| Abstract | Summaries are given of 150 mineral exploration programs conducted on claims groups or larger areas in the mainland Northwest Territories during the period 1966 to 1968. Mineral exploration work in the
Coppermine River area has been reported previously (Thorpe, 1970), and is excluded from this report. In addition, three exploration programs conducted on Victoria Island are described in this report; and development work, production, and exploration
are also detailed for six producing and three developing mines.
The author has visited nearly half of the properties or exploration areas described in this report. However, the bulk of the information summarized here has been obtained from
technical reports submitted by the various mining companies as representation work on their properties.
In 1966 exploration effort was concentrated in the Pine Point area where three additional, apparently economic, deposits of the Mississippi
Valley-type were discovered. Aside from exploration for copper in the Coppermine River area in 1967 and 1968, exploration effort was directed toward uranium (Bear Province, Aphebian rocks in the East Arm of Great Slave Lake, Churchill Province south
of the East Arm), silver (Bear Province near Great Bear Lake, northeast tip of Slave Province), copper-zinc and zinc-lead-silver-copper deposits of the massive sulphide type associated with volcanic rocks (southern and eastern parts of the Slave
Province), lead-silver vein deposits (in Paleozoic rocks in the Mackenzie Mountains, and in northern Slave Province), copper deposits of the vein, disseminated and stockwork types (East Arm of Great Slave Lake), copper mineralization associated with
"Giant" quartz veins (Bear Province), copper deposits of the Coppermine River-type (associated with continental basaltic lavas; Victoria Island, Bathurst Inlet), and a number of known gold properties were reinvestigated (Slave Province). In addition
some exploration work was done on nickel arsenide prospects, a vein barite property, tantalum-bearing pegmatites, a copper-tungsten prospect, some copper-cobalt veins, a cobalt-bismuth prospect, and an alkaline complex. Gold, copper and uranium
possibilities were investigated in Keewatin District. Some reconnaissance work was done in 1968 to assess the nickel potential of the boundary between the Slave and Churchill structural provinces. |