Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42E13SW00008

Record: MDI42E13SW00008

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Copper, Silver

Location

Township or Area: Pifher

Latitude: 49° 47' 52.23"    Longitude: -87° 49' 7.66"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 441074   Northing: 5516475.99    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 42E13SW

Point Location Description: Shaft location in AFRI 42E13SW0059

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: Access is via Highway 801 which runs northwest from a point on Highway 11 (the Trans-Canada Highway), 26 km east of Beardmore. A bush road turns south from Highway 801 at a point 21 km from Highway 11, and leads directly to the property, a distance of approximately 7 km.

Exploration History

1946: N. Smith found gold and staked claims covering the No. 1 vein. 1947: Green Lake Gold Mines conducted trenching and drilled 21 DDH. 1958-60: Chellew Gold Mines acquired the property. Martin-Sturgeon Syndicate optioned the ground from Chellew and conducted trenching, stripping, sampling and drilled 20 DDH totalling 1940 m. 1962: W. Brown optioned the ground and drilled holes. 1964: T. Christianson restaked the property. 1965: Christianson conducted bulk sampling. 1966-67: Crooked Green Creek Mine Ltd. drove an inclined shaft at 45 degrees to 38 ft and conducted diamond drilling and sampling. 1972: Algoma Development Co. acquired the property. 1981: Company name was changed to Northern Concentrators, who conducted seasonal small-scale mining operations. 1983: a joint venture of Great Western Petroleum Corp. and Anglo-Canadian Mining Corp. called Thunder Bay Joint Venture optioned part of the property from Northern Concentrators. 1984: Thunder Bay JV conducted bulk sampling. 1985: Thunder Bay JV conducted magnetic and VLF geophysical surveys, and diamond drilling on the No. 1 and 2 zones. 1987: mining operations were suspended. 1987-89: Parklane Tech conducted mapping and mag/VLF geophysical survesy, drilled 39 DDH mainly on the No. 2 vein, and took a 500 t bulk sample from the No. 2 vein. 1995-6: Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd. acquired the property and conducted sampling on the No. 2 vein pit, followed by a 10 ton bulk sample from the same site. 1997: Spruce Ridge conducted line cutting, magnetometer, VLF-EM, and IP geophysical surveys, a soil geochemistry survey, and trenching. 2001: Spruce Ridge drilled 23 DDH totalling 887 m.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wabigoon

Terrane: Eastern Wabigoon

Belt: Onaman-Tashota

Geological Age: Archean  

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Mar 18, 2016 (Therese Pettigrew) - The oldest rocks are banded to massive felsic metavolcanic flows and tuffs of rhyolite-dacite composition, which underlie the eastern half of the property. Overlying these are intermediate to mafic massive flows and minor intrusives. Fine-grained, crowded feldspar porphyries occur as irregular masses intruding older rocks, although they may be extrusive in part. One north-striking diabase dyke was noted in the southern part of the claims. Bedding attitudes are displayed only in banded rhyolite tuffs and where seen, predominant strikes are west-northwest with moderate to steep dips to the north. Major faults strike north-easterly, as exemplified by Forge Creek drainage and the alignment of Smith Lake (OFR5630).

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Mar 18, 2016 (B Nelson) - The following are some economic features of the occurrence (as of 1947): No. 1 zone had a weighted average of 1.32 oz/ton Au over 0.4 m. No. 2 zone: 9 D.D.H. intersected an average of 0.379 oz/ton Au over 1.4 m. One deeper hole intersected 0.5 m of 0.77 oz/ton Au. Crooked Green Creek Mine Ltd, in 1967, had results of 5.8 oz/ton Au and 3% Cu across 50.8 cm in a channel sample. A 170 ton bulk sample averaged 1.65 oz/ton Au, 0.44 oz/ton Ag and 1% Cu. The No. 2 Zone yielded chip samples of 2.36 oz/ton Au over 0.8 m. Chip samples by T. Christianson (1966) assayed 20.3 oz/ton Au over 0.9 m.

Mar 18, 2016 (Therese Pettigrew) - Three major mineralized zones occur on the property and are numbered 1, 2 and 4. Mineralization in all veins consists of chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and gold with minor sphalerite, pyrite, marcasite and hematite. The veins are typically coarse-grained, brecciated and smokey to blue-black. Sulphides can be very coarse and often are located in crushed quartz material surrounding larger quartz fragments. Gold is often free gold in the pyrrhotite or chalcopyrite. Chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and low gold values occur as jointing or fracture fillings in the host rock. Sulphide content ranges from 1 to 20%. Altered host rock that is incorporated in the veins can be altered to chlorite. The No. 1 zone vein, which has been the site of much of the exploration and development to date, is a sigmoidal, east-northeast-trending quartz vein cutting a feldspar porphyry hosted in dacite and minor rhyodacite. The vein dips 45 to 70 degrees S and is 0.3 to 0.6 m wide near the abandoned inclined shaft; to the west the vein dips 70 degrees and narrows to 5 cm. The No. 2 zone is located 459 m (1,500 feet) west of No. 1 vein, strikes east-west and has been traced for 70 feet (21.3 m). The No. 2 zone consists of a minimum of 3 veins and resembles the No. 1 vein in terms of texture and colour. The No. 2 zone is hosted by intercalated banded chert, rhyolite and andesite. During the summer of 1983, this occurrence was first opened up. Initially, two flat veins cut a third more steeply dipping vein, but after seven rounds of blasting and mucking, it was evident all three veins flattened to perhaps one vein. All veins are auriferous. Numerous discontinuous quartz lenses occur near the three veins (OFR5630). Sampling of the No. 2 vein by Spruce Ridge Resources in 1995 returned assays that ranged from 1.13 g/t Au to 45.35 g/t Au (AFRI 42E13SW2003).

Alteration Comments

Mar 18, 2016 (B Nelson) - Altered host rock that is incorporated in the veins can be altered to chlorite.

Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Dec 30, 1996

Geologist: B Nelson

Notes: The Beardmore-Geraldton Economic Geologist visited the occurrence July 14, 1981, July 1982, August 1982, June 21, 1983, July 7, 1983, Sept 20, 1983, Sept 27, 1983, October 24, 1983, June 5, 1984, June 12, 1984, July 20, 1984, August 7, 1984, August 28, 1984, October 11, 1984, and June 12, 1985.

References

Article - Gold mineralization in the Beardmore-Geraldton area

Publication Number: MP110.007 Page: 84-97  Date: 1997

Author: Mason J.K., McConnell C.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Gold occurrences, prospects, and deposits of the Beardmore-Geraldton area, districts of Thunder Bay and Cochrane

Publication Number: OFR5630 Page: 178-185  Date: 1986

Author: Mason J.K., White G.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Geological series, Precambrian geology, Pifher Township, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: P3078 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1988

Author: Kresz D.U., Zayachivsky B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Sturgeon River gold area, District of Thunder Bay, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM45A Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1998

Author: Bruce E.L., Laird H.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - The western part of the Sturgeon River area (Sturgeon R.-Beardmore section)

Publication Number: ARV45-02.002 Page: 60-117  Date: 1998

Author: Laird H.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Tashota-Geraldton sheet, geological compilation series, Thunder Bay and Cochrane districts

Publication Number: M2102 Date: 1997

Author: Pye E.G., Harris F.R., Fenwick K.G., Baillie J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Conglomerate Lake area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R197 Date: 1980

Author: Amukun S.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Compend - Report of activities, 1983, Regional and Resident Geologists

Publication Number: MP117 Page: 47-106  Date: 1984

Author: Kustra C.R.

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