MacDonald Mines Exploration has commenced its winter 2013 drill program on the Butler 3 volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) target in the Ring of Fire (ROF). The Butler property is located 36 kilometres west of Cliffs Natural Resources Big Daddy Chromite deposit.
The Butler 3 geochemical signature and alteration zone are remarkably similar in size and alteration intensity to that observed at Kidd Creek Mine, one of the world's largest copper-zinc VMS deposits.
It has been postulated that a Kidd Creek type deposit is possible in the ROF due to the high temperature magma chambers in the footwall of the VMS deposits here.
At the adjacent Butler 4 property, a DPEM geophysical survey Crone Geophysics is being completed, after which drill targets will be selected. The Butler 1, 2 and 4 occurrences all share the same stratigraphic assemblage and analogous geology as Butler 3, a characteristic of most of the producing VMS camps in the Canadian Shield.
MacDonald Mines has steadily moved its exploration forward for 10 years in James Bay's Ring of Fire. The company, under the direction of Hadyn Butler, located and staked what has proven to be highly prospective ground for potential discovery.
This area of James Bay presents a unique opportunity in that the Ring of Fire contains the entire suite of minerals including VMS, nickel, chrome, vanadium, titanium and gold potential. The only other similar region is in the Bushveld in South Africa but this region lacks the copper, zinc and nickel content of James Bay.
