Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record:
MDI52A05SE00008
| Record Name(s) | Rabbit Mountain - 1882, Great Lakes Silver - 1967 |
|---|---|
| Related Record Type | Simple |
| Related Record(s) | |
| Record Status | Developed Prospect Without Reported Reserves or Resources |
| Date Created | 1979-Aug-15 |
| Date Last Modified | 2023-Feb-06 |
| Created By | |
| Revised By |
Primary Commodities: Silver
Secondary Commodities: Zinc, Barite, Fluorite, Lead
Township or Area: Scoble
Latitude: 48° 18' 24.25" Longitude: -89° 36' 19.23"
UTM Zone: 16 Easting: 306815.71 Northing: 5353674.42 UTM Datum: NAD83
Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South
NTS Grid: 52A05SE
Point Location Description: AMIS Shaft location
Location Method: Conversion from MDI
Access Description: Proceed along Highway 588 to the intersection with the Paipoonge C Line road. Abou 2.9 km south on the C line road, an old, non-driveable road extends to the SW for 4.0 km and leads to a clearing, the former site of the stmp mill and other buildings.
1882: vein was discovered by O. Daunais. 1882-1887: The mine had several different owners. Exploration and development was by several shafts, levels and crosscuts for a distance along the main vein of 112.8 m and over a depth of 88.3 m. Trenches and surface pits were developed locally along the vein system. 1887: mine closed. 1892-93: H. Weiland reopened the mine, sampled the workings, and dewatered down to the fourth level. 1896: dewatering on all levels commenced in early November. 1897: financial backers pulled out and the mine was allowed to flood again. 1898: Hay and Laycock began dewatering the mine again. 1899: financial backers pulled out. Dominion Gold Mining and Reduction Company Ltd. purchased the mine, but no work was done. 1927: surface exploration work. 1955: Nanglora Mining and Exploration Company Ltd. drilled 4 DDH totalling 324.3 m. 1961: Steeprock Iron Mines Ltd. optioned the property, drilled 5 DDH totalling 463.5 m and conducted trenching, geological and geophysical (mag and EM) surveys. 1967: Great Lakes Silver Mines Ltd. acquired the property and dewatered the mine. Diamond drilling.
| Office File Number | Online Assessment File Identifier | Online Assessment File Directory |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 52A05SE0029 | 52A05SE0029 |
Province: Southern
Formation Group: Animikie Group
Geological Age: Paleoproterozoic
| Rock Type | Rank | Composition | Texture | Relationship | Mudstone | 1 | Shale | Adjacent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vein | 2 | Calcite And Quartz | Host | |
| Diabase | 3 | Diabase Sill |
Feb 06, 2018 (Therese Pettigrew) - A diabase sill with a thickness of from 1.5-9.1 m overlies the flat Animikie shales from which most of the silver ore has been mined. Complex vein-zones occur in faults striking NE and in smelter faults striking NW; they traverse both the sediments and intrusive. The main discovery vein, fist discovered in the diabase, carried into the shales below.
| Rank | Mineral Name | Class | Economic Mineral Type | Alteration Mineral Type | Alteration Ranking | Alteration Intensity | Alteration Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 2 | Chalcopyrite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 3 | Galena | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 4 | Pyrite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 5 | Silver | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 6 | Sphalerite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 1 | Quartz | Economic | Gangue | ||||
| 2 | Calcite | Economic | Gangue | ||||
| 3 | Barite | Economic | Gangue | ||||
| 4 | Fluorite | Economic | Gangue |
Feb 06, 2018 (Therese Pettigrew) - The main vein had a known length of 335 m and a width from 0.9-6.1 m. Most of the silver ore came from 3 small shoots in the main vein system. The direct shipping ore contained over 1000 opt Ag and it is recorded that some of the material milled on the property contained about 80 opt Ag. Rabbit Mountain mine is in a drift-covered valley a few hundred yards wide trending NE between cliffs, which are capped by diabase sills between 24.4 and 30.5 m thick overlying flat Animikie shales. The valley slopes gently upward toward the SW and its lower part, NE of the mine shafts, is underlain by Animikie shale (Tanton, 1931). The larger vein system, the No. 1 vein, contained the economic silver mineralization prior to being mined out in the late 1800s. On surface, the vein is located in a capping diabase sill, and has a length of 330 m and varies in width from less than 1 m up to 3 m at the main No. 2 shaft. Minerals in the vein are predominantly calcite, with lesser amounts of quartz and fluorite. Pyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, acanthite, and native silver mineralization developed in fractures and vugs. About 100 m NE of the No. 2 shaft is an exposure of diabase, argillite and the barren No. 2 vein. The argillite is altered at this location, and forms the bench about 10 m long and 1-2 m wide. In sharp contrast to the No. 1 vein, the No. 2 vein has only minor sulphide and no silver mineralization, being composed essentially of calcite, quartz and minor fluorite. Pyrite, galena, and sphalerite occur sporadically in this vein (Harvey, 1985).
| Rank | Classification |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vein |
| Rank | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vein |
| Year | Tonnes | Commodities | Reference | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887 | 50 |
Silver 50000 Ounces |
Tonnage calculated. Total production of about 50,000 oz Ag. The direct shipping ore contained over 1000 opt Ag. |
Book - Fort William and Port Arthur, and Thunder Cape Map-area, Thunder Bay District, Ontario; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 167
Publication Number: GSC Memoir 167 Page: 135-137 Date: 1931
Author: Tanton, T.L.
Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada
Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/100799
Mono - Silver cobalt calcite vein deposits of Ontario
Publication Number: MDC010 Page: 72 Date: 1968
Author: Sergiades A.O.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Thesis - A Test of the Lateral Secretion Hypothesis at the Rabbit Mountain Mines, Mainland Belt Silver Region, Thunder Bay District, Ontario
Publication Number: BSc Thesis Date: 1985
Author: Harvey, P.G.
Publisher Name: Lakehead University
Location: Thunder Bay RGP
File - Hazard files, Thunder Bay Mineral department
Publication Number: Date: 1996
Author:
Publisher Name:
Location: Thunder Bay RGP
Book - Geology and Mineralogy of the Rabbit Mountain Mine, Mainland Belt Silver Region, Thunder Bay District
Publication Number: 1977 BSc Date: 1977
Author: Mosely, E.B.
Publisher Name: Lakehead University
Location: Thunder Bay RGP Office
We are continuously updating our assessment file / technical report information. If you notice errors in the data, please contact us.
Please review our Terms of Use agreement for this data product.
For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Thunder Bay South Resident Geologist District Office