Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI31E01SE00054

Record: MDI31E01SE00054

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Mica, Mineral Specimen

Secondary Commodities: Molybdenum, Niobium, Thorium, Titanium, Uranium

Location

Township or Area: Faraday

Latitude: 45° 1' 45.22"    Longitude: -78° 0' 39.11"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 735469.766   Northing: 4990544.794    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Southern Ontario

NTS Grid: 31E01SE

Point Location Description: Where adit meets carbonatite dike NE of property symbol 35, lot 31, concession 15

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: From the Bancroft Chamber of Commerce proceed south on Hwy 28 about 1.6 km to the Monck Road (at Esso station). Turn right 11.2 km to a white house on the right, with a mailbox for D. Kerr. The mine road is situated just beyond the house on the right and is sign posted the 2 km. into the property.

Exploration History

1925 north end of the carbonate body was worked for black mica by S. Orser and K.J. Wilson. 1947-51 469 tons of black mica were produced from an open pit by Bancroft Mica and Stone Products. 1953-54 Trenching, 6 shallow x-ray drill holes; 34 diamond drill holes for 5613 feet; and adit with 435 feet of drifting and cross-cutting and a 94 foot raise by Silver Crater Mines Ltd. 1966-69 Trenching; scintillometer survey; 14 diamond drill holes by Fidelity Mining Investments Ltd.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Grenville

Subprovince: Central Metasedimentary Belt

Geological Age: Mesoproterozoic  

Lithology

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (C Papertzian) - The deposit is a calcite body that occurs in an area of amphibolites. Syenites and nepheline syenites surround the amphibolite area, and a large area of marble is located south of the property. The calcite body is about 400 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 90 feet in maximum thickness. It is composed of coarse-grained, cream coloured calcite and the following accessory minerals: black mica, soda hornblende, apatite, betafite, zircon, albite, fluorite, molybdentite, and pyrrhotite. The accessory minerals are commonly concentrated in parallel streaks or in patches. A noteworthy feature of the deposit is the size of some of the crystals of accessory minerals: black mica crystals range up to 2 feet in size, soda hornblende up to 3 feet in length, apatite up to 2 feet in length, and betafite up to 3 inches in size. Two varieties of betafites are distinguished: a black variety that has a waxy lustre, and a grey variety that has a metallic lustre. The black variety contains about 2 per cent yttrium, whereas the grey variety contains almost no yttrium. Calcite grains within an inch of betafite rystals are commonly pink to red, and apatite crystals near betafite are commonly reddish brown. The calcite body is surrounded by an envelope up to 25 feet thick that consists of albite-biotite-calcite-soda hornblende gneiss, and scapolite-diopside-soda hornblende-biotite-calcite gneiss. Inclusions of the envelope rocks up to 30 feet in length and 2 feet in thickness occur in the calcite body, and small patches and lenses of calcite rock occur in the envelope.

Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Aug 29, 2002

Geologist: C Papertzian

Notes: The Sliver Crater Property was visited on August 1st, 2001. The main pit was still accessible along with the adit below it by a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Very large books of mica were visible in the face, some up to a foot across. Large calcite crystals surrounded the mica. Betafites were also present, evidenced by the pink to red discolouration of the surrounding calcite. The Silver Crater property was again visited on August 6th, 2002. The property had not changed significantly from the previous visit. The main pit had been excavated a little more by mineral collectors.

Date: Mar 16, 2004

Geologist: C Papertzian

Notes: The Sliver Crater Property was visited on July 9th, 2003. The main pit was still accessible by a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The adit below the pit has been obscured by recent logging in the area, but was still accessible. Very large books of mica were still visible in the face, some up to a foot across. Large calcite crystals surrounded the mica. Betafites were also still present, evidenced by the pink to red discolouration of the surrounding calcite. The main pit, once again, had been excavated a little more by mineral collectors.

References

Part - Radioactive mineral occurrences in the Bancroft area

Publication Number: ARV65-06 Page: 123-132  Date: 1998

Author: Satterly J., Hewitt D.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - Geology of Cardiff and Faraday townships

Publication Number: ARV66-03 Page: 47-8, 76-8  Date: 1998

Author: Hewitt D.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Uranium and thorium deposits of southern Ontario

Publication Number: MDC004 Page: 35  Date: 1967

Author: Hewitt D.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Uranium and thorium deposits of southern Ontario

Publication Number: OFR5311 Page: 227-8  Date: 1981

Author: Gordon J.B., Rybak U.C., Robertson J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Southern Ontario Resident Geologist District Office