Burntwood Project
Project Overview
- Mineralization is hosted in an intrusive alkaline syenite complex containing numerous recently discovered carbonatites bearing apatite, titanite, and allanite enriched in rare earth elements (REEs).
- The property comprises an Exploration License that covers 15,000 hectares.
- Integral Metals Corp. owns 100% interest in the Burntwood project area.
- Accessible from the town of Flin Flon via plane or helicopter. The town provides all essential services.
- Located near Burntwood Lake, the property is located in the central Kisseynew domain, a metasedimentary basin in the internal zone of the Trans-Hudson orogen. The area is largely underlain by turbiditic metagreywacke of the Burntwood group, and has undergone multiple generations of folding and faulting.
Project Location
- The property is situated approximately 115 kilometers west of Flin Flon, MB, and just 70 kilometers northwest of Snow Lake, MB.
- The location has historical logging road access, and an active railway 30 kilometers west of the project.
- Fieldwork can be performed from May to September, and drilling can be performed year round.
- Situated on Public Land, outside of protected areas, wildlife management areas, and areas of special management.
- Positioned in Manitoba’s active mining district amongst the producing Lalor and Thompson mines.
Project Geology
Location: Central Kisseynew domain, internal zone of the Trans-Hudson Orogen
Syenite complexes within the Trans-Hudson orogen are the subject of exploration for Rare Earth Elements.
Stratigraphic Contact: Carbonatite isotopic analyses show depleted δ13C calcite values
Indicates a mantle-derived carbon sources, associated with enrichment in a variety of economically valuable elements, especially rare-earth elements (REEs), niobium, and phosphates.
Host Rocks: Alkaline igneous syenite complex
The complex is one of a series of alkaline igneous complexes in the Trans-Hudson orogen, two of which are known to host carbonatite intrusions.
Geological Structures: Carbonatite veins, pods, and dikes discovered in the northern part of the alkaline complex
The syenite complex provides a magmatic source that can contribute to the REE mineralization, while the secondary hydrothermal processes (carbonatites) can further enrich these concentrations.
Mineralized Characteristics: Carbonatites within a syenite intrusion
Carbonatites are typically enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs), while syenites may be enriched in heavy rare earth elements (HREEs).
Mineralization
- Recent forest fires have improved exposure and access to previously covered outcrops, revealing new mineralized carbonatite zones.
- Early work suggests the principal REE-bearing minerals are apatite, titanite, and allanite.
- Potential for meaningful REE mineralization, exemplified by samples with elevated levels of strontium (up to 12,200 ppm), barium (up to 3,150 ppm), and REEs (up to 4,580 ppm).
- Rock textures include granoblastic structures which have predictable and uniform breakage that is favorable for mineral processing.
- The new discovery of carbonatites at Burntwood suggests a broader geological province with additional REE exploration potential.
*Averaged across 9 samples taken by Equinox Resources (1986)
Adjacent Locations
- Integral Metals’ Burntwood Property encompasses the entire known alkaline complex and surrounding area.
- Operators in the area are developing various rare, base, battery, and precious metal projects.
- The Burntwood Lake Property is similar to the nearby Eden Lake rare metal (REE, Y, U, Th, phosphate) carbonatite complex being developed by Strider Resources Ltd.
Historical Work
1972: Manitoba Geological Survey performed geochemical surveying
- Two samples of aegirine-augite-bearing syenite were collected near the western end of Burntwood Lake
1987: Manitoba Geological Survey performed mapping
- Confirmed the existence of a 1.4 km by 2.4 km phacolithic syenite intrusion lying within regionally dominant turbidite-derived migmatites and associated S-type peraluminous granites.
1993: Enterprise Exploration Ltd. performed geophysical, geochemical, and mineralogical surveying
- An airborne magnetic survey was then followed up with ground-based till sampling targeted at diamond exploration.
2011: Manitoba Geological Survey performed mapping and geological investigation
- A significant field study assessed the potential for rare earth element (REE) mineralization, noting the syenite's mineralogical, textural, and geochemical similarities to other known carbonatite-hosting syenite complexes, like the Eden Lake complex, which is recognized for its REE potential.
2022: Forest Fire
- A forest fire in 2022 significantly improved geological exposure in the region by removing substantial vegetative growth.
2023: Manitoba Geological Survey performed mapping and geochemical surveying
- Improved exposure post-forest fire led to a renewed exploration, which identified several new carbonatite occurrences within the Burntwood Lake complex.
Further Exploration Opportunities
Potential Avenues for Future Work
Magnetic and Imagery Surveys
- 3D inversion model of subsurface magnetic structures to gain insights into the geological structures that are hosting mineralization
- High-resolution imagery to detect and map exposed zones of mineralization across the property
Channel Sampling and Geologic Mapping
- Systematic channel sampling across currently exposed extents of carbonatite for further geochemical analysis, metallurgy and sorting characteristic analysis.
- Mapping and prospecting new carbonatite zones within the syenite complex and in the northwestern Burntwood Lake area.
Development of Exploration Model
- Combining the geophysical, geochemical, biogeochemical, and geomicrobial datasets to identify overlapping anomalous areas for follow-up exploration and drill testing.
