Molybdenum – Nithi Mountain, British Columbia
The Nithi Mountain Molybdenum property is located at about 54.072° N and 125.07° W in central British Columbia, 10 km south of the Town of Fraser Lake. Fraser Lake is along the Yellowhead Highway and the main CN Rail line leading to the port of Prince Rupert. The property is readily accessible by well-maintained logging roads and various exploration trails. One high-power transmission line passes directly over the property.
The nearby Endako Molybdenum Mine lies about 18 km west-northwest of the property and is under care and maintenance. The Endako Mine processed up to 50,000 tonnes of 0.05% Molybdenite daily. This head grade was progressively lowered as lower grades of ore became profitable. It was in production from 1965 to 2015 and has a fully-permitted facility with a new mill and roaster.
Mineralization and Geology
Mineralization on Nithi Mountain is classified as low-fluorine, porphyry molybdenum. This type of deposit is characteristically large tonnage—the Nithi and Casey intrusive phases of the Francois Lake intrusive suite host the mineralization. The geology, style of mineralization, and nature of associated alteration all bear a strong resemblance to the adjacent Endako Mine.
Leeward acquired the property in 2003. Exploration began in the fall of 2004 and extended to 2011. Work included further geological mapping, rock sampling, soil geochemical and airborne geophysical surveys (magnetic, radiometric, resistivity, and LIDAR) of the property and oriented core drilling programs.
Geochemical sampling identified a broad area of mineralization on Nithi Mountain known as the Alpha Zone. Within this area are four more defined zones: Gamma, Delta, Theta, and Sigma. The Alpha Zone also sits within an area of intense argillic alteration, which is shown as green on the gradiometer map below.
From 2005 to 2011, 53,385.17 m of drilling was completed. A baseline environmental study was conducted, and a bulk sample was sent for metallurgical testing (report on the website). In addition, a comprehensive GIS database was assembled. This included compiling over 2,500 soil samples, rock samples, geology, and drill hole data. Overall grades and tonnages are found in the appended reports. These reports are available for download on this website.
The Delta and Gamma zones will be expanded with further drilling to increase the grade and develop the reserves. Please find Tables 14.5 to 14.7 for these zones in the Tetra Tech Wardrop report. The Sigma zone remains to be explored. Interpreting previous geophysical and geochemical results indicates that the untested Sigma zone has great potential and will be investigated in the next round of drilling. Higher-grade mineralization is associated with the intensely altered quartz feldspar porphyry, aplite dykes and breccia zones. The deposit at Nithi is located within an area with excellent infrastructure and a developed townsite.
