Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI41O15SW00002

Record: MDI41O15SW00002

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold, Copper

Secondary Commodities: Silver

Location

Township or Area: Halcrow

Latitude: 47° 47' 58.41"    Longitude: -82° 56' 19.27"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 354826   Northing: 5295842    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Timmins

NTS Grid: 41O15SW

Point Location Description: Precise: NAD83 UTM coords of shaft per AMIS site visit

Location Method: AMIS Site Visit

Access Description: The property is located approximately 40 kilometers east of the town of Chapleau and 40 kilometers southwest t of Timmins, Ontario. Highway #101 connecting Chapleau to Timmins lies some 16 kilometers north of the north boundary of the property. A number of logging roads, originating from the small town of Kormak 16 kilometers from Chapleau, provide access to the southern portion of the property. During the summer months easiest access is by float plane to Shunsby Lake through charter operators located in Chapleau or from Ivanhoe Lake, 56 kilometers north. Helicopter support is necessary because swamps and the Kinogama River block ground access.

Exploration History

1932-1935: Halcrow Swayze Mines carried out an extensive program of stripping and trenching followed by 600m (2000') of diamond drilling. In the following year a shaft was sunk which over the next two years reached a depth of 113m (371') with two levels and 663m (2175') of horizontal development (688'). A 25 ton mill was also installed and 490 tons of ore were processed and a total of 1320m (4,330') of surface and underground diamond drilling was done. Following this work it was reported that a considerable tonnage of low grade ore had been developed and three zones were outlined, No. 1 30m x 0.5m @ 8 g/t, No. 2 180m x 2m @ 3.8 g/t, and No.4 10m x 0.3m @ 29 g/t Au. (OFR 5912, p.231) Work was suspended on property Feb. 1935 (AR 45-1, p.111) 1965: Belcher Miing Corporation Ltd. - took over Halcrow-Swayze; no work done. 1974: Little Long Lac Mines Ltd. - property optioned. 1984: Quinterra Resources - Mapping, sampling, assays in the SW corner of patented claim S22176, just north of shaft locn. 1984-86: Regal Petroleum commissioned a large helicopter magnetic and electromagnetic survey which covered the Halcrow - Swayze deposit. This work was combined with a regional geological evaluation of the property and resulted in recognition of a number of promising zones. Regal's follow-up work included: Soil geochemical surveys, geophysical surveys, trench cleaning, additional trenching, sampling, drilling, petrographic studies.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Abitibi

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Swayze

Tectonic Assemblage: Halcrow-Swayze

Geological Age: Neoarchean   Geochronological Age: 2700 MA   Geochron. Age Ref.: Geology of Ontario Special Volume 4,Pt 1

Metamorphism Type: Regional

Metamorphism Grade: Greenschist

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (S Fumerton) - Cataclastic zone.

May 05, 2009 (A Wilson) - Diamond drilling by Regal Petroleum outlined a parallel shear to the northeast of the shaft area, separated by 40-80 m of massive to foliated quartz diorite. This zone is wholly within the quartz diorite and probably represents a splay off of the main shear. The shear zone continues on a 130-degree trend to the SE at least as far as Halcrow Lake. Previous mapping has indicated similar shears 5 km along the strike to the SE.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (S Fumerton) - The mineralization is hosted in an altered cataclastic zone located on the contact of mafic volcanics and a quartz diorite body. The quartz diorite is weakly foliated and medium to coarse grained. Microbreccias, mylonites and blastomylonites occur, have been folded and are:- silicified, carbonatized, chloritized, sericitized, and locally hematized. In the past this unit has been mapped a chert, quartzite or felsic volcanic. Blue quartz porphyroblasts or porphyroclasts occur in banded sericitic phases of the cataclastic rocks. Highly attenuated mafic volcanics are in contact with the cataclastic rocks. Adjacent to the contact the mafic volcanic rocks are schistose and highly altered to carbonate and chlorite.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Mar 24, 2011 (B Atkinson) - During the present property visit, several rock samples collected from the mine shaft dump rock pile were assayed; all carried anomalous gold, ranging from 0.01 to 0.04 ounce per ton gold. The samples included a 2 cm vein of massive pyrite in a sericite altered metasediment, and a sericite schist sparsely mineralized with pyrite. A nearby outcrop of medium grained granodiorite with quartz veining was also sampled. One sample of quartz with coarse grained chlorite cutting the granodiorite assayed 0.18 ounce per ton gold while a second sample of granodiorite with a 1 cm quartz vein assayed 0.01 ounce per ton gold.

Dec 07, 2005 (S Fumerton) - Pyrite is sparsely disseminated throughout the host rocks. Though the better gold mineralization is associated with numerous quartz / chlorite / hematite veins in the more highly altered rock types. This alteration is best developed in the cataclastic rocks and the mafic volcanics adjacent to the cataclastic rocks. Within the mineralized zone some massive pyrite and chalcopyrite has been reported in drill core. However, both pyrite and more rarely chalcopyrite are disseminated in the host rocks and veins in concentrations up to 5% for pyrite and 2% for chalcopyrite. Or pyrite occurs in thin discontinuous trails parallel to the banding in the rocks.

May 05, 2009 (D Draper) - Quinterra's South Trench Area was located just north of the shaft site and consisted of a 4 in. quartz vein near a granodiorite contact with sheared porphyritic rhyolite. The vein contains 5% chalcopyrite. Visible gold in fine flakes with altaite and possibly calaverite was found in quartz vein pieces in the dump near this trench. A 20 foot deep pit was sunk on this vein. The vein is parallel to the shear zone of the Belcher mine which is about 60 feet to the south. Another 1 foot wide quartz vein was found 400 feet to the east of the south trench. It contained about 20% specular hematite. Eleven samples taken from the South Trench site returned Au values ranging from 537ppb to 0.086opt. One other grab sample with V.G. assayed 7.24 opt Au. (AF T-2493) In 1984, Regal resampled existing trenches that exposed Halcrow-Swayze's No. 2 Vein. Best results came from Trench 10E: 0.625 opt Au and 30.6ppm Ag; and 7.13 opt Au. Both samples were described as consisting of pyrite veins in quartzite. Followup trenching by Regal yielded assays up to 26 g/t Au (0.77opt, in extn of Trench 10E). A later fourteen hole drill program tested the mineralization over 500m strike length and intersected low grade gold values. The better mineralization averaged 0.8 g/t Au (0.025opt) over a 50m wide and 250m long zone centred on the shaft. Regal drillhole RG-86-2, drilled 160m NE of shaft and bearing SW, assayed 1900ppm copper over 1.7m. A grab sample taken from Trench 86-01, excavated approx. 400m NW of shaft, returned 3160ppm Cu, 2835ppb Au and 9.1ppm Ag. Followup channel sampling of this trench yielded Au assays of 650ppb over 1m and 5140ppb over 0.3m.(T-2878)

Mar 24, 2011 (A Wilson) - Underground sampling by Halcrow- Swayze Mines in 1932 returned assays from the footwall averaging 0.20 oz/t Au for a length of 100 ft over a width of 4 ft. Grab samples from the No. 1 vein on surface returned an assay of 0.70 oz/t Au over 44 inches. Grab samples collected by the OGS in 1970 returned assays of 1.00 g/t Au and 9.2 g/t Ag; 15.00 g/t Au. Grab samples collected by the OGS in 1985 returned assays of 1.26 g/t Au and 3.00 g/t Ag; 22.4 g/t Au and 2.00 g/t Ag; 2.1 g/t Au and 5.00 g/t Ag.

Assay Samples

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Rank: 2       Structure Type: Contact

Rank: 1       Structure Type: Shear

Site Visit Information

Date: Aug 22, 1985

Geologist: J Ireland

Notes: The writer accompanied by Lorne Luhta and Paul Blomberg flew into Shunsby Lake, Halcrow Township to visit the Halcrow Swayze minesite. We were met by Mike Simunovic and Art Wright of David Bell Geological Services who were carrying out a trench sampling program on the patented claims near the shaft site. Work is being done for Regal Petroleum Limited, who acquired the property from John Larche and David Bell in 1984. Collingwood Energy, who also hold ground to the southeast, in Halcrow and Tooms Townships, is controlled by the same people who control Regal Pete. Regal has submitted detailed geological mapping, geochemical assay results and trench sketches for many of the claims surrounding the shaft area patents. Current work is centred on the shaft area within the patented claim boundaries. Extensive trenching carried out in June, 1985 is being mapped and channel sampled. Future work programs are not finalized at the time of writing. ( PRECIS )

Date: Aug 02, 1994

Geologist: S Fumerton

Notes: In the company with Kevin Houle, Bill Yee and Marc Bernier who has being carrying out a study of the regional till, a visit was made to check the old stripped areas at the deposit. Access was made by the Ministry of Natural Resource helicopter to a lake west of the shaft. Though it is only six years since the trenching was carried out, the trench area is largely obscured by thick undergrowth. This combined with the large trees that were dropped in the trench area plus numerous trenches made for very 'dirty bush'. In the vicinity of the old shaft there are a number of open, water filled test pits. The shaft area, which is located to the south of the trenches, is marked by two collapsed and rotten buildings partially surrounded by a broken barbed wire fence, next to a large rock pile. One building, judging by the heavy foundations, could have been a mill or hoist building and the other was the boiler house. The shaft may have been in an adjacent covered depression but due to the poor state of the area, this was not closely examined. An old trench just south of the shaft complex exposes petrified wood in a brown calcrete horizon. The horizon directly overlies bedrock and is covered with humus.

Date: Jun 26, 2009

Geologist: B Atkinson

Notes: In the company of Michael Seim, (Timmins Resident Geologist Office summer student) a walk in visit to the site was made. Recent logging roads perrmit vehicle access to within 2 miles of the site. At the end of the driveable road, a rough trail leads to Halcrow Lake, then a walk through lowland bush leads to the site. Old trails around the minesite are badly overgrown. Still standing in the remains of a small collapsed log hut is the vertical mine boiler. A wooden post surveyed point labelled 1- 22146, 4S 22151 (current claim patent numbers) was located at UTM NAD 83, Zone 17, 354811E, 5295895N. Old reports describe the small scale mill that was built on site and powered by an automobile engine. This was observed to have been mounted on wooden beams spanning two , 1 m high concrete footings. At the time of the present visit, the beams had rotted and the engine had tumbled to the ground. Other miscellaneous small-scale mining equipment was scattered around the site. The shaft is covered with sheet steel and the immediate area is surrounded by a barbed wire fence that has collapsed. The shaft location is UTM NAD 83, Zone 17, 354832E, 5295849. Results of additional sampling of the dump rock and a nearby outcrop completed during this visit are reported in the analytical section. Work by Regal Petroleum Ltd. indicated gold mineralization was contained within a quartz diorite that had been cataclastically deformed along a 50 to 80 m wide contact zone with a carbonate chlorite schist. A petrographic analysis of 24 thin sections from diamond drill core by the company identified plagioclase, quartz, sericite and carbonate as the dominant mineral species of the rocks with chlorite being specific to mafic volcanic rocks. Trace amounts of rutile, pyrite, epidote and tourmaline were identified in thin section. One sample of fine grained laminated rock containing a significant amount of biotite was identified as sediment while most of the others were identified as pyroclastic tuffs and crystal tuffs. Alteration minerals include carbonate, hematite, sericite, quartz and pyrite.

References

Map - Swayze gold area, District of Sudbury, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM43B Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1997

Author: Rickaby H.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - Mines of Ontario in 1933

Publication Number: ARV43-01.002 Page: 71-72  Date: 1997

Author: Sinclair D.G., Cleland R.H., Cooper D.F., Keeley E.C., Webster A.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Halcrow and Denyes townships, Sudbury District

Publication Number: M2120 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1997

Author: Donovan J.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - Geology of the Swayze gold area

Publication Number: ARV43-03.001 Page: 17, 31-33  Date: 1998

Author: Rickaby H.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - Mines of Ontario in 1934

Publication Number: ARV44-01.003 Page: 98  Date: 1997

Author: Sinclair D.G., Keeley E.C., Cooper D.F., Weir E.B., Webster A.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Geological Compilation of the Swayze Area, Abitibi Greenstone Belt

Publication Number: P3511 Scale: 1:100,000    Date: 2002

Author: Ayer J.A., Trowell N.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Part - Recent developments in the Swayze and west Shiningtree areas

Publication Number: ARV44-07.003 Page: 39  Date: 1997

Author: Laird H.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - Mines of Ontario in 1935

Publication Number: ARV45-01.003 Page: 10, 17, 111  Date: 1997

Author: Sinclair D.G., Keeley E.C., Cooper D.F., Weir E.B., Webster A.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Publication - Gold Occurrences of Ontario East of Lake Superior; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 192

Publication Number: GSC Mem 192 Page: 121-122, 124  Date: 1936

Author: Kindle, E.D.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/100824

MonoMap - Geology of Halcrow-Ridout lakes area, District of Sudbury

Publication Number: R063 Page: 38-39  Date: 1968

Author: Donovan J.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Chapleau area, districts of Algoma, Sudbury, and Cochrane

Publication Number: R157 Page: 199-200  Date: 1977

Author: Thurston P.C., Siragusa G.M., Sage R.P.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Mono - Gold deposits of Ontario, part 2, part of District of Cochrane, districts of Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Sudbury, Timiskaming, and counties of southern Ontario

Publication Number: MDC018 Page: 63-64  Date: 1979

Author: Gordon J.B., Lovell H.L., de Grijs J.W., Davie R.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Book - Sudbury Timmins Algoma Mineral Program, Project 1: mineral inventory of the Sudbury-Timmins-Sault Ste. Marie region, Ontario

Publication Number: GSC OF 1087 Page: 41O-109  Date: 1985

Author: Rose, D. G.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/129999

Compend - Report of activities, 1985, Regional and Resident Geologists

Publication Number: MP128 Page: 177  Date: 1986

Author: Kustra C.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Book - Halcrow Township - unpublished GDIF

Publication Number: GDIF Date: 1988

Author: Resident Geologist Staff

Publisher Name:

Location: Timmins RRGO

MonoMap - Mineral Prospects of the Swayze Greenstone Belt (Volume 1, Parts of NTS 41 O and Volume 2, Parts of NTS 41 P, 42 A and 42 B)

Publication Number: OFR5912 Page: 230-233  Date: 1995

Author: Fumerton S.L., Houle K.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Publication - Timmins RRGO Newsclippings file: Halcrow-Swayze Mines, 1934-35

Publication Number: Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Timmins RRGO

Map - Geology, Swayze greenstone belt, Rollo Lake, Ontario

Publication Number: OF 3384b Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 1999

Author: Heather, K B; Shore, G T

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/210450

Mono - Report of Activities 2009, Resident Geologist Program, Timmins Regional Resident Geologist Report: Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie Districts

Publication Number: OFR6247 Page: 54-55  Date: 2010

Author: Atkinson B.T., Pace A., Beauchamp S.A., Bousquet P., Butorac S., Draper D.M., Wilson A.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Publication - Timmins RRGO Newsclippings file: Regal Petroleum, 1984-86

Publication Number: Date:

Author: George Cross Newsletter

Publisher Name:

Location: Timmins RRGO

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