Reviewed: 11th February 2025
Figure 1. Ontario Project Locations
The projects have been selected based on two key criteria: firstly, on technical merits that underlies their critical minerals potential; and secondly, taking into account local infrastructure and accessibility that supports cost-effective exploration activities.
The portfolio has a total area of 12,792 hectares (127.92km2). Of the 612 operational cell claims in the portfolio, Katoro has assigned priority to a subset of the total claims package (381 in total). The priority project areas comprise six lithium projects and one REE project, with a combined total area of 8,161 hectares of across 11 properties made up of contiguous claims.
The geology of the projects in the proposed acquisition includes mapped, but previously untested or unassayed geological features, including pegmatites in close proximity to intrusions that are known to have generated known lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralisation, and proximity to their contact with prospective metasedimentary lithologies.
Historical exploration reports and government data have been used to target and assess the prospectivity of these projects. In particular, extensive work by the Ontario Geological Survey as part of Operation Treasure Hunt—a multidisciplinary study investigating Ontario’s mineral potential using geochemical, geophysical, and geological methods—has provided valuable insights, with all projects having either anomalous or highly anomalous lake sediment results for elements associated with LCT pegmatites1, such as lithium, caesium, niobium and rare earth elements. The projects are under-explored for critical minerals or lithium-focused exploration.
Highlights of this data include multiple mapped, but untested pegmatites on Pearl2, an intrusive feature at Bay Road3 which is located adjacent to highly anomalous rare earth elements in lake sediments4, and a 5-metre thick pegmatite (drilled5 in 1965 but not assayed for lithium) lying within the area of the Burrows Projects.
1: Bradley, D.C., McCauley, A.D., Stillings L.M., 2017, Mineral-Deposit Model for Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum Pegmatites, USGS.
2: Fenwick, K.G., 1967, Whitemud Lake area (Fredart-Whitemud lakes area), District of Kenora (Patricia Portion), Ontario Geological Survey, P0412.
3: Santaguida, F., 2001, Ontario Geological Survey,. Precambrian Geology Compilation Series – Quetico Sheet, 2000 Series Map (M2663).
4: Dyer, R.D., 1999, Lake Sediment and Water Geochemistry Data from the Atikokan-Lumby Lake Area, Northwestern Ontario, MRD043
5: Moly-Ore Mines Ltd, 1965, Report on Diamond Drilling Program on Moly Ore Mines Limited, Burrows Lake Property, Area of Burrows Lake, Port Arthur Mining Division, (Assessment Report Number: 42E15NW0002).