Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52A10NE00034

Record: MDI52A10NE00034

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Amethyst

Secondary Commodities: Lead

Location

Township or Area: McTavish

Latitude: 48° 40' 11.49"    Longitude: -88° 40' 7.3"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 377145   Northing: 5392100    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 52A10NE

Point Location Description: Precise

Location Method: Data Compilation

Access Description: From Highway 11-17 take No. 5 Road North that accesses the Diamond Willow Mine/Blue Points Mine sites. Travel l .0 km passing over the railway tracks then proceed 250 on a narrow bush road or west along the hydro line to the occurrence.

Exploration History

1871: A lead-zinc prospect was discovered about 1 km north of the occurrence named the Detroit-Algoma Mine. 1931: Tanton (1931) described similar mineralization plus amethyst on the Big Pearl Lake Property. 1977: The area was staked by Saarberg Interplan Corp in a uranium staking rush. 1986: Tim Twomey completed a ground magnetic survey plus geological mapping over the property. 1990: Tim Twomey produced a business plan to incorporate "Breezy Mountain Amethyst Mines" and create a tourist-oriented business catering to tourist who desired to pick their own amethyst. 2003: Tim Twomey power washed historical pits and trenches along the power line. 2005-2007: Larry Kowtuski prospected and mechanically exposed posed the vein and blasted the exposures.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Oct 20, 2016 (Andrew Tims) - The amethyst is found in vugs as small to large sized crystals in colours ranging from white to red to purple to black. Some of the vein material contains coarse grained crystals of galena up to 15% by volume. Abundant fine-grained massive pyrite is found adjacent to the vein for part of its strike length. In addition, coarse-grained disseminated galena is found in small quantities in the quartz in the East Trench. This vein system is at least l km (0.6 miles) in strike length. The West pit contains low grade amethyst along it's south contact. The Main Pit contains high-grade amethyst and can be mined immediately, eastward towards the East Pit. Good quality purple amethyst is seen east of the East Pit extending up to the overburden. Further northeast along strike, good quality purple amethyst is seen in previously undocumented old pits

Lithology

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Jun 01, 2018 (Therese Pettigrew) - Trenches expose veins of amethystine quartz that also contain sphalerite, pyrite, and galena (AFRI 52A10NE0025).

Mineral Record Details

References

Map - Geological series, McTavish Township (west part of north half), District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: P0720 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1997

Author: McIlwaine W.H.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

Publication - Fort William and Port Arthur, and Thunder Cape Map Areas, Thunder Bay District, p. 166-67

Publication Number: GSC Memoir 167 Scale:     Date: 1931

Author: Tanton, T.L.

Publisher Name: Geological Survey of Canada

Location: https://doi.org/10.4095/100799

Book - Breezy Mountain Amethyst Mines Business Plan (in Big Pearl Lake Property file)

Publication Number: Business Plan Scale:     Date: 1990

Author: Twomey, T.J.

Publisher Name: Tim Twomey

Location: RGP Min Dep File

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Ministry Contact Information

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