Ontario Mineral Inventory

GeologyOntario has moved. You will be redirected to the new site in 10 seconds. If you are not immediately redirected please follow the below link to the new GeologyOntario platform. For assistance please contact us.

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42C02SE00010

Record: MDI42C02SE00010

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s)	Helen Iron Range - 1900, Old Helen Mine - 1916, Helen Mine - 1938, Alexander Ore Body - 1951, West Ore Body - 1946
Related Record Type	Simple
Related Record(s)
Record Status	Past Producing Mine Without Reserves or Resources
Date Created	1982-Sep-30
Date Last Modified	2022-Sep-27
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Iron

Location

Township or Area: Chabanel

Latitude: 48° 1' 32.16" Longitude: -84° 44' 16.8"

UTM Zone: 16 Easting: 668647 Northing: 5321621 UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Sault Ste. Marie

NTS Grid: 42C02SE

Point Location Description: head frame

Location Method: AMIS Site Visit

Access Description: In 1998, the G. W. Macleod Mine closed making access to the old mines on the Helen Mine hill more difficult. Follow the Helen Mine road past the Lady Dunn Hospital for a distance of approximately 1 km to the G. W. Macleod gatehouse. Walk up the former mine access road for approximately 3.5 km, passing the former G. W. Macleod site to the employees parking lot. The Helen open pit and the vestiges of the headframe are visible from the edge of the parking lot.

Exploration History

1897-99: A. Goetz, B. Boyer, J. Sayer - discovery, stripping, test pitting, driving adits. 1900: adit driven into mine hill, tramway for ore transport completed, open pit mining started, reported diamond drilling (3425 ft). 1901 - open pit mining to 168 feet, shaft No. 1 to 100 feet. 1902: No. 2 shaft sunk to 198 feet. 1903: No. 1 shaft to 168 feet; 3425 feet ddh. 1905- No. 1 shaft to 286 feet. 1906-09: No. 1 vertical shaft to 428 feet and 4 levels developed. 1910-15: No. 2 shaft deepened to 682 feet and 9 levels established, 4-compartment shaft sunk below level 4, inclined shaft completed to connect with 4th level; ddh of siderite ore. 1916-1917: ddh and trenching. 1918: 890 ft. adit completed to examine siderite zone, open pit mining ceases. 1937: new adit driven into Helen Iron Range. 1938: adit to 977 feet; surface trenching. 1939: open pit mining of siderite from Helen. 1943: No. 3 vertical shaft to 272 feet. 1946: Helen open pit abandoned. 1947: No. 3 shaft deepened to 921 feet, 3 deeper levels established, underground mining of Helen ored body begins. 1951: underground mining of Victoria Ore body, and discovery of Alexander ore body. 1960: mining of Helen ore body ceases.

Assessment Work on File

Assessment Work on File
Office File Number	Online Assessment File Identifier	Online Assessment File Directory
Chabanel-0023	42C02SE0105	42C02SE0105

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Michipicoten

Tectonic Assemblage: Wawa

Geological Age: Neoarchean Geochronological Age: 2750 MA Geochron. Age Ref.: OFR5888

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - The Helen Iron Range is one of the 32 separate segments of iron formation that constitute the Michipicoten Iron Formation. The iron formation faces north, dips south and is overturned. The stratigraphic foot wall is the mining hanging wall. The Helen Iron Range has been tectonically thickened due to drag folding along the Talbot Lake Fault. The iron range is terminated by the Talbot Lake Fault at the west end and the Wallbank Lake Fault at the east end. the iron formation lies between intermediate to felsic metavolcanic rocks to the south and intermediate to mafic massive and pillowed metavolcanic rocks to the north. This iron range separates first and second cycle volcanism in the greenstone belt.

Lithology

Lithology Data
Rock Type	Rank	Composition	Texture	Relationship
Carbonate Ironstone	1	Carbonate Facies		Host
Mafic lava flow-unsubdivided	2	Chloritoid-bearing		Hanging Wall
Intermediate Tuff	3		Lapilli Tuff	Footwall

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - The original mining operations (Old Helen Mine) were developed to mine the surficial secondary deposits of goethite with pockets of pyritic and quartz sands within the siderite and pyrite members. The Helen Mine was both an open pit and underground mine developed to mine the siderite ore body. Lying above the carbonate-facies is thinly bedded chert-wacke-magnetite iron formation. The mafic to intermediate metavolcanics of the hanging wall display well developed chloritoid porphyroblasts. The mafic metavolcanics are typically pillowed and are carbonate altered. The footwall consists of intermediate lapilli and crystal tuffs, and spherulitic flows. Coarse intermediate breccias are also commonly observed in the footwall.

Mineralization

Mineralization and Alteration
Rank	Mineral Name	Class	Economic Mineral Type	Alteration Mineral Type	Alteration Ranking	Alteration Intensity	Alteration Style
1	Goethite	Economic	Ore
2	Siderite	Economic	Ore
3	Hematite	Economic	Ore
1	Pyrite	Economic	Gangue
	Ankerite	Alteration		Carbonatization	1	Strong	Replacement

Mineralization Comments

Jan 11, 2016 (A Wilson) - The ore of the Old Helen Mine consisted of porous goethite with lesser proportions of hematite and other hydrous oxides. The average iron content of the goethite was approximately 56-58% Fe. The carbonate (siderite) ore ranges in composition between 33% and 37% Fe.

Mineral Record Details

Classification
Rank	Classification
1	Sedimentary

Characteristics
Rank	Characteristic
2	Layered
1	Unconsolidated

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Rank: 1 Structure Type: Fold

Zone Name: Detour Lake - Rank 1
Shape	Length	Thickness	Depth	Strike	Dip	Plunge	Trend	Age	Reference
Regular	762	90		60	90			2750 MA	OFR5888

Rank: 1 Structure Type: Paleo-Surface

Zone Name: Detour Lake - Rank 1
Shape	Length	Thickness	Depth	Strike	Dip	Plunge	Trend	Age	Reference
Regular	332	125	213	60	90			2750 MA	OFR 5888

Production Data
Year	Tonnes	Commodities	Reference	Comment
1952	20076963	Iron		total production 1939-1952 U/G and open pit
1920	3162829	Iron 3162829 Tonne	IOC, 1923, p. 158; average grade 56.7% Fe	production from open pit and 2 shafts 1900-1920

References

Journal - Canadian Mining Journal, p. 81-83

Publication Number: CMJ V77 no. 11 Date: 1956

Author:

Publisher Name: Canadian Mining Journal

Location: SSM RGO

Map - Geological series, McMurray Township and parts of surrounding townships, formerly Township 29, Range 23, District of Algoma

Publication Number: P0828 Scale: 1:15,840 Date: 1973

Author: Rupert R.J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Map - Geological series, Precambrian geology of Chabanel Township, Algoma District

Publication Number: P2439 Scale: 1:15,840 Date: 1982

Author: Sage R.P., Rebic Z., Abercrombie S., Neale K., MacMillan D.W., England D., Calvert T.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Folio - Chabanel Township - unpublished GDIF

Publication Number: GDIF Date: 1987

Author: Staff, Resident Geologist Office

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location: SSM RGO

Map - Helen iron range, Township 29, ranges 23 and 24 [McMurray and Chabanel townships], District of Algoma, Ontario

Publication Number: M1946-05 Scale: 1:4,800 Date: 1997

Author: Moore E.S., Armstrong H.S., McCartney G.C.