Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record:
MDI42C02NE00107
| Record Name(s) | Big Lake Iron Range - 1950 |
|---|---|
| Related Record Type | Partial |
| Related Record(s) | |
| Record Status | Developed Prospect With Reported Reserves or Resources |
| Date Created | 1980-Jul-23 |
| Date Last Modified | 2022-Oct-20 |
| Created By | |
| Revised By |
Primary Commodities: Iron
Secondary Commodities: Zinc
Township or Area: Corbiere
Latitude: 48° 10' 21.15" Longitude: -84° 36' 34.7"
UTM Zone: 16 Easting: 677709.23 Northing: 5338240.81 UTM Datum: NAD83
Resident Geologist District: Sault Ste. Marie
NTS Grid: 42C02NE
Point Location Description: Occurrence 2 on map P.2607
Location Method: Conversion from MDI
Access Description: The Big Lake Iron Range extends from the east side of Big Lake to a small unnamed lake approximately 1500 SEof Big Lake. It is accessible by air from the town of Wawa for a distance of approximately 12 km. It is also accessible by a 5 km overland traverse from the Alden train stop on the Algoma Central Railway.
The iron range was discovered in 1950 by prospectors working for Jalore Mining Company Limited. The company completed geological mapping, drilled 14 short drill holes (1397.1 ft.). Zinc mineralization was reported to have been encountered in drill hole BL-1but the mineral containing Zn was not identified. 1953:Candela Development Company completed 11 ddh (4112.4 ft) and they identified two separate ore bodies. 1966: Jogran Mines Limited attempted to promote the development of the pyrite bodies as a source of sulphur. 1972: Getty Mines Limited completed airborne geophysical surveys, geological maps and soil geochemical surveys, 1 ddh (213.5 ft) was completed.
| Office File Number | Online Assessment File Identifier | Online Assessment File Directory |
|---|---|---|
| WP Abotossaway-5 | 42C02NE0205 | 42C02NE0205 |
| Corbiere-0012 | 42C02NE0019 | 42C02NE0019 |
Province: Superior
Subprovince: Wawa
Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi
Belt: Michipicoten
Geological Age: Neoarchean Geochronological Age: 2750 MA Geochron. Age Ref.: OFR 5888
Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - The Big Lake Iron Range is one of 32 iron ranges that forms the Michipicoten Iron Formation. This formation caps the 2750 MA cycle of volcanism in the Wawa area. The dominant lithology in the area is intermediate to mafic massive and pillowed metavolcani rocks with small thin units of intermediate to felsic metavolcnaice rocks in the centre of the range and SE of Big Lake. The intermediate to felsic metavolcanic rocks are principally tuff, sericite schist and lapilli tuff. The iron range is usually characterized by a deeply weathered, siliceous gossan.
| Rock Type | Rank | Composition | Texture | Relationship | Intermediate Tuff | 1 | Tuff | Footwall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mafic lava flow-unsubdivided | 2 | Carbonate | Near | |
| Silicate Ironstone | 3 | Siliceous | Host |
Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - The Big Lake Iron Range is composed of deeply weathered, siliceous gossan. Rocks enclosing the iron range are pervasively soaked in carbonate and make distinction between the units difficult. Pyrite and pyrrhotite are prominent on the northeast side of the range but the range becomes more cherty to the south.
| Rank | Mineral Name | Class | Economic Mineral Type | Alteration Mineral Type | Alteration Ranking | Alteration Intensity | Alteration Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pyrite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 2 | Pyrrhotite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 1 | Chert | Economic | Gangue | ||||
| Carbonate | Alteration | Carbonatization | 1 | Strong | Massive | ||
| Chloritoid | Alteration | Deuteric | 2 | Strong | Replacement |
Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - Zinc mineralization was reported by Jalore Mining Company Ltd. in drill hole BL-1 between 57 feet 3 inches and 112 feet 3 inches but the mineral could not be identified. Drilling by Getty in 1972 returned an assay of 0.61% Zn, trace Cu and nil to trace Au and Ag from a drill hole 200 feet south of BL-1.
Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - Chloritoid alteration is common west of Alden Siding on the ACR. Zones of chloritoid alteration are curdely stratiform and not pipe-like in form. The original alteration giving rise to compisitions favourable to chloritoid development is considered to be synvolcanic. The chloritoid porphyroblasts are dominantly undeformed and randomly oriented. The relationship between the iron formation and the chloritoid alteration is not apparent.
| Rank | Classification |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sedimentary |
| Rank | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Concordant |
| 2 | Stratiform |
| Shape | Length | Thickness | Depth | Strike | Dip | Plunge | Trend | Age | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 1615 | 25 | 135 | 80 | 2750 MA | OFR 5888 |
| Zone | Year | Category | Tonnes | Reference | Comments | Commodities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake No. 2 | 1953 | Unclassified | 348722 | OFR5587 | 384,400 tons per 100 ft of depth at 28.5% S, 40.7% Fe and 5.42% Si | Iron 40.7 % |
| Big Lake No. 1 | 1953 | Unclassified | 274106 | OFR5587 | 302,150 tons per 100 ft of depth grading 33.6% S, 36.6% Fe AND 9.95% Si | Iron 36.6 NA |
File - Resident Geologist files Corbiere-0028
Publication Number: Date:
Author:
Publisher Name:
Location: SSM RGP office
Map - Michipicoten area, compilation sheet, District of Algoma
Publication Number: P0184 Scale: 1:126,720 Date: 1997
Author: Goodwin A.M.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Map - Geological series, Precambrian geology, Corbiere Township, Algoma District
Publication Number: P2607 Scale: 1:15,840 Date: 1984
Author: Sage R.P., Calvert T., Epstein R., England D., Koscinsko K., Worona R., Oudkerk G., Inasi J., Lockwood M.B., Thomas D.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Folio - Corbiere Township, District of Algoma
Publication Number: GDIF297 Date: 1997
Author: Sault Ste Marie RGO
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Mono - Pyrite deposits of Ontario
Publication Number: MDC005 Page: 18 Date: 1967
Author: Hewitt D.F.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Mono - Iron deposits of Ontario
Publication Number: MDC011 Page: 54-55 Date: 1968
Author: Shklanka R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Mono - Wawa mineral deposits data base
Publication Number: OFR5775 Page: 14+ Date: 1991
Author: Frey E.D., Stewart R.C.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
MonoMap - Geology of Abotossaway, Corbiere, Leclaire and Musquash Townships and Part of Dunphy Township, District of Algoma
Publication Number: OFR5587 Page: 251-254 Date: 1993
Author: Sage R.P.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
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