Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42C02SE00133

Record: MDI42C02SE00133

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Diamond

Secondary Commodities: Corundum (Gemstones), Gold

Location

Township or Area: Chabanel

Latitude: 48° 3' 59.21"    Longitude: -84° 42' 17.59"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 670980.49   Northing: 5326233.63    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Sault Ste. Marie

NTS Grid: 42C02SE

Point Location Description: Trench

Location Method: Based on Assessment

Access Description: From the east end of Wawa Lake, drive along the fume kill access road to the point where the road cross over Josephine Creek, approximately 5 km. Traverse north for approximately 250 m to the trenches.

Exploration History

Initial exploration work by Mr. Leadbetter in the area of the Leadbetter project consisted of following up on alluvial diamond and diamond indicator mineral occurrences within the Magpie River valley. The heavy mineral anomalies had been established through a regional sampling program conducted by the Ontario Geological Survey in 1994 (Morris, 1999). The exploration conducted by Mr. Leadbetter resulted in the discovery of 2 macrodiamonds in the Magpie River and a 1.39 carat gem quality diamond recovered from a tributary of the Magpie. Mr. Leadbetter then staked the area at the head of the diamondiferous creek and this became the Leadbetter Property. 2004: 3814793 Canada Ltd. - ground geophysics, mapping, sampling, trenching, 3 ddh (294 m). 2004: Dianor Resources Inc. - sampling (<150 kg). 2004-2009: 3814793 Canada Inc., Mrs. Paulette Mousseau-Leadbetter and Dianor Resources Inc.: airborne geophysics, radiometric surveys, VLF-EM, magnetometer surveys, bulk sampling (349 t), DD-146-45,723.51 m, mapping, geochemistry. 2009: 50,000 bulk sample was taken.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Michipicoten

Geological Age: Neoarchean  

Metamorphism Grade: Greenschist

Geology Comments

Oct 20, 2022 (Therese Pettigrew) - The Leadbetter diamond project is underlain by Archean age metavolcanics and metasediments that have been intruded by Paleoproterozoic mafic dykes and pyroxenite intrusions. Diamonds were discovered in an outcropping conglomeratic unit within the volcano-sedimentary succession in 2004. Reconnaissance diamond drilling of the entire Leadbetter conglomerate has enabled the preliminary subdivision of it into 3 units: a basal, mixed volcanic - volcaniclastic, conglomeratic unit (S1CV), the main Leadbetter diamond-bearing conglomerate (S1C) and an overlying conglomerate (S1CO). Diamonds have been recovered from all 3 units. The character of the Leadbetter conglomerate suggests that it is a debris flow rather than a mature fluvial conglomerate. In terms of the sedimentary environment, the conglomerates are interpreted to be part of an alluvial fan complex, which was probably subjected to seasonal flushing thus transporting and concentrating diamonds into discrete channels. The presence of minerals within the Leadbetter conglomerate that typically are associated with conventional diamond bearing rocks such as kimberlite or lamproite and the presence of chlorite-rich fragments in an unusually chlorite-rich matrix strongly suggests that there was nearby input from such diamond bearing rocks by either direct eruption into a basin or by rapid erosion of a primary diamond source rock and subsequent dumping into a local catchment basin. A combination of input from an eruptive event into a graben basin with active sedimentation may explain some of the features observed on the Leadbetter Project area (Dianor update report, 2009).

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - Diamonds were recovered from a unit of tuffaceous chlorite schists within a sequence of mafic metavolcanic rocks.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (A Wilson) - A total of 53 diamonds were recovered from 130.4 kg of bedrock. The largest diamonds were 1.00mm x 0.94 mm x 0.42 mm and 1.08 mm x 0.88 mm x 0.51 mm).

Oct 20, 2022 (Therese Pettigrew) - Diamond mineralization on the Leadbetter Project is primarily confined to the Leadbetter conglomerate. Preliminary geological mapping has determined that the Leadbetter conglomerate extends from the western part of the project area across to the Mildred Lake Fault on the eastern side – a distance of 1.7 kilometres. The unit pinches out to the west and is truncated to the east at the Mildred Lake fault. Left-lateral strike-slip movement on the Mildred Lake fault has shifted the eastern extension of the conglomerate 3.4 kilometers to the north. A suite of minerals (garnet, chromite, ilmenite, clinopyroxene, olivine and corundum) characteristic of conventional diamond deposits occurs in the conglomerate and shows evidence of minimal transport from source. In terms of the sedimentary environment and deposit model, the conglomerates are interpreted to be part of an alluvial fan complex, which was probably subjected to seasonal flushing that transported and concentrated diamonds into discrete channels that are now preserved as the higher grade zones. Gold values have been reported from all three conglomerate units, as have rubies and sapphires. In 2006, four of the original test pits were resampled, with 70 to 80 tonnes collected at each site. These samples were processed by DMS at Kennecott Exploration Canada Inc’s facility in Thunder Bay. The 298 tonnes of material processed in Thunder Bay yielded 2,911 diamonds weighting in total 82.82 carats. The largest diamonds recovered were 1.522 and 1.011 carats in size. Audit of the tailings recovered an additional 354 diamonds weighing 6.653 carats. Sample grades (including stones recovered in audit of tailings) for the larger samples of conglomerate processed at the Kennecott facility range from 11.69 to 42.53 cpht (carats per hundred tonnes). The characteristics of diamonds recovered by caustic fusion processing of NQ diamond drill core indicate that 72% are white in colour, 11% yellow, 9% grey, 4% amber, 2% green and 2% a mix of other colours for stones greater than 0.425 millimetres in size. In terms of clarity of those diamonds, 30% of the white stones are clear or transparent and 24% of the white diamonds are frosted, 9% have inclusions. In terms of crystal morphology of the diamonds recovered from NQ drill core (Figure 12), 29% of the diamonds that were reported on exhibit crystal habits predominantly of octahedral form with tetrahexahedral shapes representing 8%, macles 2%, cubic forms 22%, crystal aggregates 6%, fragments 22% and irregular shapes 11%. In addition to diamond in the conglomerates, native gold has been observed in the caustic fusion residues from drill cores as well as DMS concentrates. Assays from the conglomerate returned values up to 9.01 g/t Au. The largest rubies recovered to date have measured up to 4 mm in largest dimension; the largest sapphire measured 2 mm (Dianor update report, 2009).

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Rank: 1       Structure Type: None

References

Book - Dianor Resources Inc.

Publication Number: clippings Date: 2004

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Timmins RGO

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:

MonoMap - Geology of Chabanel, Esquega, Lastheels and McMurray Townships, District of Algoma

Publication Number: OFR5586 Date: 1993

Author: Sage R.P.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Publication - Preliminary Tonnage Estimate for the Diamondiferous Conglomerates of the Leadbetter Diamond Project, 90p.

Publication Number: NI 43-101 Date: 2007

Author:

Publisher Name: Dianor Resources Ltd.

Location:

Publication - 2009 Update of Activities on the Leadbetter Diamond Project, 78p.

Publication Number: Date: 2009

Author: Dianor Resources Inc.

Publisher Name: Dianor Resources Inc.

Location:

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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Sault Ste. Marie Resident Geologist District Office