Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52E11SE00002

Record: MDI52E11SE00002

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Silver

Location

Township or Area: Snowshoe Bay Area

Latitude: 49° 34' 5.49"    Longitude: -95° 2' 45.35"

UTM Zone: 15    Easting: 352070   Northing: 5492633    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Kenora

NTS Grid: 52E11SE

Point Location Description: Precise

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: The property is accessible from Kenora by taking Trans-Canada Highway 17 west from the city limits for approximately twenty-seven kilometres to the Rush Bay Road, then going south for about twenty-three kilometres to Clytie Bay, and then eight kilometres by boat. Alternatively, the property can be reached by going south on Provincial Road 673 from a point seven kilometres east of the Manitoba border on Trans-Canada Highway 17 to the Shoal Lake First Nations, then about eight kilometres by boat.

Exploration History

1896: R. McInkster and W.J. Cameron made the original discovery of a gold-bearing sulphide zone on Cameron Island. 1897: J.J. Foster purchased the property and formed the Cameron Island Mining and Development Co. Ltd. 1899: small exploratory inclined shaft was sunk and four quartz veins were explored through stripping and test pits. 1903: Cameron Island Mining changed its name to Damascus Gold Mining Co. and built a ten-stamp mill. 1910-12: Cameron Island Syndicate Ltd. acquired the property, dewatered the shaft and resumed underground work. 1915: Cameron Island Syndicate extended the lasteral workings to 148.7 m on the 20.4 m and 38.7 m levels. 1933-36: Duport Mining Co. Ltd. dewatered the shaft, sank a 74.7 m inclined winze from the second level, drove additional levels at 68.3 m and 112.5 m, drilled several holes from surface, and conducted bulk sampling. 1950-51: Matachewan Consolidated Mines Ltd. conducted an EM survey, trenching, and drilled 81 surface DDH totalling 7234 m and 56 underground DDH totalling 1539 m. The shaft was dewatered and 9.8 m of raising was completed on the second level. 1965-67: Westfield Minerals Ltd. drilled 8 DDH totalling 3516 m. 1973: Consolidated Professor Mines Ltd. (CPML) obtained an option on the property, dewatered the shaft and conducted exploration and sampling, taking bulk samples from the second level. 1974: CPML drilled 16 DDH totalling 3561 m.1981: CPML drilled 15 DDH totalling 2045 m. 1982: Selco optioned the property and conducted airborne and ground geophysical surveys and drilled 43 surface DDH totalling 8726 m and 28 surface-portal DDH totalling 647 m. 1983-85: Union Carbide optioned the property and conducted drilling (18 DDH totalling 5555 m) and underground exploration from a new 1185 m underground decline driven from Stephens Island. Bulk and channel samples were taken from all levels. 1986-87: CPML continued underground development on the property including extending the decline to a vertical depth of 200 m and drilled 61 surface DDH totalling 15,099 m and 164 underground DDH totalling 13,762 m. Three raises were driven in mineralized material and a 90 tonne bulk sample was mined and shipped to Lakefield Research for metallurgical testing. 1988: CPML conducted a feasibility study, began permitting, and drilled 21 surface DDH totalling 5875 m and 1 surface-mainland DDH totalling 154 m. 1989: CPML drilled 3 surface DDH totalling 540 m. Permitting was stopped. 1990: CPML drilled 1 DDH totalling 132 m. 1993: CPML reactivated the environmental aspects of the property 1996: Royal Oak Mines took over CPML and undertook an internal feasibility study. 1996-97: limited drill program. 1997: Royal Oak filed for bankruptcy. Duport Project was purchased by Sheridan Platinum Group Ltd. 2004: Halo Resources Ltd. acquired the property from Sheridan. 2005: Halo conducted ground magnetometer and airborne magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys and drilled 23 DDH totalling 7054 m. 2008: Hays Lake Gold Inc. signed an option agreement with Halo. 2009: Everton acquired Hays Lake. 2010: Everton Resources drilled 28 DDH totalling 8271 m.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wabigoon

Belt: Lake of the Woods

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - Several narrow, northeast-trending high strain zones occur between the Snowshoe Bay Batholith and the Canoe Lake Stock. These are developed within and along the margins of the Stevens Island Complex and trend subparallel to the intrusion boundaries. These zones of high strain define three shear zones, with similar orientations and character which suggest that each is a component of a larger deformation zone referred to as the Shoal Lake Deformation Zone. The westernmost of these shear zones contains the Duport mineralized zones and has been termed the Duport Deformation Zone. Reference Valliant, M.O. Everton Resources Ltd. TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE SHOAL LAKE WEST PROJECT (Duport Deposit), July 2009.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - The auriferous zones are hosted by deformed mafic and ultramafic rocks within the Duport Deformation Zone, characterized by a westward transition from ductile to brittle regimes and from mylonite to proto-mylonite. The footwall rocks are not highly deformed; the basalt is locally pillowed and, although the pillows are stretched, they are clearly recognizable. The contact between these pillowed basalts and the talc schist to the west is gradational over a few metres. Within this contact zone, fabric development becomes progressively more intense westward until the original character of the basalt is lost to talc-chlorite schist. This schist is typical of the ductile regime and persists westward for 60 m, interdigitating with lithons of more competent rock, mainly coarse grained amphibolite and metapyroxenite. The mineralized zones on the Shoal Lake West Project are hosted by strongly deformed and altered basaltic and ultramafic rocks within the major northeast-trending, steeply west dipping Duport Deformation Zone. These mineralized zones are identified as the Main Zone and the parallel East Zone, plus a number of en echelon and parallel associated units in the hangingwall and footwall of each of these principal horizons.

Dec 16, 2015 (Therese Pettigrew) - Fine-grained, pillowed, aphyric basalts form the footwall in the mine. These are in intrusive contact with a major north-east trending quartz diorite intrusion, the Stevens Island Complex to the east. A banded sulphide facies iron formation was recognized within the aphyric basalts. Three marker units of amphibolite and/or metapyroxenite have been recognized between the Main and East mineralized zones, west of the footwall basalts. To the west of the talc schist is a unit of talcose, brecciated basalt which is characterized by highly elongate basaltic fragments. West of the talcose brecciated basalt, a second basaltic breccia unit has been recognized. It is only weakly brecciated and is commonly fine-grained and massive. Within this brecciated unit a feldspar-phyric basalt or gabbro occurs locally. The most westerly unit is a coarse-grained basalt or gabbro. Brecciation is recognized locally. It is not clear if this unit represents a thick basaltic flow or a subvolcanic sill, similar to the Stevens Island Complex (Valliant and Chamois, 2008). The Main Zone is hosted by chlorite-actinolite-sericite schist, amphibolite, porphyritic basalt and brecciated basalt and occurs mainly as an en echelon system of almond-shaped lenses or oblique shear veins. The highest concentration of gold within this assemblage is associated with altered felsic dikes. The East Zone is hosted mainly by talc-chlorite-carbonate schist and locally by nematoblastic amphibolite and metapyroxenite. Fractured, mylonitized and brecciated dikes were preferred sites for gold mineralization (Valliant and Chamois, 2008).

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - Gold mineralization strikes N30°-35°E for a total strike length of approximately 1,200 m and dips 65°-75° west. Grades of possible economic interest have been intersected to a depth of approximately 600 m. Gold-bearing zones are enriched in quartz and sulphides and contain varying amounts of feldspar, muscovite, sericite, pale brown biotite, epidote, carbonate and chlorite. Gold is generally associated with arsenopyrite and pyrite and lesser pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. Free gold occurs rarely within quartz or other silicates in the matrix. The Main Zone is approximately 800 m long, strikes N30°E, dips 70° west and extends to 300 m below surface. Grade-thickness contours of the Main Zone indicate that the mineralization plunges north at about 30°. However, within the mineralization there appears to be several local areas that plunge 45° to 75° south. The secondary plunge has important exploration implications. The East Zone lies parallel and east of the Main Zone. It is approximately 450 m long and extends from 10 m to 250 m below surface. The Hangingwall Zone is parallel and west of the Main Zone. It is the smallest of the three zones at 150 m long and extends from 150 m to 300 m below surface. Gold-bearing zones are enriched in quartz and sulphides and contain varying amounts of feldspar, muscovite, sericite, pale brown biotite, epidote, carbonate and chlorite. Gold in the Duport deposit occurs both as fine grains of free gold, less than 0.05 mm, and in association with grains of arsenopyrite and pyrite The mineralization often exhibits a banded or laminated appearance, which parallels the tuff pseudo-bedding and shearing. The gold grade is proportional to the percentage of arsenopyrite and associated pyrite, the degree of silicification and, to a lesser extent, the incidence of mariposite. A combination of arsenopyrite with one or both of these secondary conditions usually results in high grade intersection, while the lack of arsenopyrite usually indicates negligible gold. The mineralization is associated with highly sheared, narrow, thinly (pseudo)-bedded, conformable felsic and intermediate lithologies and cherty units that contain sulphide mineralization, generally in the range of 5% to 10%. In 2006, RPA estimated Mineral Resources, compliant with NI 43-101, using the contour method. Indicated Mineral Resources were estimated at 424,000 tonnes grading 13.40 g/t Au for 182,000 contained ounces of gold. In addition, Inferred Mineral Resources were estimated at 387,000 tonnes grading 10.69 g/t Au for 131,000 contained ounces of gold. Scott Wilson RPA considers that this estimate is still current Reference Valliant, M.O. Everton Resources Ltd. TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE SHOAL LAKE WEST PROJECT (Duport Deposit), July 200

May 15, 2020 (Therese Pettigrew) - High gold values were intersected and extended mineralization at depth below the mine workings in DDH SLW10-11 with 16.61 g/t Au and DDH SLW10-15 with 10.72 g/t Au (Assessment report 20000006050).

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

References

Publication - Duport Project Scoping Study

Publication Number: Duport Project Date: 2005

Author: Clow, G.G.

Publisher Name: Roscoe Postle Assoc. for Halo Resources

Location: SEDAR

Publication - Technical Report on the Shoal Lake West Project, Northwestern Ontario, Canada

Publication Number: 2008 43-101 Date: 2008

Author: Valliant, W.W. and Chamois, P.

Publisher Name: Scott Wilson Mining for Hays Lake Gold Inc.

Location: SEDAR

Part - Gold deposits on Shoal Lake (west)

Publication Number: ARV45-03.002 Page: 47-51  Date: 1997

Author: Thomson J.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Gold deposits of the Kenora-Fort Frances area, districts of Kenora and Rainy River

Publication Number: MDC016 Page: 11  Date: 1976

Author: Beard R.C., Garratt G.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Shoal Lake-Western Peninsula area, District of Kenora

Publication Number: OFR5242 Page: 64-65, 67-71  Date: 1978

Author: Davies J.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Feasibility of small scale gold mining in northwestern Ontario (parts of the districts of Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay), volume 1, text, volume 2, appendices

Publication Number: OFR5332 Page: 21-23, A-3  Date: 1981

Author: Neilson J.N., Bray R.C.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Article - Kenora Resident Geologist area, Northwestern Region

Publication Number: MP128.001 Page: 2, 4  Date: 1997

Author: Blackburn C.E., Hailstone M.H., Parker J.R., Storey C.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - The geological setting of gold occurrences in the Lake of the Woods area

Publication Number: OFR5695 Page: 80-85  Date: 1988

Author: Davies J.C., Smith P.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Bag Bay, Kenora District

Publication Number: M2422 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1983

Author: Davies J.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Precambrian Geology of the Lake of the Woods Area-South Sheet

Publication Number: P2676 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 2009

Author: Ayer J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - North Shoal Lake area (west sheet), District of Kenora

Publication Number: P0527 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1997

Author: Davies J.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

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