Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42E01NE00003

Record: MDI42E01NE00003

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Sulphur/Pyrite

Secondary Commodities: Copper, Zinc

Location

Township or Area: Davies

Latitude: 49° 10' 13.17"    Longitude: -86° 5' 17.8"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 566457.605   Northing: 5446790.493    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42E01NE

Point Location Description: Several small pits

Location Method: Field Visit

Access Description: The Labrador sulphide occurrence is located in Davies Township, approximately 18.5 km west-northwest of Manitouwadge and 4.1 km south of Manitou Falls. The occurrence is situated on the north-facing slope of a steep ravine overlooking Slingshot Creek (see Coates 1968, Figure 3, p.17). The occurrence is accessible via motor vehicle followed by travel on foot. From Manitouwadge, travel south along Highway 614 to the Caramat Industrial Road. Proceed west and then north along the Caramat Industrial Road for approximately 16.8 km to the Lower Landing Road. Proceed west along the Lower Landing Road for approximately 5.5 km to an unnamed tertiary logging road. Proceed north along this unnamed road (turning left at 1.1 km and then right at 2.9 km) for approximately 3.3 km to where the road terminates in a clearing. A poorly-marked trail is located at the north edge of this clearing. Proceed northeast along this trail for approximately 395 m to the vicinity of a small waterfall on Slingshot Creek. From here, proceed through the bush on a bearing of 240 for approximately 225 m. Several small pits exposing sulphide mineralization are located along the steep slope overlooking Slingshot Creek.

Exploration History

1954: Line cutting, ground geophysical surveys (MAG, SP) and diamond drilling (8 holes totalling 1486 m); Malartic Mines Limited. 1964-1969: Trenching and blasting (?); prospectors J. Labrador, T. Bosvik and M. King. 1965: Geological mapping; M.E. Coates (ODM). 1988: Regional airborne geophysical survey; Noranda Exploration Company Limited. 1989: Geological mapping; H. Williams and F. Breaks (OGS). Dighem airborne geophysical survey (EM, MAG, VLF-EM), ground geophysical surveys (MAG, VLF-EM, VLEM and HLEM), soil geochemical sampling and lithogeochemical sampling; Noranda Minerals Inc. (Geco Division) and Noranda Exploration Company, Limited. 1991-1992: Reconnaissance till sampling; I.M. Kettles (GSC). Samples collected immediately southeast of the occurrence contained slightly anomalous amounts of Au, Zn and Ni. Lithogeochemical sampling; D. McKay (OGS).

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Manitouwadge-Hornepayne

Geological Age: Archean  

Metamorphism Type: Regional

Metamorphism Grade: Amphibolite

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The Labrador sulphide occurrence is located within the Wawa Subprovince and is situated at the northeastern tip of a northeast-trending belt (9 km long by 1 km wide) of metamorphosed and strongly deformed supracrustral rocks which are surrounded and intruded by granitic gneisses of the Black-Pic batholithic complex (Coates 1970, Map 2192; Milne et al. 1972, Map 2220). Mineral assemblages suggest the supracrustal rocks have experienced upper amphibolite facies-grade regional metamorphism. A foliation-crosscutting, subvertical, north-northwest-trending (343 ) sinistral fault (2 m offset) occurs approximately 225 m east of the occurrence within the bed of Slingshot Creek. Much of the area surrounding the occurrence, with the exception of creek and river valleys, is covered by a thick blanket of silty to sandy overburden. The occurrence is underlain primarily by moderately to locally strongly foliated (070 /85 SE), locally migmatitic, mafic metavolcanic amphibolite and biotite-feldspar-quartz gneiss. A thin, discontinuous, locally strongly magnetic, quartz-rich unit occurs at the contact between the above rock types. This magnetic unit may represent a strongly deformed and metamorphosed magnetite-quartz iron formation.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The mafic metavolcanic amphibolite is generally rusty-weathering, dark green to black, medium- to coarse-grained, thinly laminated (mm scale) and weakly to locally moderately magnetic. The amphibolite is locally migmatitic containing up to 50% granitic material. Foliation-parallel and crosscutting, narrow (10 to 15 cm wide), aplitic and pegmatitic dikes are common. The biotite-feldspar-quartz gneiss is speckled gray and black, medium- to coarse-grained, moderately foliated, massive-looking and non-magnetic. The magnetite-quartz iron formation is generally rusty-weathering, banded (on a mm scale) light and dark gray, moderately foliated, very hard, dense and moderately to strongly magnetic. Coarse-grained, black magnetite comprises locally up to 40% of the iron formation. The iron formation occurs as a thin (1.5 to 4 m wide), discontinuous unit bounded to the north by the mafic metavolcanic amphibolite and to the south by the biotite-feldspar-quartz gneiss. The iron formation parallels the local foliation and constitutes a narrow (1.5 to 4 m wide), erosion-resistant ledge which transects a 30 to 40 m high cliff overlooking Slingshot Creek. The iron formation contains erratically distributed pods and stringers of massive to disseminated pyrrhotite and pyrite. Chalcopyrite occurs locally within the iron formation in trace amounts. The sulphide mineralization can be traced intermittently along strike within the iron formation for approximately 50 m.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The occurrence consists primarily of disseminated grains, foliation-parallel stringers, and semi-massive to massive pods of pyrrhotite and pyrite hosted within moderately to locally strongly foliated (070 /85 SE), medium- to coarse-grained magnetite-quartz iron formation. Fine- to medium-grained pyrite and pyrrhotite also occur as disseminated grains and euhedra within the amphibolitic, mafic metavolcanic gneiss underlying the iron formation, and to a lesser degree in the overlying biotite-feldspar-quartz gneiss. The sulphides are distributed erratically within the iron formation and generally constitute less than 10% of the unit. Although the relative proportions of the sulphides vary, pyrrhotite usually predominates over pyrite. Chalcopyrite occurs only in trace amounts. Pods (up to 1 m long by 0.75 m wide) of massive pyrrhotite and pyrite occur locally within the iron formation. The sulphide content within these pods generally varies from 65 to 80%. The relative proportions of pyrrhotite and pyrite average approximately 60 and 40% respectively. Chalcopyrite constitutes less than 1% of the sulphides present. Grab samples collected from the occurrence in 1991 by D. McKay (OGS) returned assay values which varied from nil to trace Au, nil to trace Ag, 30 to 804 ppm Cu, 6 to 610 ppm Zn, 11 to 127 ppm Ni, 15 to 190 ppm Co, 6 to 98 ppm Cr, <10 ppb Pd and 2 ppb Pt.

Mineral Record Details

References

Map - Killala-Vein lakes area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: P0382 Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1997

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Killala-Vein lakes area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R081 Date: 1970

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

File - Schreiber-Hemlo Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files, A.A. Patterson's Showing

Publication Number: Min Dep Date: 1965

Author: Condon, F.

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Map - Vein Lake sheet, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2192 Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1970

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

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:

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

Publication Number: OFR5906 Date: 1994

Author: McKay D.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of Stevens-Kagiano Lake area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R068 Date: 1968

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

File - Schreiber-Hemlo Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit files, Pic River-Slingshot Creek Examination

Publication Number: Min Dep Date: 1970

Author: Johnson, R.H.

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

File - Schreiber-Hemlo Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit files

Publication Number: Min Dep Date: 1989

Author: Charlton, S.G.

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