North Arrow’s exploration programs are conducted under the direction of President and CEO, Ken Armstrong, P.Geo., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Armstrong has reviewed and approved all information posted on this page that is of a scientific or technical nature.
Location: Southeast of MacKay Lake, NWT
Size: 8,661 ha
Ownership: 100% North Arrow
Stage: Permitted for delineation drilling and grade assessment of known bodies; continued exploration of property;
Closest Infrastructure: MK1 Pegmatite located <5km southeast from Tibbit to Contwoyto Ice Road (Lac de Gras Winter Road); ~35 km from Diavik Mine.
The Mackay pegmatites were identified and staked by North Arrow in an area where, in the 1940’s, the Geological Survey of Canada noted tantalite mineralization within tourmaline-muscovite pegmatites. The 8,661 ha property is located southeast and adjacent to MacKay Lake and the current alignment of the winter road that services the diamond mines at Lac de Gras. The pegmatites are found within a 14 km prospective corridor of meta-sediments adjacent to a fertile, two-mica granite; the same geological setting as the Yellowknife Pegmatite Province east of Yellowknife.
North Arrow confirmed the documented spodumene occurences and staked the property in late June 2023, announcing the project to the market in July of 2023. Four grab samples of the MK1 pegmatite were taken when the property was staked, ranging in weight from 0.45 kg to 2.06. The results were released on August 14, 2023 with assays returning 2.45%, 2.51%, 2.76% and 3.74% Li2O.
Follow up mapping of the pegmatite was completed in mid-July and indicated that MK1 consists of a series of irregular sub-parallel pegmatite dykes ranging from 0.5m to >10m wide over a combined width of up to 150m and traced over an interpreted strike extent of greater than 400m. Interpretations are based on low relief bedrock exposures, with significant overburden coverage providing scope for expanding the pegmatite along strike. Rock sawn channel samples collected from MK1 over 1m intervals. Results were announced on September 20, 2023 with six of the eight rock sawn channel samples returning Li2O assay results of 1.16%, 1.34%, 1.87%, 1.90%, 1.93% and 2.30%.
North Arrow returned to the property in September 2023 to continue prospecting along the prospective corridor, discovering the MK3 spodumene bearing pegmatite approximately 4.5 km east northeast of the MK1 pegmatite. The pegmatite is a prominent 15 to 20m wide, white pegmatite exposure traced near continuously along strike for approximately 130m. Visually identified 2-30cm long spodumene crystals are present throughout the exposure, and the pegmatite remains open in one direction where it extends beneath extensive overburden. Lithium assay results from the September program, including samples from MK3 were announced on December 4, 2023. The September progroam also included ground magnetic and high-resolution drone orthophoto imagery surveys also over both MK1 and MK3 pegmatite occurrences in preparation for drilling in 2024.
