Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42F04SE00009

Record: MDI42F04SE00009

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Copper, Nickel

Secondary Commodities: Zinc, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, Gold

Location

Township or Area: Cecil

Latitude: 49° 4' 18.36"    Longitude: -85° 36' 58.06"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 601073   Northing: 5436356    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42F04SE

Point Location Description: Large stripped area

Location Method: Field Visit

Access Description: The Faries Lake copper occurrence is located in Cecil Township approximately 16.25 km east-southeast of Manitouwadge and 500 m east of the north end of Faries Lake. The occurrence is accessible via motor vehicle followed by travel on foot. From Manitouwadge, proceed east along the Camp 70 logging road for approximately 4.25 km to the Twist Lake road. Proceed south and east along the Twist Lake road for approximately 17 km to an unnamed, secondary logging road located approximately 100 m south of a small creek which flows into the north end of Faries Lake. The occurrence is exposed in a large stripped area located just south and approximately 100 m west of the intersection between the Twist Lake road and this unnamed, secondary logging road. Although some sulphides are exposed on surface, the best mineralization occurs at depth and was discovered by diamond drilling.

Exploration History

1964-1965: Geological mapping; V.G. Milne (ODM). 1967: Geological maping; J. F. Giguere (ODM). 1978: Regional lake sediment and water geochemical survey; GSC-MNR. 1987: Geological mapping, stripping, lithogeochemical sampling, diamond drilling (16 holes totalling 4212 m); Noranda Minerals Inc. (Geco Division). Drill hole S-331 intersected a narrow iron formation which contained up to 0.83% Cu and 0.02% Zn over 3.5 feet. 1988: Reconnaissance-scale geological mapping and lithogeochemical sampling; Noranda Minerals Inc. (Geco Division). 1989: Geological mapping; H. Williams and F. Breaks (OGS). Dighem airborne geophysical survey (EM, MAG, VLF-EM); Noranda Exploration Company, Limited and Noranda Minerals Inc. (Geco Division). 1990: Geological mapping; D. Nicol (Lakehead University). 1991: Reconnaissance till sampling program; I.M. Kettles (GSC). Samples collected in the vicinity of the occurrence contained anomalous amounts (up to 352 ppm) of Cu. 1992: The property was examined (but not sampled) by D.B Mckay (OGS). 2002: M. and G. Gionet carried out trenching and sampling. 2003: G. Gionet carried out beep-mat surveys and sampling. Platinum Group Metals optioned the property in December and carried out line-cutting, HLEM and mag surveys, and drilled 5 DDH totalling 244.4 m. 2006-7: G. Gionet carried out trenching. 2012: White Metal Resources Corp. conducted prospecting and sampling. 2014: White Metal carried out soil sampling.

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 occurrence is located within the Wawa subprovince and is underlain primarily by a variably deformed and altered sequence of mafic and intermediate metavolcanic rocks, oxide-facies iron formation (which hosts the copper mineralization) and various mafic intrusive rocks (primarily anorthositic gabbro) of the Faries Lake-Moshkinabi Lake layered intrusive complex (Williams and Breaks 1989, 1990). The supracrustral rocks in this area may comprise a portion of the eastward extension of the Manitouwadge greenstone belt (Williams and Breaks 1989, 1990; Nicol 1991). The dominant foliation in the vicinity of the occurrence strikes approximately 330 and dips 36 to the east (Nicol 1991). Mineral assemblages indicate the supracrustal rocks have experienced upper amphibolite facies-grade regional metamorphism (Williams and Breaks 1990). The supracrustal rocks have undergone multiple episodes of deformation. Two generations of coaxial folding have resulted in the development of complex fold interference patterns (Nicol 1991). These folds are thought to have developed in response to regional low angle thrusting and nappe development (Nicol 1991). Lithologic repetition observed in drill core may be attributable, at least in part, to this deformation. Few primary structures are preserved within the rocks in the vicinity of the occurrence. As a consequence, the stratigraphy is not clearly understood. Anorthositic rocks of the Faries Lake- Moshkinabi Lake layered intrusive complex structurally overlie the metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks in the area Williams and Breaks 1990).

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The occurrence consists of sulphide mineralization hosted within complexly deformed, banded, strongly magnetic, oxide-facies iron formation. Although the iron formation exposed on surface is typically narrow (less than 2 m wide), one of the Noranda drill hole (S-324) intersected over 29 m of relatively continuous, highly contorted iron formation (assessment files, Schreiber-Hemlo District, Thunder Bay). The degree to which this iron formation may have been tectonically thickened is not known.

Nov 01, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - The Faries Lake copper-nickel occurrence is hosted by hornblende-biotite-quartz-feldspar gneiss that may represent a highly deformed and metamorphosed anorthositic metagabbro of the Faries Lake–Moshkinabi Lake Complex. The copper-nickel occurrence is hosted by an intensely gossaned zone exhibiting narrow, discontinuous seams of remobilized chalcopyrite along fractures planes, as well as massive sections of subhedral, medium-grained pyrite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite (Campbell et al., 2012).

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - The iron formation locally contains up to 20% pyrrhotite and pyrite, and 2 to 3% chalcopyrite. The sulphides typically occur in narrow bands and stringers. Assay results of up to 0.68% Cu and 0.02% Zn over 2.1 m were obtained from core (hole S-331) drilled by Noranda Inc. (Geco Division) in 1987. The economic potential of the Faries Lake copper occurrence is limited by the generally narrow width and overall low metal content of the mineralized iron formation hosting the sulphide mineralization.

Nov 01, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - The Faries Lake occurrence (McKay 1994) was drilled by Noranda in 1987; 0.83% copper and 0.02% zinc were intersected over 3.5 feet, associated with narrow iron formation. Beep Mat prospecting by G. and M. Gionet in 2002, 2003 and 2004 discovered several new sulphide occurrences to the south of the known Faries Lake copper occurrences. The sulphide zones are exposed over a 400 m strike length and are associated with felsic metavolcanics, iron formation, gabbro, bladed gneiss and tonalite. One sulphide zone up to 3 m wide was observed hosted in a banded, cherty, siliceous unit, containing magnetite (lean iron formation). The sulphide zone strikes 110° and chalcopyrite stringers strike 198°. A prominent mineral lineation was measured at (280/44N). The sulphides appear to be remobilized and crosscut the host rocks and the lean iron formation. Sample 04-BFL-01 (UTM Zone 16, 600918E, 5436612N NAD83) was a chip sample taken across 2 m of the magnetic, sulphide zone and assayed 2760 ppm copper, 574 ppm nickel, 52 ppm zinc, 21 ppb palladium, 3 ppb platinum, 20 ppb gold and 5 ppm silver. A second trenched area on the west side of a swamp exposed a 3 m wide sulphide zone again associated with banded oxide facies, iron formation. The copper-rich zone strikes 172° and dips 45° E. A grab sample (04-BFL-02) of the chalcopyrite-rich zone was collected and assayed 6.66% copper, 258 ppm nickel, 445 ppm zinc, 30 ppb palladium, 3 ppb platinum, 68 ppb gold and 18 ppm silver. A second sample (04-BFL-03) of the pyrrhotite-rich zone assayed 7940 ppm copper, 1760 ppm nickel, 52 ppm zinc, 113 ppb palladium, 5 ppb platinum, and nil gold (Schnieders et al., 2005). DDH FL03-01 intersected a 3.0 m thick exhalative package with 25-160 cm thick bands of massive to semi-massive pyrrhotite-rich sulphides separated by narrow bands of fine-grained, chlorite-rich tuff. Assays returned 1.7% Cu, 4.9 ppm Ag and 171 ppb Pt+Pd+Au over 30 cm. Overall, this hole returned 0.37% Cu over 3.55 m. DDH FL03-03 encountered iron formation at the top of the exhalative package. A thin, silicified felsic tuff or chert horizon separates the iron formation from the exhalative package which is 3.6 metres thick but interrupted by a 1.6 m thick mafic dyke. A 45 cm interval above the dyke returned 1.45% Cu, 2.8 ppm Ag and 170 ppb Pt+Pd+Au. The footwall to the mineralized horizon appears similar to that in holes -01 and -02 with disseminated sulphide mineralization common. In DDH FL03-04, the exhalative horizon is 2.4 metres thick but cut by a 50 cm thick felsic dyke. In this hole a 70 cm band of chert rests atop pyritic massive sulphide which returned 901 ppb Pt+Pd+Au over 1.00 m (Assessment report 42F04SE2013). Sample 00-BGG-18 returned 41,235 ppm Cu, 220 ppm Ni, 52.45 ppb Au, 36.26 ppb Pd, and 174 ppm Zn (Assessment report 42F04SE2003). Samples collected in 2012 returned upt o 2.64% Cu, 0.172% Ni, 261 ppb Pt, 195 ppb Pd, 35 ppb Au from brecciated massive sulphide pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite mix between iron formation and gabbro (Assessment report 20000008182). Samples collected in 2011 by OGS staff returned up to 18.335 ppm Cu and 1718 ppm Ni (Campbell et al., 2012).

Alteration Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D McKay) - Alteration of the mafic metavolcanic rocks is manifested by a general bleaching and the redistribution of amphibole into veins. Alteration of the more felsic metavolcanic rocks has involved redistribution of mafic material into rims surrounding original clasts and into veins (Williams and Breaks 1990).

Mineral Record Details

References

File - Schreiber-Hemlo Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files

Publication Number: Min Dep Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Map - Geology of the Manitouwadge-Hornepayne area

Publication Number: OFM0142 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 1990

Author: Williams H.R., Breaks F.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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

Publication Number: OFR5906 Page: 344-348  Date: 1994

Author: McKay D.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Thesis - The Deformation of Layered Rocks near the Wawa-Quetico Subprovince Boundary

Publication Number: MSc Thesis Date: 1991

Author: Nicol, D.L.

Publisher Name: Lakehead University

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Mono - Report of Activities 2004, Resident Geologist Program, Thunder Bay South Regional Resident Geologist Report: Thunder Bay South District

Publication Number: OFR6148 Page: 23  Date: 2005

Author: Schnieders B.R., Scott J.F., Magee M.A., Muir T.L., Komar C.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Report of Activities 2011, Resident Geologist Program, Thunder Bay South Regional Resident Geologist Report: Thunder Bay South District

Publication Number: OFR6273 Page: 36-10  Date: 2012

Author: Campbell D.A., Scott J.F., Cooke A., Brunelle M.R., Lockwood H.C., Wilson A.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Article - Geological studies in the Manitouwadge-Hornpayne area

Publication Number: MP146.014 Page: 79-91  Date: 1997

Author: Williams H.R., Breaks F.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Article - Geological studies in the Manitouwadge-Hornepayne region

Publication Number: MP151.006 Page: 41-47  Date: 1997

Author: Williams H.R., Breaks F.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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