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The Jeesiö Gold Project covers approximately 76km2 of the prospective Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, with property proximal to other exciting recent gold discoveries in Finland.

The Jeesiö properties are positioned along major regional structures known as the Sirkka Shear Zone and the Venejoki Shear Zone. Both represent major crustal structures that control the emplacement of the majority of the orogenic gold deposits in Lapland. Portions of both structures are interpreted to cross the Jeesiö property.

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Since 2017 FireFox has used a combination of data compilation, till sampling, mechanized BOT sampling, and reconnaissance diamond drilling to identify numerous promising targets at Jeesiö, and has currently prioritized the Utsamo and Kataja Belt targets. Utsamo is situated directly between Aurion’s Risti and Launi gold discovery areas, while the Kataja Belt targets area approximately two kilometres southwest from the gold-bearing quartz-sulfide vein system at Launi.

Utsamo Target: This target covers a five-kilometre-long corridor of complex faults and shears including a 2.8 km long structurally distinct zone, associated with numerous gold anomalies in till, that follows the contact between mafic intrusive rocks and metasediments. This feature is believed to be the continuation of the Sirkka Shear Zone. Base-of-till sampling has identified significant pathfinder anomalies, such as bismuth, tellurium and selenium, that are strong indications of orogenic gold. Reconnaissance drill testing has confirmed the fault zone at depth, along with narrow intervals of base metals and gold pathfinder elements associated with hydrothermal alteration.

Kataja Belt Target: From south to north, the Kataja Belt consists of three gold prospects: Saittavaara, Katajavaara South (KJ South) and Katajavaara Hill (KJ Hill). This target is least 3 km long, and occurs approximately 2 km WSW of the Launi gold target reported by Aurion Resources. It hosts significant gold in surface samples, including a best 2019 quartz-sulphide vein sample with 6.4 g/t gold and a 2022 trench grab sample of 33.6g/t gold.  The highlights of rock chip samples from the summer 2020 program in this area include boulder samples of 2.6, 2.75, and 4.73 g/t gold and outcropping quartz-magnetite-sulphide veins containing 10.5 g/t gold. Reconnaissance drilling in 2021, the first known drilling in the area by any operator, returned anomalous gold mineralization of more than 0.9 grams per tonne (g/t) in two of three holes. Drill hole 21JE002 intercepted a near-surface zone of 4.0m averaging 2.03 g/t Au, including 2.0m at 3.18 g/t Au.

FireFox continues to explore to advance and refine these target areas. For details of previous work or the program in progress please refer to the News Releases or the latest Presentation.

 

Jessio targets

The Jeesiö project is in Lapland, the northernmost province of Finland. The entire property is accessible via paved highway and secondary paved roads. The nearest towns are Sodankyla (pop 8,556) and Kittilä (pop. 6,358).  High voltage power lines cross the property.

The northern boundary of the Jeesiö exploration permit application is three kilometres south from the recent Aamurusko (Risti) gold discovery by Aurion Resources Ltd (TSX-V:AU www.aurion.com), and 12 kilometres south-southwest from the Pahtavaara Gold Mine, currently being recommissioned by Rupert Resources Ltd (TSE:RUP www.rupertresources.com). Numerous smaller drilled prospects and deposits are in the vicinity of Jeesiö.

FireFox cautions that being near a discovery, or past-producing mine with a resource, does not indicate that mineralization will occur on FireFox’s property, and if mineralization does occur, that it will occur in sufficient quantity or grade that would be economic to mine. These facts were referenced here to provide context for the prospectivity of the FireFox properties. 

The Jeesiö Project is comprised of approximately 76 km2 of property holdings, 100% held by FireFox.  Approximately 57kmare subject to a 1.5% NSR and a payment to Magnus Minerals of 1000 troy ounces of gold upon commercial production. For details, please refer to the latest Financial Statements and MDA.

  • The GTK (Finnish Geological Survey) covered the area in a Country-wide reconnaissance till sampling program between 1983 and 1991. The sample density was 4 km2 per sample.
  • 11 samples on the Jeesiö property exceeded the 95th percentile for gold contents in the Finland-wide survey but no follow-up work was reported.
  • Outokumpu drilled four holes in the Kotalampi anomaly totalling 419.5 metres in 1990. This anomaly was identified by three nugget-in-till samples which exceeded the 99th percentile of the GTK Survey.
  • The Outokumpu holes intersected narrow zones of strong fuchsite alteration but reported no samples with more than 0.3 g/t gold.
  • Between 1972 and 2007 the GTK flew a Finland-wide, low-level airborne magnetic, EM and radiometric survey along lines spaced 200 metres apart.
  • The GTK drilled 33 short holes on the Jeesiö property between 1999 and 2006 (all less than 51 metres and many less than 10 metres). This was presumably done to verify bedrock lithology.
  • There are no historical mineral resource or reserve estimates on the Jeesiö property and there has been no significant production from it.

 

Work Completed by FireFox to Jan 2023

2017:     FireFox acquired the property in August of 2017 and performed reconnaissance till sampling using a handheld Cobra drill. FireFox collected 284 samples from depths of 0.2 to 6.0 metres.

2018:     FireFox performed Bottom of Till Geochemical sampling as well as ground-based geophysics identifying priority targets.

2019:     FireFox completed additional bedrock sampling and mapping throughout the project, as well as trenching at the Homelampi target. Ground geophysical surveys and geochemical sampling programs were completed at the Utsamo target, followed by a 3-hole reconnaissance drill program.

2020:     Mapping and surface sampling identified three new targets, termed the Kataja Belt, to the south of Utsamo.  The summer program included a UAV magnetics survey over the entire project area, as well as trenching and additional sampling at Utsamo.  In the fall, a second recon drilling program of four holes was completed at the Utsamo target.

2021:   Detailed BOT sampling program completed over the 5-km Utsamo corridor and hinge zone, identified strong gold and multi-element anomalies and new drill targets. First program (3-holes) of reconnaissance drilling completed at Saittavaara (Kataja Belt) target returned gold in 2 of 3 holes.  New drilling initiated at Utsamo in 4th quarter of the year.

2022: Exploration trenching at KJ South and KJ Hill.

 

Most of the project area is covered by a few metres of glacial till and outcrop is very scarce. Regional mapping is largely based on geophysical interpretation. GTK’s regional 1:200,000 mapping program indicates that much of the property is underlain by Archean-aged clastic sedimentary rocks which is intruded by younger Paleoproterozoic-aged gabbro sills and granitic rocks.

In Orogenic-type deposits, structure controls gold emplacement. Portions of the Jeesiö property straddle the Sirkka Shear Zone or related regional-scale structures such as the Venejoki structure. 

The Venjoki structure is over 100 km long and lies 5-to-25 km south and is subparallel to the Sirrka  structure. The Venjoki structure represents a thrust zone where Paleoproterozoic and Archean-aged rocks were pushed northward over the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt.  North to NE strike-slip shear zones related to this regional thrust are associated with several gold occurrences in the region. 

Typically in Orogenic-style deposits in greenstone environments host gold bearing veins that are enveloped by alteration haloes consisting of iron-carbonate + sericite + sulphide to various amounts of chlorite, calcite and locally magnetite. Pervasive chromium-or vanadium rich green micas (fuchsite and roscoelite) as well as ankerite with zones of quartz carbonate stockwork are also common in sheared ultramafic rocks.

Drilling into the Utsamo target has intersected a lithologic package consisting of arkosic quartzites with some sericite alteration, interlayered with lesser intermediate tuffites and mafic volcanics, which were intruded by narrow mafic and ultramafic dykes or sills. Some holes encountered a 25-metre-thick fault gouge that was formed by extensive shearing, alteration and oxidation of both the arkosic quartzites and mafic-ultramafic rocks. The fault gouge is comprised of pervasive clay alteration enriched in iron oxides and contained abundant fragments of quartz-carbonate-sericite veins similar to those associated with gold elsewhere in the region.  Magnetite, disseminated pyrite and abundant carbonate has been intersected in some holes.

At Saittavaara target in the Kataja belt, reconnaissance drilling encountered intensively sheared and sericitized quartzite from just below shallow overburden, including several quartz veins with strongly sheared and silicified wall rock. Disseminated pyrite is prevalent but variable, and the alteration may be termed quartz-sericite-pyrite (QSP), which is commonly seen in orogenic gold deposits.

Trenching at KJ South exposed intensely sheared contact between siliciclastic metasedimentary and mafic intrusive rocks, revealing several mineralized quartz-sulphide veins and lenses within both units. In addition to pyrite and magnetite, geologists also noted the presence of chalcopyrite and copper oxides. The gabbro in the area is likely attributable to mafic sills that are related to a younger continental rift setting (Haaskalehto-type), which are common at the Jeesiö Project. The mineralization encountered in the trenches is clearly controlled by shearing, as it crosscuts both lithologies and the contact between them.

KJ Hill is located approximately 900 metres to the north of KJ South along the trend of a N-S oriented magnetic feature. Along the eastern slope of the hill, there are fields of locally derived boulders displaying abundant mineralized quartz veins intruding metasedimentary (arkose and quartzite) and mafic rocks.

For additional details, please refer to the Technical Report and MDA .