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Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record:
MDI42D09NW00005
| Record Name(s) | Cold Spring - 1931, Peninsula Granite Company - 1929 |
|---|---|
| Related Record Type | Simple |
| Related Record(s) | |
| Record Status | Developed Prospect Without Reported Reserves or Resources |
| Date Created | 1984-Apr-19 |
| Date Last Modified | 2024-Aug-19 |
| Created By | |
| Revised By |
Primary Commodities: Granite
Township or Area: Pic
Latitude: 48° 44' 15.07" Longitude: -86° 23' .98"
UTM Zone: 16 Easting: 545321 Northing: 5398461 UTM Datum: NAD83
Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South
NTS Grid: 42D09NW
Point Location Description: Quarry
Location Method: Field Visit with GPS
Access Description: GENERAL LOCATION: The quarry is located beside the C.P.R. in the southern portion of Lot 20, Conc. XI; approximately 1.2 km north of the town of Marathon. ACCESS: A C.P.R. access road follows the tracks, north out of Marathon. Park at the end of this road and walk north along the tracks for approximately 1 km. The quarry is on the east side of the tracks.
1880: “Black granite” was first quarried at marathon by the CPR for construction of the rail bridges over the Pic and Little Pic Rivers. 1929-30: Peninsula Granite Quarries owned the property and quarried 24 carloads of material. 1931: The ground covering the black granite was purchased by the Cold Spring Granite Company from the Peninsula Granite Quarries Ltd. During the year, a new quarry was opened with a new derrick, drilling equipment, and power plant. Twelve men were employed to quarry blocks that weighed up to 35 tons. In 1931, twenty car loads of black granite were sent to Cold Spring, Minnesota for fabrication (Thomson 1932; The Northern Miner 1931). In the late 1930s the quarry operations were abandoned due to the lack of market. 1994: The patented claims are currently held by James River-Marathon Ltd.
| Office File Number | Online Assessment File Identifier | Online Assessment File Directory |
|---|---|---|
| 2.8708 | 42D16NE0039 | 42D16NE0039 |
Province: Superior
Subprovince: Wawa
Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi
Belt: Schreiber-Hemlo
Geological Age: Archean
Dec 07, 2005 (W Bellinger) - The claims are underlain by Fe-rich augite syenite (Walker et al. 1992) of the Proterozoic Coldwell alkalic complex. Geological mapping over the area was done by Puskas (1967) and recently by Walker et al. (1991, 1992, 1993). Walker et al. (1992) described the iron-rich augite syenite as follows: The iron-rich augite syenite appears to be a low angle sheet-like intrusion, which dips approximately 15 degrees toward the centre of the complex. It intrudes the basaltic xenoliths of the roof pendant and the Eastern and Western Gabbro, and it has inclusions of recrystallized amphibole quartz syenite. A variation in mineralogy from the bottom to the top through the sheet is present and consists of fayalite-iron-rich, augite-magnetite syenite; iron-rich augite syenite; fayalite-iron-rich augite syenite; and amphibole syenite.
| Rock Type | Rank | Composition | Texture | Relationship | Syenite | 1 | Augitic,Syenitic | Med To Coarse Gr | Host |
|---|
Dec 07, 2005 (W Bellinger) - A variation in mineralogy from the bottom to the top through the sheet is present and consists of fayalite-iron-rich, augite-magnetite syenite; iron-rich augite syenite; fayalite-iron-rich augite syenite; and amphibole syenite. The stone is medium to coarse grained and dark brown-black in fresh cut surfaces. Two sets of joints occur at the quarry. The most prominent strikes 335 degrees and dips 50 degrees S while the other set strikes 005 degrees and is vertical. The sheeting ranges from 0.45 to 2.4 m and dips 8 to 10 degrees W (Thomson 1932).
| Rank | Mineral Name | Class | Economic Mineral Type | Alteration Mineral Type | Alteration Ranking | Alteration Intensity | Alteration Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Augite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 2 | Fayalite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 3 | Feldspar | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 4 | Amphibole | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 1 | Hematite | Economic | Gangue | ||||
| Biotite | Alteration | Biotitic | 1 | Unknown | Disseminated |
Dec 07, 2005 (W Bellinger) - Walker et al. (1992) described the mineralogy of the iron-rich augite syenite: Iron-rich augite syenite, which forms much of the intrusion, typically contains iridescent tabular to lath-shaped feldspars with cryptoperthitic intergrowths and up to 30% interstitial, iron-rich augite. Variable amounts of fayalite, amphibole, aenigmatite and rare quartz occur in the subunit. The rock is generally black to olive-brown, coarse grained and massive. A geochemical analysis was completed by Geoscience Laboratories of the Ontario Geological Survey in Toronto and the results are as follows: 56.97 % SiO2, 13.40 % Al2O3, 17.26 % Fe2O3, 0.48 % MnO, 0.28 % MgO, 3.22 % CaO, 4.68 % Na2O 4.52 % K2O, 0.56 % TiO2, 0.00 % P2O5. Although the Cold Spring quarry site itself is not amenable to quarrying due to its small size, there are numerous sites in the immediate vicinity which may have potential. Since the iron-rich augite syenite outcrops over a very large area within the Coldwell Complex, there may be some suitable sites yet to be found.
| Rank | Classification |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dimension Stone |
| Rank | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Intrusive |
Date: Sep 04, 2015
Geologist: Therese Pettigrew
Notes: Visited the property with M. Smyk, M. Puumala, D. Campbell, R. Cundari and M. Brunelle. Discussion about how the syenite contains spectrolite.
Date: Jul 30, 2024
Geologist: Sheree Hinz
Notes: Site was visited in 2024 by S.Hinz, J.Jonsson, and P.Hinz as part of a historic building stone quarry tour to evaluate future potential for building stone in northwestern Ontario.
| Year | Tonnes | Commodities | Reference | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 1000 | 20 carloads of black granite were shipped. Quarry had been opened to a depth of 14 feet. | ||
| 1930 | 1200 | Thomson, 1931 | 1929-30: 14 months production, 24 carloads of black granite were shipped. The granite is sold at $2.50 per cubic foot. The black granite was used in the construction of several buildings in Toronto (including the Eaton building on College St.), Chicago, Detroit and other Midwestern cities |
Publication - The granite industry of Canada; Canada Mines Branch, Publication 846
Publication Number: CMB Pub 846 Page: 141-144 Date: 1955
Author: Carr, G.F.
Publisher Name: Canada Mines Branch
Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/307982
Map - Port Coldwell area, District of Thunder Bay
Publication Number: P0114 Scale: 1:31,680 Date: 1997
Author: Puskas F.P.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Map - Precambrian Geology, Port Coldwell Complex, East Half
Publication Number: P3233 Scale: 1:20,000 Date: 1993
Author: Walker E.C., Sutcliffe R.H., Shaw C.S.J., Shore G.T., Penczak R.S.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Part - Geology of the Heron Bay area, District of Thunder Bay
Publication Number: ARV40-02.002 Page: 35-37 Date: 1998
Author: Thomson J.E.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Part - Geology of the Heron Bay-White Lake area
Publication Number: ARV41-06.002 Page: 44-45 Date: 1998
Author: Thomson J.E.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Mono - Building stones of Ontario, part 5, granite and gneiss
Publication Number: IMR019 Page: 35-41 Date: 1997
Author: Hewitt D.F.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
MonoMap - Geology of the Port Coldwell area, District of Thunder Bay
Publication Number: OFR5014 Page: 86 Date: 1997
Author: Puskas F.P.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Mono - Dimensional Stone Occurrences and Deposits in Northwest Ontario
Publication Number: OFR5890 Page: 105-107 Date: 1994
Author: Hinz P., Landry R.M., Gerow M.C.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Book - SRV. OF GEOL. AND GEOMORPH. OF NEYS PROV PARK,ENV PLAN. SERIES,MNR
Publication Number: MNR 1974 Date: 1974
Author: Billings, M.D.
Publisher Name:
Location:
Publication - A Contribution to the Petrology of the Coldwell Alkaline Complex, Northern Ontario
Publication Number: GSC Bull 287 Date: 1980
Author: Currie, K.L.
Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada
Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/106630
File - Industrial minerals geologist files
Publication Number: IMF Date: 1996
Author:
Publisher Name:
Location:
Article - Geology of the Coldwell alkaline complex
Publication Number: MP157.018 Date: 1998
Author: Walker E.C., Sutcliffe R.H., Shaw C.S.J., Shore G.T.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Article - Geology of the Port Coldwell alkalic complex
Publication Number: MP160.019 Page: 108-120 Date: 1997
Author: Walker E.C., Sutcliffe R.H., Shaw C.S.J., Shore G.T., Penczak R.S.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
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