Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42L04NE00002

Record: MDI42L04NE00002

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Location

Township or Area: Metcalfe Lake Area

Latitude: 50° 14' 11.06"    Longitude: -87° 39' 45.11"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 452751.752   Northing: 5565125.77    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 42L04NE

Point Location Description: Inclined shaft, diamond drill holes.

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: The property is located 600 m northeast of the former Tashota (Canadian National Railway) Station. The property can be reached by helicopter or rail from Nakina, west on the CNR to Tashota Station. The Paulpic Prospect is approximately 700 m northeast of Tashota and is accessible by drill roads.

Exploration History

1916: The Cline Prospect, the original discovery occurrence on claim KK61, was found following Wells' 1916 find in the Tashota gold camp. 1917: Tash-orn Mines Limited optioned claim KK61 and sank an inclined shaft to a depth of 14.6 m on the deposit. A diamond drill hole 50.3 m in length at an angle of 45 degrees was also completed. 1925: The shaft was extended to a depth of 18.3 m. 1936-37: Tom Johnson Nipigon Mines Limited hired Erie Johnson Canadian Mines Ltd. to conduct work on the optioned ground. Surface trenching was carried out between June and October of 1936. Diamond drilling was started in October, 1936 and continued until February, 1937. During that period, 50 diamond drill holes were collared, totalling 2058 m on claims KK61 and KK328. 1977: Amax of Canada Limited acquired the Paulpic Gold Mines Limited property. 1980-81: Amax of Canada Ltd. and Hollinger Argus drilled 26 holes between August 1980 and August 1981 (2929.4 m total). 1982: Canamax Resources Inc., the Canadian exploration arm of Amax Inc., was formed in December to acquire the assets of Amax Minerals. A total of 4,120 acres is held in a joint venture with Bruneau Mining Corporation, covering the original Paulpic property. 56 diamond drill holes were completed by year end. 1983: Diamond drilling confirmed the downward extension of the mineralized zone, but only minor gold values were encountered. A $450,000 drill program was planned to test a new zone. 1985: Canamax drilled 1200 m on the property.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - The country rocks consist of mafic metavolcanics and derived schists in association with a gold-bearing siliceous iron formation in the form of en echelon lenses. These rocks are cut by diorite and lamprophyre dykes or porphyries and quartz veins. At least one sequence of intermediate to mafic flows and tuffs, intermediate to felsic tuffs and derived sediments was observed. The sedimentary phases are often pyritic and rusty, carrying anomalous base metal or gold values. Long, highly magnetic iron formation units provide some geophysical marker horizons and several areas of old trenching have exposed sulphide iron formation carrying base and precious metal values. The rocks have been cut by older gabbro dykes and pods, a small granitic body and younger diabase dykes. Intermediate volcanics occur in a restricted area at the extreme northeast corner of the group. Felsic volcanics occur locally, often as thin units within more mafic rocks. Several faults have been interpreted, largely on the basis of disruptions of diabase dykes, topographic features and interpretation of the detailed aeromagnetic maps. No convincing major folding was found, but areas of tight crenulations and minor folds as well as prominent mineral and stretching lineations with ENE trends and moderate to steep plunges were found locally throughout the claim group. The several 'ore' zones outlined by surface trenching and drilling were designated the Fraser Vein, New Vein, Trench No. 1 Veins and 'Iron Formation west of the Fraser Vein.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Mafic volcanics occur as chloritic to amphibolitic, massive to poorly pillowed flows, interbedded on a large scale with tuffaceous units. The tuffs vary from soft, green, chloritic, poorly bedded rocks to well-bedded with variable carbonate content. Intermediate volcanics are massive or faintly bedded flows, tuffs and lapilli tuffs. Their appearance is distinctive because of a liberal dusting of small chloritoid grains throughout the rock. Felsic volcanics are siliceous, fine-grained to slightly granular, light colored and often slightly pyritiferous and rusty. Faint, thin bedding is sometimes visible as are lapilli to agglomerate size fragments. In terms of sediments, the argillites and siltstones were often difficult to distinguish from the intermediate to mafic tuffs due to similar origins and the pervasive upper greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metamorphism. Several intrusive rock types were mapped. The most common was the late diabase dykes of which several sets seem to exist. Also mapped were several outcrops of 'gabbro'. It is possible that these represent remnants of older (Archean?) diabase dykes in a poor state of preservation.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Fraser Vein: 99 m strike length and 2 m width. 18,145 tons of 'ore' grading $5.70 per ton (1936 price) was calculated for the vein, which also carried po, py and cp in trace amounts. New Vein: 20 m strike length and 1.11 m width. Grades $17.25 per ton (1936 price). Trench No. 1 Veins: Made up of two short 'ore shoots' separated by a diorite/gabbro dyke. One shoot is exposed for 10.7 m with an avg. width of 2.4 m and a gold content of $9.70 per ton (1936 price). The other 'ore shoot' in Trench No. 1 was exposed for a length of 18 m and a width of 0.9 m averaging $24 per ton (1936 price). Iron Formation West of Fraser Vein: diamond drilling outlined an auriferous band of iron formation containing quartz and magnetite in addition to gold, py, po and cp, 90 m west of the Fraser Vein. A zone 90 m in length with an average width of 1.4 m and a gold content of $3.94 per ton (1936 price) was outlined. Further drilling between 1981 and 1985 has outlined a lens-shaped gold deposit within the iron formation, termed the Tashota Deposit.

Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Jan 15, 1997

Geologist: B Nelson

Notes: The Beardmore-Geraldton Economic Geologist visited the occurrence July 5, 1984.

References

Map - Kowkash gold area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: ARM26A Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1998

Author: Hopkins P.E., Todd E.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Bureau of Mines

Location:

Map - Tashota-Onaman River area, District of Thunder Bay, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM34G Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1998

Author: Gledhill T.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Kowkash-Ogoki area, District of Thunder Bay, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM40F Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1998

Author: Kindle L.F.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Tashota area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R167 Date: 1977

Author: Amukun S.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

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:

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

Publication Number: OFR5630 Date: 1986

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Folio - Metcalfe Lake area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: GDIF024 Date: 1997

Author: Thunder Bay RGO

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Tashota, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2354 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1976

Author: Amukun S.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

File - Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files

Publication Number: Min Dep Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Part - Tashota-Onaman gold area (District of Thunder Bay)

Publication Number: ARV34-06.003 Date: 1998

Author: Gledhill T.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Part - The Kowkash gold area (second report)

Publication Number: ARV26.006 Date: 1998

Author: Hopkins P.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Bureau of Mines

Location:

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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Thunder Bay North Resident Geologist District Office