James Bay
The James Bay property was discovered in 1966 by Consolidated Morrison Explorations. NioBay Metals acquired it in 2016.
Characteristics
The James Bay project is owned at 100% by NioBay Metals.
The James Bay property is within the Moose Cree Homeland in an area covered by Treaty 9, east of the Township of Carroll in the district of Cochrane and 45 km south of the municipality of Moosonee, in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The property comprises the Crown Mining Lease (# CLM11) and covers a total of 2,530 hectares.
The Project is an open depth niobium bearing carbonatite deposit measuring 800m long by 320m with the mineral being pyrochlore. The area has approximately 32m of overburden in lowland ground and is amenable to be mined either by open pit, underground or a combination of both.
Estimated advantages of the project (Preliminary Economic Study, 2020)
Geology and Mineralization
A pyrochlore mineralization is contained in an intrusive complex of pyroxene-rich carbonatites dating from the Huronian Orogen and generally orientated north¬ south. Intrusions of hornblende gneiss abut the complex on its east and west sides. The general dip is sub-vertical, orientated slightly to the east.
Paleozoic sediments consisting of altered, silty, sandy, argillaceous sandstones discordantly cover the carbonatite complex. These sandstones vary in thickness from 12 to 30 meters, and lie horizontally over the carbonatites, covering them completely. Unconsolidated silty glacial sediments between 6 and 10 meters deep cover these sandstones, and are themselves covered by spongy peat (muskeg) 1 to 2 meters deep.
Map of the drilling work performed in 2022
Community relations
The Moose Cree First Nation (MCFN) and NioBay have a Protection Agreement (PA) in place that provides for transparent communication and reflects the shared commitment to environmental protection.
NioBay is committed to continuing discussions with MCFN on whether the PA goes far enough to reassure the MCFN membership that their interests will be protected as the James Bay project proceeds. If so, a new agreement would be developed with the community to receive its consent. Noted the project is 42 km south of Moosonee with no neighbor at or around the mining lease.
NioBay plans to work with communities who have acknowledged indigenous rights within the area of the project to mitigate potential impacts and provide a share of the potential benefits the project will create.