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Ontario Geological Survey
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MDI42D13NE00011
| Record Name(s) | Simpson Island Sandstone Quarry - 1904 |
|---|---|
| Related Record Type | Simple |
| Related Record(s) | |
| Record Status | Past Producing Mine Without Reserves or Resources |
| Date Created | 1996-Dec-18 |
| Date Last Modified | 2022-May-18 |
| Created By | |
| Revised By |
Primary Commodities: Sandstone
Township or Area: Rossport Area
Latitude: 48° 50' 25.28" Longitude: -87° 43' 45.25"
UTM Zone: 16 Easting: 446491.86 Northing: 5409965.47 UTM Datum: NAD83
Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South
NTS Grid: 42D13NE
Point Location Description: Quarry
Location Method: Data Compilation
Access Description: GENERAL LOCATION: The quarry is located on the north shore of Simpson Island, Lake Superior, approximately 15 km (9.5 mi.) west of Rossport (Figure 29). ACCESS: The island is reached by boat launched from Nipigon or Rossport.
1904: W.C. Thompson discovered the deposit during the winter of 1904. He staked the site for Superior Stone Supply and A.I. Thompson and Sons (Daily Times-Journal, May 8, 1909). 1905: The two companies opened a quarry on the island. It was necessary to purchase a barge to haul the stone from the island to Fort William. It is reported that the stone quarried was used in Fort William and Port Arthur as well as being shipped to Ottawa and elsewhere. 1906 to 1910s: Quarry operations continued on the island. The Superior Stone Supply and A.I. Thompson and Sons made the stone available as rough blocks or cut to order for building construction. The Stanworth-Martin fabrication plant in Thunder Bay purchased rough blocks of the Simpson Island sandstone and manufactured monuments and blocks for building construction. Since there is no information available that indicates when quarry operations ceased on Simpson Island. It is assumed that the quarry was abandoned about the same time as the liquidation of the Stanworth-Martin Company in 1912. 1970: Various prospectors staked claims in the area of the old quarry, but none covered the former workings. 1985: W. Seeber staked the quarry site. The claim was cancelled in 1987.
Province: Southern
Subprovince: Nipigon Basin
Formation Group: Sibley Group
Geological Age: Paleoproterozoic
Dec 07, 2005 (W Bellinger) - GENERAL GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURE: The island is underlain predominantly by Mesoproterozoic Keweenawan volcanic rocks and sediments. These unconformably overlie the Sibley Group sediments that outcrop on the northern shore of the island. The quarry is hosted within the Sibley sedimentary rocks. The quarry site is barely visible from the water, but its location can be found by a small patch of white, pebbly beach. From this point on the shore, the quarry face is approximately 15 m inland. The scale diagram illustrates the length and height variation of the quarry face. Other items at the quarry are remnants of derricks and machinery left on the island when quarry operations ceased in the early 1910s.
| Rock Type | Rank | Composition | Texture | Relationship | Sandstone | 1 | Med To Coarse,Subangular/Subriunded | Host |
|---|
Dec 07, 2005 (W Bellinger) - MINERALOGY: In thin section, the stone is composed of 80 to 90% quartz, 10 to 15% feldspar grains, most of which have been altered to sericite and other fine micas, 2 to 5% chert and trace amounts of opaque material. The quartz grains are subangular to subrounded in shape, medium to coarse in size (0 to 2 o), and have rims of sericite and fine micas. The feldspar grains have the same size and shape as the quartz grains and as stated previously, are now altered to sericite and micas. The feldspar and quartz grains have tangential and planar contacts with siliceous material, sericite and fine micaceous material as the matrix. The rock is classified as a subarkose. COLOUR: The stone is a buff-coloured sandstone with a pink hue. It weathers to a creamy pink shade. TEXTURE: In hand sample, the rock is composed of equigranular, medium to coarse (0 to 2 o), well-sorted quartz grains with a white, chalky matrix.
| Rank | Mineral Name | Class | Economic Mineral Type | Alteration Mineral Type | Alteration Ranking | Alteration Intensity | Alteration Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quartz | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 2 | Feldspar | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 2 | Mica | Economic | Gangue | ||||
| Sericite | Alteration | Sericitization | 1 | Unknown | Disseminated |
Dec 07, 2005 (W Bellinger) - MINERALOGY: In thin section, the stone is composed of 80 to 90% quartz, 10 to 15% feldspar grains, most of which have been altered to sericite and other fine micas, 2 to 5% chert and trace amounts of opaque material. The quartz grains are subangular to subrounded in shape, medium to coarse in size (0 to 2 o), and have rims of sericite and fine micas. The feldspar grains have the same size and shape as the quartz grains and as stated previously, are now altered to sericite and micas. The feldspar and quartz grains have tangential and planar contacts with siliceous material, sericite and fine micaceous material as the matrix. The rock is classified as a subarkose. COLOUR: The stone is a buff-coloured sandstone with a pink hue. It weathers to a creamy pink shade. TEXTURE: In hand sample, the rock is composed of equigranular, medium to coarse (0 to 2 o), well-sorted quartz grains with a white, chalky matrix. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES: Bulk Specific Gravity: 2.35. % Absorption 2 hrs: 2.7. 48 hrs: 4.5. Compressive Strength (psi): 5,788. Modulus of Rupture (psi): 1,435. Tests done by Geoscience Laboratories, Ontario Geological Survey, Toronto. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS: Sample No. 85MCK-0006: 89.74 SiO2, 6.30 Al2O3, 0.19 Fe2O3, 0.02 MnO, 0.56 MgO, 0.13 CaO, 0.00Na2O, 2.93 K2O, 0.10 TiO2, 0.00 P2O5. Analyses conducted by Geoscience Laboratories, Ontario Geological Survey, Toronto.
Book - Field Guide to the Sibley Group, In: Proterozoic Geology of Northern Lake Superior Area, Geological Association of Canada � Mineralogical Association of Canada, Field Trip Guidebook Trip 4
Publication Number: GAC-MAC GB 4 Date: 1982
Author: Franklin, J.M., McIlwaine, W.H., Shegelski, R.J., Mitchell, R.H., and Platt
Publisher Name: Geological Association of Canada
Location:
Map - Nipigon-Schreiber, geological compilation series, Thunder Bay District
Publication Number: M2232 Scale: 1:253,440 Date: 1973
Author: Carter M.W., McIlwaine W.H., Wisbey P.A.
Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines
Location:
Mono - Dimensional Stone Occurrences and Deposits in Northwest Ontario
Publication Number: OFR5890 Page: 149-152 Date: 1994
Author: Hinz P., Landry R.M., Gerow M.C.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Book - Fort William and Port Arthur, and Thunder Cape Map-area, Thunder Bay District, Ontario; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 167
Publication Number: GSC Memoir 167 Page: 199 Date: 1931
Author: Tanton, T.L.
Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada
Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/100799
Map - St. Ignace Island and adjacent islands, Thunder Bay District
Publication Number: M2285 Scale: 1:63,360 Date: 1974
Author: Giguere J.F.
Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines
Location:
MonoMap - Geology of St. Ignace Island and adjacent islands, District of Thunder Bay
Publication Number: R118 Date: 1975
Author: Giguere J.F.
Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines
Location:
File - Industrial minerals geologist files
Publication Number: IMF Date: 1996
Author:
Publisher Name:
Location: Thunder Bay RGP
File - Schreiber-Hemlo Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files, Thunder Bay office
Publication Number: Min Dep Date: 1996
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