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Exploring Canada

the Australian way Ian Murray

by Fraser Palamara

xploration in Newfoundland has rapidly snowballed in have the capabilities to detect fine traces of gold.
Erecent years and, like elsewhere in Canada, there is a “That’s why the historic work done on the belt could have a
distinctly Australian flavour to the trend. lot of false negatives,” Murray said. “A lot of people may not
Flying the Aussie flag on the island province off Canada’s have got the numbers they wanted and walked away.”
east coast is Matador Mining Ltd. Executive chairman Instead, Matador is taking multi-element assays from the
Ian Murray believes some unique Australian ingenuity is known gold systems, and testing for pathfinder elements –
providing the company a competitive edge at the Cape Ray including zinc, arsenic, copper, and tungsten.
gold project.
“These [elements] can be found up to 200m away from
“We’re saving costs, but more importantly, we’re testing where the gold system is,” Murray explained. “As you
bigger areas quicker,” he told GMJ. get closer, you start to find lead, bismuth, sulphur, silver,
Cape Ray boasts a mining history dating back to the 1970s antimony, and tellurium.
when gold was generally found at very shallow depths. “The Canadian companies before us would only find the
According to Murray, previous explorers only followed gold by drilling it directly for success but where we drill, we
where they knew the gold already was – causing blind spots will pick up the pathfinder elements.”
in the prospective land’s spoils.
Matador recently made a new geologist hire, Kerry Sparkes,
“[There are] tools that we are bringing to this area that have who worked in the Newfoundland area in the early 2000s.
never been used before,” Murray explained. “We had guys
“We brought him on because firstly, he’s a bloody good geo
conducting magnetic surveys by walking up and down with
and secondly, he lives on the island,” Murray said. “Thirdly,
backpacks. That survey clearly identified…potential sites of
all the institutional investors in the area ask him about
gold systems.”
Newfoundland. He’s a big believer in the Cape Ray belt and
So far Matador has defined 837,000oz gold @ 2 g/t across really likes our structured approach, rather than rushing in
a 7.5km strike. and diamond drilling.”
At the time of print, the company was approaching the As Murray speaks of Newfoundland, his wanderlust to be
end of first phase aeromagnetic surveys (results expected on the ground there is obvious. Having joined the company
in early August) with a second phase to start later in the in May 2020, he has fingers firmly crossed for the first
summer exploration season at the earliest. opportunity to fly over soon.
The magnetics are combined with auger drilling, an “Warren just returned and finished hotel quarantine,” Murray
approach that is common in Australia but perhaps rarer said. “He spent over a month on site with the ramp up of
in Canada. Murray attributes Matador’s approach to operations.”
exploration manager Warren Potma.
And while Matador may be teaching Canada a thing or two
“[Canadian explorers] usually go straight into diamond about finding gold, Murray admits there is something the
drilling which is very, very expensive,” Murray said. “This snowy land could teach Australia in return.
way we’re saving costs, but more importantly, we’re testing
Power for Newfoundland comes from the mainland,
bigger areas quicker. We’ve now got an additional eight
travelling via undersea cables.
magnetic targets identified that have never been tested.”
“The power is generated from a big hydro plant, 98% of the
Using the approach led to drilling of the Big Pond deposit
energy is renewable,” Murray said.
and the first discovery in over 20 years in the area.
“Australia is still coal and gas reliant. What alternatives do
Meanwhile, logistical limitations on the island have caused
we have? We have to put a lot of money into infrastructure
the company to get a little creative.
to build wind and solar whereas Canada already has the
The laboratory for testing assays at Newfoundland doesn’t infrastructure spent…it’s a head start.”

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