Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI000000000704

Record: MDI000000000704

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s) Black Thor Deposit - 2009, Black Thor Chromite Zone - 2008, Freewest DDH BT-08-01 - 2008, FWR Property - 2003
Related Record Type
Related Record(s)
Record Status Developed Prospect With Reported Reserves or Resources
Date Created 2009-Aug-13
Date Last Modified 2022-Mar-10
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Chromium



Location

Township or Area: BMA 527 861

Latitude: 52° 47' 6.39"    Longitude: -86° 12' 39.13"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 553221   Northing: 5848658    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 43D16SE

Point Location Description: drill collar for drill hole BT-08-01

Location Method: Data Compilation



Exploration History

2003-09: Freewest Resources Canada Inc. - airborne geophysics, ground geophysics, DD--67-22,845 m, gravity survey 2010: Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. - property acquired; 2011- Cliffs completed 10095 of diamond drilling and 954 m of HQ drilling for metallurgical testing on the Black Thor and Black Label properties. Cliffs also drilled 7800 m on the Big Daddy Property for resource delineation and 1900 m for metallurgical sampling (Personnel Communication, Cliffs Chromite Ontario Inc. Feb 21, 2012). Enginnering and environmental studies were ongoing in both areas throughout the year. 2012- In their base case study, Cliffs announced that the ferrochrome processing facility for the Ring of Fire ore will be located in Sudbury, Ontario (News Release, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. May 9, 2012). The company also indicated that a road as opposed to a rail line has been chosen as the preferred mode of transportation and that the expected start-up date related to mine operation, has been pushed back to 2016 from 2015. 2013 - Cliffs’ completed 2500 m of geotechnical drilling in early fall (personal communication, July 2013). November 20, 2013 - Cliffs has placed the Black Thor project on care and maintenance citing delays in talks with the Ontario government and First Nations as the reason.


Assessment Work on File

Assessment Work on File
Office File Number Online Assessment File Identifier Online Assessment File Directory
T-5137 / 2.29707 20000000358 20000000358
T-5144 / 2.29709 20000000357 20000000357
2.54823 20000008086 20000008086
2.29683 20000000444 20000000444

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Sachigo

Terrane: North Caribou

Domain: Oxford-Stull

Geological Age: Archean  



Lithology

Lithology Data
Rock Type Rank Composition Texture Relationship
Dunite 1 Dunite Host
Pyroxenite 2 Pyroxenite Hanging Wall

Lithology Comments

Dec 15, 2010 (A Wilson) - Banded and heavily disseminated chromite mineralization contains a greater percentage of altered cumulate crystals and locally, has a brecciated disrupted appearance. The chromite mineralization occurs near the top of the layered intrusion straddled by an underlying dunite/periodotite sequence and an overlying pyroxenite unit. The Black Thor chromite deposit has been traced for over a 2.9 km strike length, remaining open-ended along strike and to depth. It strikes southwest and has an overturned sub-vertical dip towards the northwest, ranging between 70° and 85°.




Mineralization

Mineralization and Alteration
Rank Mineral Name Class Economic Mineral Type Alteration Mineral Type Alteration Ranking Alteration Intensity Alteration Style
1ChromiteEconomicOre

Mineralization Comments

Dec 15, 2010 (A Wilson) - Diamond drilling intersected a 100 m wide intersection of chromite mineralization. The mineralization is massive, locally banded, fine- to medium-grained and contains occasional altered cumulate olivine grains. A 100.8 m section of drill core from the Main Zone returned 30.1% Cr2O3 including a 46.3 m section that assayed 46.3% Cr2O3 from DDH BT-08-01. A 43.5 m intersection from the lower zone returned 8.5 % Cr2O3. The mineralized zone typically contains two chromite layers known as the Lower and Upper zones that range in thickness from tens of metres to more than 100 metres. The zones are separated by a horizon of disseminated chromite hosted within peridotite and dunite. For grades of 30.0% Cr2O3 or greater, Cr:Fe average is 1.92; for grades of 35.0% Cr2O3 or greater Cr:Fe average 2.05 and for grades of 40.0% Cr2O3 or greater, Cr:Fe average 2.10.



Mineral Record Details

Classification
RankClassification            
1 Magmatic
Characteristics
Rank Characteristic            
2 Massive
1 Stratiform

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Zone Name: Detour Lake - Rank 1
Shape Length Thickness Depth Strike Dip Plunge Trend Age Reference
Tabular 2600 350

Site Visit Information

Date: Aug 13, 2009

Geologist: A Wilson

Notes: The zone consists of thick zones of northwest-dipping, semi-massive to massive chromite mineralization, attaining true widths of up to 90 m.



Reserves or Resources Data
Zone Year Category Tonnes Reference Comments Commodities
Black Thor 2012 Inferred Mineral Resource 26800000 Cliffs Natural Resources Annual Report, Dec 31, 2013 based on a 20% cut-off grade Chromium 29.3 %
Black Thor 2012 Measured + Indicated Resource 137700000 Cliffs Natural Resources Annual Report, Dec 31, 2013 based on a 20% cut-off grade Chromium 31.5 Percent
Black Thor 2010 Inferred Mineral Resource 69554960 Freewest Resources press release, January 14, 2010 based on a 25% cut-off grade Chromium 30.9 Percent

References

Map - Precambrian Geology of the Hudson Bay and James Bay Lowlands Region Interpreted from Aeromagnetic Data-East Sheet

Publication Number: P3598-REV Scale: 1:500,000    Date: 2008

Author: Stott G.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Publication - Press releases Freewest Resources Canada Inc.

Publication Number: Date: 2008

Author:

Publisher Name: Freewest Resources Canada Inc.

Location: Timmins RGO files


Map - Precambrian Geology of the Hudson Bay and James Bay Lowlands Region Interpreted from Aeromagnetic Data-South Sheet

Publication Number: P3599-REV Scale: 1:500,000    Date: 2009

Author: Stott G.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Mono - Mineral Deposits of Northern Ontario, North of Latitude 49° 30'

Publication Number: OFR6242 Date: 2009

Author: Stott G.M., Josey S.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Map - Geological series, Operation Winisk Lake, Winisk Lake, District of Kenora (Patricia Portion)

Publication Number: P0716 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1997

Author: Thurston P.C., Sage R.P., Siragusa G.M., Stott G.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:


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