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Confused about some of the terminology on our web site? We want to help! Use the glossary below for the definition of some basic terms used in geology. Now you don't have to be a geologist to understand what is happening at Eastmain.
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Alteration:
Any physical or chemical change in a rock or mineral subsequent to its formation. Areas of rock and/or mineral alteration are commonly associated with base and precious metal or mineral deposits and are often larger than the orebody itself.
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Anomaly:
Any deviation from the norm (generally an increase in value) which may indicate the presence of mineralization in the underlying rock.
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Assay:
A chemical test performed on a rock, soil or vegetation sample to determine the amount of valuable metals contained within.
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Base metal:
Any non precious metal (eg. Copper, lead zinc, nickel etc.).
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Chalcopyrite:
A copper ore mineral composed of copper, iron and sulphur.
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Diamond drilling:
A means by which hollow steel rods with a diamond bit attached are driven into solid rock by a high speed rotary motion. A cylindrical core of rock is recovered for the purpose of obtaining geological, metallurgical or analytical information.
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Deformation zone:
A term used to describe a change in the attitude, shape or volume of a rock layer after its formation. Generally related to stress applied to the rocks resulting in folding, fracturing and faulting.
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Felsic rock:
Fine-grained, light-coloured volcanic rock containing quartz and feldspars.
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Footwall:
The rock on the underside of a vein or ore horizon.
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Geochemical sampling:
A method used to detect concealed bodies of metallic ores by means of chemical techniques. Samples of rock, soil or plant matter are gathered from a predefined area and sent to an analytical chemical laboratory to be measured for metal or mineral content.
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Geochemical anomaly:
An abnormally high concentration of a particular element over a certain area, reflecting a potential metallic source. Commonly detected in parts per million (ppm) for base metals and parts per billion (ppb) for precious metals.
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Geophysical survey:
A method used to determine the physical parameters of rock formations for the purpose of detecting a potential metallic source. Common properties measured include magnetism, specific gravity and electrical conductivity.
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Good standing:
A term used to describe the status of mineral claims with respect to government assessment requirements; meaning free and clear of all work and/or monetary holding requirements.
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Greenstone belt:
An area underlain by metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks, usually within the continental shield.
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Hydrothermal:
Relating to very hot fluids circulating in the Earth's crust.
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Induced Polarization (IP):
A method of ground geophysical surveying employing an electrical current to determine indications of mineralization.
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Iron formation:
A chemical sedimentary rock containing iron-rich minerals formed in a marine environment.
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Mine trend:
Is defined by a number of ore bodies aligned along a particular rock formation or structure.
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Mineral resource:
Mineralization for which tonnage and grades of elements of interest are known by drilling and sampling without the economic and engineering knowledge necessary to demonstrate economic viability.
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NSR:
Net Smelter Return. A royalty or share of net revenues generated from the sale of metals produced by a mine.
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Ore:
Rock which contains a mineral or a concentration of minerals and/or metals which can be mined at a profit.
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Porphyry:
A term used to describe the texture of an igneous rock in which relatively large mineral crystals, called phenocrysts, are set in a fine grained matrix.
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Plunge:
The vertical angle a linear geological feature makes with the horizontal plane.
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Precious metal:
Any metal considered to be of high value such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium etc.
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Rhyolite:
A fine-grained felsic volcanic rock with a similar composition to granite.
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Sphalerite:
A zinc ore mineral, commonly found in volcanic massive sulphide deposits and composed of zinc, iron and sulphur.
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Stratigraphy:
A sequence of layered rocks; often used to describe a particular rock formation associated with a specific area.
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Stockwork:
A network of veins often having the appearance of lattice- generally feeders to an overlying orebody.
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Tuff:
A rock composed of fine volcanic ash.
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VMS deposits:
Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide deposit or volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposit refers to a significant accumulation of sulphide minerals containing important quantities of base and/or precious metals, hosted within volcanic rocks.
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