assayed. 11 Instrumentation GDD Inc., 2007 Detect the same substances as any airbone or ground EM surveys… You don’t know where to start….. Too many targets to drill…. Not enough money to drill all the conductors…. Use the Beep Mat and choose the best assays to drill!
Instrumentation GDD Inc., Québec Canada Areas covered by shallow glacial Rusty gossans Fresh sulfides
Instrumentation GDD Inc., Turkey: Areas of active erosion Peru: Arid climates
Instrumentation GDD Inc., Inco uses them on conveyors to estimate in real time the NI ore grade
Instrumentation GDD Inc., Roberson,R., 2004, Virginia makes VMS find in Quebec, The Northern Miner, Volume 90, NO 12, May Archer, P., C. Chapdelaine And F. Huot, 2004, Discovery of High-Grade Metamorphic Volcanogenic Massive Sulfides in the Coulon Belt, James Bay region, Quebec Exploration 2004, MRNF, Quebec. Archer, P., 2007, Verbal communications. Gaumond, A,P. Archer and A. Laliberté, 2007, Projet Coulon JV,