Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI41I07SW00002

Record: MDI41I07SW00002

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s)	Dill Quartz - 1910
Related Record Type	Simple
Related Record(s)
Record Status	Past Producing Mine Without Reserves or Resources
Date Created	1980-Mar-07
Date Last Modified	2022-Feb-23
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Silica

Location

Township or Area: Dill

Latitude: 46° 22' 4.92" Longitude: -80° 49' 7.83"

UTM Zone: 17 Easting: 513934.227 Northing: 5134955.615 UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Sudbury

NTS Grid: 41I07SW

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

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: The abandoned quarry is located adjacent to the eastern limit of the C.N.R. right-of-way, Lot l, Concession I, Dill Township. The pit is not accessible by road but may be reached by driving 5 kilometres north of Burwash Station on Hwy 69 to the level crossing with the railway tracks. From here the operation is 1 kilometre due north along the railway easement, marked by a waterfilled pit surrounded by wire fencing. (OFR5329, p. 68)

Exploration History

1910: The quarry was opened by the Canadian Copper Company as a source of flux and of silica to line the converters. Work in this quarry was carried out during the summer months, with sufficient quartz stockpiled to carry through the winter months. During this initial period the pit produced an average of 305 tonnes a day. 1917: Ownership of the quarry was transferred to the International Nickel Company of Canada who continued to operate the pit until 1924 when operations were abandoned. In 1920, the pit averaged 18 metres in depth. During this period the output averaged between 50,800 and 60,960 tonnes of quartz per year. The property currently consists of patented mining claim S 1230. (OFR5329, p. 68) Production between 1910 and 1917 averaged 305 tonnes per operating day. Between 1917 and 1924 output averaged between 50,800 and 60,960 tonness of quartz per year. (GDIF068)

Geology

Province: Southern

Subprovince: Sudbury Structure

Supergroup: Sudbury Igneous Complex, Main Mass

Geological Age: Paleoproterozoic

Geology Comments

Jun 09, 2009 (D Scholtz) - A unit of Middle Precambrian orthoquartzite is found conformably associated with biotite gneiss of the Grenville Province. The massive coarse-grained orthoquartzite component of this deposit is found between beds of micaceous quartzite gneiss. Additional pods and stringers of feldspar are also present. GEOLOGY; The oval shaped quarry has an undeterminable depth as it is water, filled, but walls rise 18 metres above this water level. Although highly contorted, the quartzose lineations, with 0.3 metre wide bands of micaceous gneiss, have a dominant orientation of N15°E strike and 45°E dip. Three dominant jointing patterns cut the rock with the following orientation: strike N20°E, dip 54°SE, strike N170°E dip 50°E and strike N67°E, dip 48°SE. Hematite stained quartz of the top 2 metres, grades to a massive coarse-grained quartz, with accompanying mica and feldspar lineations. At a depth of 4 metres. The biotite gneiss component is frequent and constitutes 5% of the rock. Orthoquartzite intervals, however, are in excess of 0.5 metres thick. The above mentioned jointing patterns and the dipping micaceous gneiss have both supplied fracture planes for the quarrying of this durable siliceous rock. (OFR5329, p. 68)

Lithology

Lithology Data
Rock Type	Rank	Composition	Texture	Relationship
Quartz Arenite	1	Orthoquartzite, Micaceous Schists, Feldspar		Host

Mineralization

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

Mineralization Comments

Jun 09, 2009 (D Scholtz) - The orthoquartzite unit is continuous throughout the area and consistently composed of at least 95% silica. The additional 5% is accounted for by fine-grained micaceous schists and feldspar lineations. Due to the variable composition this unit does not compare favourably with the Bar River and Lorrain Formations of the Southern Province. These latter metasedimentary deposits are more uniform over a greater geographical extent. The asset of this property, however, lies in the excellent suitability of the quartz as a high grade flux in the smelting of nickel ore.

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 - 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 - 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 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.