Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42D14SE00076

Record: MDI42D14SE00076

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Copper

Location

Township or Area: Syine

Latitude: 48° 51' 57.44"    Longitude: -87° 1' 14.37"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 498485   Northing: 5412555    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42D14SE

Point Location Description: GPS

Location Method: Field Visit with GPS

Access Description: The main showings are located near Margon Creek which flows south of Margon Lake, located 1.6 km north of Highway 17, about 12 km northeast of Terrace Bay in Syine Township (claims TB 613727 and 613843, claim map G 634, Syine Township). Access may be gained by aircraft to Margon Lake, 488 m north of the showings. Access by foot is best attained by departing Highway 17 at Blackbird Creek (in Syine Township) and travelling north for 1.6 km.

Exploration History

Pre-1800: Discovery of gold-bearing quartz vein. 1880: A party of miners and workmen, supervised by Capt. Pritchard and D. McKellar, commenced development work. Sampling and surveying was carried out by Dr. Seager. 1880-1890: A tunnel was driven in on the main vein for 9 m. Thirty five metallurgical tests were carried out on main vein material. Bulk sampling and testing was conducted by Northwestern Reduction and Chemical Work. C. Kreissman sampled other parts of the main vein. A second vein traced and tested by mineral panning. 1896: A party of miners under the supervision of D.F. Burk reportedly ran a drift on one of the veins for a distance of 30.5 m. circa 1899?: Operations largely ceased, as did those at the Empress Mine, 3.5 km to the east. 1954-1955: C. Perras and E. McCowan restaked the showings as part of a larger claim group but no work was recorded. 1981: P.J. Skalesky restaked the old showings (TB 613727, 613843) as part of larger claim group. 1982: All interest was transferred to Micham Exploration Inc. Ground geophysical (magnetometer, VLF EM) surveys conducted. 1983: Geochemical sampling, airborne geophysical (EM, Mag) survey conducted. Prospecting, sampling and geological mapping were carried out by David R. Bell Geological Services Inc. 1984: Follow up detailed geological mapping, trenching and prospecting were undertaken. An induced polarization survey was conducted. Lithogeochemical sampling was carried out. 1986: Tamavack Resources Inc. diamond drilled 13 holes totalling 3,975 feet (1211.6 m). Ten holes tested the Mocan Valley shear zone. 1994: The property was optioned by RJK Explorations Ltd. and a ground magnetic survey was carried out. 1999: R. Wahl and G. Daniels carried out prospecting, mapping, and sampling. 2000: R. Wahl and G. Daniels carried out prospecting, stripping, mapping and sampling. 2001: R. Wahl and G. Daniels carried out prospecting, mapping, stripping and trenching. 2002: R. Wahl and G. Daniels carried out stripping, trenching, and sampling. 2003: Claims were transferred from Wahl and Daniels over to S. Kravchik. 2004: S. Kravchik carried out prospecting and sampling. 2011: O. Kravchic commissioned a soil sampling program. 2012: O. Kravchik commissioned a small channel sampling program. 2013: O. Kravchik commissioned a soil sampling program. 2016: O. Kravchik commissioned a prospecting and sampling program.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Reports in the Canadian Mining Review (1890, p.114) and The Weekly Herald (July 5, 1890) state that: The rock formation consists of the Huronian diorites and chlorite schists, striking E and W, and dipping with high inclination southward, with an occasional syenitic vein penetrating it from a great granitic syenite belt, which bounds on the south side within a few hundred feet of the location. Several quartz veins intersect the location, two of which carry free gold. One of them, which may be said to be the main vein of the location, is in about the centre of the property, striking eastward across the mountain from the above mentioned valley. It has been exposed in several places, over a distance of about a thousand feet from the foot of the hill, up the face and back on the summit. It is a strong fissure vein, from 2 to 6? feet wide, of quartz, with an inch of clay on the foot wall in the tunnel. The tunnel was driven in on the vein for 30' at the foot of the mountain, twenty five above the level of the valley. The vein here is four to seven feet in width, and carries considerable auriferous pyrites, assaying $22 on gold per ton. On the surface, about 50' further east, the vein carries free gold, and it is expected that if the tunnel was driven in to cut that point it would show free gold also; in fact, a few colours were shown in the last blast put into the tunnel. The vein in the tunnel dips 60? to the south. Thirty five different tests have been made up on this vein in pulverizing, roasting and washing, and with few exceptions turned out a good showing of gold dust in the pan. When noting structural features, *Dadson (1983) reports that a: ... major fault is marked by a consistent lineament continuing northeast southwestwards through Margon Lake ... This feature is sub parallel to the Christie Lake break and post dates the shearing at either the Ursa Major or Empress mineral deposits.

Lithology

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Hinz (1984) described a shear occurring in mafic flows as the original Mocan Valley showing. Vuggy quartz veins within the shear contain disseminated pyrite, chalcopyrite and malachite. Several other sulphide occurrences and zones are mentioned in the grid area, including chemical and clastic metasedimentary rocks. Tamavack Resources Inc. carried out 13 diamond drill holes totalling 3,975 in 1986. Ten holes were drilled under the original Mocan Valley gold showing and shear zone. The best assay result obtained was 0.012 ounce per ton Au from a narrow quartz carbonate vein. Elevated and anomalous gold values were noted in all the holes which intersected the shear zone (Gliddon, 1986). Assays of up to 156 ppb Au were obtained from oxide facies iron formation and mafic ash tuff (Gliddon, 1986). Reports from the Canadian Mining Review (1890, p.114) and The Weekly Herald (July 5, 1890) state: The main vein was reported to have assayed $22.00 of gold per ton [equivalent of approximately 1.06 oz. Au/ton @ $20.68/oz. Au]. Assaying of a 1,290 pound (585 kg) bulk sample yielded $41.34 in gold per ton [equivalent to 2.000 oz. Au/ton]. Additional sampling from other parts of the main vein gave results of $20.00 in gold per ton [equivalent to 0.967 oz. Au/ton]. *Dadson (1983) reports that rock assays have shown several encouraging results with a high of 0.595 ounce per ton Au (in the mineralized shear). Values in the quartz veins ranged from trace to 0.2 ounce [gold per ton], (Northern Miner, Nov. 17, 1983, p.23.).

May 30, 2018 (Therese Pettigrew) - Samples collected by Micham Exploration in 1983 returned assays of up to 219 ppb Au, 890 ppm Cu and 275 ppm Zn (AFRI 42D15SW0115). Pyrite and pyrrhotite are the dominant forms of sulphide mineralization present, with only a minor amount of chalcopyrite. Pyrite and pyrrhotite contents range up to 7% and were found in all rock types, while the blue-quartz diorite contained dominantly pyrite. The chalcopyrite was mainly constricted to pyrite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite stringers within the basalt flows. Within the shear-alteration zone, a loose correlation between pyrite and gold mineralization as noted. The elevated pyrite along with intense carbonate alteration give the most positive indicators of higher gold values. The highest and most consistent gold values come from the shear zone and specifically the included quartz-carbonate veins. These sections show elevated concentrations of pyrite, carbonatization and minor hematite alteration especially within the shear zone (AFRI 42D14SE1070). Samples collected by R. Wahl in 1999 assayed up to 7.17 gpt Au (AFRI 42D15NW2003).

Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Feb 21, 1997

Geologist: B Nelson

Notes: Resident Geologist personnel visited the occurrence August 31, 1984 and in May of 1988.

References

Map - Nipigon-Schreiber, geological compilation series, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2232 Scale: 1:253,440    Date: 1973

Author: Carter M.W., McIlwaine W.H., Wisbey P.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Mono - Mineral Occurrences in the Nipigon-Marathon Area, Volumes 1 and 2.

Publication Number: OFR5951 Page: 459-463  Date: 1996

Author: Schnieders B.R., Smyk M.C., Speed A.A., McKay D.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

File - Schreiber-Hemlo Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files, Thunder Bay office

Publication Number: Min Dep Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Map - Jackfish-Middleton area, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2107 Date: 1967

Author: Walker J.W.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Schreiber area, District of Thunder Bay, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM47J Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1997

Author: Bartley M.W., Harcourt G.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Thunder Bay South Resident Geologist District Office