Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42J02NW00002

Record: MDI42J02NW00002

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Clay, Silica Sand

Secondary Commodities: Lignite, Gold

Location

Township or Area: McBrien

Latitude: 50° 10' 43.8"    Longitude: -82° 57' 39.59"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 359988.06   Northing: 5560355.15    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Timmins

NTS Grid: 42J02NW

Point Location Description: original discovery hole ANL MRA-8 on south bank of Missinaibi R. (Curran Bend)

Location Method: Based on Assessment

Access Description: Highway 807 north from Smooth Rock Falls on Highway 11 to Smoky Falls on the Mattagami River, Harmon Twp. An all-weather road runs north to the Kipling Dam, and a winter road, constructed in 1975, continues north from the dam, providing access across the centre of the Moose River Basin. Algocen also completed a winter road to provide access to the western portion of the Basin. Deposit situated approximately 64km west of Smoky Falls (approx. 80km northeast of Hearst) and could originally also be reached: by canoe down the Missinaibi River, 100km north of the town of Mattice on Highway 11; by helicopter or pontoon/ski-equipped aircraft from Remi Lake or Kapuskasing NOTE: Site is now located within Missinaibi Provincial Park and under a Land Tenure Withdrawal for both surface and mineral rights.

Exploration History

1891: Ontario Department of Mines - Initial discovery. 1926: Ontario Department of Mines-Reconnaissance survey of rivers, 13 test holes, sampling, analyses. 1933: Ontario Department of Mines- Auger drilling and sampling. 1959-60, American Nepheline Limited - Ventures Limited - Shoreline surveys, auger drilling, sampling. 1962: F.R. Joubin and Associates - Field examination, sampling and analyses. 1963-72: Mineral Processing Division, Can. Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys- Evaluation and analyses of Joubin samples (IR 63-83 and IR 63-85) Algocen Mines Limited; Preliminary data compilation; reconnaissance mapping; base camp setup; line-cutting; detailed prospecting; auger drilling (29 holes); 7 trenches; 6 tons total of bulk sampling ; field investigations; photo-mapping; trenching; auger holes; sampling (12 bulk samples in 1967); winter camp construction;Road construction; Becker drilling (30 holes, 4522ft total); aerial photography/photogrammetric study; auger drilling (10 holes, 1826ft); 7 test pits; 340 tons of bulk samples; gravel sampling for gold; Becker drilling (9 holes, 1342ft); surveying; Production and pipeline transport feasibility studies; Geological data compilation and aerial photographic analysis of full Cretaceous Basin. 1973: Algocen was granted Mining Lease 102884 (mining rights only): Inability to successfully prove up the economic viability of the deposit plus the expansion of the Missinaibi River Park Reserve in 1976, with subsequent restrictions on land use and access, led to the companies decision to allow the lease to lapse in 1990. Final project summary reports on file are dated 1988.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Paleozoic and Mesozoic Basins

Subprovince: Moose River Basin

Geological Age: Mesozoic   Geochronological Age: Cretaceous   

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (D Draper) - The Moose River basin is underlain almost entirely by Paleozoic sediments consisting of Silurian to Devonian sandstones, limestone, dolomite and shales. This basin is bordered on the south by a low Precambrian escarpment and on the north by Hudson Bay. Erosion along rivers within the basin cuts through the mantle of recent glacial till and unconsolidated sediments to expose clays and sands of Cretaceous age. Rock outcrop is entirely lacking throughout Algocen's exploratory licence of occupation area.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Oct 23, 2014 (D Draper) - Light coloured silica sand and fireclay was observed to extend for a half mile along the south shore and as much as 65ft above water level, containing a continuous bed of quartz sand more than 50ft thick. This bed was overlain by 6-10ft of white and mottled red fireclay. A second bed of fireclay appeared to underlie the silica sand at water level. American Nepheline auger hole MRA-8 was collared in Cretaceous outcrop, cut initial foot of mauve coloured fireclay and then 56 feet of silica sand with low kaolin content. Joubin and Assoc. field examination in 1962 found the occurrence to be larger than had previously been recorded, extending 5500ft in length by 700-800ft in width, with an inferred thickness of 150ft. This resulted in an initial resource estimate of 45 million tons. The silica sand-kaolin material exposed at surface exhibits prominant bedding and cross-bedding features. Deposit thickness was indicated by drilling to be in excess of 168ft and contains three marker horizons of fireclay. These bands were persistant throughout the deposit, and consisted of very plastic, smooth and dense, predominantly red and mottled grey clay, although a variety of colours occurred in streaks. Kaolin content within the sand fraction varied from 3 to 50%, averaging 10-20%. Kaolin enriched zones were locally associated with the fireclay. One zone of 90% kaolin in excess of 6 feet was encountered in drilling. Paleozoic bedrock was not reached by any of the Algocen drilling.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Oct 23, 2014 (D Draper) - Material testing by Algocen Mines Ltd. indicated the presence of glass sand (over 90% of material),filler grade kaolinite clay (comprising 6 to 8% of the deposit) and fireclay. Low water levels in the fall of 1967 led to the discovery that the silica sand/clay/kaolin horizon continued on the north side of the Missinaibi River. The deposit consists of poorly sorted angular grains of clear quartz, loosely cemented together by 5-10% kaolinite clay. Lenses of kaolin-rich material with kaolin content up to 50% occur throughout the deposit. Benefication of the silica sand yielded a glass sand (-20+140) portion of 56% with: SiO2 99.73%; Alumina 0.1%; Lime 0.03%; and an Fe2O3 content in the 0.01 to 0.015% range. This was considered to compare well with standard chemical requirements for commercial glass sands. Analyses of Joubin clay and sand samples can be found in Can. Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys, Mines Branch reports IR 63-83 and IR 63-85. Results of a chemical analysis of unprocessed -325 mesh kaolin-silica mixtures can be found in MNR IMBP 5, p. 55; analyses of silica sand composition in MP 85. A panned sample of the river gravels taken in July, 1967 returned 0.02 opt gold. In 1969-70, Algocen followed up with assays of further gravel samples from Missinaibi River. Best result of this later sampling was 0.23 cents/cubic yard (= roughly 0.006 opt at 1970 gold value).

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Rank: 1       Structure Type: Paleo-Surface

References

File - Resident Geologist files T-0723, T-1303

Publication Number: Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Timmins RGP office

Map - Little Long Rapids sheet, District of Cochrane, geological compilation series

Publication Number: P0396 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1997

Author: Bennett G., Brown D.D., George P.T.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Moose River Basin, District of Cochrane, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM37P Scale: 1:506,880    Date: 1997

Author: Dyer W.S.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Book - Silica-Kaolin Deposits of Algocen Mines Limited, p.800-805

Publication Number: Bull63-V699 Date: 1970

Author: D.E. Smith and M.K. Murthy

Publisher Name: CIMM

Location: Timmins RGO Tech Paper File

Mono - Economic geology of the Cretaceous deposits, Moose River Basin, Ontario, general appraisal

Publication Number: OFR5157 Page: 52-55  Date: 1975

Author: Vos M.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Compend - Mesozoic geology and mineral potential of the Moose River Basin

Publication Number: S021 Page: 184  Date: 1982

Author: Telford P.G., Verma H.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Industrial minerals of northern Ontario

Publication Number: MDC026 Page: 121  Date: 1985

Author: Vos M.A., Abolins T., McKnight R.L.W., Smith V.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Part - Economic resources of Moose River Basin

Publication Number: ARV13-01.009 Page: 160  Date: 1998

Author: Bell J.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Bureau of Mines

Location:

Publication - The Mesozoic and Pleistocene deposits of the lower Missinaibi, Opazatika, and Mattagami rivers, Ontario; Geological Survey of Canada, Summary Report 1926, pt. C

Publication Number: GSC SumRep1926C Page: 21  Date: 1927

Author: McLearn, F.H.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/102094

Part - Fire clay, kaolin, and silica sand deposits of the Mattagami and Missinaibi rivers

Publication Number: ARV37-06.003 Page: 98-102, 117-18  Date: 1998

Author: Montgomery R.J., Watson R.J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - Refractory clay deposits on the Missinaibi River

Publication Number: ARV42-03.004 Page: 97  Date: 1997

Author: Crozier A.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Uranium and thorium deposits of northern Ontario

Publication Number: MDC025 Page: 90-91  Date: 1984

Author: Robertson J.A., Gould K.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Book - The Geology of Industrial Minerals in Canada, p.113-16

Publication Number: CIM SV#29 Date: 1984

Author: G.R. Guillet and W. Martin

Publisher Name: CIM

Location: Timmins RGO

Mono - Bore hole mining of silica sand and kaolinite clay in the James Bay Lowlands, Ontario; feasibility and cost analysis

Publication Number: OFR5427 Date: 1983

Author: Derry, Michener, Booth and Wahl, IMD Laboratories Ltd

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Fossil fuel program, Moose River Basin drilling project, District of Cochrane

Publication Number: OFR5276 Page: 55-56  Date: 1979

Author: Guillet G.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Silica in Ontario, industrial minerals supplement

Publication Number: MP085 Page: 19-21  Date: 1981

Author: Vos M.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Publication - Mesozoic Deposits of Hudson Bay and Coal Deposits of Onakawana Area; Geological Survey of Canada, Paper no. 75-13

Publication Number: Paper 75-13 Page: 20-21  Date: 1978

Author: Price, L.L.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/103384

Mono - Ontario and the mineral filler industry

Publication Number: IMBP005 Page: 54, 102  Date: 1997

Author: Guillet G.R., Kriens J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Location:

Book - Industrial Mineral Resources of the North Clay Belt

Publication Number: REPORT Page: 37, 83  Date: 1985

Author: G.R Guillet

Publisher Name: North Clay Belt Development Association

Location: Timmins RGO

Book - Evaluation & Mineralogical Compositions of Clays...

Publication Number: IR 63-85 Date: 1963

Author: Brady, Buchanan, Bell and Mercier

Publisher Name: Canada Department of Mines

Location: Timmins RGO

Book - An Investigation of Sand From the Missinaibi River Area

Publication Number: IR 63-83 Date: 1963

Author: R.K. Collings

Publisher Name: Canada Department of Mines

Location: Timmins RGO

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