StrikePoint Gold

The Rice Lake Belt is Manitoba’s most significant gold district. The first small-scale gold

production in the Rice Lake region occurred in 1916 and the first gold brick was poured in 1923

from the Poundmaker Mine......

Between 1920 and the start of World War Two over ten small mines operated in the Rice Lake

Gold Belt. Surface exploration at this time resulted in the discovery of almost all of the current

known deposits in the belt. Most of the mines went down to about 500 ft, with a couple going

down to as much as 1000 ft. In contrast, the recently discovered high-grade zone discovered at

the Red Lake mine goes down to as much as 7000 ft. Thus, based on depth alone, the Rice

Lake Belt remains vastly under-explored...

The Uchi terrain consists mainly of volcanic rocks that formed in an ancient ocean

as well as intrusive and sedimentary rocks. These rocks are home to the important

Balmer formation, which is the host to the world class gold deposits discovered at

Red Lake 80 km to the east and further east at the Pickle Lake Gold Camp. The Red

Lake belt has produced over 20 million ounces of gold; while the Pickle Lake Belt

has produced 2.5 million ounces of gold.

Rocks in the Rice Lake Gold Belt are similar in age to those at Red Lake. Gold

mineralization is present in both older rocks in the northern part of the Belt and

younger rocks in the southern part of the belt. The San Antonio mine, which has

contributed over 80% of the gold production from the belt to date, is hosted in the

younger southern package of rocks.

Limited production has been obtained from deposits in the northern part of the Belt.

Nonetheless, the older rocks of the northern portion of the belt are considered highly

prospective as they are regarded as equivalent to the Balmer series of rocks that host

the world class gold mineralization at Red Lake.

Sections of the Rice Lake Belt are also cut by the Wanipigow Fault. This is a

regional shear fault that cuts through the Rice Lake Belt and extends eastwards to

the Red Lake and Pickle Lake gold camps.

Crustal breaks such as the Wanipigow Fault are often associated with the major gold

camps throughout the Canadian Shield such as the Timmins gold camp. Since 1910,

the Timmins area has produced nearly 70 million ounces of gold, making it one of

the two of most productive gold camps in North America....

Only recently has the Rice Lake region begun to be systematically explored by innovative companies using

modern exploration techniques and geological theories. The important geological similarities between the

Rice Lake Belt and the Red Lake Belt, however, make the Rice Lake region an ideal location for finding large,

high grade gold deposits.

Mining infrastructure is already present in the town of Bissett, which is home to the Rice Lake mine and mill.

Moreover, the region has already proven its potential, as it already contains more than 200 showings of gold

and has produced almost 2 million ounces of gold.

These gold discoveries were made using outdated exploration technologies and geological theories. Armed

with new techniques and theories, within the last decade junior exploration companies have only begun to

scratch the surface of the belt. Could the Rice Lake region be the next Red Lake? The exploration companies

operating in the region are clearly committed to making this statement a reality.

As a result of the high metal prices we are experiencing today exploration companies are going to the far

reaches of the world in search of the next mine. Some of the countries such as Venezuela and Mongolio, have

geopolitical climates that make investors and companies shy away.

What many people don’t know, however, is that within historically safe countries such as Canada there are still

highly prospective mining districts that remain to be explored using modern exploration techniques and

geological theories. The Rice Lake Belt, located 80 km west of Red Lake is one such region. It is a vastly

under-explored greenstone belt with the potential to host high-grade gold deposits on par with the major gold

districts of North America.