Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42C13SE00015

Record: MDI42C13SE00015

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Zinc, Gold

Location

Township or Area: White Lake Area

Latitude: 48° 48' 15.91"    Longitude: -85° 43' 11.54"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 593996.83   Northing: 5406504.52    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42C13SE

Point Location Description: Trench

Location Method: Field Visit

Access Description: The Wabikoba Creek sulphide occurrence is located approximately 37.5 km south-southeast of Manitouwadge and 1.5 km southeast of the southern end of Theresa Lake. The occurrence is accessible via motor vehicle followed by travel on foot or ATV. From Manitouwadge, proceed south along Highway 614 for approximately 48 km to the Wabikoba Lake road. Proceed northeast along the Wabikoba Lake road for approximately 13.5 km to the Theresa Lake Dam. Proceed on foot or ATV across the dam and travel southeasterly along the continuation of the Wabikoba Lake road for approximately 1.75 km to the vicinity of the occurrence. Sulphide mineralization is exposed in south end of a 121 m long trench which crosses the road (the second trench encountered as you proceed southeast). Similar mineralization is exposed in 2 other trenches (which also cross the road) located approximately 250 and 350 m to the southeast, respectively.

Exploration History

1957: Geological mapping; CPR (M. Bartley, T. Page). 1964-1965: Geological mapping; ODM (V.G. Milne). Milne noted the presence of sulphide mineralization in the vicinity of the occurrence. 1974: Trenching and sampling; prospector T. Carroll. 1978-1979: Lake sediment and water geochemical sampling; GSC and MNR. Samples collected from the vicinity of the occurrence contained slightly anomalous amounts of Cu, Pb, Au and Mo. 1983: Linecutting, geological mapping, ground geophysical surveys (MAG, VLF-EM) and soil geochemical sampling; Midnapore Resources Inc. Several conductive anomalies were identified during these surveys. Airborne geophysical survey (HLEM, VLF-EM, MAG); Aerodat Ltd. 1984: Geological mapping; OGS (G.M. Siragusa). Ground geophysical survey (reconnaissance IP and RESISTIVITY), diamond drilling (7 holes totalling 775.9 m); Midnapore Resources Inc. Several zones of anomalous gold and base metal content were delineated by the drilling. 1987: trenching and sampling; Noranda Exploration Company of Canada Ltd. 1989: Dighem airborne geophysical survey; Noranda Exploration Co., Ltd. and Noranda Minerals Inc. (Geco Division). 1991-1992: Prospecting, trenching, stripping and sampling; prospectors B. Fowler and M. Shuman. Geological mapping and lithogeochemical sampling; OGS (D.B. McKay). Reconnaissance till sampling, GSC (I.M. Kettles). Till samples collected in the vicinity of the occurrence contained slightly anomalous amounts of Cu, Zn, Ni and Au. 1995: Homestake Canada conducted magnetometer and VLF-EM surveys.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Schreiber-Hemlo

Geological Age: Archean  

Metamorphism Type: Regional

Metamorphism Grade: Amphibolite

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The Wabikoba Creek sulphide occurrence is located in the Wawa Subprovince and is underlain primarily by a southeasterly- trending sequence of mafic metavolcanic and clastic metasedimentary rocks which comprise a portion of the the north limb of the Schreiber-Hemlo greenstone belt (Milne 1968, Map 2147; Siragusa 1985, Map P.2738). These rocks are locally strongly foliated (135 /70 SW) and altered, and mineral assemblages indicate they have experienced lower amphibolite facies-grade regional metamorphism (Milne 1968; Barry 1983). In the vicinity of the occurrence, the supracrustal sequence is approximately 2.25 km wide and is bounded to the north and south by granodioritic rocks of the Dotted Lake Batholith and the Musher Lake Pluton, respectively (Milne 1968, Map 2147). The occurrence is located near the southern boundary of the belt, along the contact between the metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks, approximately 300 m north of the contact with the Musher Lake Pluton. The supracrustal sequence has been interpreted to young to the southwest (Milne 1968; Barry 1983). Several northerly-trending diabase dikes occur in the vicinity of the occurrence (Milne 1968, Map 2147; Barry 1983). A northeast- trending fault, termed the White Lake Fault by Milne (1968, Map 2147), is located approximately 3.1 km to the southeast. In the vicinity of the occurrence, sulphides occur primarily within the metasedimentary rocks and define a zone of mineralization that varies in width from 1 to 15 m, and can be traced intermittently along strike for at least 625 m. Four trenches, varying in size up to 218 m long by 2 m wide by 3 m deep have been emplaced on the occurrence. The sulphide mineralization is exposed in the 3 easternmost trenches.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The mafic metavolcanic rocks consist primarily of locally rusty-weathering, dark green, fine- to medium-grained, moderately foliated (136 /70 SW), chlorite-hornblende schists. Highly deformed (aspect ratios of up to 10 to 1) pillow structures exposed in the northern portion of trench 2 suggest the volcanic sequence youngs to the south. The clastic metasedimentary rocks consist of intercalated siltstones, wackes and conglomerates. The sulphides are hosted within the siltstones which are typically rusty-weathering, thinly laminated (mm scale), light to medium gray-green, fine-grained, moderately to locally strongly foliated (138 /76 SW), locally cherty-looking, gritty-feeling, moderately to locally strongly magnetic, very hard, sericite-quartz-feldspar schists and gneisses.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The sulphides consist primarily of fine- to medium-grained pyrite and pyrrhotite with minor amounts of coarser-grained sphalerite. The sulphides occur as disseminated grains, small isolated patches, and narrow (1 to 2 mm wide), foliation-parallel laminae. The sulphides typically constitute 2 to 3% of the mineralized zone, but local concentrations of up to 25% occur. Grab samples collected from the occurrence in 1992 by the OGS (D.B. McKay) returned assay values which varied from nil to trace Au, nil Ag, 30 to 414 ppm Cu, <10 to 2260 ppm Zn and <10 to 57 ppm Pb. Diamond drilling done in the vicinity of the occurrence in 1994 by Mindapore Res. Inc. returned assay values of up to 2500 ppm Zn over 2.5 m (hole M-84-2) and 0.31 g Au/t over 1 m (hole M-84-3).

Mineral Record Details

References

Book - SH RGF, GEOLOGICAL RPT ON THE HEMLO AREA

Publication Number: N/A Date: 1957

Author: Bartley, M.W. and Page, T.W.

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Map - Geophysical Series, White Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

Publication Number: Map 2168G Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1963

Author: Geological Survey of Canada

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/116493

MonoMap - Geology of the Black River area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R072 Date: 1968

Author: Milne V.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Book - National Geochemical Reconnaissance Release NGR 35-1978, Regional Lake Sediment and Water Geochemical Reconnaissance Data, Ontario Eastern Shore, Lake Superior

Publication Number: OF 555 Date: 1979

Author: Hornbrook, E.H.W., Coker, W.B., Lynch, J.J.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/129524

Map - White Lake sheet, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2147 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1968

Author: Milne V.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Mineral Occurrences in the Manitouwadge Area, Volumes 1, 2 and 3

Publication Number: OFR5906 Page: 104-114  Date: 1994

Author: McKay D.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Manitouwadge-Wawa sheet, geological compilation series, Algoma, Cochrane, Sudbury and Thunder Bay districts

Publication Number: M2220 Scale: 1:253,440    Date: 1972

Author: Milne V.G., Giblin P.E., Bennett G., Thurston P.C., Wolfe W.J., Giguere J.F., Leahy E.J., Rupert R.J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Publication - Reconnaissance Geochemical Data for Till Samples from the Manitouwadge Area, Ontario

Publication Number: OF 2616 Date: 1993

Author: Kettles, I.M.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/183942

Map - Geological series, Precambrian geology, Lumby Lake area, western part, Kenora District

Publication Number: P2828 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1985

Author: Jackson M.C., Chevalier P.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Publication - Regional Lake Sediment and Water Geochemical Reconnaissance Data, Northwestern Ontario

Publication Number: OF 2362 Date: 1991

Author: Friske, P.W.B., Hornbrook, E.H.W., Lynch, J.J., McCurdy, M.W., Gross, H.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/132202

File - Schreiber-Hemlo Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files

Publication Number: Min Dep Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Thunder Bay South Resident Geologist District Office