When it comes to exploring the rich Flin Flon Mining District in Manitoba, Canada, there are not many companies with the historic background that Callinex Mines Inc. (TSXV: CNX) brings to the table.
Flin Flon was founded in 1927 by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting (Hudbay) to exploit large local copper, zinc, gold, and silver ore resources.
Around the same time, Callinex’s predecessor, Callinan Mines, first started exploring in the Flin Flon greenstone belt back in 1927 and the company has had a continued presence there ever since.
Over that period Callinex has built a large land position in the Flin Flon Mining District led by its 100% owned Pine Bay Project which hosts the growing high-grade copper, zinc, gold, and silver Rainbow, exciting new Alchemist, and the historic Pine Bay deposits.
The deposits are all located within a mineral lease that includes a high-voltage hydroelectric power-line and historic shaft with direct road access to processing facilities in Flin Flon.
The company’s rich history in the district continues to pay off, with Callinex making a recent exciting discovery while expanding its promising Rainbow Deposit.
In early September, the company announced the promising Alchemist discovery a new high-grade copper, zinc, gold and silver deposit at the Pine Bay Project.
Discovery hole ALC-111 intersected 1.78% CuEq (0.90% Cu, 1.76% Zn, 0.22 g/t Au and 7.05 g/t Ag) while testing Anomaly B, a large highly-conductive bore-hole pulse electromagnetic (BPEM) anomaly.
Notably the last hole to intersect the discovery, ALC-114, returned 4.40m of 4.02% CuEq including 1.60% copper, 5.14% zinc, 0.40 g/t gold and 21.78 g/t silver.
The Alchemist sits at the base of the interpreted growth fault corridor that hosts six other deposits including the emerging high-grade copper, gold, silver, and zinc Rainbow deposit which is located 1,420m to the east.
To date the Alchemist exhibits a minimum strike length of 140m and remains open for expansion in multiple directions.
“We are thrilled with the initial results from the Alchemist, the newest discovery at our Pine Bay Project,” president and CEO, Max Porterfield, said in announcing the exciting new find.
“The Alchemist deposit comes with the potential for significant resource growth for the company, its shareholders and the community of Flin Flon.
“It’s noteworthy that, to date, each deposit discovered along the growth fault corridor at Pine Bay is significantly larger than the one that precedes it in proximity to Millrock Mountain. Similarly, the Flin Flon deposit sits in proximity to Millrock Hill, a well-known outcropping at the base of the growth fault that also hosts the Callinan and 777 deposits in the town of Flin Flon.”
The Alchemist find came while testing target Anomaly B, a 600m by 400m highly conductive anomaly sits within the centre of the mapped millrock at Millrock Mountain. The Anomaly was identified from a BPEM survey of drill hole PBM-162.
Exploration manager, JJ O’Donnell, said further drilling is needed to understand the extent of the Alchemist, however, initial data indicates a steeply dipping/plunging system similarly defined at the Rainbow deposit.
“The Alchemist discovery supports the newly proposed VMS system which has evolved since the discovery of the Rainbow deposit in August 2020. The new discovery is proof of concept that the property has the potential to host multiple new discoveries, and future exploration will be exciting for Callinex shareholders.”
Jim Pickell, a member of Callinex’s technical team, said it is encouraging to note many of the same strong geological, geochemical and geophysical patterns identified in the upper portions of the Rainbow VMS deposit also occur within the upper parts of the newly discovered Alchemist and Odin exploration target areas.
“If these same patterns hold true at depth in the Alchemist and Odin areas, it seems logical to assume analogous, thick, high-grade copper intersections could also be found at depth below each of them, as in the Rainbow area.”
Rainbow drilling success
In mid-September Callinex unveiled further significant drilling results from the fully funded 2022 exploration campaign to expand and delineate the high-grade copper, gold, silver and zinc Rainbow deposit – while also testing new target areas.
Rainbow is located 1.4km from the newly discovered Alchemist deposit.
Delineation drilling at Rainbow continues to impress with hole PBM-177 intersecting the Orange zone and returning 33.67m of 4.29% copper (Cu), 0.22 g/t gold (Au), 4.63 g/t silver (Ag), 0.31% zinc (Zn) or 4.60% copper equivalent (CuEq) including 10.47m of 5.90% Cu, 14.43m of 5% Cu and 7m of 6.38% Cu.
PBM-178-W1 also expanded the Yellow zone with a step-out vertically above PBM-113-W2, which intersected 11.00m of 2.43% Cu, 0.24 g/t Au, 5.00 g/t Ag and 0.89 % Zn. or 2.98% CuEq which was followed by the Orange zone which returned 11.65m of 2.44% Cu, 0.22 g/t Au, 4.36 g/t Ag and 0.36% Zn or 2.76% CuEq.
“Drill results continue to deliver some of the widest intervals and highest copper grades intersected at the Rainbow Deposit to date,” Mr Porterfield stated.
“We are incredibly pleased with the success of our step out drill holes to date, which has expanded the Rainbow Deposit in multiple areas.”
“Drill hole PBM-176 was a significant step-out that expanded both the Orange and Yellow zones. PBM-176 intersected the Yellow zone and returned 3.00m of 1.96% CuEq (1.86% Cu, 0.08 g/t Au, 4.19 g/t Ag, and 0.06% Zn) in a 75m step-out from PBM-178-W1 and 95m step-out from PBM-161-W2 that returned 6.50m of 5.47% CuEq (4.48% Cu, 0.50 g/t Au, 9.06 g/t Ag and 1.48% Zn).
“PBM-176 intersected the Orange zone and returned 3.50m of 2.99% CuEq (2.74% Cu, 0.19 g/t Au, 3.03 g/t Ag or 0.24% Zn) in a 82m step-out to the south from PBM-131 which previously returned 20.53m of 3.21% CuEq (2.58% Cu, 0.22 g/t Au, 6.63 g/t Ag and 1.11% Zn).”
Mr O’Donnell said the additional drilling into the Rainbow horizons has further defined the three massive sulphide lenses with widths and grades similar to previous neighbour holes, suggesting good correlation within the mineralized horizons.
Historic 777 shutting down
Ironically, Callinex’s latest drilling success comes as historic Flin Flon mining operation, Hudbay Minerals’ 777 mine, is being shut down after 18 years of steady production.
The Hudbay mine is the only one in the northern Manitoba city, which sits on the border with Saskatchewan.
With further drilling success Callinex could play a key role in replacing that important Flin Flon operation.
