Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52B09SE00003

Record: MDI52B09SE00003

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Nickel, Copper, Platinum, Palladium, Chromium

Secondary Commodities: Cobalt, Silver, Gold

Location

Township or Area: Hagey

Latitude: 48° 35' 48.44"    Longitude: -90° 14' 52.53"

UTM Zone: 15    Easting: 702903.8   Northing: 5386290.8    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 52B09SE, 52B09SW

Point Location Description: Precise

Location Method: Other

Exploration History

1913-14: W.W. Benner discovered nickel at Discovery Point. Test pits blasted by Cross brothers. 1927-30: Cross conducted trenching, stripping, and diamond drilling. 1936-52: Claims purchased by INCO, who carried out trenching, test-pitting, geophysical surveys, and diamond drilling. 1952-65: INCO carried out intermittent diamond drilling. 1966-67: No. 1 Shaft development commenced in 1966 and was completed in 1967. Underground diamond drilling conducted on 305 m level. Mag and EM geophysical surveys were performed. 1968: No. 2 production shaft started. 1970: No. 2 shaft at 670.6 m. 1972: Headframe for No. 2 shaft completed. Five compartment No. 2 shaft completed to 730 m with levels at 60.96 m (200 foot) intervals. 1972-81: mine in production. Mine closed 1981. 1983: production resumed. 1985: mine placed on standby in November. 1989: mine resumed production. 1992: mine placed on standby in the spring. 1995: mine resumed production in May. 1998: mine closed.

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Shebandowan

Geological Age: Archean  

Lithology

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Jan 29, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - A series of replacement sulphide lenses, connected by very narrow widths of sulphides, occur in sheared peridotite. The lenses range from 800-1600 feet (244-488 m) in length and extend over a linear distance of at least 4000 feet (1219 m). The larges lens lies under the lake. The deposit averages 16 feet (4.9 m) in width and contains pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and polydmite in massive and disseminated form (Shklanka, 1969). The Shebandowan orebody is associated with a serpentinized peridotite sill/dyke in contact with mafic metavolcanic rocks and the Shebandowan Lake Stock. The orebody is contained within a sequence of steeply-dipping volcanics, the ore occurring as stringers of sulphides, with the principal ore minerals being pyrrhotite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite. The ore contains nickel and copper in a 3 to 2 ratio as well as small amounts of cobalt, silver, gold, and the platinum-group metals. Also associated with the orebody along the southern contact is a narrow chromite zone which is adjacent to a fault locally known as the Crayfish Creek Fault (CIM Reporter, April 23, 1980). The chromite zone occurs within serpentinite at the Crayfish Creek fault. Chromite occurs over a 10 foot (3 m) wide zone in layered, brecciated, and finely disseminated form. The main chromite layer is 10-11 cm thick and is defined by a 40-50% modal concentration of very fine-grained chromite. On either side of this main layer is found brecciated fragments of chromitiferous serpentinite (Whittaker, 1979 report in RGP MDI files). DDH 78820-0 drilled by Inco in 1987 assayed 9.26% Cr2O3 over 10 feet from 448-458 feet, including 10.7% Cr2O3 over 5 feet from 448-453 feet depth in a peridotite (Thunder Bay RGP MDI files). Morton (1982) reports samples that assayed 37.0% Cr2O3 from the chromitite horizon. Samples collected in 1920 returned values of 0.29-8.09% Ni, 0.76-16.6% Cu, and 0.06-1.0% Co (Thunder Bay RGP MDI files; ). Sample F-9-79 collected by OGS staff member J. Scott in 1979 assayed 5.68% Ni, 1.34% Cu, 1950 ppm Co, 0.013 opt Pd, 0.02 opt Au, and 0.44 opt Ag. Samples taken from Pit 4 in 1920 ranged from 1.01-3.26% Ni, 0.67-3.43% Cu, and 0.25-0.34% Co. A sample taken from Pit 5 in 1920 assayed 2.46% Ni, 1.9% Cyu, and 0.3% Co. A sample taken from Pit 3 in 1920 assayed 8.09% Ni, 0.46% Cu, and 0.42% Co. A sample taken from Pit 8 in 1920 assayed 0.58% Ni, 16.6% Cu, and 0.51% Co. A sample taken from Pit 10 in 1920 assayed 4.13% Ni, 2.47% Cu, and 0.42% Co (Thunder Bay RGP MDI files).

Mineral Record Details

References

Map - Lower Shebandowan Lake, Thunder Bay District

Publication Number: M2267 Scale: 1:31,680    Date: 1973

Author: Morin J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Part - Lake Shebandowan nickel deposit

Publication Number: ARV29-01.007 Page: 225-234  Date: 1998

Author: Cross J.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Thesis - Archean Volcanic Stratigraphy, and Petrology and Chemistry of Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks, Chromite, and the Shebandowan Ni-Cu Mine, p. 172

Publication Number: PhD Thesis Date: 1982

Author: Morton, P.

Publisher Name: Carleton University

Location:

Mono - Copper, nickel, lead and zinc deposits of Ontario

Publication Number: MDC012 Page: 289-290  Date: 1969

Author: Shklanka R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

MonoMap - Geology of the Lower Shebandowan Lake area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R110 Page: 21-27  Date: 1973

Author: Morin J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

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