Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI31L07SW00014

Record: MDI31L07SW00014

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s) Purdy Mine - 1953
Related Record Type Compound
Related Record(s)
Record Status Past Producing Mine Without Reserves or Resources
Date Created 1982-Mar-05
Date Last Modified 2022-Apr-04
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Mica

Secondary Commodities: Feldspar (Nonmetals), Uranium



Location

Township or Area: Mattawan, Mattawan, Mattawan

Latitude: 46° 19' 2.19"    Longitude: -78° 54' 12.13"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 661415   Northing: 5131436    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Sudbury

NTS Grid: 31L07SW

Point Location Description: approximate centre of mine hazards

Location Method: AMIS Site Visit

Access Description: From Mattawa, drive northwest on highway 533 a distance of 13.4km. Turn south immediately after Snake Creek Road onto logging road and take south fork as road branches. Continue on main track and drive 15.5km (gravel/sand timber road) to site (last 5.2km is better accessed by ATV).



Exploration History

1941-1953: Purdy Mica Mines Ltd. – in production. 1949-1953: Purdy Mica Mines Ltd. – in production


Geology

Province: Grenville

Subprovince: Central Gneiss Belt

Terrane: Tomiko

Geological Age: Mesoproterozoic  



Lithology

Lithology Data
Rock Type Rank Composition Texture Relationship
Tonalite 1 Tonlaite To Granodiorite Gneissic Contains
Gneiss-Unsubdivided 2 Gneissic Contains
Pegmatite 3 Host

Lithology Comments

Jul 06, 2012 (A Wilson) - The Purdy Mine consisted of a series of pegmatite dikes that varied in width from 6 to 20 feet (2 to 6 m) for an average of 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 m). They are 200 to 400 feet long and occur within an area 400 to 500 feet wide and 1600 feet long. The dikes are arcuate or S-shaped and rarely exceed 200 feet in depth extent. Two dikes were opened to a depth of 150 feet.




Mineralization

Mineralization and Alteration
Rank Mineral Name Class Economic Mineral Type Alteration Mineral Type Alteration Ranking Alteration Intensity Alteration Style
1AlbiteEconomicOre
2MuscoviteEconomicOre
3UraniniteEconomicGangue
4EuxeniteEconomicGangue
5AllaniteEconomicGangue

Mineralization Comments

Jul 06, 2012 (A Wilson) - The yield of rough mica from the mine was 2.5% of the rock. The yield of sheet mica was 18.1% of the mica produced, or 0.45% of the rock. These figures are surprisingly low, given the spectacular crystals of muscovite that were reported, the largest being 9 by 7 feet by nearly 3 feet thick. The dikes are composed of quartz, pink potash feldspar and albite, with muscovite and biotite as characterizing accessories. Minor accessory minerals include epidote, chlorite, garnet, pyrite, euxenite, uraninite, beryl, allanite and monazite. Muscovite commonly occurred in the hanging-wall or footwall sections of the dikes. In 1952 some beneficiation tests were performed on material from the mine waste dumps. Crushing, screening, air classification, and hammer mill pulverizing produced mica concentrates down to 0.21 mm. According to Collings and Andrews mica recovery, “. . .was estimated as 84%. Biotite appeared concentrated in the –1.7 mm fraction, from which it could be separated by magnetic separation. Recovery of scrap and small sheet mica thus appears possible.” A grab sample of feldspar collected by the OGS in 2003 assayed 1.25 ppm Cs and 239 ppm Ba.



Mineral Record Details

Classification
RankClassification            
1 Pegmatite
Characteristics
Rank Characteristic            
1 Intrusive

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Zone Name: Detour Lake - Rank 1
Shape Length Thickness Depth Strike Dip Plunge Trend Age Reference
Regular 91 5
Production Data
Year Tonnes Commodities Reference Comment
1953 1335 OFR6068 p.66 2,942,786 pounds produced

References

Publication - DEMR 1969, NMI 31L/7 MIC1

Publication Number: Date: 1969

Author:

Publisher Name: DEMR

Location:


Publication - Mica Deposits of Canada; Geological Survey of Canada, Economic Geology Series 19

Publication Number: Econ Geol 19 Date: 1960

Author: Hoadley, J W

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/102453


Part - Geology of the Mattawan-Olrig area

Publication Number: ARV53-06.001 Page: 33-40  Date: 1997

Author: Harding W.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:


Mono - Pegmatite mineral resources of Ontario

Publication Number: IMR021 Page: 30-35  Date: 1997

Author: Hewitt D.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:


Publication - RES/GEO.1990 CLIPPINGS `PURDY..`

Publication Number: Date: 1996

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Sudbury RGO


Map - Mattawan-Olrig area, District of Nipissing, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM53D Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1997

Author: Harding W.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:


Map - Precambrian Geology, Songris Area

Publication Number: P2847 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 2006

Author: Easton R.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


MonoMap - Geology and Mineral Potential of the Eastern Tomiko Terrane, Grenville Province

Publication Number: OFR5554 Page: 68-69  Date: 2006

Author: Easton R.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Map - Geological series, Mattawa-Deep River area (western half), District of Nipissing

Publication Number: P1196 Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1976

Author: Lumbers S.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:


Mono - Report on the Eau Claire mica properties, Mattawan Township

Publication Number: PR1942-01 Date: 1998

Author: Thomson J.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:


Mono - Industrial Mineral Assessment and Sampling of Mica in Central and Eastern Ontario

Publication Number: OFR6086 Page: 66-68  Date: 2002

Author: Watts, Griffis and McOuat Ltd., Ontario Geological Survey

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Book - Summary report no. 5: mica and vermiculite; Mineral Sciences Laboratories, CANMET Report CM90-3E. 89 p.

Publication Number: Date: 1989

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location:


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