Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42F05SE00005

Record: MDI42F05SE00005

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Graphite, Zinc, Gold

Location

Township or Area: Olie Lake Area, Thomas Lake Area, Ramsay Lake Area

Latitude: 49° 20' 47.88"    Longitude: -85° 38' 53.95"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 598176   Northing: 5466869    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42F05SE

Point Location Description: Stripped and blasted roadside outcrop

Location Method: Field Visit

Access Description: Depart from the Geco Road east on the Camp 70 road for 24 km to the Jim Lake road. West on the Jim Lake Road for 6 km. Turn right on Jim Lake road for 10 km. Turn left on the Husak road, drive 2.5 km, turn right on the Thomas Lake road. Drive 1.5 km, two plasted pits on the east side of the road.

Exploration History

1980: R. Koivisto staked the property and transferred it to Hudson Bay Exploration and Development Company. 1989: Noranda Exploration Services conducted airborne geophysics. 1991-1993: Examined and sampled by OGS, ground geophysics. 1992-98: L. Brinklow discovered the occurrence and carried out ground geophysics, prospecting, stripping, trenching, and sampling. 2012: Rare Earth Metals Inc. carried out prospecting, sampling, mapping, ground geophysics, trenching, and mineralogy. Ardiden Ltd. optioned the property. 2015: Ardiden drilled 10 DDH totalling 833 m.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Quetico

Geological Age: Archean  

Metamorphism Grade: Granulite

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Jan 27, 2016 (N Bennett) - The occurrence is hosted within a 4 m wide shear zone within Quetico paragneiss. Dominant foliation within the paragneiss strikes 110 ºand dips 85 º to the south, the shear zone is subparallel to the foliation. On the south side of the shear zone a pegmatite dike is observed. The width of the dyke is unknown as it is covered by extensive overburden. The pegmatite is composed of quartz, feldspar and biotite.The area is underlain by migmatites and gneisses of the Quetico Metasedimentary Subprovince. The country rock strikes generally east-west and is composed of primarily granulite facies paragneiss and biotite migmatite. Williams and Breaks (1990) located an orthopyroxene isograd in which the occurrence is located. The occurrence of the isograd would confirm the level of metamorphism as being granulite.The graphitic schist is a distinctive weathering unit (1-12 meters wide), commonly exposed by the stripping and trenching by of mineralized biotite quartz-feldspathic gneiss (generally a gossanous purple-red brown to pale yellow-brown color). Graphite, pyrite and pyrrhotite occur throughout.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Jan 20, 2014 (A Wilson) - The graphite is highly concentrated along the shear faces. Flake graphite comprises up to 5% of the rock, although some local concentrations are up to 20%. Trace amounts of chalcopyrite, pyrite, magnetite and pyrrhotite also were observed. There is an abundance of biotite within the host rock which is detrimental to the potential of the occurrence as biotite is difficult to separate from flake graphite. A 40 kg sample collected by Hinz and Landry returned a head assay of 4.46% graphitic carbon and 4.68% total C. The 3rd cleaner concentrate yielded 40.1% graphitic carbon and 40.8% total C for a recovery of 68.2% Gold values up to 0.02 oz/t and Zn values up to 0.13% were obtained from the property by L. Brinklow in 1992. Results from Rare Earth Minerals include 3.92% C-Graphite over 8.0 meters (m) from the North Zone, 2.96% C-Graphite over 12m from the Central Zone, and 4.18% C-Graphite over 6.5 m from the South Zone (Thomas Lake Road Occurrence). The particle size analysis was completed on a crushed portion of a sample from the North Zone which analyzed 9.27% C-Graphite. Flake graphite was recognized in both the plus 65 mesh (Tyler scale) (0.212 mm) and the plus 35 mesh (Tyler scale) (0.425 mm) fractions with 42.9% of the total Graphite reporting to the plus 35 mesh and 69.4% of total Graphite in the plus 65 mesh fraction. The sample was also sent for a mineralogical analysis to determine the grain size of graphite and a semi-quantitative mineralogical analysis. It has been confirmed that graphite is significantly liberated at a 20 mesh grind and flake size determinations show a size of 310 microns which is considered coarse flake graphite. Metallurgical test work to analyze the beneficiation characteristics of graphite from a mineral sample also from the North Zone resulted in product grades in the range of 80 - 93 % graphite. Grinding, flotation and gravity separation techniques resulted in producing a primary (flotation rougher) recovery of 97.32% and a final flotation concentrate grade of 62.15 % C-Graphitic. A particle size analysis performed after a gravity concentration test indicated that 10.3% of the graphite reported to the +300µm (jumbo) size fraction, with a grade of 86% C-Graphitic, 29% of the graphite reported to the +180µm (large) size fraction, with a grade of 83% C-Graphitic, and 11.1% of the graphite reported to the +150µm (medium) size fraction, with a grade of 80.3% C-Graphitic . The +425 µm (jumbo) graphite fraction was screened out after grinding and prior to flotation and had a grade of 92.6% C-Graphitic, and constituted 16.2% of the graphite. Significant assays from the Rare Earth Minerals sampling include: 3.92% C over 8 m at the North Zone – West Extension; 2.04% C over 6 m at the North Zone – West Pits; 2.13% C over 4 m at the North Zone – East Pits; 2.96% C over 12 m at the Central Zone; and 4.18% C over 6.5 m at the South Zone. Graphite occurs in concentrations along the foliation planes and is visually estimated to be from 1 to 10 %. Sulphides occur in concentrations from 1 to 5 %. In its un-weathered state, the rock unit is pale to medium grey in color. Schistosity (105° – 110°, 285° – 290°) within the graphitic unit is slightly discordant with the dominant gneissosity of the property.

Jan 27, 2016 (N Bennett) - Hosted within a 4m wide shear zone within paragneiss.On the south side of shear a pegmatite dike is observed. Flake graphite is present within the shear zone as a graphitic schist. Graphite comprises 5% (locally up to 20%) of the rock with trace chaclopyrite, pyrite, magnetite, pyrrhotite. Abundance of biotite within the schist. Sample taken by P. Hinz returned a value of 4.5% graphite from a field visit 92/06/16.

Alteration Comments

Apr 26, 2011 (N Bennett) - A minor saussuritization appears to have occurred and is evidenced by altered plagioclase and resultant epidote masses.

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

References

Mono - Industrial Mineral Occurrences and Deposits in Northwest Ontario

Publication Number: OFR5889 Scale:     Date: 1994

Author: Hinz P., Landry R.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Map - Stevens sheet, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2141 Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1967

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Map - Manitouwadge-Wawa sheet, geological compilation series, Algoma, Cochrane, Sudbury and Thunder Bay districts

Publication Number: M2220 Scale: 1:253,440    Date: 1972

Author: Milne V.G., Giblin P.E., Bennett G., Thurston P.C., Wolfe W.J., Giguere J.F., Leahy E.J., Rupert R.J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

MonoMap - Geology of Stevens-Kagiano Lake area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R068 Scale:     Date: 1968

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Publication - Technical Report on the Manitouwadge Graphite Exploration Property at Manitouwadge, Ontario, 113 p.

Publication Number: NI 43-101 rpt Scale:     Date: 2012

Author: R. Felix

Publisher Name:

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Ministry Contact Information

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