Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42E09SW00003

Record: MDI42E09SW00003

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Copper

Secondary Commodities: Gold, Silver

Location

Township or Area: Pout Lake Area

Latitude: 49° 32' 54.28"    Longitude: -86° 21' 53.9"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 545935.266   Northing: 5488616.558    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 42E09SW

Point Location Description: Trenches

Location Method: Field Visit

Access Description: The Pout Lake copper occurrence is located approximately 60.5 km northwest of Manitouwadge and 28.5 km southeast of Longlac. The occurrence is situated approximately 700 m north of Pout Lake and 100 m west of the Pout River. The occurrence is accessible via motor vehicle followed by travel on foot. Alternatively, the occurrence may be accessed via air transport from Manitouwadge to Pout Lake followed by travel on foot. From Longlac, proceed as follows: travel south along logging road No. 14, which passes through the Theresa Mine property, for approximately 30 km to road No. 14-3 (McLeod Road). Proceed east-southeast along road No. 14-3 for approximately 14.25 km to an unnamed tertiary logging road. Proceed northeast along this road for approximately 3.75 km to a poorly marked trail (suitable for ATV's) located on the south side of the road. Proceed east along this trail for approximately 150 m to the west shore of Pout Lake. Proceed, on foot or via canoe, northeast along the west shore of Pout Lake to the mouth of the Pout River. Proceed northeast along the west shore of the river for approximately 700 m to where the river makes a sharp bend to the northwest. Trenches exposing copper-bearing sulphides are located approximately 100 m west of the river. The baseline of a grid cut in 1990 leads directly from the river to the occurrence. When examined in 1991, this grid was in good condition.

Exploration History

1962-1970: Trenching; prospectors M. Legarde, C. McInnes, G. Gionet and O. Albert. 1965: Geological mapping; M.E. Coates (OGS). 1990: Line cutting, trenching and ground geophysical surveys (MAG, VLF-EM); Ovalbay Geological Services Inc. and Northwest Geophysics Ltd. working on behalf of prospector R. Gionet. 1991: Lithogeochemical sampling; D.B. McKay (OGS).

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Quetico

Geological Age: Archean  

Metamorphism Type: Regional

Metamorphism Grade: Amphibolite

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The occurrence is located within the Quetico Subprovince and is underlain primarily by migmatitic, medium- to coarse-grained, moderately foliated, garnet-biotite-quartz-feldspar paragneiss and diabase. The paragneiss locally displays a well-developed lit-par-lit structure. Pegmatitic quartzofeldspathic dikes and small intrusive bodies are common. The gneissosity in the area is variable but tends to strike west-northwest and dip steeply to the north (295 degrees /85 degrees NE ). Garnet porphyroblasts, up to 3 mm in diameter, locally comprise up to 5% of the paragneiss. Mineral assemblages suggest the rocks in the area have experienced upper amphibolite facies grades of metamorphism. Three linear topographic features occur in the vicinity of Pout Lake (Coates 1968, Map 2140). These lineaments trend north, northwest, and northeast respectively. The occurrence is located approximately 400 m south of the intersection between the north-trending and the northwest-trending lineaments. In the vicinity of the occurrence, a northwest-trending diabase dike (?) has intruded the surrounding paragneiss. This dike may have been emplaced along a secondary structure related to the northwest-trending lineament located to the north. The diabase has an exposed width of approximately 25 m and can be traced along strike for approximately 22 m. The southern contact between the diabase and paragneiss is locally sheared, brecciated, and mineralized with copper-bearing quartz-carbonate veins. The northern contact is not exposed. Other copper occurrences, spatially related to northwesterly-trending lineaments intruded by diabase, occur widely distributed throughout the Quetico Subprovince north of Manitouwadge (Coates 1968, 1970). To date, the economic potential of these occurrences has been limited by their narrow widths and the erratic distribution and low grades of the mineralized zones.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - Field examinations have revealed that the occurrence consists of 2 narrow, parallel zones of copper-mineralized rock. For convenience, these have been termed the southern and northern zones. The southern zone consists of erratically-distributed chalcopyrite and pyrite hosted primarily in narrow, coarse-grained, locally vuggy, quartz-calcite veins. The veins are confined primarily to the contact zone between the diabase and host paragneiss. The majority of the veins occur within the diabase and vary in width from 2 mm to 5 cm. Collectively, the veins define a mineralized zone approximately 2 m wide which can be traced along strike for approximately 22 m. Although recent blasting has obscured the original orientation of many of the veins, it appears that they parallel the diabase- paragneiss contact, strike approximately 310 degrees and dip vertically. Individual veins display marked vertical and horizontal variations in size and degree of having been mineralized. The diabase adjacent to the veins is locally brecciated, silicified, carbonatized with calcite, and mineralized with disseminated grains of pyrite and chalcopyrite. The unmineralized diabase is generally dark green, medium- to coarse-grained and massive. The northern mineralized zone is located approximately 25 m northwest of the southern zone. The sulphides comprising this zone are similar but, more erratically-distributed than those found in the southern zone. Chalcopyrite and pyrite occur within narrow (2 mm to 1 cm wide) quartz-calcite veins and as fracture-coatings and disseminated anhedral to euhedral grains within the diabase. The northern zone appears to be approximately 2.5 m wide, parallels the southern zone, and can be traced intermittently for approximately 15 m along strike. The northern edge of this zone is truncated by a swamp bordering the Pout River.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The sulphides consist primarily of fine- to medium-grained disseminated anhedra, narrow (1 to 2 mm wide) fracture-fillings, and anhedral patches (up to 2 cm across) of chalcopyrite and fine- to medium-grained disseminated pyrite euhedra. The chalcopyrite commonly constitutes 2 to 3% of the rock within the mineralized zone, but local concentrations of up to 15% occur. Where abundant, the chalcopyrite tends to be interconnected and displays a net-like texture. Pyrite is less common, generally constituting less than 1% of the mineralized zone. The majority of the pyrite occurs within the diabase proximal to the vein margins. Fine-grained malachite and azurite commonly coat the weathered surfaces of both the veins and the diabase. Grab samples collected from the occurrence in 1989 by prospectors and submitted to the MNDM for analysis returned assay values which varies from nil to 0.003 ounce Au/ton, nil to 0.310 ounce Ag/ton and 0.029 to 5.75% Cu. Grab samples collected from the occurrence in 1991 by D. McKay for the OGS returned assay values which varied from nil to 0.014 ounce Au/ton, 0.03 to 3.48% Cu and 0.007 to 0.033% Zn.

Mineral Record Details

References

Map - Stevens-Kagiano Lake area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: P0362 Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1997

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Kagiano Lake sheet, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2140 Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1967

Author: Coates M.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

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 - Mineral Deposit Files, G. Gionet and A. Robinson Showing

Publication Number: Min Dep Date: 1970

Author: Weeks, R.

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Map - Caramat sheet, districts of Cochrane, Thunder Bay and Algoma, geological compilation series

Publication Number: P0551 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1997

Author: Innes D.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Caramat-Pagwa River sheet, geological compilation series, Algoma, Cochrane and Thunder Bay districts

Publication Number: M2202 Scale: 1:253,440    Date: 1971

Author: Innes D.G., Ayres L.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

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:

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