Flagship Projects

Humber

District-scale project with potential for significant Copper-Cobalt discovery

Location

Western Newfoundland

Size

49,925 ha

Stage

Discovery

Deposit Type(s)

Sediment-hosted Stratiform Copper

The Humber Project is an early-stage conceptual exploration project located outside of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. The Project is focused on critical minerals and comprises 1,997 claims in 21 mineral licences covering a total area of 49,925 hectares (Figure 1).

The Humber Project covers four separate licence blocks (Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4) that are located 31, 45, 11and 15 km north of Corner Brook, respectively: on NTS Map Sheets 12H/04, 12H/05 and 12G/01. The Project is accessible by a network of gravel and logging roads that extend from provincial highways (HWY 430 at Deer Lake, HWY 431 at Wiltondale, and HWY 440 at Hughes Brook and Cox’s Cove).

Figure 1: A map showing the Humber Copper-Cobalt Project with underlying geology of the Humber Arm Allochthon and location of the Birch Zone.

  • Discovery of 2.2 kilometres of surface copper mineralization at the Birch Zone, with potential to expand to 4.2 kilometres based on geochemistry and geophysics;
  • Host to regionally anomalous Cu, Co, Ag, Pb +/- Au, Mo, As, and Sb lake sediments;
  • Airborne conductors coincident with lake sediment anomalies;
  • 8+ km Hughes Lake Copper-Cobalt Trend;
  • Analogous to the Kalahari Copper Belt, Namibia and Botswana; Central African Copper Belt, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and the Kupferschiefer Belt, Poland;
  • Globally, these SCC deposit types represent 20% of Cu production and 60% of Co production;
  • District-scale land package comprising 49,925 hectares;
  • Located within the premier mining jurisdiction of Newfoundland and Labrador;
  • Year-round accessibility with road access to the majority of the Humber Project;
  • First mover advantage in a previously unrecognized area of exploration potential; and
  • Acquired through staking – cost effective acquisition and no underlying royalties or option payments.

The Project is underlain by sedimentary rocks of the Humber Zone of the Newfoundland Appalachians, more particularly the Ordovician-aged Humber Arm Allochthon Allochthon; a section of shelf sediments that have been accreted (thrust) onto Precambrian Grenville basement (Long Range Massif) and associated Late Cambrian to Middle Ordovician carbonate (and related rocks) sediments of the St. George, Port au Port and Table Head groups (Williams et al., 1983; Knight, 1994). The Humber Project is specifically underlain by rocks of the Bonne Bay Group or equivalents.  

The sedimentary Humber Arm Allochthon and adjacent plutonic and volcanic Hughes Lake Complex are host to coincident anomalous copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), silver (Ag), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), arsenic (As), and antimony (Sb) lake sediment values (Figures 1 and 2). These rocks have been variably deformed and metamorphosed, which are known to create favourable deposition environments for these deposit types.

Figure 2: A map showing the soil samples highlighting elevated Cu and Co with 2022 Galloper Gold Corp Cu and Co results and the Birch Zone overlying the regional geology, Humber Copper-Cobalt Project.

The Hughes Lake Trend is underlain by Neo-Proterozoic to Cambrian-aged plutonic and volcanic Hughes Lake Complex that are in fault contact with the adjacent Humber Arm allochthon.

The Hughes Lake Trend is defined by an 8 km long anomalous zone of copper and cobalt in rock and soil samples that is coincident with mafic volcanic rocks of the Hughes Lake Complex and associated magnetic rocks. The Hughes Lake Trend returned rock samples grading up to 1.26% Cu. Importantly, historic soil samples** assay up to 524 ppm Copper with 17 of 646 (2.6 %) samples assaying >75 ppm Copper and 33 of 646 (5%) samples assaying >50 ppm. Soil samples** assay up to 111 ppm Cobalt with 12 of 646 (1.8%) samples assaying > 50 ppm Cobalt and 26 of 646 samples (4%) assaying > 25 ppm Cobalt (Figures 3 and 4).

Figure 3: A map showing the soil samples highlighting elevated Cu and Co with the Birch Zone overlying the Tilt Derivative Magnetic Survey, Humber Copper-Cobalt Project.

Figure 4: A map showing stream sediment samples (Pb and Zn ppm) and interpreted cobalt-copper catchment basin target areas overlying EM conductivity, Humber Copper-Cobalt Project.

This metal signature and geological environment is supportive of the area being host to Sediment-hosted Stratiform Copper (“SSC”) Deposits. SSC Deposits host 60% of global Cobalt production^ and 20% of global Copper production* in deposits such as the Central African Copper Belt, which is thought to be analogous to the geological setting of the Humber Copper-Cobalt Project. The exploration potential is also underscored by the presence of nearby base metal deposits, including the York Harbour and Daniels Harbour deposits located at lower stratigraphic levels of the region.

Phase 1 Summary: Completed Actions

  • Airborne magnetics and electromagnetics covering entire property (2,377 line kms)
  • 1,921 soil samples focused on following up existing elevated Cu and Co soil trends at the Hughes Lake Trend as well as recently-discovered Birch Zone
  • Prospecting and geological mapping of the Hughes Lake Trend and begin reconnaissance prospecting on larger property with collection of 118 rock grab samples leading to the discovery of the Birch Zone
  • Collection of 189 stream sediment samples that outline areas of coincident anomalous values of copper, cobalt associated with airborne conductors
  • Discovery of in-situ copper mineralization at Hughes Lake with grab samples up to 1.26% Cu

The technical content of this website has been reviewed and approved by David A. Copeland, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration with Magna Terra Minerals Inc., a non-independent “Qualified Person”, under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

All quoted soil and lake sediment samples results were compiled from historic assessment and government reports obtained from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to validate these historic results.

*https://www.geologyforinvestors.com/sediment-hosted-stratiform-copper-deposits-the-future-of-copper-and-cobalt-mining/

^Petavratzi, E, Gunn, G, Kresse, C. (2019). Commodity review: Cobalt. British Geological Survey.

**(Galloper Gold Corp.; Fage, 2022)

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