Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42D14SE00008

Record: MDI42D14SE00008

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold, Silver

Secondary Commodities: Molybdenum

Location

Township or Area: Priske

Latitude: 48° 47' 52.5"    Longitude: -87° 13' 30.61"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 483464   Northing: 5405016    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42D14SE

Point Location Description: Adit 1 from AMIS

Location Method: AMIS Site Visit

Access Description: The (old) Harkness Hay property is located in Priske Township, about 4 km east of Schreiber, just north of Highway 17. The main workings are located on claims TB 3327 and 3354 (claim map G 631, Priske Township). Access may be gained using the road to Hays Lake, which branches off Highway 17 about 4 km east of Schreiber. The road passes along the base of the hill into which the old adits are driven.

Exploration History

1917: H. Harkness restaked two abandoned surveyed claims. 1917-20: Surface exploration and dev't undertaken. 1920: Bulk sampling and testing carried out with encouraging results. 1921: Harkness transferred his claims to M.R. Jackson. 1922: Trenching, tunneling and sampling carried out. A reported $20,000 was spent on buildings and prospecting. Two tunnels exposed two parallel veins; small test shaft sunk on a small stockwork. 1923: A 76 cm vein was discovered and trenched over 2 claims. 1925: Harkness-Hays Gold Mining Co. was incorporated. Surface expl'n was conducted. 1926: Buildings constructed; adit crosscut started; 8 veins were being explored on surface and underground; bulk sampling of the No. 1 vein returned values of 5.56 oz/ton Au. 1927: Underground dev't con't. 1928: Very little work reported. 1929: Consulting engineer J.C. Huston recommended further dev't. 1930: 0.71 tons of ore were shipped to Noranda (4.83 oz/ton resulted). 1932: 32 tons of ore were milled, yielding 71.28 oz of Au. 1933: Expl'n and dev't resumed. 1934: Preparation for a 25 ton/d mill commenced. 1935: Underground and surface dev't con't. 1936: Underground dev't con't. 1937: Kay-Hays Mines Ltd. was incorporated to succeed Harkness-Hays Gold Mines Ltd. No work reported. 1939: Sylvanite Gold Mines Ltd. channel sampled the veins. G.L. Holbrook recommended examining only the No. 3 vein. 1985: Claims held by Hacquoil Construction Ltd., who excavated gravel for construction purposes. 1995: The property was optioned by RJK Explorations Ltd. 2002: K. Fenwick located the historic shafts and conducted sampling. 2005: K. Fenwick conducted sampling. 2012: Strike Minerals drilled 4 DDH totalling 1184 m. 2020: Panther Metals PLC conducted high-resolution airborne EM and magnetic geophysical surveys. 2022: G. Blakely carried out stripping, prospecting, and sampling.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Schreiber-Hemlo

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - The general geology consists of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks which have been intruded by granitic rocks at the Terrace Bay Batholith. The metavolcanic rock include mafic to intermediate pillowed flows and massive flows, with minor intercalated felsic flows. The metasedimentary rocks are predominantly composed of wacke, siltstones and slate of turbiditic origin. Iron formation, consisting of chert, massive pyrite sections and graphitic pyritic slate is also present. The rocks in the Harkness Hays Gold Range area have been intensely faulted and fractured. This is evident on top of the Gold Range Ridge. Air photo interpretation indicates a conjugate set of faults striking northeast and northwest. The northwest striking fault set has apparently offset the Gold Range Ridge, in a dextral sense, up to 0.5 km. There are two prominent lineaments or faults striking northeast that envelope the old development area. Within this 0.5 km by 1 km section smaller conjugate fault systems strike northwest, east and northeast. In excess of 25 small scale lineaments were observed. Field evidence indicates that many of these lineaments represent faults. The vein systems occupying these faults are often brecciated. Gold mineralization is concentrated in a series of quartz ? carbonate veins which are generally en echelon and can occur subparallel to the contact of the batholith. On the Harkness Hays property the gold bearing quartz ? carbonate veins are hosted predominately by mafic metavolcanic rocks. However, mapping has indicated that in addition to the mafic metavolcanic rocks, the host rocks also consist of quartz feldspar porphyry and iron formation including chert, massive pyrite sections and graphitic pyritic slate. The iron formation is tightly folded and plunges 58?NE. The presence of up to 3 adits and numerous old trenches indicates that previous workers explored for gold within the unit.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - The metasedimentary rocks are predominantly composed of wacke, siltstones and slate of turbiditic origin. Iron formation, consisting of chert, massive pyrite sections and graphitic pyritic slate is also present.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Previous work and reports indicate that up to 8 veins were discovered and developed on the Harkness Hays property. However, of these veins, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 veins appear to have the most development work. Veins Nos. 7 and 8 are commonly referred to as iron formation in previous reports. Crosscutting the main coarse pyrite veins are micro veinlets. These micro veinlets have an alteration halo associated with them. By far the most important vein on the Harkness Hays property is the No. 3 vein. Development work on this vein included 2 adits, an open cut and numerous trenches. The greyish quartz vein occasionally displayed a crack seal or ribbon texture and visible mineralization included fine euhedral pyrite up to 7 percent and minor chalcopyrite. Large crystalline pyrite has been reported within this vein by past workers. Sampling by Sylvanite Gold Mines Ltd. (1939) on the No. 3 Vein returned assay values including: 0.50 oz/ton Au (over 15 cm) from well mineralized quartz schist. 3.06 oz/ton Au (over 18 cm) from well mineralized quartz schist. 2.80 oz/ton Au (over 18 cm) from well mineralized quartz schist. 1.42 oz/ton Au (over 28 cm) from well mineralized quartz schist. 0.48 oz/ton Au (over 10 cm) from well mineralized quartz schist.

Mar 18, 2016 (Therese Pettigrew) - The historical workings at the Harkness-Hays Au property are situated along and on top of a northeast-trending ridge that has been an area of gold exploration for more than a century. The rocks on the ridge are composed primarily of highly fractured mafic metavolcanic rocks interbedded with lean oxide- and sulphide-iron formations crosscut by quartz-feldspar porphyries, and quartz to quartz-carbonate and sulphide veins (Schnieders et al. 1996; Magnus 2019; see Figure 32). The host rocks are moderately silicified and are highly fractured, with conjugate sets trending northeast and northwest. The quartz to quartz-carbonate and sulphide veinlets occupy fractures and are situated within a moderate shear zone that generally trends 030° to 040°, subparallel and spatially associated with the contact zone of the Terrace Bay pluton. The quartz to quartz-carbonate veins host gold-bearing sulphides and occurrences of native gold (Schnieders 1996; Magnus 2019). Diamond-drill hole HH-12-04, located 700 m northwest of the first 3 drill holes, with a southwest directional azimuth (130°), was designed to test an unexplored area, at the north-central portion of the patent. Drill hole HH-12-04 intersected a 5.2 m section of altered and quartz-rich iron formation with 3% pyrite, minor pyrrhotite and magnetite. The section returned 1.19 g/t over 5.2 m (including 2.73 g/t Au over 1.6 m). Grab samples collected by RGP geologists in 2022 were submitted to GeoLabs and yielded results of up to 7.26 oz/t Au and 74.9 g/t Ag (Campbell et al., 2023).

Alteration Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Crosscutting the main coarse pyrite veins are micro-veinlets. These micro-veinlets have an alteation halo associated with them.

Assay Samples

Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Feb 17, 1997

Geologist: B Nelson

Notes: Resident Geologist personnel visited the minesite May 12, 1983; May 18, 1983; August 24, 1983; October 1 | 2, 1984; June 4-14, 1985; June of 1988; August of 1992; August of 1995. Sampling by Ministry personnel yielded results including the following: Gold values ranged from <0.01 oz/ton to 25.82 oz/ton (from the No. 1 Vein). Silver values ranged from <0.10 oz/ton to 11.13 oz/ton (same sample as above). The best copper value was 98 ppm from a gossan zone, No.1 Vein. The best lead value was 6280 ppm from the No. 1 Vein. The best zinc value was 8100 ppm from the No. 1 Vein.

References

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 - Mineral Occurrences in the Nipigon-Marathon Area, Volumes 1 and 2.

Publication Number: OFR5951 Page: 315-332  Date: 1996

Author: Schnieders B.R., Smyk M.C., Speed A.A., McKay D.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Part - Schreiber-Duck Lake area

Publication Number: ARV30-04.001 Page: 14-16  Date: 1998

Author: Hopkins P.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Schreiber-Duck Lake area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: ARM30A Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1998

Author: Hopkins P.E., Tanton T.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - The Terrace Bay batholith and associated mineralization

Publication Number: OFR5514 Date: 1984

Author: Marmont S.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Part - The southwestern part of the Schreiber area

Publication Number: ARV47-09.001 Page: 23  Date: 1998

Author: Harcourt G.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Book - Canadian Mines Handbook 1935 Harkness-Hays

Publication Number: CMH1935 Page: 108-109  Date: 1935

Author:

Publisher Name: Canadian Mines Handbook

Location:

Map - Schreiber area, District of Thunder Bay, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM47J Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1997

Author: Bartley M.W., Harcourt G.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Gold deposits of Ontario, part 1, districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay

Publication Number: MDC013 Page: 287  Date: 1971

Author: Ferguson S.A., Groen H.A., Haynes R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

File - Unpublished company correspondence, Report on Gold Range Mines Ltd., Schreiber, Ont.

Publication Number: Date: 1939

Author: Holbrooke, G.L.

Publisher Name:

Location: RGP files, Thunder Bay office

Map - Schreiber sheet, District of Thunder Bay, geological compilation series

Publication Number: P0360 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1997

Author: Pye E.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Report of Activities 2022, Resident Geologist Program, Thunder Bay South Regional Resident Geologist Report: Thunder Bay South District

Publication Number: OFR6401 Page: 51-63  Date: 2023

Author: Campbell D.A., Jonsson J.R.B., Dorland G., Pettigrew T.K., Ferguson S.A.

Publisher Name:

Location:

Map - Geological series, Precambrian geology of the Terrace Bay area, west sheet, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: P2417 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1981

Author: Carter M.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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