Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI41I07NW00007

Record: MDI41I07NW00007

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Feldspar (Nonmetals), Mica

Secondary Commodities: Uranium, Phosphate, Zircon, Garnet (Nonmetals), Niobium

Location

Township or Area: Dill

Latitude: 46° 23' 20.49"    Longitude: -80° 50' 5.45"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 512698.167   Northing: 5137285.688    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Sudbury

NTS Grid: 41I07NW

Point Location Description: Mineral occurrence at surface symbol (Map, GDIF068)

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: This dormant mining operation is confined to Lot 2, Con. II, Dill Township, due south of Elizabeth Feldspar Mine. Approximately 20 kilometres southeast of Sudbury, Dill Township, North half of lot 2, Concession 2. The mine working is reached by travelling 1.6 kilometres southwest of the official Wanup town intersection on Highway 537, to a north easterly bearing arterial dirt road just east of the Wanup General Store. This road is followed for an additional 0.8 kilometres to the access road of the Fran Graf Farm. The excavation is visible 0.4 kilometres due west beyond the extent of arable cleared farm land. (OFR5329, p. 78)

Exploration History

1924: The property was worked by W.E. Holditch and H.R. Checkley. In 1924, 770 tonnes of feldspar and 71 tonnes of quartz were shipped. 1925-1928:The property was acquired and opened by Wanup Feldspar Mines Ltd., of Lucknow, Ontario and operated until 1928 with an estimated 10,160 tonnes of feldspar and several carloads of mica scrap being removed. Deterioration of ore grade and flooding of the pit from an adjacent swamp closed this operation. The main development consists of a pit 61.0 metres long, 8.0 to 23.0 metres wide and about 27.5 metres deep. 1952: Cubar Uranium Mines Limited acquired an option the property. 1954-1955: Cubar Uranium Mines Limited explored the property with about 915 metres of diamond drilling for uranium and rare earth mineralization. Some radioactivity was encountered, however, the overall results were unsatisfactory. Mining was not economically feasible due to the erratic distribution of ore. The mine is currently being used as a fishing reservoir by the Graf family who own the land. 15/05/1996: AGGREGATE; ETHIER SAND AND GRAVEL USED CRUSHED FELDSPAR AS AN AGGREGATE.

Geology

Province: Southern

Subprovince: Sudbury Structure

Supergroup: Sudbury Igneous Complex, Main Mass

Geological Age: Paleoproterozoic  

Geology Comments

Jun 04, 2009 (D Scholtz) - A granitic pegmatite dike of Late Precambrian age erratically intrudes a complex of Middle and Late Precambrian rocks. The oldest of this sequence is a well bedded metasedimentary quartzite and the younger member is an intrusive gneissic gabbro. The erratically intruded dike is well zoned at the southeast extent where the mine operation was initiated. To the north and west graphic intergrowth of spar and quartz becomes more dominant and mark the termination of the mining operation. The contact of the dike generally trends in a northwesterly direction. Vertical joint systems in the host rock are inconsistent with the trend of intrusion. Prominent sets strike at O° and 100°. The dike trends northwesterly, dips subvertically, is up to 60 metres wide and can be traced along strike for about 240 metres. Although the dike contains local segregations and narrow veins of quartz, it lacks a quartz-rich core. In addition to quartz, alkalic feldspar, and muscovite, the dike contains minor biotite, garnet crystals up to 2 centimetres across, rare apatite and zircon, and traces of allanite, uranium, pyrochlore, euxenite, and ellsworthite. The mine on this lot is the largest operation for feldspar in the Sudbury-Parry Sound region. A total of about 10,160 tonness of high-grade spar is stated to have been shipped. The deposit consists of a very large dyke that carried its best and cleanest spar in the south portion of the single pit opened on it. At the north end of this opening, the dyke exhibits predominantly graphic granite character and carries a wide, central vein of white mica. This mica occurs as a mass of large, intergrown crystals, up to 30 centimetres across, occupying a zone that measures 8 meters across at its widest and that would be capable of yielding a large tonnage. The crystals, however, would yield very little good sheet mica, since they are of "wedge" type, splitting into plates of unequal thickness. The mica is also spoiled for sheet purposes by "tangle-sheet" structure which impairs splitting quality, and is rather heavily spotted. It is, therefore, only suitable for grinding scrap. Several cars are reported to have been shipped for this purpose to a grinding plant in the United States. Only a small part of the total dike exposure has been worked, and the deposit extends for several hundred feet across a low ridge to the north of the pit. This pit has been opened in the south side of the ridge and worked back from it towards the level ground at its base. It is 60 meteres long by 15 metres wide and 27 meters at the south end." (OFR5329, p. 78, 79) Although the dike contains local segregations and narrow veins of quartz, it lacks a quartz-rich core. In addition to quartz, alkalic feldspar, and muscovite, the dike contains minor biotite, garnet crystals up to 2 centimetres across, rare apatite and zircon, and traces of allanite, uranium pyrochlore, euxenite, and ellsworthite. In 1954 and 1955, Cubar Uranium Mines Limited explored the uranium and rare earth mineralization by diamond drilling, but this mineralization proved to be too erratically distributed to be of commercial interest (Hewitt 1967, p.66-67), (R116, p.136).

Lithology

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Jun 04, 2009 (D Scholtz) - MINERALIZATION; In addition to the alkalic, feldspar, muscovite,biotite, quartz and garnet mentioned above, there exists a variety of uranium minerals. (Hewitt 1967 p. 65) lists minerals present as betafite, euxenite, ellsworthite, and pyrochlore. Although this property was the leading producer of feldspar in the Sudbury district during the 1920's, the present exposure indicates that the high-grade ore has been removed. Mining of graphic quartz feldspar intergrowth is less likely to be revived for current industrial demand. Similarly the Cubar investigation of 1954 would indicate that no economic grade uranium ore is present with current uranium pricing. Radioactive minerals occur as small discrete crystals or crystalline aggregates, widely separated. Radioactive minerals present include betafite, euxenite, allanite, ellsworthite and pyrochlore-microlite which contain uranium, thorium, Columbian and tantalum, in varying proportions. (GDIF068) The deposit is located in a large pegmatite/feldspar dyke, composed mainly of pink feldspar, muscovite and quartz. The feldspar occurs as a large intergrown crystal up to 30 centimetres across occupying a zone in the pegmatite, up to 8.0 metres wide. The mica present would little good sheet mica, but is suitable for grinding. (GDIF068)

Mineral Record Details

References

Map - Burwash, Nipissing, Parry Sound, and Sudbury districts

Publication Number: M2271 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1974

Author: Lumbers S.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Columbium (niobium) deposits of Ontario

Publication Number: MDC014 Scale:     Date: 1971

Author: Ferguson S.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

Map - Broder, Dill, Neelon and Dryden townships, District of Sudbury

Publication Number: M2017 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1997

Author: Phemister T.C., MacGregor I.D., Grant J.A., Pearson W.J., Thomson J.E., Bowie G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Burwash area, districts of Nipissisng, Parry Sound, and Sudbury

Publication Number: R116 Scale:     Date: 1975

Author: Lumbers S.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Map - Sudbury geological compilation, Sudbury District, Sudbury Regional Municipality

Publication Number: M2491 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 1984

Author: Dressler B.O.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Industrial minerals of the Sudbury area

Publication Number: OFR5329 Scale:     Date: 1981

Author: Vos M.A., Smith B.A., Stevenato R.J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Folio - Dill Township, District of Sudbury

Publication Number: GDIF068 Scale:     Date: 1997

Author: Sudbury RGO

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Geology, Sudbury bedrock compilation, Ontario

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

Author: Ames, D E; Davidson, A; Buckle, J L; Card, K D

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/221501

MonoMap - Geology of Broder, Dill, Neelon, and Dryden Townships and Kyanite Occurrences in Dryden Township

Publication Number: R009 Scale:     Date: 1962

Author: Grant J.A., Pearson W.J., Phemister T.C., Thomson J.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Folio - Dill Township, District of Sudbury

Publication Number: GDIF068 Scale:     Date: 1997

Author: Sudbury RGO

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location: Mines Library, Sudbury; Geology Ontario

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