Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI41I06NW00013

Record: MDI41I06NW00013

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s) Lockerby Mine - 1971, Falconbridge Nickel Mines - 1975
Related Record Type Simple
Related Record(s)
Record Status Past Producing Mine With Reserves or Resources
Date Created 1984-Nov-02
Date Last Modified 2022-May-11
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Nickel, Copper, Cobalt

Secondary Commodities: Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium



Location

Township or Area: Denison

Latitude: 46° 25' 58.94"    Longitude: -81° 19' 26.04"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 475116   Northing: 5142214    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Sudbury

NTS Grid: 41I06NW

Point Location Description: Headframe of Shaft No. 2.

Location Method: Data Compilation

Access Description: The Lockerby Mine is located 32 km west of the City of Sudbury by road. Paved and unpaved roads connecting to highways 144 and 17 give access from the north, crossing over the Vermillion River, and from the south, respectively. (NI43-101 Report, Feb. 2008)



Exploration History

1888-1908: The mine property was originally held by the Lockerby family, then by the Dominion Bank. Dominion Bank optioned the property to a succession of mining companies, and ten holes were drilled near the south property boundary. Falconbridge (now Glencore) purchased the property in 1942 Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd: 1963 to 1966: Extensive exploratory deep diamond drilling 1967: Surface work and collaring of a shaft completed 1968: Surface stripping, road building and shaft collaring were completed 1969: Sinking of the production shaft commenced in March 1970-1974: Surface work and underground mine development with two shaft sinkings in progress 1975-mid 1978: Mine in production 1978 (June): Mine placed on care and maintenance 1979: Mine reopened for production by year end 1980-1994: Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited/Falconbridge Limited: Mine in production 1994: Mine again placed on care and maintenance 1995-1998: Development continued at the Lockerby Mine in order to bring the mine into full production by 1998 1998 -2003: Mine in production under Falconbridge Limited 2004 -2005: First Nickel Incorporated (FNI) was in negotiations with Falconbridge Limited to purchase a 100% interest in the mine. The mine closed in September 2004 and returned to production late in 2005 with FNI as the operator First Nickel Inc: 2006-2007: Mine in production 2008 (Oct.20): First Nickel announces closure of Lockerby Mine due to low metal prices. 2011: Development to reopen in May; mine reopened and started production in September. 2012: Full production achieved in July 2015: Cessation of ramp development below the 6800' Level though mining continues at that level and above. Anticipated cessation of mining activities by the 3rd Quarter of 2015.1st quarter production 2.2 million lbs contained nickel and 1.4 million pounds of contained copper. 2016: Mine closed


Geology

Province: Southern

Subprovince: Sudbury Structure

Supergroup: Sudbury Igneous Complex, Main Mass

Geological Age: Paleoproterozoic   Geochronological Age: 1.85Ga  



Geology Comments

Jun 20, 2016 (D Scholtz) - The Lockerby Mine property lies in the southwest area of the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) South Range. The Lockerby deposits are located at the base of the SIC in norite which protrudes into vertically dipping Stobie Formation metavolcanic rocks at the west end of the Creighton granite pluton. The Main fault zone follows the east limb of the norite protrusion and encloses a breccia pipe. Nickel-copper mineralization occurs mainly as breccia and stringer sulphides within the Main fault, as blebs in the matrix of the breccia pipe, and occasionally as disseminations in the hanging wall norite. To December 31, 2003, a total of 8.26 million tonnes averaging 1.79% Ni and 1.07% Cu were produced from the Main, Depth, and East zones at the Lockerby Mine. Q1 2015 production totaled 2.2 million pounds of contained nickel and 1.4 million pounds of contained copper.




Lithology

Lithology Data
Rock Type Rank Composition Texture Relationship
Norite 1 Norite Host

Lithology Comments

Jun 20, 2016 (D Scholtz) - Local depositional control for the Lockerby Ni-Cu contact mineralization is related to a depression in the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) footwall formed at the faulted juncture of the SIC, Stobie greenstones and Creighton granite. Lockerby mineralized zones follow this lithologic triple point down dip, and exploration has focused on locating similar geologic settings at depth and laterally along the base of the SIC. The Depth zone occurs as a sheet of sulphides at the contact between norite, a dark norite breccia sublayer, and granite. The sheet pinches and swells on strike and down dip. Massive sulphides in breccia are usually at the norite-granite contact, with stringers and disseminated sulphides continuing into the norite and dark norite breccia stratigraphic hanging wall. Main and Depth zone mineralization is composed of breccia sulphide and adjacent stringers and disseminations hosted by all rock types cut by the Main fault.




Mineralization

Mineralization and Alteration
Rank Mineral Name Class Economic Mineral Type Alteration Mineral Type Alteration Ranking Alteration Intensity Alteration Style
1PyrrhotiteEconomicOre
2PentlanditeEconomicOre
3ChalcopyriteEconomicOre
PyriteAlterationUnknown1MediumStockwork

Mineralization Comments

Jul 02, 2015 (D Scholtz) - Sulphides are approximately 80% pyrrhotite, 13% pentlandite, and 7% chalcopyrite. The breccia mineralization is approximately 40% rock fragments in a sulphide matrix. Pentlandite averages approximately 35.6% Ni and pyrrhotite ranges from 0.20% to 1.15%, averages 0.6% to 0.66% Ni, and is similar to other Sudbury ores. Three zones have been discovered at the Lockerby Mine: Main, Depth, and East. Ore mineralogy of the zones is typical of other Sudbury contact deposits and consists of varying amounts of pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and minor sphalerite, cobaltite and gersdorffite. The Depth zone is essentially a broad pipe or shoot that dips 70 degrees southeast at its top reversing to steeply north at the 1,880 m depth level. It averages seven metres in width and extends approximately 180 m along strike. The East zone is located 1.5 km east of the Depth zone at shallower depth than the Depth zone. The East zone averages one metre to two metres thick and strikes for almost 200 m. East zone mineralization is controlled by a nose structure of norite/sublayer in the footwall that plunges from west to east at 40 degrees.



Mineral Record Details

Classification
RankClassification            
1 Igneous Contact
Characteristics
Rank Characteristic            
2 Stockwork
1 Vein
Reserves or Resources Data
Zone Year Category Tonnes Reference Comments Commodities
Lockerby Depth Zone 2008 Inferred Mineral Resource 380000 First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.17-1 Resource calculated from the 72 Level to the 78 Level Cobalt .05 Percent, Copper 1.05 Percent, Nickel 1.37 Percent
Lockerby Depth Zone 2008 Probable Mineral Reserve 1837708 GENIVAR 2008 Report to First Nickel Inc. p. 43, 45 From the 65 to the 69 mining Level Cobalt .06 Percent, Copper 1.16 Percent, Nickel 1.69 Percent
Lockerby Depth Zone 2008 Indicated Mineral Resource 2890000 First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.17-1 Resource calculated from the 65 to the 72 Level Cobalt .07 Percent, Copper 1.23 Percent, Nickel 1.78 Percent
Production Data
Year Tonnes Commodities Reference Comment
2015 47628 First Nickel Press Release dated May 8, 2015 First Nickel Press Release dated June 8, 2015 indicates that ramp development has halted and an end to production is anticipated prior to the 3rd quarter of 2015
2014 248573 First Nickel Press Release dated March 26, 2015
2013 245903 First Nickel Press Release dated March 21, 2014
2012 205000 First Nickel Press Release dated February 8, 2013
2011 23924 First Nickel Press Release dated March 27, 2012
2008 45000 OFR6237: Report of Activities, 2008 Resident Geologist Program, Kirkland Lake Region Resident Geologist Report: Sudbury District. Production is for the first 2 Quarters of 2008. In October 2008 the mine was put on care and maintenance due to low metals prices
2007 125000 Copper 1693664 Pounds
Nickel 2600227 Pounds
OFR6221, Report of Activities 2007, Resident Geologist Program, Kirkland Lake Regional Resident Geologist Report: Sudbury District, P. 3. Approximate production.
2006 97617 Copper 725624 Kilograms
Nickel 1092971 Kilograms
(First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.6-2) Production grade for 2005-2006 was 1.57% Ni and 0.89% Cu
2005 5383 Copper
Nickel
(First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.6-2)
2004 186000 Copper
Nickel
(First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.6-2) Production grade was 1.91% Ni and 0.92% Cu
2003 214000 Copper
Nickel
(First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.6-2) Production grade was 1.88% Ni and 1.22% Cu
2002 258000 Copper
Nickel
(First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.6-2) Production grade was 2.10% Ni and 1.25% Cu
2001 156000 Copper
Nickel
First Nickel Inc. Lockerby Mine Depth Zone Technical Report NI43-101 - February 28, 2008, p.6-2 Production grade was 1.99% Ni and 1.10% Cu.
1998 219483 Copper 397160 Kilograms
Nickel 1052853 Kilograms
OFR6007, 2000, Report of Activities 1999, Resident Geologist Program, Kirkland Lake Regional Resident Geologist Report: Kirkland Lake-Sudbury Districts, p. 9
1997 143000 Copper
Nickel
OFR5991, 1999, Report of Activities 1998, Resident Geologist Program, Kirkland Lake Regional Resident Geologist Report: Kirkland Lake and Sudbury Districts, p. 5
1996 92000 Copper
Nickel
OFR5973, 1998, Report of Activities 1997, Resident Geologists Program, Kirkland LakeRegional Resident Geologist's Report: Kirkland Lake-Sudbury Districts, p. 51, 54

References

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Publication Number: CMH1968,1969 Date: 1969

Author: H.J. Meyers, ed

Publisher Name: CMH

Location: Sudbury Mines Library, Geology Ontario


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Publication Number: OF 4570 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 2005

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Book - Canadian Mines Handbook 1974-1975

Publication Number: CMH1974 Page: 125  Date: 1974

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Location:


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Location:


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Location:


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Publication Number: MP078 Page: 91, 95  Date: 1978

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Publication Number: ASR07 Page: 102  Date: 1998

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Publication Number: MP091 Page: 108  Date: 1980

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Location:


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Publication Number: GDIF315 Page: 4, 28  Date: 1997

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Publication - Technical Report on the 2008 resource estimate for the Depth Zone, Lockerby Mine, Sudbury Ontario, prepared for First Nickel Inc.

Publication Number: Date: 2008

Author: R.E. Routledge

Publisher Name: Scott Wilson RPA

Location: Sudbury


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