Island of Newfoundland: An emerging Gold District on the East Coast of Canada

Specimen of gold in quartz undisclosed location in Nl

Exploration and development for gold is gaining momentum on the Island of Newfoundland. Much of the recent and current production of the precious metal is linked to the beginning of modern gold exploration, led by Noranda and a host of juniors. These efforts which peaked in the 1980s, quickly resulted in significant gold discoveries, many of which are associated with major crustal structures across central Newfoundland’s greenstone terranes. Richmont Mines’ Nugget Pond and Hammerdown Mines and BP-Selco‘s Hope Brook Mine were the direct result of these early finds.

Since that time, exploration has been sporadic, carried out by local junior miners and prospectors, supported by government surveys. Nevertheless, key gold discoveries have been made in a wide range of environments prospective for world-class deposit types. These occurrences include well-documented examples of high- and low-sulphidation epithermal deposits, bulk tonnage intrusion and sediment-hosted deposits, and gold-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits.

These highly prospective yet underexplored environments represent opportunities for significant new discoveries, in what is becoming an emerging gold district. The following projects reflect some recent success stories in this region.

• New resource estimates were reported on several advanced gold projects in central and southern Newfoundland; Preliminary Economic Assessments are in progress.
• Rambler Metals & Mining plc is producing from newly defined high-grade copper and gold lenses from a historic Au-rich VMS deposit in the Baie Verte mining district of northeastern Newfoundland.
• Anaconda Mining Inc. is operating the open-pit Pine Cove mine, a mesothermal (orogenic) gold deposit associated with a major structural feature, the Baie Verte Line. The company processed 287,747 dry tonnes of ore, and sold 14,879 ounces of gold in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2013.
• Marathon Gold recently reported total measured and indicated resources at the Leprechaun Deposit of 10.5 million tonnes grading 2.28 g/t gold for 775,000 ounces of gold and 1.5 million tonnes at 2.79 g/t for 140,000 ounces of gold.
• Benton Resources Inc. has assembled a large land package covering the highly prospective Cape Ray Fault Zone. Benton now owns six separate deposits having either 43-101 compliant or historic resources totalling more than 448,000 ounces of gold, with silver and base metals.
• Maritime Resources Corp. is exploring the Hammerdown and Orion orogenic gold deposits, and several other gold zones. An initial Independent NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource Estimate released in June 2013 estimates the property to contain more than 400,000 ounces of gold in the measured and indicated category and over 600,000 ounces in the inferred category, both are at a 3 g/t cut-off grade.
• Coastal Gold Corp. is exploring the historic Hope Brook gold mine on the south coast of Newfoundland. An updated NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate released December 2013 reports 19.9 million tonnes indicated at 1.93 g/t Au for 1,239,000 ounces of gold and 1.3 million tonnes inferred at 3.22 g/t for 138,000 ounces of gold.

Despite the current weakness in financial markets, greenfields gold exploration continues on the Island of Newfoundland, with significant results. Notable amongst these has been the recognition of new areas of widespread epithermal gold mineralization in eastern Newfoundland by Silver Spruce Resources and Puddle Pond Resources. Bonanza-grade, gold-bearing quartz veins were found by a local prospector in a little-explored silicic volcanic terrane on the Baie Verte Peninsula. These claims have since been optioned by Bowmore Exploration.

Newfoundland and Labrador is a highly attractive exploration destination and a globally competitive mining jurisdiction, with world-class deposits of iron, nickel-copper-cobalt and zinc-lead-copper.

The province ranks ninth worldwide in the most attractive jurisdictions for investment in mining, according to an annual global survey of mining executives recently released by the Fraser Institute... Read more at this link

Searching or Gold in Newfoundland Canada

The Island of Newfoundland represents an emerging underexplored gold district, where focused exploration for precious metals was essentially non-existent prior to the early 1980's. Gold has been mined from epithermal (gold-copper) and orogenic (gold-only) deposits, and as a by-product in several volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) operations. Production from orogenic and VMS deposits is continuing, and a number of new advanced projects are targeting similar deposit styles.

Ongoing exploration is also directed at bulk-tonnage, intrusion- and sediment-hosted deposits, and both high- and low sulphidation epithermal deposits. Recent option- and joint-venture-agreements, coupled with new claim staking, indicate renewed interest in these under explored terranes.

The Department of Natural Resources  Newfoundland and Labrador has recently published a helpful Two page flyer highlighting the recent developments concerning Gold Exploration on the island of Newfoundland. A copy can be obtained by clicking here. (PDF Format)

From my own direct involvement with prospecting in Newfoundland I have seen increased activity first hand focused on searching for gold. I have noticed that there are more individuals and companies entering the search each year We have also made discoveries on our properties that show promise and privide the stimulation to keep us prospecting and searching for gold. 

Click the link above and download the nicely made Pdf if you have an interest in searching for gold in Newfoundland.

Keep On Prospecting!!

Mining Strategist Doug Silver Believes There Are At Least 3,000 Million Ounce Gold Deposits Still Out There

RENO, NV - As gold miners and explorers moan and groan about the decline of major gold deposits in the world, former International Royalty Corp CEO Doug Silver asserts that at least 3,000 gold deposits currently exist globally with 4.9 billion ounces of gold reserves and resources.

In a presentation to the Geological Society of Nevada 2010 Symposium in Sparks, Nevada, Wednesday, Silver–whose passion for research and statistics burn as bright as ever even after selling IRC to Royal Gold for millions and millions-estimates that 638 of those deposits or 22% are endowed with at least one million each of contained ounces.


His research has revealed that 89% of the known gold ounces in this world reside in larger gold deposits. Of those ounces, 40% are measured and indicated resources, 31% are proven and probable reserves, and 29% are inferred resources. One third of them are open pit mineable and one third are located underground.
And, despite the declarations of major mining company CEOs and geologists that the days of really big gold discoveries are waning, Silver’s research has revealed the number of major gold discoveries has been increasing. In fact, the number of million-ounce-plus gold deposits discovered globally has been steadily increasing since the 1920s, he asserts.

“We’ve creating phenomenal value for our companies and our shareholders,” Silver said. “We’ve done very well.”

Read More Link To Full Story

As prospectors and explorers we need to be optimistic. Doug Silver certainly has the credentials to be able to talk on the subject of Gold Exploration. I cannot argue one way or another on the figures but I  feel that his words are encouraging. There are indeed new world class gold deposits being discovered and explored, whatever the number is, there is certainly opportunity. Let us research and Let us go out in the hills and search for some new gold.

Happy Posting
This post was made at www.goldsearch.blogspot.com by Robert Freeman

About the author: Robert Freeman is a full time professional prospector with over 20 years direct hands on experience in the field. He manages a  prospecting and exploration company which provides mineral claims, mineral claim staking, prospecting services, field and logistical services, along with consulting property management and acquisition services to the mining industry. He founded or played a key role in the formation of several exploration companies and has created mineral exploration land packages in numerous regions of Canada for both public and private companies.