4.3 Million Tonnes Grading 36.7% Barite and 18.5% Fluorite

The Lake Ainslie Property, located on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is 100% owned by 21Alpha Resources Inc. and Perry MacKinnon under Exploration Licences 51491, 56854, 57404, and 57405. The property hosts significant deposits of barite (BaSO₄) and fluorite (CaF₂), with associated lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) mineralization.

The property encompasses multiple barite-fluorite vein systems that have been explored intermittently since the early 1940s. Seven defined vein prospects occur within a felsic volcanic unit extending across the western side of Lake Ainslie. Historical exploration and government assessment work have outlined a non-compliant historical resource estimate of approximately 4.3 million tonnes grading 36.7% barite and 18.5% fluorite—making it one of the most significant combined barite-fluorite occurrences in Atlantic Canada. The property remains fully controlled, with a comprehensive historical dataset compiled and digitized by Mercator Geological Services in 2015.

Exploration at Lake Ainslie has a long and well-documented history. In 1941, Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation drilled 441.73 metres in seven holes at the Evans/Trout Brook prospect targeting fluorite. Three years later, the Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy followed with five additional holes at the same site. In 1955, Fluor-Bar Mines Ltd. drilled approximately 21 holes on the Campbell–MacMillan prospect, though complete records are unavailable. International Mogul Mines Ltd. conducted extensive work between 1971 and 1972, completing over 2,400 metres of drilling in multiple holes across several prospects, including Campbell–MacMillan, D.J. MacDougall, and Upper Johnson. Subsequent work by the Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy in 1988 added a 65.53-metre hole (LAN-88-1) on the northwest side of the property, while Atlantic Industrial Minerals Ltd. drilled 524 metres in five holes (J-14 to J-19) on the Upper Johnson prospect in 2003. Altogether, over 3,500 metres of drilling have been documented across the property.

Geologically, the mineralized veins are hosted within a welded tuff and felsic volcanic unit that underlies the Campbell–MacMillan, Johnson, and Evans prospect areas. These volcanic rocks form topographic highs and are overlain to the east by basalt, andesite, and lithic wacke of the Fisset Brook Formation, and to the west by Early Mississippian Horton Group clastic sediments. Seven barite-fluorite vein prospects have been identified from south to north: Evans/Trout Brook, J.A. MacDougall, Lower Johnson, Upper Johnson, MacLean, Campbell–MacMillan, and D.J. MacDougall.

Mineralization on the property consists primarily of barite and fluorite, with minor calcite and localized Pb-Zn enrichment in surrounding sedimentary rocks. Barite occurs as white to pink, fine- to coarse-grained mineralization, while fluorite appears pale green or colourless in the main veins and violet to bluish-violet in adjacent fractures. The veins display distinct banding parallel to the vein walls, indicating multiple phases of hydrothermal deposition. Fine-grained barite typically forms along wall-rock contacts, coarse-grained barite occupies central vein zones, and pale green fluorite dominates vein margins. Late-stage calcite infills voids between barite and fluorite crystals. This zoned mineralogy suggests repeated cycles of hydrothermal fluid activity and cooling. Notably, Sogemines drilling in 1975 intersected Pb-Zn mineralization in calcareous sandstone of the Horton Group, highlighting the property’s broader polymetallic potential.

In 2015, Mercator Geological Services completed a comprehensive data compilation, digitizing all available historical exploration records for Lake Ainslie. Data from government reports were standardized and incorporated into an integrated GIS and Microsoft Excel database, including drill collar, lithology, and assay information. Hardcopy materials were scanned from archival sources to create a complete digital record. This dataset provides a robust technical foundation for future 3D modeling, resource verification, and continued exploration of one of Nova Scotia’s most promising barite-fluorite systems.