Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42J02NW00003

Record: MDI42J02NW00003

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Clay, Silica Sand

Secondary Commodities: Lignite

Location

Township or Area: McBrien

Latitude: 50° 12' 48.37"    Longitude: -82° 58' 43.59"

UTM Zone: 17    Easting: 358820.88   Northing: 5564235.7    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Timmins

NTS Grid: 42J02NW

Point Location Description: Collar of Algocen Becker hole PB-2

Location Method: Data Compilation

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 on bend of Pivabiska River, 3km northwest of Algocen #1 deposit, which is approximately 64km west of Smoky Falls and could 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 under a Land Tenure Withdrawal for both surface and mineral rights.

Exploration History

1926-72: Ontario Dept. of Mines: Reconnaissance survey of rivers, 4 test holes, fire test of samples (AR Vol 37-6) Algocen Mines Limited ELO No. 13788 (T-1303), data compilation, reconnaissance mapping, prospecting, sampling, trenching, pitting, auger holes, bulk sampling (2 tons), line-cutting, aerial photography/photogrammetric study, auger drilling (4 holes, 424ft), compilation and aerial photographic analysis of full Cretaceous Basin ; ongoing material analyses and beneficiation studies (Ontario Research Foundation).

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) - The earliest reference (1928) describes the occurrence as: a deposit of mottled fire clay and silica sand on the south bank of the Wabiskagami (Pivabiska) River; the outcrop of fireclay extending 500 feet along the bank and the silica sand at least an eighth of a mile. General description, Algocen #1 and #2 deposit: The silica sand-kaolin material exposed at surface exhibits prominent 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 persistent 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. Paleozoic bedrock was not reached by any of the Algocen drilling.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Mar 21, 2014 (D Draper) - After extensive examination of occurrence in 1966, Algocen considered their No. 2 Deposit to be of excellent quality and much higher in kaolin content than the No. 1 Deposit. Three of the Becker/auger holes drilled in on the site in 1970 intersected from 8 to 121feet of Cretaceous sediments, the best being hole PB-2 (collared nearest to river) which cut alternating zones of clay and silica sand/kaolin, with the sand/kaolin portion comprising over 70 feet of the sediments.

Mineral Record Details

References

File - Resident Geologist files 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:

Publication - Silica-Kaolin Deposits of Algocen Mines Limited; CIMM Bulletin Vol. 63, no. 699

Publication Number: CIMM v.63 Page: 800-805  Date: 1970

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

Publisher Name: Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum

Location: Timmins RGP 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: 185  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 - Fire clay, kaolin, and silica sand deposits of the Mattagami and Missinaibi rivers

Publication Number: ARV37-06.003 Page: 82, 102-4, 118  Date: 1998

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Timmins Resident Geologist District Office