Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record:
MDI42D16SW00018
| Record Name(s) | Marathon Columbium Occurrence - 1955, Orchan Columbium Showing - 1955 |
|---|---|
| Related Record Type | Partial |
| Related Record(s) | |
| Record Status | Occurrence |
| Date Created | 1980-Aug-20 |
| Date Last Modified | 2023-Aug-16 |
| Created By | |
| Revised By |
Primary Commodities: Niobium
Secondary Commodities: Uranium, Zircon
Township or Area: Seeley Lake Area
Latitude: 48° 49' 18.63" Longitude: -86° 27' 26.66"
UTM Zone: 16 Easting: 539828 Northing: 5407793 UTM Datum: NAD83
Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South
NTS Grid: 42D16SW
Point Location Description: Assessment report (AFRI 42D16SW0076)
Location Method: Data Compilation
Access Description: The main showings occur approximately 16 km northwest of Marathon and 3 km north of Highway 17. A trail extends north from a point 1.5 km west of Wolf Camp Lake from the highway to the showings.
1954: Following the discovery of columbium occurrences made by Orchan Uranium Mines Ltd. to the south, J. Kigour and other individuals staked a total of 29 claims; the claims were subsequently optioned to Noranda Mines Ltd. J. Kilgour discovered the Number 1 showing. 1955: Three men carried out reconnaissance mapping in conjunction with prospecting, trenching and sampling of the Number 1 (main) showing. Work was suspended following discouraging assay results; claims lapsed 1955, 1957. 1967: Property staked by E. Nabigon; no work recorded.
| Office File Number | Online Assessment File Identifier | Online Assessment File Directory |
|---|---|---|
| 63.3496 | 42D16SW0076 | 42D16SW0076 |
| 2.17585 | 42D16SW0039 | 42D16SW0039 |
| 2.38768 | 20000003142 | 20000003142 |
Province: Superior
Subprovince: Uchi
Terrane: North Caribou
Domain: Uchi
Belt: Lake St. Joseph
Geological Age: Archean
Dec 07, 2005 (R Degagne) - Pye (1954) briefly described the discovery of the main showing: Another showing was examined on ground held by Noranda about 4 miles north east of Red Sucker Cove. On claim TB 63007 a prospector named J. Kilgour has located a dike of syenite pegmatite in a fine-grained basic rock. The dike strikes northeast and dips vertically. It has been traced for 900 feet and has an average width of 6 feet. Radioactivity is such as to give a reading of about 3 times background on the geiger counter and assays of grab samples indicate up to 0.8% columbium and 0.03% U3O8. Of interest is the presence of a green pyroxene as an essential constituent of the rock and the development of a shearing parallel to the strike of the dike. Noranda Mines Ltd. geologists (Industrial Minerals Geologist's Files, Thunder Bay) described the local geology: Most of the west part of the group is underlain by syenite -- a portion of the syenite stock that extends to the Port Coldwell area. The south part of this syenite within the claim group is the typical red syenite of the area, the northern part is a grey syenite, probably a hybrid rock as it appears to be a mixture of pink syenite and diorite. A small zone of rusty weathering diorite occurs near the contact of these syenite types. Pink porphyritic syenite is encountered in small areas and in some of the dykes. The east side of the property is underlain by Keewatin basalt cut by syenite dykes. Potentially the most favourable ground in the claim group, it covers about 4 claims in the area. Several strong intersecting faults cross the property, and are indicated by their topographic expression of gullies, ravines and cliffs. All the showings discovered to date have been in the vicinity of these faults. Walker et al. (1993) re-mapped the Coldwell complex. Using up-to-date nomenclature, the property is underlain by: recrystallized amphibole qtz syenite; amphibole syenite; gabbro; mafic volcanic, subvolcanic and hypabyssal intrusive rocks.
| Rock Type | Rank | Composition | Texture | Relationship | Quartz Syenite | 1 | Amp Qtz Syenite | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mafic lava flow-unsubdivided | 2 | Basalt | Near |
Dec 07, 2005 (R Degagne) - Pye (1954) briefly described the discovery of the main showing: Another showing was examined on ground held by Noranda about 4 miles north east of Red Sucker Cove. On claim TB 63007 a prospector named J. Kilgour has located a dike of syenite pegmatite in a fine-grained basic rock. The dike strikes northeast and dips vertically. It has been traced for 900 feet and has an average width of 6 feet. Radioactivity is such as to give a reading of about 3 times background on the geiger counter and assays of grab samples indicate up to 0.8% columbium and 0.03% U3O8. Of interest is the presence of a green pyroxene as an essential constituent of the rock and the development of a shearing parallel to the strike of the dike. Noranda Mines Ltd. geologists (Industrial Minerals Geologist's Files, Thunder Bay) described the local geology: Most of the west part of the group is underlain by syenite -- a portion of the syenite stock that extends to the Port Coldwell area. The south part of this syenite within the claim group is the typical red syenite of the area, the northern part is a grey syenite, probably a hybrid rock as it appears to be a mixture of pink syenite and diorite. A small zone of rusty weathering diorite occurs near the contact of these syenite types. Pink porphyritic syenite is encountered in small areas and in some of the dykes.The east side of the property is underlain by Keewatin basalt cut by syenite dykes. Potentially the most favourable ground in the claim group, it covers about 4 claims in the area. Several strong intersecting faults cross the property, and are indicated by their topographic expression of gullies, ravines and cliffs. All the showings discovered to date have been in the vicinity of these faults. Walker et al. (1993) re-mapped the Coldwell complex. Using up-to-date nomenclature, the property is underlain by: recrystallized amphibole qtz syenite; amphibole syenite; gabbro; mafic volcanic, subvolcanic and hypabyssal intrusive rocks.
| Rank | Mineral Name | Class | Economic Mineral Type | Alteration Mineral Type | Alteration Ranking | Alteration Intensity | Alteration Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Zircon | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 3 | Pyrochlore | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 4 | Columbite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 5 | Magnetite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 6 | Pyrite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 7 | Chalcopyrite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 8 | Fluorite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 1 | Pyroxene | Economic | Gangue |
Sep 28, 2015 (R Degagne) - Optical and x-ray analyses were conducted on magnetic separates of Marathon Property samples by E. Nuffied at the University of Toronto in 1955 (Resident Geologist Files, OMNDM, Thunder Bay, Ont.). He confirmed the presence of pyrochlore (Na,Ca)2 (Nb,Ta)2 O6 (OH,F) as the only columbium- (i.e. niobium) bearing mineral. He also noted that zircon and ferro-magnesian silicates were abundant and suggested that uranium may be associated with the pyrochlore. ECONOMIC FEATURES: Noranda Mines Ltd. personnel (Resident Geologist's Files, Schreiber-Hemlo District, Thunder Bay) calculated that each vertical foot of the dyke constituting the main showing should carry 2274 pounds (1031 kg) Cb2O5. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS: Grab samples taken in 1954 (AFRI 42D16SW0076) during initial prospecting returned 0.77%, 0.26% and 0.53% Cb2O5.
| Rank | Classification |
|---|---|
| 1 | Magmatic |
| Rank | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Discordant |
| Shape | Length | Thickness | Depth | Strike | Dip | Plunge | Trend | Age | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 274 | 1.8 |
Date: Dec 19, 1996
Geologist: R Degagne
Notes: Visited in July, 1992 by P. Hinz | R. M. Landry (OGS OFR 5889, 1994)
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:
Map - Port Coldwell area, District of Thunder Bay
Publication Number: P0114 Scale: 1:31,680 Date: 1997
Author: Puskas F.P.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Mono - Iron deposits of Ontario
Publication Number: MDC011 Page: 423-424 Date: 1968
Author: Shklanka R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Map - Precambrian Geology, Port Coldwell Complex, West Half
Publication Number: P3232 Scale: 1:20,000 Date: 1993
Author: Walker E.C., Sutcliffe R.H., Shaw C.S.J., Shore G.T., Penczak R.S.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Mono - Copper, nickel, lead and zinc deposits of Ontario
Publication Number: MDC012 Page: 319 Date: 1969
Author: Shklanka R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Mono - Industrial Mineral Occurrences and Deposits in Northwest Ontario
Publication Number: OFR5889 Page: 82-89 Date: 1994
Author: Hinz P., Landry R.M.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Book - Property Visit Report, Port Munroe Area (unpublished)
Publication Number: Date: 1954
Author: Pye, E.G.
Publisher Name:
Location: Thunder Bay RGP
Mono - Uranium occurrences of the Thunder Bay-Nipigon-Marathon area
Publication Number: OFR5634 Date: 1987
Author: Scott J.F.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Article - Geology of the Coldwell alkaline complex
Publication Number: MP157.018 Date: 1998
Author: Walker E.C., Sutcliffe R.H., Shaw C.S.J., Shore G.T.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Article - Geology of the Port Coldwell alkalic complex
Publication Number: MP160.019 Page: 108-120 Date: 1997
Author: Walker E.C., Sutcliffe R.H., Shaw C.S.J., Shore G.T., Penczak R.S.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
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