New insights into the geology and mineral potential of the West Raglan Ni-Cu-PGE project, Cape Smith Fold Belt, Quebec

The West Raglan Ni-Cu-PGE project is within the early Proterozoic Cape Smith Fold Belt, northern Quebec. Here, ultramafics of the Lac Esker suite host a number of discrete mineralised lenses similar to those found at the Raglan mining camp directly along strike to the east of the project. These lenses occur at the boundary of the Chukotat and Povungnituk Groups, are hosted by peridotite and have sulphide tenors and grades similar to the Raglan deposits. Tenor variations indicate that sulphides in the West Raglan area equilibrated with 100-1000 times their volume of silicate magma. Unlike Raglan, a disconnect exists between mineralisation and crustal contamination within some mineralised zones. This indicates that, in addition to mineralisation hosted by crustally contaminated units similar to that at Raglan, mineralisation associated with flushing of the system by uncontaminated magma, similar to that which occurred at Kambalda, may be present at West Raglan. Lac Esker bodies within the Povungnituk Group similar to those hosting the Mystery and Mesamax deposits also occur at West Raglan, but to date remain largely untested.