Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI32E04SW00016

Record: MDI32E04SW00016

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Rubidium, Lithium, Tantalum, Cesium, Gallium, Beryllium

Secondary Commodities: Niobium, Zinc

Location

Township or Area: Steele

Latitude: 49° 1' 58.27"    Longitude: -79° 55' 46.2"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 578247   Northing: 5431660    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Kirkland Lake

NTS Grid: 32E04SW

Point Location Description: Outcrop

Location Method: Field Visit with GPS

Access Description: The property is accessed by the Trans-limit road from Cochrane and a southern branch leading to the former railway station of Eades near the north shore of Lake Abitibi. A 3.8 km bush road from the branch road to Eades leads directly to the property.

Exploration History

1959 - Discovered during ODM mapping by S.B. Lumbers. 1962-1963 - Prospecting by Canadian Johns-Manville. Three samples, totaling 171 pounds sent to Mineral Science Division of the Federal Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. Analyses identified spodumene, beryl, pollucite and columbite-tantalite. 1971-1974 - Prospecting, mapping, stripping, trenching and drilling by L. Darby. 1975 - Dex Ltd. evaluated the property for the production of phlogopite to supply paint and electrical industries; trenching, sampling. 1989-1990 - Prospecting and sampling by G. O'Reilly (no assessment work filed). 1991 - Prospecting, mapping, ground magnetic survey and sampling by J. Burns. 1996-1998 - Prospecting and sampling by G. O'Reilly. Samples were collected by the OGS for evaluation in 1998. 2001: Platinova - prospecting, sampling, DD-7-508.76 m, assays. 2010: Fieldex Exploration Inc. optioned the property from Mantis Minerals Corp. and resampled Platinova's core. 2017: Power Metals Corp. resampled Platinova's core, carried out prospecting and sampling, and drilled 50 DDH totalling 5405.08 m.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Opatica

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D Guidon) - The property is near the contact of the Case Batholith to the north and the Scapa Metasediments to the South. The batholith has a mapped and inferred extent in excess of 5000 square kilometres. It is unknown if this is a single or series of intrusions. The intrusion is mainly quartz monzonite, but near its contacts, it grades to a granodiorite. A wedge of metasediments (Scapa Metasediments) cross Steele Township along the southern contact of the batholith. They vary in thickness from 0.5 km on the west to greater than 5 km on the east. A set of 3 subparallel pegmatite dikes strike obliquely to the batholith/sediment contact. The maximum known dimensions of the largest dike are 420 m long by 30 m wide. Each of the dikes is complexly zoned.

Jul 13, 2022 (Therese Pettigrew) - The Case Lake pegmatite swarm is hosted by the Case Batholith which is an extensive 50 by 85 km ovoid granitic complex that is part of the Optica Subprovince (Jackson and Fyon, 1991). The Case Batholith is a weakly foliated biotite granodiorite to quartz monzonite which is characterized by biotite-rich orbicules that range in diameter from 1 to 7 cm (Breaks et al., 2006, OFR6195). The Case Batholith is mainly quartz monzonite, but near its contacts, i.e., on the Case Lake Property, it grades into granodiorite (Lumbers, 1962a). The main components in the granodiorite are quartz (20%), feldspar (70%) and biotite (10%) (Assessment report 32E04SW2002).

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Jan 25, 2016 (D Guidon) - The following has been condensed from a report by J. Burns (1991, assessment file KL-3240). The Scapa Metasediments trend in a southeast direction and dip southward between 60 and 70 degrees. Bedding varies from crude to well defined with individual beds ranging between 1 and 2 cm in thickness. In the area of the property, the unit is fine grained and schistose. Quartz, feldspar and biotite are the main minerals with occasional garnets. Staurolite is common in some beds. Granodiorite is the dominant phase of the batholith near its contact. It is grayish-pink, massive, medium to coarse grained and equigranular. The pegmatites are zoned. The border phase is rarely more than 2 m thick and composed of quartz, feldspar and muscovite. The average grain size of the coarse grained zone is 1-2 cm. Spodumene concentrations are greatest in those zones and may be as high as 15-20% of the rock. Crystals average 3-7 cm. In the very coarse zone, quartz, feldspar and muscovite range from 2-5 cm. Spodumene crystals are fewer in number but may be 50 cm long and 5-7 cm in diameter. In the quartz core, grain size is in excess of 5 cm and is composed of mainly quartz with feldspar and spodumene. Spodumene crystals are up to 90 cm in length. Description by J. Selway The Central dike is a subtly zoned pegmatite that consists of the following zones: 1. Sodic aplite border zone, 5-20cm thick; 2. Quartz+green muscovite zone; 3. Quartz+green muscovite+potassium feldspar granitic zone and layers; 4. Spodumene-rich zone; 5. Quartz-rich core zone; 6. lime green muscovite-rich patches; 6. late dikes of spodumene pegmatite.

Jul 13, 2022 (Therese Pettigrew) - Previously, it was believed that the Case Lake pegmatites were hosted by the tonalite/granodiorite Case Lake Batholith. Current drilling by Power Metals exploration team of the North, Main and South Dykes indicates that the spodumene pegmatite dykes are hosted by a dome-shaped laccolith rather than a batholith. A laccolith is a dome-shaped igneous body with a flat bottom which is an offshoot of a batholith. The Case Lake Batholith is a 50 x 85 km ovoid granitic complex characterized by a gravity low. Power Metals has identified that it has multiple domes along its margins (Assessment report 20000016979).

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Jan 25, 2016 (D Guidon) - The above minerals were identified in a report by E.H. Nickel of the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys in 1963 (see assessment file KL-0644). Pollucite was found in a coarse pegmatitic sample. Columbite-tantalite was found in both aplitic and pegmatitic phases of the samples submitted. Spodumene is found in all phases. OGS property visit by J. Selway albite (aplite), quartz, muscovite, K-feldspar, spodumene, manganocolumbite (38.73 wt.% Ta2O5), ferrocolumbite, manganotantalite (average 62.79 wt.% Ta2O5), ferrotantalite (average 49.70 wt% Ta2O5), microlite (average 69.0 wt.% Ta2O5), spessartine garnet, beryl, sphalerite, fluorapatite and rare zircon.

Jul 13, 2022 (Therese Pettigrew) - The Case Lake Pegmatite swarm consists of 5 dykes exposed on surface: 1. North Dyke – 12 m thick and > 100 m strike length; 2. Main Dyke (also known as Central Dyke) – 35 m thick and > 600 m strike length; 3. South Dyke – 10 m thick and > 250 m strike length; 4. East Dyke – 19 m wide and > 1200 m strike length; and 5. Northeast Dyke – 10 m wide and > 75 m length (Breaks et al., 2006). The North, Main and South dykes are hosted by a tonalite laccolith offshoot from the Case Batholith and they strike at 60 to 70° and dip 40 to 60°. The East and Northeast Dykes are hosted by fine-grained biotite-garnet metasedimentary rocks. The spodumene in the North Dyke is very coarse-grained with blades up to 5 by 70 cm. The spodumene in the Main Dyke is abundant, very coarse-grained and green to white in colour. Tantalum mineralization is abundant in the Main Dyke and the North Dyke and is hosted within spodumene-rich pegmatite zone and albite-rich pegmatite zone. Most of the Nb-Ta-oxide minerals in the Main and North Dykes are manganocolumbite and manganotantalite. Microlite occurs as an infilling between abundant spodumene blades in the North Dyke. Power Metals' 2017 resampling program returned 1.98% Li2O and 130.88 ppm Ta over 10.30 m from DDH-1, 1.37% Li2O over 10.3 m including 3.24% Li2O over 0.95 m from DDH-5. Some of the Main Dyke 2017 drilling highlights include: PWM-17-08 from 20 to 46 m with 1.94 % Li2O and 323.75 ppm Ta over 26 m; PWM-17-10 from 35 to 50.06 m with 1.74 % Li2O and 245.96 ppm Ta over 15.06 m; PWM-17-34 from 8 to 25 m with 1.81 % Li2O and 136.1 ppm Ta over 17 m; PWM-17-40 from 18 to 36m with 2.07 % Li2O and 213.96 ppm Ta over 18m (Assessment report 20000016979). Elevated Cs assays and pollucite has been identified in drill hole PWM-18-49 in the first new dyke below Main Dyke, with 2.00 % Cs2O over 2.0 m interval, from 32.45 to 34.45 m (Power Metals news release, February 20, 2020).

Assay Samples

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Rank: 1       Structure Type: Vein

Site Visit Information

Date: Jul 28, 1999

Geologist: D Guidon

Notes: Property visited September 23, 1998 with G. O'Reilly. Samples collected: 98319 - granodiorite of the Case Batholith near the north dike. 98321 - spodumene pegmatite from the central zone. No analyses on the samples. A 15.01 lb sample collected by G. O'Reilly in 1998 returned Rb assays ranging from 220 ppm to 5070 ppm; Cs assays ranging from 20 to 1790 ppm and Ta assays ranging from 4 ppm to 880 ppm. Lithium assays from O'Reilly samples MZ97MU-l and MZ97MU-2 were 3500 ppm and 3310 ppm respectively. Rubidium assays from samples 97KF-l, 97KF-2, 97KF-3, 97KF-5 ranged from 4107 ppm to 7410 ppm and cesium assays ranged from 138 ppm and 1050 ppm.

References

File - Resident Geologist files KL-2653, KL-3240

Publication Number: Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Kirkland Lake RGP office

Map - Steele, Bonis and Scapa townships, District of Cochrane

Publication Number: M2018 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1997

Author: Lumbers S.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Burntbush-Detour lakes, Cochrane District

Publication Number: M2453 Scale: 1:100,000    Date: 1982

Author: Johns G.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Geological Compilation: Bowyer, Coulson, Galna, Kerrs, Knox, Marathon, Milligan, Moody, Purvis, Steele and Warden Townships

Publication Number: P3392 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 1999

Author: Barrie C.T.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of Steele, Bonis, and Scapa townships, District of Cochrane

Publication Number: R008 Page: 45-46  Date: 1997

Author: Lumbers S.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Columbium (niobium) deposits of Ontario

Publication Number: MDC014 Page: 45  Date: 1971

Author: Ferguson S.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Burntbush-Detour lakes area, District of Cochrane

Publication Number: R199 Page: 65-66  Date: 1982

Author: Johns G.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

File - Res/Reg Property Visit Report KL #165

Publication Number: PV 165 Date: 1980

Author: Lovell, H.L.

Publisher Name:

Location: Kirkland Lake RGO

Mono - Fertile Peraluminous Granites and Related Rare-Element Mineralization in Pegmatites, Superior Province, Northwest and Northeast Ontario: Operation Treasure Hunt

Publication Number: OFR6099 Page: 105-107  Date: 2003

Author: Breaks F.W., Selway J.B., Tindle A.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Compend - Summary of Field Work and Other Activities, 2002

Publication Number: OFR6100 Page: 6.36-6.38  Date: 2002

Author: Baker C.L., Debicki E.J., Kelly R.I., Parker J.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Compend - Summary of Field Work and Other Activities, 2001

Publication Number: OFR6070 Date: 2001

Author: Baker C.L., Kelly R.I., Parker J.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Article - The western Abitibi subprovince in Ontario

Publication Number: SV04-01.011 Date: 1997

Author: Jackson S.L., Fyon J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Book - Orbicular Rocks: A Review, Geological Society of America Bulletin, V. 77, p.409-

Publication Number: GSAB Vol 77 Date: 1966

Author: D.J. Leveson

Publisher Name: GSAB

Location: Kirkland Lake RGO

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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Kirkland Lake Resident Geologist District Office