Nortran Target
The rocks above the Nortran Target are highly altered sediments of the Broadview Formation. in this photograph, there is intense iron-oxide alteration and also vugs infilled with small quartz crystals (click on image to enlarge)
The Nortran Target—historically referred to as Western Deeps—has been recognized for many years, but work completed over the past two field seasons has transformed it into a first‑rate exploration target.
Recent exploration has included detailed mapping and sampling along the Ripper Fault, systematic work in the Horton Area, and multiple generations of electromagnetic surveying. Together, these datasets have revealed a much more coherent and compelling geological picture.
The first indication of a major new target emerged with the discovery of the Gold Pit Zone. Mapping and sampling showed that this zone represents a “knocker” of epithermal mineralization trapped within a steeply dipping fault. Critically, this structure—now formally named the Ripper Fault—was shown to have displaced the main Thor epithermal system. The knocker itself had been displaced 30–40 m vertically down in the fault demonstrating significant vertical fault movement.
Subsequent exploration work traced the Ripper Fault along the entire western margin of the Thor deposit. Its position is clearly defined by a strong EM‑37 conductor, and the fault commonly contains fragments of epithermal mineralization. At this stage, it was evident that a major structure had sliced off the western portion of the Thor system—but the location of the missing block remained unknown.
Because the Nortran Target is located further west than the Thor epithermal deposit, it should be enriched in gold and silver relative to base metals. This can be seen at the SIF pit where gold occurs in quartz. The only other sulfide mineral of any note is pyrite - which is also gold-bearing.
For this reason, the Nortran target is a prime exploration target and it will be tested with diamond drilling in the near future!
Because the Nortran Target is located further west than the Thor epithermal deposit, it should be enriched in gold and silver relative to base metals. This can be seen at the SIF pit where gold occurs in quartz. The only other sulfide mineral of any note is pyrite - which is also gold-bearing.
For this reason, the Nortran target is a prime exploration target and it will be tested with diamond drilling in the near future!
In areas of extensive colluvium cover, Taranis uses soil sampling to acquire geochemical data that is helpful to locate concealed areas of mineralization. Taranis uses a power auger that is able to obtain soil samples from almost one meter depth that are subsequently analyzed using mass spectrometry.
In 2023, a large volume of high‑grade float was discovered in the Horton Area. Its position made it impossible for the material to have originated from the known Thor deposit. Over three years of follow‑up work has shown that this float is derived from the mountainside immediately west of Thor—an area now referred to as Nortran, named after a suite of 1980s airborne EM anomalies that were never investigated. Taranis has since completed extensive additional EM surveys here, including VLF, EM‑37, and airborne MT.
The Nortran area hosts a dense cluster of electromagnetic anomalies, most likely caused by carbonaceous sediments that do not outcrop at surface. Unlike the linear EM responses associated with fault zones at Thor, these anomalies form irregular patterns consistent with carbonaceous alteration halos surrounding epithermal veins.
One of the many boulders that were found in the Horton Area that probably are derived from the Nortran anomaly (14.55 g/t Au and 1,045 g/t Ag). (Click on image to enlarge)
An excavated cross-section through the Ripper Fault Zone (looking north) showing metal content contained within a knocker in the Fault Zone (click to enlarge)
Map showing the location of the high-grade boulders in the Horton area. The background is a digitally enhanced Lidar image that shows topography and has the trees/foliage removed. This area occurs uphill and to the west of the existing Thor deposit shown in the upper right corner of the image.
In 2025, Taranis made a breakthrough discovery that clarified the structural framework of the Thor deposit. The identification and 3D modeling of a younger lamprophyre dyke showed that it truncates the Thor system at depth. This same modeling revealed that the Ripper Fault follows the western margin of the lamprophyre body, indicating that the entire Thor deposit was originally perched on top of the intrusion before being displaced.
This structural relationship is fully consistent with the geological timeline:
This discovery provides a clear, data‑driven explanation for the missing western portion of the Thor deposit and significantly strengthens the exploration model guiding drilling at the Nortran Target.
This discovery provides a clear, data‑driven explanation for the missing western portion of the Thor deposit and significantly strengthens the exploration model guiding drilling at the Nortran Target.