Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42D14SE00051

Record: MDI42D14SE00051

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s) Gold Range Diatreme - 1982, Gold Range Conglomerate - 1930
Related Record Type Simple
Related Record(s)
Record Status Discretionary Occurrence
Date Created 1991-Mar-31
Date Last Modified 2022-May-09
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Diamond, Uranium, Sulphur/Pyrite



Location

Township or Area: Priske

Latitude: 48° 48' 12.01"    Longitude: -87° 12' 30.02"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 484701.69   Northing: 5405614.84    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42D14SE

Point Location Description: Outcrop

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: The Gold Range Diatreme is located approximately 4 to 5 km east of the Township of Schreiber in Priske Township (claim map G 631). The access and location are described by Sage (1982): The Gold Range diatreme is located northeast of Schreiber, Ontario. The breccia can be reached by walking north along a claim line which crosses a trail (Figure 2) leading the the west side of the Ontario Hydro reservoir located east of Schreiber. The claim line cuts the trail 660 m west of the reservoir. The breccia is 248 m north of the trail and approximately 36 m west of the claim line. Lamont Lake is located at Latitude 48?49'N and Longitude 87?14'W and the breccia is located approximately 1.6 km east of the lake.



Exploration History

1930s: During the 1930s, the breccia or conglomerate was discovered during gold prospecting. The occurrence was originally promoted as a gold/conglomerate-gold related occurrence. 1938: The area was mapped by G.A. Harcourt for the Ontario Department of Mines. 1982: A detailed study of the diatreme structure was performed by R. Sage of the Ontario Geological Survey


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 rocks 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. Airphoto 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. Harcourt (1939) described the general geology as: On claim TB 3411...an outcrop of conglomerate or pseudo conglomerate 1 chain by 2 chains in area is apparently completely isolated from other sediments. The rock is made up of fragments or rhyolite, greenstone, iron formation, and granite, some apparently well rounded, others sharply angular. The rock is intruded by a body of lamprophyre on one side and is surrounded by grey rhyolite. A polished slab of rock shows that the fragments are nearly all angular and that at least some of the round surfaces are due to a conchoidal fracture in the fragments. The matrix is now composed very largely of quartz and sulphides.




Lithology

Lithology Data
Rock Type Rank Composition Texture Relationship
Mafic massive flow 1 Massive Flow Near
Mafic pillowed flow 2 Pillowed Flow Near
Intermediate massive flow 3 Massive Flow Near
Intermediate pillowed flow 4 Pillowed Flow Near
Felsic lava flow-unsubdivided 5 Rhyolite Flow Host
Sandstone 6 Wacke Near
Siltstone 7 Near
Mudstone 8 Slate Near
Ironstone-unsubdivided 9 Ch-Py Near
Mudstone 10 Gf-Py Slate Near
Breccia-unsubdivided 11 Host
Biotite Lamprophyre 12 Biotite Near

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - The breccia occurs at the margin of a relatively large body of biotite rich lamprophyre which contains large inclusions of iron formation and quartz monzonite. The lamprophyre locally contains rounded blebs of carbonate and visible interstitial carbonate. The close spatial relationship of the breccia and lamprophyre suggests that the breccia may be a result of local, relatively high level release of volatiles form the intruding carbonate bearing lamprophyric magma. The breccia consists dominantly of angular to subangular clasts of cherty ironstone and pink fine grained quartz monzonite. The breccia is cemented with quartz and pyrite. In thin sections chert is seen to occur as angular composite aggregates in which individual quartz grains display undulatory extinction and sutured grain boundaries. Sericite forms very fine grained flakes along fractures and between grains. Some of the mica is stained brown. Chlorite, possibly after amphibole, forms aggregates with angular outlines which may be relicts of clasts derived from the enclosing metavolcanics.




Mineralization

Mineralization and Alteration
Rank Mineral Name Class Economic Mineral Type Alteration Mineral Type Alteration Ranking Alteration Intensity Alteration Style
1PyrrhotiteEconomicOre
2PyriteEconomicOre
1MagnetiteEconomicGangue
2QuartzEconomicGangue
QuartzAlterationSilicification1UnknownDisseminated

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - *Holbrooke (1939) described the economics as: The owners of the property reported values up to $7.00 across this conglomerate zone, but careful check sampling showed only trace. This showing is not to be recommended. Sage (1982) states: A large sample of pyrite bearing breccia was assayed for gold and examined by 30 element spectrographic analysis. The sample returned 0.01 ounce gold per ton and the spectrographic analysis failed to detect anything of economic interest. Analyses by Resident Geologist personnel returned the following results: Diatreme 1: <0.01 oz/ton Au and <0.10 oz/ton Ag from dark, magnetite-rich, banded iron formation containing quartz veins. Rhyolite: 0.01 oz/ton Au and <0.10 oz/ton Ag from rhyolite with minor sulphides. Breccia: <0.01 oz/ton Au and <0.10 oz/ton Ag from heterolithic breccia in amphibolite, with visible granite clasts.


Jun 29, 2018 (Therese Pettigrew) - The breccia is not radioactive, with average spectrometer readings being only 1600 counts per minute. The highest spectrometer readings came from the quartz monzonite, which had an average of 4120 counts per minute (Sage, 1982).



Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Feb 17, 1997

Geologist: B Nelson

Notes: Resident Geologist personnel visited the showing June 13 and 14, 1985.



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 - Mineralization in diatreme structures north of Lake Superior

Publication Number: S027 Page: 4-0  Date: 1982

Author: Sage R.P.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Part - The southwestern part of the Schreiber area

Publication Number: ARV47-09.001 Page: 23-25  Date: 1998

Author: Harcourt G.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:


File - Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files

Publication Number: Min Dep Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP


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:


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

Publication Number: OFR5951 Page: 340-346  Date: 1996

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

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:


Map - Geological series, Precambrian geology of the Schreiber area, east part, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: P2391 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