Traill

Highlights

Multispectral Remote Sensing Evaluation study (Aster, Landsat 8) on this license was completed in 2018.

Geography

The area covered by Mineral Exploration Licence No. 2014/18 is situated in the south-eastern part of Traill Island, in the central area of East Greenland.
The area covered by this licence is largely exposed. There is only partial glaciation in the inner part of the Kap Simpson intrusive complex. The morphology of the area is very rugged, with a predominant altitude of between 0 to 1400 m asl.
The area covered by this licence has relatively good communication accessibility via helicopter transport from Constable Point Air Base. Its flying distance from this air base is approx. 170 km (i.e. a 70-minute flight).

Geology

In terms of its geology the area covered by Mineral Exploration Licence No. 2014/18 is created from the Paleogenic Kap Simpson intrusive complex and a series of subvolcanic bodies that penetrate the Paleozoic-Mesozoic basin sediments.
The Kap Simpson intrusive complex consists of both a polyphase central intrusive body and a partly sunken caldera that is known as the Dreibuchten zone. The central intrusive body is represented mainly by syenites and alkaline granites; to a lesser extent also by porphyries and aplites. The Dreibuchten zone is represented by a mixture of sedimentary and subvolcanic rocks and their breccias, permeated with the youngest phases of an intrusive complex (porphyries and aplites). Particularly important in regard to the deposit are:

• Significant alterations in a contact zone within the central intrusive body and in the vicinity of the youngest phases of the intrusive complex with documented occurrences of Zr-Nb-Ta-REE ores and significant geochemical anomalies of REE found in stream-sediments,
• Significant alteration zones within the Dreibuchten zone with documented geochemical anomalies of Mo.

Degree of Exploration

The 1960’s – 1980’s: Exploration works carried out by Nordisk Mineselskab A/S (Nordmine) and also partially by AMAX Exploration, Inc., including geological mapping, geochemical heavy minerals prospecting and sampling.

Results: Documentation of circumstantial evidence of the presence of Zr-Nb-Ta-REE ores, polymetallic ores, Mo ores and significant heavy mineral anomalies of Zr-Nb-REE and Ti and geochemical anomalies of Mo and F.

The 1990’s: Exploration works carried out by Pasminco Australia Ltd. & Nunaoil A/S, including sampling of stream-sediments supplemented by a limited number of rock samples (Kap Simpson is one of the more evaluated sites).

Results: A negative result in terms of the evaluation of the Au potential within the intrusive complex; on the other hand significant geochemical anomalies of REE, Ta and Mo were confirmed.

1990’s: Exploration works carried out by Tertiary Gold Ltd., including geological mapping, geochemical heavy minerals prospecting and sampling (Kap Simpson is one of the more extensively evaluated sites).

The results of the works were not published.

2011: The granting of a Minerals Exploration Licence to CGRG Ltd. Exploration works including geological mapping, field radiometry and sampling.

Results: The specification of new circumstantial evidence concerning the presence of Zr-REE-Ti ores and geochemical anomalies of Mo. Summarising the existing knowledge; delimitation of the prospective areas of the deposit.

Deposit Potential

Indications of Zr-Nb-Ta-REE ores with a proven content of up to 3 wt.% of Zr, 1 wt.% of Nb and 2 wt.% of REE are bound to zones of silicification, hematitization and Mn-staining in a contact zone within the central intrusive body and in the vicinity of the youngest phases of the intrusive complex. Significant geochemical anomalies of REE are found in stream-sediments. In particular the areas of Forchammers Dal, Steenstrups Dal, Bjørnedal and Prospektfjeld can be considered as prospective in regard to a deposit.
Geochemical anomalies of Mo with a content in the tens of ppm, sometimes hundreds of ppm are bound to significant alteration zones that are characterised by the occurrence of granitic porphyries, breccia, intense silicification, disseminated pyrite mineralization and fluorite mineralization. The area of Fondal in the SE part of the Dreibuchten zone and the area of Bamsegletscher-Buegletscher in the eastern part of the central intrusive body can in particular be considered as being significantly geochemically anomalous.
The as yet unverified potential of a stratabound type of polymetallic mineralization related to the extensive occurrence of Permian-Triassic basin sediments that outcrop in the area covered by the licence (this type of mineralization is currently being intensively tested in Jameson Land).

Summary: A moderately high deposit potential; considered as perspective in regard to a deposit are primarily occurrences of Zr-Nb-Ta-REE ores in a contact zone of the central intrusive body; the deposit perspective of the Mo geochemical anomalies remains unclear – it could either indicate maximum mineralization associated with the youngest intrusive phases of the intrusive complex, or provide circumstantial evidence of the presence of hidden Mo mineralization.

Design of the Exploration Works

Detailed geological mapping, sampling and radiometric and geochemical prospecting (gamma-spectrometry, XRF-spectrometry) within a near-contact zone of the central intrusive body and in the SE area of the Dreibuchten zone. A survey of the circumstantial evidence of Mo ores in the magmatic breccias.

Goals set:

• Verification of the coherence and of the average metal content of Zr-Nb-Ta-REE mineralisation within the radiometrically and geochemically anomalous areas in a near-contact zone of the central intrusive body; the definition of target areas for follow-up drilling,
  
• Definition of the deposit potential of Mo ores,
  
• Evaluation of the deposit potential of the stratabound type of polymetallic mineralisation.