Property Status and location: The Sewell Brook property consists of 20 units is located approximately 24 Km North-east of the village of Plaster Rock, New Brunswick on NTS map sheet 21O/03E (Fig. 1). Although no resource estimate has been published Sewell Brook is recognized as one of New Brunswick's significant Zn occurrences (Fig. 2). The property is accessible by a well-developed network of forestry roads leading northwest from Plaster Rock and NB highway 108.

Ownership/Contact: The property is owned by Atlantic Zinc Exploration Inc., a private company registered in New Brunswick. The directors of the company are: Don Burton, Glenn Homes & Norman Pitre.

Regional/deposit Geology: The following description is modified from Walker (2015).

The Sewell Brook Zn-Pb-Cu deposit is a low tonnage, locally very high grade (up to 40% Zn), syn-genetic, stratabound, sub-seafloor replacement-type volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit hosted by the Wapske Formation (Tobique Group) in west central New Brunswick (Figure 3).  The deposit sits at the top of a submarine dome complex, near its upper contact with a dominantly sedimentary succession (Figure 4). The host rocks are dominated by felsic to intermediate (rhyodacite-dacite) compositions marked by high contents of TiO2 (0.5 to 1.5 wt%; avg. ≈ 0.9%) and Zr (avg. ≥ 500 ppm). Intermediate compositions occur elsewhere in the Tobique Group but are subordinate to the more common bimodal basalt-rhyolite compositions. Dikes of rhyolitic composition occur in very limited number and are unaffected by mineralization or deposit-related hydrothermal alteration.

Mineralization: The sulphide textures range from disseminated to stockwork veins to semi-massive zones; however, bedded stratiform sulphides are absent as are Fe-Si-rich exhalative sedimentary rocks. Mineralization is dominated by sphalerite and subordinate galena, although a small chalcopyrite-rich zone is present in which Cu ≥ (Zn + Pb). Pyrite is subordinate to sphalerite and galena throughout most of the deposit although in some core intervals it is the dominant or only sulphide phase. With the exception of the rhyolite dikes, all the volcanic host rocks are affected by mass addition of K and mass loss of Na. Deposit related hydrothermal alteration is dominated by chlorite and subordinate sericite alteration in proximity to sulphides, whereas silicification and bleaching occurs in more distal parts of the system (Fig 5).

These data together with the absence of bedded sulphides support a submarine / subsurface replacement VMS model for the Sewell Brook deposit (Wilson 1992, Walker 2015; Fig. 5). Selected drill intervals and assay data are listed in Table 1.

The following description of mineralization is from Wilson (1992).

In the mineralized zones at Sewell Brook, massive sulphide horizons are apparently stratabound and generally, structureless, though some banded massive sulphide has been reported. In places, hyaloclastic microbreccia in the footwall of the deposit is replaced by sulphides so that the stratigraphically lower parts of the deposit locally display replacement textures. Very high grades have been obtained from several drill intercepts, including 41% combined Zn + Pb over 5.7 m in hole 10, 36% Zn + Pb over 5 m in hole 11 and 33% Zn + Pb over 10 m in hole 10D. The main sulphide lens is typically rich in Zn compared to Pb: the average Zn/Pb ratio for all drill intercepts is 3.4, although in the highest grade section, the proportion of Zn is even higher. Copper-rich zones are locally present stratigraphically below the Zn/Pb horizon; these zones are variable in grade and thickness. The highest grade of Cu is 17.4% over 1.5 m in hole 10; the widest zone of Cu enrichment is a 10 m section of discordant stringer-stockwork ore in hole 1 grading 3.7% Cu. Significant gold and silver are present in some high-grade Zn-Pb horizons; the best values are found in hole 11, with 135 g/t Ag and 1.73 g/t Au over 5 m. A second mineralized zone was intersected in one drill hole at somewhat greater depth, the potential of this zone remains untested to date.

Unexplained geochemical anomalies on the property (McIntyre Porcupine Mines 1957) and quoted from R. Walker (1997).

1) 1957, McIntrye Porcupine Mines – Victoria I Group

• conducted limited exploration on this group which was originally staked by Dominion Gulf on the basis of a large regional stream survey and airborne EM conducted in 1955 throughout the entire Riley Brook area, located immediately north of Sewell Brook
• two baselines cut, lines blazed at 400’ intervals, soil sampling, loop frame EM and SP surveys carried out on the grid
• soil survey outlined broad north trending anomalous zone (Area II) up to 1000 m long with values up to 10,000 ppm Zn, 75,000 ppm Pb and 1250 ppm Cu (located roughly 500 m north of the Sewell Brook Deposit
• geological mapping and prospecting indicated sparse disseminations of chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, pyrite, and pyrrholite in boulders and possible bedrock of “acid lavas”
• geophysical results were less favourable - one weak EM conductor was found, not coincident with the soil anomaly
• SP survey outlined only low amplitude readings which were to be believed due to topographic effects (Note: no maps filed for the geophysical surveys)

An IP anomaly beneath the discovery outcrop was drilled in October 1990 and three sulphide zones were cut: 1.54 m (5ft) of 9.06% Pb-Zn, 1.85 m (6ft) of 12% Pb-Zn and 10.15 m (33ft) of 3.72% Cu. Subsequent drilling included hole 10 with intersections of 5.72 m (18.8ft) of 40.97% Pb+Zn and 1.5 m (4.9ft) of 17.44% Cu and 7.08% Zn. Hole 11 intersected 5.03 m (16.5ft) of 36.09% Pb-Zn. Significant gold mineralization occurs with the base metals in hole 11 with assays indicating 5 m (16.4ft) of 2.09 g/t Au.

References:

Burton, D. 2009. Report of work on the Sewell Brook property for Atlantic Zinc Exploration Inc. New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, Assessment Report # 476786.

Burton, D. 2010. Report of work on the Sewell Brook property for Atlantic Zinc Exploration Inc. New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, Assessment Report # 476919.

Burton, D. 2012. report of work on the Sewell Brook property for Atlantic Zinc Exploration Inc. New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, Assessment Report # 477188.

Giggie, K.V. 1991. Report of diamond drilling, geological and geophysical surveys, Sewell Brook claim group for NovaGold Resources Inc. New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, mineral assessment Report # 474026.

Giggie, K.V. 1992. Report of diamond drilling, geological and geophysical surveys, Sewell Brook claim group for NovaGold Resources Inc. New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, Mineral assessment report # 474186.

McIntyre Porcupine Mines, 1957. Report/map of soil geochemical of work on Victoria I group

Walker, J.A. 2015. The Sewell Brook Zn-Cu-Pb sulphide deposit, Northern New Brunswick: An example of Early Devonian sub-seafloor replacement mineralization New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines; Geological Surveys Branch, Geoscience Report GR 2015-3, 62 p.

Walker, R.T. 1997. Report on diamond drilling on the Sewell Brook property for NovaGold Resources Inc. NTS 21 O/03E. New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, mineral assessment report # 474898.

Walker, R.T. 1998. Report on diamond drilling on the Sewell Brook property for NovaGold Resources Inc. NTS 21 O/03E. New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, mineral assessment report # 475168.

Wilson, R.A. 1992. Petrographic features of Siluro-Devonian felsic volcanic rocks in the Riley Brook area, Tobique Zone, New Brunswick: Implications for base metal mineralization at Sewell Brook. Atlantic Geology, 28, pp. 115-135.