Oakes Project – Exploration Upside
The Oakes Project is situated near the historic mining center of Geraldton, Ontario, in a region known for its rich history of gold production and successful discoveries. The project lies within a highly prospective geological corridor characterized by extensive shear zones, which serve as key conduits for gold-bearing fluids. These structural corridors are analogous to those found in other major gold camps such as Timmins and Red Lake, highlighting Oakes’ potential to host significant gold mineralization.
Oakes benefits from its favorable geological setting, which includes deformed metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks intruded by felsic and mafic intrusives. The interplay between deformation, intrusive emplacement, and fluid migration has created a structurally complex environment conducive to gold deposition. Historical surface sampling and preliminary geophysical surveys have identified several promising zones of alteration and mineralization, but the project remains largely underexplored.
Blue Jay Gold’s exploration program at Oakes focuses on defining the structural architecture of the project area through detailed geological mapping, soil sampling, and geophysical surveys. The goal is to refine high-priority targets for initial drill testing. With its proximity to existing infrastructure, including highways and power lines, Oakes represents a cost-effective exploration opportunity with substantial upside potential. Early-stage work will target shallow, high-grade zones that could indicate the presence of larger mineralized systems at depth.
In 2022, a 12-hole, 1,700-meter diamond drill program was conducted at the project, targeting the 'HG' Zone identified through prior geophysical surveys and trenching. The program yielded significant results, with 8 out of 12 holes intersecting gold mineralization. Notable findings include:
- Hole OAKES-22-02: 5.0 meters averaging 2.1 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, including 1.0 meter at 8.4 g/t gold with visible gold observed.
- Hole OAKES-22-06: 4.0 meters averaging 1.7 g/t gold, including 1.0 meter at 4.9 g/t gold.
- Hole OAKES-22-11: Multiple gold-bearing intervals over a 55-meter section, such as 1.0 meter at 2.2 g/t gold and 1.5 meters at 1.0 g/t gold.
These results confirm the continuity of the gold-bearing structure over a 1.2-kilometer strike length, which remains open in both eastern and western directions, highlighting the project's potential within the Beardmore-Geraldton Greenstone Belt.
