Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42B01SE00004

Record: MDI42B01SE00004

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Barite

Secondary Commodities: Copper, Fluorite

Location

Township or Area: Penhorwood

Latitude: 48° 5' 15.35"    Longitude: -82° 9' 4.63"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 414265.38   Northing: 5326677.54    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Timmins

NTS Grid: 42B01SE

Point Location Description: The point located with the GPS is at the north end of the open cut.

Location Method: Field Visit with GPS

Access Description: The deposit is located on patented claims S4419 and S4421 which straddle the C.N.R. mainline five miles east of Kukatush station. Access by vehicle is via the Kenogaming Logging Road / Penhorwood road south from Highway 101 in Sewell Twp to the railway crossing at Tionaga. From here a new road north of the tracks runs west for 4 km to the mine site.

Exploration History

1917: The vein was discovered in by Russell Cryderman and this was followed some development by the Barite Syndicate. 1920: Stripping, trenching was carried out by the Barite Syndicate together with six diamond drill holes totalling 308 m. 1923: Barite Syndicate shipped out 200 tons of hand-cobbed ore mined from the open cut at the northeast end of the vein. 1933: Weaver Minerals shipped out 20 tons of ore from the same cut. 1940: Mr. Ben Meen shipped out a further 222 tons. 1984: Extender Minerals resumed exploration and over the next two years and drove a decline 450 m with a 15 to 20% grade to a depth of 55 m. From this decline, 15 m of drifting along the vein has been carried out together with underground diamond drilling. There is no record of who dug the large pit northeast of the main vein except it may have been used as a water sump in the early mining operations.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Abitibi

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Swayze

Geological Age: Neoarchean  

Metamorphism Type: Regional

Metamorphism Grade: Greenschist

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (S Fumerton) - The main barite vein is located roughly along the contact between the foliated granodiorite and the massive muscovite granite. Locally there is a sharp contact between the strongly foliated granodiorite and massive granite, but else where there is a gradational contact between these two units. The foliation is very intense in places and may represent a shear foliation related to the Hardiman Bay lineament. The foliation is locally folded and the barite vein cuts the foliation indicating that the barite vein mineralization is the youngest observed event.

Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - The deposit is located within the Hardiman Deformation Zone. The HDZ develops into a series of parallel faults in SW Penhorwood Twp. that dip to the northwest. These faults are the locus of a number of commercially developed veins of quartz and barite that occur along the faulted southeastern margins of thin granitic intrusions.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (S Fumerton) - The deposit is located in felsic intrusion within a thin wdge of the Horwood metavolcanic rocks. The vein is situated at the contact between a quartz arenite and a strongly foliated granodiorite to granite. This rock has been strongly altered by sericite and hematite, but closer to the main vein pervasive silicification, chloritization and possible potassic alteration become more prominent. Immediately NW of the vein the host rock is a muscovite, alkali granite/granodiorite which is cut by an extensive stockwork of quartz veins. In the underground workings, a serpentinized ultramafic lens has been reported in the same plane as the barite vein.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (S Fumerton) - Barite occurs in a veins that pinch and swell along strike varying between 5m thick down to stringers less than a centimetre thick. The vein structure has been traced 500m along strike and individual veins have been traced for 30m though the main vein is still open to the northeast. Parallel to the main vein structure are a number of poorly defined barite pods one of which occurs in the diabase dyke which cuts through the whole assemblage. Typically the barite veins are zoned. On the wall rock quartz and flourite form a thin zone up to 3cm thick. Adjacent to this is laminated zone composed of alternating irregular layers of barite, calcite and with local occurrences of flourite and chalcopyrite in a zone up to 30cm thick. In the centre of the vein massive barite occurs. In some of the thicker barite lenses there are large calcite pods or solution cavities. Associated with the large veins are numerous thin quartz - chlorite - barite - fluorite stringers that form a stockwork. This stockwork extends some distance into the country rock but is more intense adjacent to the veins. Breccia with partially digested angular granitic fragments indicative of hydraulic fracturing also occur. The barite is predominantly a white to translucent, fine grained variety with local coarse tabular crystals. A pale green variety and a buff brown to orange variety also occur. The coloured varieties are most common near the vein contacts particularly where in contact with mafic rocks. The orange colour is strongest where the adjacent host rocks are strongly chloritized. In the surface muck piles there are common, large fragments of a coarse, pale green, quartz vein material. The mode of occurrence of these quartz veins is unknown.

Assay Samples

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Rank: 1       Structure Type: Shear

Site Visit Information

Date: May 12, 1986

Geologist: J Ireland

Notes: The writer visited the mine site to discuss recent underground developments. Over the winter months Extender has carried out diamond drilling from underground stations and have extended the decline northeast another 500 feet. One manway has been raised to surface and preparation is being made to drive a second manway up the main vein to the old surface workings at the north end of the outcrop exposure. One isolated pod of barite, discovered by drilling last winter, has a large solution cavity and is causing water problems. Extender is contemplating driving a cross cut westward from the southwest end of the decline to drain the cavity and recover the ore. Extender is planning to develop 3 or 4 more levels on the vein system. They are also continuing underground drilling to locate parallel vein structures. Construction of a settling pond has begun and a wet jig table and screens are to be installed at the mine site. Stoping of ore will begin as soon as the jig tables are ready. [ PRECIS ]

Date: Jun 08, 1992

Geologist: S Fumerton

Notes: All activity on the property has ceased, all buildings have been demolished, and the portal to the adit has been plugged with muck. Furthermore, the manway on the hill top has been plugged with concrete. Four water wells lined with galvanised culverts have been covered with plywood but one has been ripped open by some heavy equipment. In a phone conversation with Mr Bob Hill, president of Extender Minerals, the writer was informed that no work has been done since 1986. From that time a watchman looked after the site for three years until the facilities were demolished in 1989.

Date: Jun 27, 2000

Geologist: G Seim

Notes: This site was visited by G. Seim and B. Atkinson on June 13, 2000. The geology observed is as described by Fumerton. Of note it that the main vein exposed on surface strikes 250/90 while the folication observed in the altered granodiorite strikes about 090/80S. Fluorite was observed in the wall rock to the barite veins and is generally associated with quartz stringers but, is also found in association with stringers of barite. The site is in much the same condition as that described by Fumerton. Addtionally, B. Atkinson reported that cool air was coming up from the end of a cut into the hill. There is a possiblity that the cut opens to the underground workings.

Date: Aug 12, 2015

Geologist: P Bousquet

Notes: This site was visited by P. Bousquet and A. Wojtczak on August 12, 2015. The site is accessible through a gate which is on the Roseval property, and a long walk. There is a pavement pad left on the site, which hints at the former mine. The hill to the northwest sees intermediate to felsic intrusive being cut by quartz-carbonate-fluorite-barite veins, striking 220 degrees north. Trace sulphides seems to persists in the forms of chalcopyrite. Kink bands are present, and some senestral deformation.

References

Book - Barium and strontium in Canada; Canada Mines Branch, Publication 570

Publication Number: Rpt 570 Page: 35-37  Date: 1922

Author: Spence, H.S.

Publisher Name: Canada Mines Branch

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/307770

Map - Cairo Township, District of Timiskaming

Publication Number: P0273 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1997

Author: Lovell H.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Penhorwood Township, District of Sudbury

Publication Number: P0419 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1997

Author: Milne V.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

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

Publication Number: GSC OF 1087 Date: 1985

Author: Rose, D.G.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

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

Map - Geological series, Operation Chapleau, Horwood Lake sheet, districts of Algoma, Cochrane, and Sudbury

Publication Number: P0673 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1997

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

Map - Penhorwood and Kenogaming townships, Sudbury District

Publication Number: M2231 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1972

Author: Milne V.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

Part - Statistical review of Ontario's mineral industry in 1920

Publication Number: ARV30-01.001 Page: 21-22  Date: 1997

Author: Rogers W.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Precambrian Geology, Northern Swayze Greenstone Belt

Publication Number: M2627 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 1995

Author: Ayer J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Part - Geology of the Horwood Lake area

Publication Number: ARV46-02 Date: 1997

Author: Harding W.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Barite in Ontario

Publication Number: IMR010 Page: 14-16  Date: 1997

Author: Guillet G.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

File - Resident Geologist files 1980, air photos

Publication Number: Date: 1996

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location:

Part - Groundhog River area

Publication Number: ARV33-06.001 Page: 16  Date: 1998

Author: Todd E.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Kukatush-Sewell Lake area, District of Sudbury

Publication Number: R097 Page: 84-86  Date: 1972

Author: Milne V.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

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

Publication Number: R157 Date: 1977

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Precambrian Geology, Northern Swayze Greenstone Belt

Publication Number: R297 Page: 54  Date: 1995

Author: Ayer J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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: 541-543  Date: 1995

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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