Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI000000002124

Record: MDI000000002124

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Copper, Nickel, Cobalt

Secondary Commodities: Platinum, Palladium

Location

Township or Area: Pardee

Latitude: 48° 1' 36.25"    Longitude: -89° 37' 6.1"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 304790   Northing: 5322589    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 52A04SE

Point Location Description: Trench

Location Method: Field Visit with GPS

Access Description: Access is obtained by travelling south from Thunder Bay along Highway 61 to the junction of Highway 593. Travel approximately 2.8 km west along Highway 593 to the gated property access road on the north side of the highway. The mineralized showings are accessed by using an all-terrain vehicle along a network of bush roads and trails.

Exploration History

1967: Diamond drilling (3 holes for 169 m) near the western property boundary by Noranda Mines Ltd. 1970–71: Prospecting, geological mapping, trenching and sampling by W. Forsgren and E.M. Galvin. 1998–99: Airborne magnetic and electromagnetic surveys, ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys, geological mapping and diamond drilling (1 hole for 297.78 m) by Falconbridge Ltd. 2001–02: Airborne gravity, magnetic, electromagnetic and radiometric surveys, prospecting, sampling and lithogeochemical survey by McVicar Minerals Ltd. and Billiton World Exploration Inc. 2015–2017: Prospecting, sampling and assays by A. Onchulenko and P. Gehrels.

Assessment Work on File

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Nov 28, 2017 (Mark Puumala) - The eastern outcrop area of the Copper Bar intrusion consists of fine- to medium-grained gabbro. The fine-grained rocks are exposed in the easternmost trench, with a general increase to medium-grained and more leucocratic rocks in the trenches farther to the west. Much of the intrusion is feldspar-porphyritic, containing centimetre-scale plagioclase phenocrysts (Puumala et al., 2016)

Nov 28, 2017 (Therese Pettigrew) - An enigmatic, fine- to medium-grained, sulphide mineral-bearing gabbro intrusion known as Copper Bar is located to the north of the Pigeon River dyke on claim 4275710. This intrusion does not appear on the maps of Geul (1970) nor Smith and Sutcliffe (1989), and it is unknown whether it is related to the Pigeon River dykes or Logan sills or to neither.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Nov 28, 2017 (Mark Puumala) - The most notable feature of the eastern outcrop area is the ubiquity of sulphide mineralization. Sulphide content ranges from 3 to 25%, and the majority of the sulphide mineralization consists of blebby (magmatic?) pyrrhotite. The sulphide blebs have weathered-out on some outcrop surfaces, giving the rock a distinctive pitted appearance. As sulphide content increases, the sulphides eventually become net-textured. In general, the sulphide content increases toward the west, with the most sulphide-rich material having been observed in the westernmost exploration pit. A later phase of replacement-style sulphide mineralization is also present. This mineralization is more chalcopyrite-rich and is most commonly observed as coatings on plagioclase phenocrysts. The western outcrop area of the Copper Bar intrusion consists of fine-grained gabbro. In contrast to the eastern outcrop area, much of this portion of the intrusion is not mineralized. One historic exploration trench in this area includes a section of weathered, gossanous gabbro that contains disseminated sulphides.

Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Nov 09, 2016

Geologist: Mark Puumala

Notes: The Copper Bar intrusion is interpreted to be a dyke, striking 061 degrees, that is exposed in 2 outcrop areas covering a strike-length of 300 m. The eastern outcrop area has been trenched and test-pitted at several locations along an approximate strike length of 100 m. Four of these excavations were examined during the RGP site visit. The western exposure has seen less extensive exploration, with one historic trench and one recent exploration pit having been observed during the site visit. Several grab samples were collected from 4 of the historic Copper Bar exploration trenches. All samples returned broadly similar assay results for copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum and palladium. The best results were obtained from a sample (MP16WPT1225) of weathered, magnetic gabbro containing 25% interstitial to net-textured sulphides (0.35% Cu, 0.22% Ni, 0.047% Co, 59 ppb Pt and 68 ppb Pd).

References

Map - Geological series, Precambrian geology, Keweenawan intrusive rocks in the Crystal Lake-Pigeon River area

Publication Number: P3139 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 1990

Author: Smith A.R., Sutcliffe R.H.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Report of Activities 2016, Resident Geologist Program, Thunder Bay South Regional Resident Geologist Report: Thunder Bay South District

Publication Number: OFR6326 Page: 44-54  Date: 2017

Author: Puumala M.A., Campbell D.A., Tuomi R.D., Tims A., Brunelle M.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Devon and Pardee townships and Stuart Location, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2207 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1970

Author: Geul J.J.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

Mono - Nickel, Copper, and Platinum Group Element Mineralization in Keweenawan Intrusive Rocks: New Targets in the Keweenawan of the Thunder Bay Region, Northwestern Ontario

Publication Number: OFR5928 Date: 1995

Author: Lightfoot P.C., Lavigne Jr. M.J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Data - Ontario Airborne Geophysical Surveys, Magnetic and Gamma-Ray Spectrometric Data, Grid and Profile Data (ASCII and Geosoft® Formats) and Vector Data, Mahon Lake and Flatrock Lake Areas

Publication Number: GDS1077 Date: 2015

Author: Ontario Geological Survey

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Pigeon River area, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

Publication Number: Map 354A Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1936

Author: Tanton, T.L.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/107549

Map - Pigeon River area, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

Publication Number: Map 355A Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1936

Author: Tanton, T.L.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/107550

Publication - Regional Lake Sediment and Water Geochemical Reconnaissance Data, Thunder Bay Region

Publication Number: GSC OF 2179 Date: 1990

Author: Friske, P.W.B., Hornbrook, E.H.W., Lynch, J.J., McCurdy, M.W., Gross, H.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/128140

Map - Pigeon River area, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

Publication Number: Map 356A Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1936

Author: Tanton, T.L.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/107551

MonoMap - Geology of Devon and Pardee townships and the Stuart Location, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R087 Date: 1970

Author: Geul J.J.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Publication - Fort William and Port Arthur, and Thunder Cape Map-area, Thunder Bay District, Ontario; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 167

Publication Number: GSC Memoir 167 Date: 1931

Author: Tanton, T.L.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/100799

Article - Keweenawan intrusive rocks of the Thunder Bay area

Publication Number: MP137.039 Date: 1997

Author: Smith A.R., Sutcliffe R.H.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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