Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record:
MDI42J07NE00004
| Record Name(s) | Algocen No.3 - 1972, Little Soweska - 1970, Price Location 13 - 1978, Crozier Location C - 1933 |
|---|---|
| Related Record Type | Simple |
| Related Record(s) | |
| Record Status | Occurrence |
| Date Created | 1985-Jun-04 |
| Date Last Modified | 2022-Oct-07 |
| Created By | |
| Revised By |
Primary Commodities: Clay, Silica Sand
Secondary Commodities: Lignite, Peat, Uranium
Township or Area: Habel
Latitude: 50° 23' 8.17" Longitude: -82° 35' 54.42"
UTM Zone: 17 Easting: 386365.35 Northing: 5582726.59 UTM Datum: NAD83
Resident Geologist District: Timmins
NTS Grid: 42J07NE
Point Location Description: Mouth of the Little Soweska River
Location Method: Data Compilation
Access Description: Occurrences have been noted along both banks of Missinaibi River near mouths of both Soweska tributaries, with many being in vicinity of the Little Soweska. Note: Site is now located within Missinaibi Provincial Park and under a Land Tenure Withdrawal for both surface and mineral rights.
1877, Geol. Survey of Canada: First field examination of locality (GSC Rept of Progress 1877-78, pt. C) 1903, Ont. Bureau of MInes: Reconnaissance survey for lignite (AR 13) 1926, GSC/ODM joint field party: Peat sampled and analyzed (GSC Sum. Rept 1926C) 1933: Ont. Dept. of Mines: test pitting and analyses of clay (ODM AR 42-3) 1959, American Nepheline Limited - Ventures Limited: River reconnaissance survey; 2 auger holes (MRA 26 and 26A); sampling (AF T-694) Algocen Mines Limited ELO No. 13788 (T-1303): 1966: Geological survey, auger drilling, sampling, analyses (AFO# 83.1-44) 1967: Auger drilling, sampling, analyses (along both Soweska and Little Soweska) 1968: Aerial photography/photogrammetric study 1972: Geological data compilation and aerial photographic analysis (conducted by Cartographic Services) of full Cretaceous Basin 1974, Geol. Survey of Canada: Data compilation, field examination? (unclear in report if new field work was done) (GSC Paper 75-13).
| Office File Number | Online Assessment File Identifier | Online Assessment File Directory |
|---|---|---|
| T-0694/ donation | 42J08NW8078 | 42J08NW8078 |
Province: Paleozoic and Mesozoic Basins
Subprovince: Moose River Basin
Geological Age: Mesozoic Geochronological Age: Lower Cretaceous Geochron. Age Ref.: SMDR 000139
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.
| Rock Type | Rank | Composition | Texture | Relationship | Lignite | 1 | Is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand | 2 | Silica Sand | Is | |
| Clay | 3 | Kaolin | Is | |
| Clay | 4 | Fireclay | Host |
Dec 07, 2005 (D Draper) - Unconsolidated quartz sands and kaolin clays of Cretaceous age contain thin beds of lignite and three more of less uniformly continuous bands of fireclay. Tests have indicated the presence of glass sand and filler-grade kaolin clay. (OGS MDC 26, p.122) Holes drilled by American Nepheline (MRA 26 and 26A) near mouth of Little Soweska River cut over 40ft of silica sand (T-694; GSC Paper 75-13, p.22). On the north bank of the Missinaibi, 1400feet downstream from Soweska River, Crozier (1933) observed grey-white silica sand with bands of grey-brown plastic clay outcropping above water-level for 250 feet. One extensive exposure of silica sand had a thickness of 25 feet above water-level. However the 4 exposures that were tested by pits proved to be low in kaolin and badly iron-stained. One test pit on Crozier's Exposure No. 1 did cut 4 ft of cream and grey-white silica sand with some kaolin. (ODM AR Vol. 42-3, p.96-97) A zone of Pleistocene interglacial peat and carbonaceous silt was noted near the mouth of the Little Soweska River as early as 1878 by GSC personnel. The unit varies between 3 and 5 feet over 200ft of exposure. It was reported that 6 feet was exposed at the time of R. Bell's initial discovery, but this was subsequently obscured by bank slide. (GSC Sum. Rept. 1926-C, p.43c) The 1903 OBM survey noted 2 lignite beds on the south bank of the Missinaibi in the vicinity of the mouths of the Soweska and Little Soweska rivers. The one nearest the mouth of Little Soweska was described by J.M.Bell as having a maximum thickness of 3.5ft and traceable for at least 600ft. Q: The vegetable nature of this lignite is very apparent and it may more correctly be called a peat. (OBM AR Vol.13, p.162).
| Rank | Mineral Name | Class | Economic Mineral Type | Alteration Mineral Type | Alteration Ranking | Alteration Intensity | Alteration Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clay | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 2 | Kaolin | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 3 | Quartz | Economic | Ore |
Dec 07, 2005 (D Draper) - A clay sample taken by Crozier from a pit at Exposure No. 1 fired to Cone 33. (ODM AR 42-3, p.97) This result was replicated by Algocen in 1967 in a clay sample taken from the north bank of the Missinaibi approx 3/4 mile to the east: Sample NM-67-993 had a PCE of 32 1/2+, with the material showing promise for use as a high-heat duty refractory. (T-1303, letter by J.G. Brady, Head, Ceramic Section, DEMR to Norman Ursel, Jan. 8, 1968; DEMR Test Report, L.K. Zemgals, Feb. 14, 1968)) Algocen reconnaissance sampling in 1966 reported that [Q] the percentage of kaolin in the vicinity of the Little Soweska was guite high [endQ] becoming heavier at depth. 1967 field work sampled a zone of blue-grey, very pliable fireclay 5 feet thick by 220 yards long just to the west of the mouth of Little Soweska; this zone also occurred to the east of the river in a 100 foot thick layer (source of sample NM-67-993). Also on the the Little Soweska, within a half mile of the Missinaibi, 2 good exposures of silica sand were noted: the furthest west was 15ft thick by 50ft long; the eastern one, between 5 to 10 ft high by 300ft long. Samples from these sites yielded a quartz fraction of from 88.5% to 91.4%, and a clay (kaolin) fraction of 8.6% to 11.5%. Algocen reported encountering mild radioactivity in lignite samples collected during their 1966 program. Assay of lignite ash from sample NM66-946 (collected from bank of Missinaibi opposite to mouth of Little Soweska River, approx. 400m east of it) returned: 0.01% U3O8, 0.01% ThO2 and 0.01% Yttrium. (AF T-1303; SMDR 000139).
| Rank | Classification |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unconsolidated |
| Rank | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unconsolidated |
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:
Map - Map of northern parts of the districts of Algoma and Nipissing, Province of Ontario
Publication Number: ARM13B Scale: 1:506,880 Date: 1998
Author: Bell J.M.
Publisher Name: Ontario Bureau of Mines
Location:
Mono - Uranium and thorium deposits of northern Ontario
Publication Number: MDC009 Page: 55 Date: 1968
Author: Robertson J.A.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Mono - Uranium and thorium deposits of northern Ontario
Publication Number: MDC025 Page: 72 Date: 1984
Author: Robertson J.A., Gould K.L.
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:
Vol - Part 1, preliminary report on the geology and lignite deposits, part 2, report on refraction seismic and resistivity surveys
Publication Number: OFR5148 Page: 88 Date: 1975
Author:
Publisher Name: Ontario Division 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 SR 1926C Page: 19C, 32C, 43C Date: 1927
Author: McLearn, F.H.
Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada
Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/102094
Part - Refractory clay deposits on the Missinaibi River
Publication Number: ARV42-03.004 Page: 96-97 Date: 1997
Author: Crozier A.R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
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: 22-23 Date: 1978
Author: Price, L.L.
Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada
Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/103384
Part - Economic resources of Moose River Basin
Publication Number: ARV13-01.009 Page: 161-162 Date: 1998
Author: Bell J.M.
Publisher Name: Ontario Bureau of Mines
Location:
Publication - Reports of exploration and surveys, 1875-76
Publication Number: Rep Prog 1875-6 Page: 294-342 Date: 1877
Author: Selwyn, A R C
Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada
Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/297007
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