Currently under option to First Class Mining LLC. Details of the Option agreement can be found in the news release dated March 9, 2023.
To increase its exposure to critical minerals, and to compliment its Prairie Lake rare metals project, Nuinsco optioned the Zig Zag Lake lithium-tantalum property located approximately 68 kilometres east-northeast of Armstrong, Ontario. The property is accessible via an all-weather gravel road leading east from Armstrong that approaches to within two kilometres of the claims.
The 6-unit claim group covers the historic Tebishogeshik occurrence as well as other mineralized sites – the lithium-tantalum mineralization is pegmatite-hosted with significant rubidium and cesium mineralization also reported. Critical minerals such as these are essential in the accelerating transition to a low-carbon and digitized economy.
The pegmatite hosting the Tebishogeshik occurrence is a substantial domain of mineralization; currently it is known to be more than 800m in length and up to 18m thick. Previous workers have identified Li2O and Ta2O5 mineralization along the entire length of the showing from sampling at surface, grading up to 1.68% Li2O over 7.9m and 0.168% Ta2O5 over 2.54m in separate channels samples. Several shallow historic drill holes along the occurrence have returned significant lithium intersections, including an intersection grading 1.08% Li2O over 6.1m (between 12.45-18.55m downhole) and a separate intersection of 399.82ppm Ta2O5 over 2.92m (between 15.50-18.42m). The occurrence is open along strike and to depth and remains to be fully evaluated, particularly considering the fast-developing and ever-growing applications for such elements resulting from expanding global electrification, and concern over supply chain issues for critical minerals.
Sampling by Nuinsco in 2021, returned very strongly anomalous lithium, tantalum, and rubidium analyses peaking at 3.55% Li2O, 836 ppm Ta2O5, and 4,003 ppm Rb2O within the pegmatite intrusion that is known to be at least 800m in length and fully encompassed by the Nuinsco Property.
| Sample No | Zone | Easting | Northing | Li2O (%) |
Ta2O5 (ppm) |
Rb2O (ppm) |
Cs2O (ppm) |
| 82056 | 16U | 406959 | 5589444 | 0.84 | 187 | 675 | 36.3 |
| 82057 | 16U | 406959 | 5589444 | 2.00 | 129 | 918 | 53.2 |
| 82058 | 16U | 406959 | 5589444 | 2.56 | 128 | 490 | 59.3 |
| 82059 | 16U | 406962 | 5589447 | 0.63 | 300 | 890 | 68.6 |
| 82060 | 16U | 406965 | 5589449 | 0.27 | 98 | 270 | 20.5 |
| 82061 | 16U | 406959 | 5589444 | 0.02 | 836 | 725 | 54.9 |
| 82062 | 16U | 406952 | 5589442 | 2.22 | 314 | 451 | 54.1 |
| 82063 | 16U | 406918 | 5589456 | 3.55 | 113 | 534 | 40.4 |
| 82064 | 16U | 406918 | 5589456 | 0.07 | 226 | 1148 | 62.0 |
| 82065 | 16U | 406925 | 5589454 | 0.05 | 97 | 1542 | 89.1 |
| 82066 | 16U | 406918 | 5589450 | 0.05 | 58 | 3915 | 126.2 |
| 82067 | 16U | 406810 | 5589420 | 0.09 | 250 | 4003 | 287.3 |
| 82068 | 16U | 406803 | 5589424 | 0.02 | 155 | 3128 | 149.5 |
Li = lithium, Ta = tantalum, Cs = cesium, Rb = rubidium.
The Government of Canada has identified 31 critical minerals, including those identified at the Zig Zag Lake and Prairie Lake properties, that are considered essential for the sustainable economic success of Canada and its allies under its Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (“CMMP”). As part of its commitment under the CMMP, the Government is identifying initiatives designed to bolster Canadian critical minerals projects and supply chain development to help advance the competitiveness of the country’s minerals and metals sector.
