Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42E12NE00014

Record: MDI42E12NE00014

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Silver

Location

Township or Area: Vincent

Latitude: 49° 37' 57.5"    Longitude: -87° 44' 18.35"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 446677   Northing: 5498049    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 42E12NE, 42E12NW

Point Location Description: Vega South and North zones from Assessment report 20000005654

Location Method: Data Compilation

Exploration History

The discovery of gold-bearing quartz veins in the Beardmore area resulted in a staking rush and the first significant prospecting over Vincent and McComber townships in 1927. 1936: Vega Gold Mines Limited first conducted detailed trenching and sampling. 1973-74: Tombill Mines Ltd. completed a very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF–EM) survey, soil sampling and a 20-hole, 2352 m diamond-drilling program on both the Craskie and Vega properties (A. Hopkins was the owner of the Vega claims during this period). Twelve holes were drilled along the 2 Vega iron formation zones: No. 1 (South) and the No. 2 (North). The remaining holes were drilled on the eastern strike extension of the Vega South and North zones on the Craskie property. Mining claims covering the 2 Vega zones were held by other parties between 1978 and 1981, during which time an additional 14 diamond-drill holes were completed. In 1983, Tombill Mines (through its subsidiary Craskie Mines Limited) optioned the Vega ground from Tenacity Mining Corporation Ltd. and collected samples from a number of trenches for heap-leach testing. The claims were returned to Tenacity in 1986. During the 1980s, the 2 Vega zones were exposed by stripping for over 200 m. 1994: the property was optioned by Harte Resources Corp. 1997: Harte Resources carried out line cutting, a magnetometer survey, stripping, sampling, and drilled 2 DDH totalling 264.9 m. 2006: property staked by Beardmore prospectors N. Cox and M. Nelson, who carried out prospecting and sampling. 2007: M. Nelson brushed out old trails, trenching, and sampling. 2009: property optioned to TLC Explorations Inc. 2010: TLC Explorations and Avantel Minerals carried out an integrated exploration program, involving detailed prospecting, mapping, sampling, VLF–EM and magnetometer surveys, and approximately 360 m of diamond drilling in 9 DDH.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wabigoon

Belt: Beardmore-Geraldton

Geological Age: Archean  

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Jun 08, 2021 (Therese Pettigrew) - The Vega property is underlain by ENE-striking, steeply north-dipping metavolcanic rocks, mainly mafic flows interbedded with interflow sedimentary units (mostly greywackes with occasional arkoses) and iron formations. The iron formations are typical of the area and include chert-magnetite chemical metasediments and what appear to be clastic metasediments with magnetite grains in an argillitic matrix. There are also intermediate varieties that appear to have been formed by both chemical and clastic sedimentary processes. Small sills and plugs of quartz- and quartz-feldspar-porphyry are present (Assessment report 20000005654).

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Jun 08, 2021 (Robert Cundari) - Thunder Bay North District Resident Geologist program indicated that the highest gold values occur in discrete quartz veins either crosscutting or occupying parallel fractures within iron formation (Bowdidge 2010). The presence of finer grained, disseminated arsenopyrite within these quartz veins also correlates with the highest gold assays. Nine holes, totalling 357 m, were drilled on the central portion of the Vega South and North zones in 2010 by joint venture partners TLC Explorations Inc. and Advantel Minerals (Canada) Ltd. Core sample assay results indicated that the better values are found in the South zone where hole V10-01 returned 5.88 g/t Au over 2.02 m and hole V10-08 returned 4.57 g/t Au over 2.90 m (Bowdidge 2010). Bowdidge (2010) indicated that future drilling will concentrate on the South zone at deeper levels and along strike to the east, where the best potential for building an economic resource exists. A grab sample collected by Resident Geologist staff from a recrystallized quartz vein containing arsenopyrite in the Vega South iron formation returned a value of 1.16 ounces gold per ton (Resident Geologist’s Files, Thunder Bay North District, Thunder Bay). Other grab sample results ranged from <0.01 to 0.48 ounce gold per ton (Resident Geologist’s Files, Thunder Bay North District, Thunder Bay). The host mafic metavolcanic rocks, as observed at the Vega zones and in showings to the north, primarily consist of massive to coarse-grained tuffs and flows and locally pillowed flows. In places, the mafic metavolcanic rocks are strongly sheared and contain a stockwork of crosscutting and parallel quartz veining with prominent rusty iron carbonate alteration. Gold is sometimes present where these vein systems host arsenopyrite. Dikes and lenses of quartz-feldspar porphyry, 0.5 to 1.5 m wide, were also noted. Gold mineralization is also locally associated with sulphide (arsenopyrite-) bearing porphyry that cuts the iron formation (Bowdidge 2010).

Jun 08, 2021 (Therese Pettigrew) - Mineralization in the Vega zones is typical of the southern volcanic belt of the Beardmore-Geraldton greenstone domain. Iron formations with a variable sulphide content (pyrite and/or pyrrhotite) carry usually low gold values. The higher grades of gold always seem to be found in discrete quartz veins, usually with disseminated arsenopyrite. Arsenopyrite seems to favour the contacts of the quartz veins. Free gold is occasionally observed in trenches, but has not been seen to date in drill core (Assessment report 20000005654). DDH 74-1 returned up to 0.12 oz/t Ag over 2 feet (4.11 g/t Ag over 0.61 m). DDH 74-2 returned up to 0.15 oz/t Ag over 5 feet (5.14 g/t Ag over 1.52 m). DDH 74-3 returned up to 0.26 oz/t Ag over 0.9 feet (8.91 g/t Au over 0.27 m) from a mixture of quartz and metadiorite with scattered pyrite and pyrrhotite (Assessment report 42E12NE0223). In 1997, the Vega No. 1 was excavated and exposed for a continual distance of 1,391 feet (421.5 metres). The westerly extent of the Vega No. 1 has been determined; however, it was excavated to the furthest easterly extent before dropping over a 100 foot cliff. Chip samples were taken at regular 30 to 50 foot intervals across and along the entire length of the zone. The average width of the Vega No. 1 is 4.6 feet (1.39 metres) with an average grade of 0.144 oz/ton (4.93 g/tonne). The Vega No. 2 lies approximately 75 to 100 feet north of the Vega No. 1 and it was excavated for a continual distance of 2,100 feet (636.36 metres). The westerly extension of the Vega No. 2 occurs in deep overburden of sand and varved clay. The easterly extent of the zone has yet to be excavated and completed. The average width of the zone is 7.04 feet (2.13 metres) with an average grade of 0.085 oz/ton (2.91 g/t Au) (Assessment report 42E12NE0239). DDH 97-2 returned 4.42 g/t Au over 2.6 m including 5.73 g/t Au over 0.9 m from an iron formation with quartz-carbonate veinlets well mineralized with veinlets of pyrrhotite (10%), disseminated pyrite (1%), arsenopyrite (1%), and magnetite (1%) (Assessment report 42E12NE0239). Chip and grab samples taken in 1997 returned up to 56.985 g/t Au (Assessment report 20000002697).

Mineral Record Details

References

Mono - Report of Activities 2010, Resident Geologist Program, Thunder Bay North Regional Resident Geologist Report: Thunder Bay North District

Publication Number: OFR6262 Page: 31-33  Date: 2011

Author: Smyk M.C., White G.D., Lockwood H.C., Bennett N.A.

Publisher Name:

Location:

File - Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files

Publication Number: Min Dep Date: 1996

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

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Ministry Contact Information

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