Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52E16SW00091

Record: MDI52E16SW00091

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s) Scramble Mine - 1894, Homestake - 1911
Related Record Type Simple
Related Record(s)
Record Status Developed Prospect With Reported Reserves or Resources
Date Created 2002-Sep-11
Date Last Modified 2025-Feb-11
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Silver



Location

Township or Area: Jaffray

Latitude: 49° 47' 2.37"    Longitude: -94° 22' 37.23"

UTM Zone: 15    Easting: 400874   Northing: 5515524    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Kenora

NTS Grid: 52E16SW

Point Location Description: Precise

Location Method: Conversion from MDI



Exploration History

1894-1898: Discovery of gold by Henry Benson and Andrew Norman during the Lake of the Woods gold rush. A number of test pits and stripping was completed on several veins. The name Scramble was given to the property following the scramble of bidding to acquire the option rights to the property. Two shafts were sunk: the main shaft to 26 m with levels at 16 and 23 m, and Shaft 2 sunk to 16 m. 1911-1914: Homestake Gold Mining Company Ltd. deepened the main shaft to 69 m and timbered to 61 m. Three cross cuts were developed on the 16, 23 and 61 m levels with lateral workings driven 18, 8 and 30 m. Work stopped in September. 1962: Keevil Mining Group (later Teck Corp.) completed mapping and diamond drilling around the Scramble shaft area. 1984: Boise Cascade Canada Ltd. evaluated the property with geological mapping, magnetic and IP geophysical surveys, stripping and sampling. 1985: Scramble Mining Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boise Cascade, entered into a joint venture with Kenco Explorations (Canada) Ltd. The JV undertook geophysical surveys up to 1.8 km southwest of the Scramble mine shaft and conducted diamond drilling of approximately 10 diamond drill holes. Kenco, interested in a bulk mining high tonnage style deposit, terminated its joint venture agreement later in 1985. 1986: Scramble Mining Ltd. entered into a joint venture with Madeline Mines Ltd. The joint venture carried out 2093 m of diamond drilling in 30 holes. 1987: Scramble Mining Ltd. carried out construction and improvement of surface facilities and excavation of the portal site. The site was mapped and sampled in detail. Humus and soil sampling were also completed on geophysical anomalies. 1988: Portal development began in February and by the end of the year, approximately 350 m of decline (4 x 3 m) and 100 m of sublevels were excavated. Development faces were regularly mapped and sampled by company geologists. Development considered utilizing a shrinkage stopping method for mining ore stopes. Ore was anticipated to be processed by a conventional milling circuit involving a gravitational and floatation recovery system. 1989: Underground workings were allowed to flood as only surface work was carried out. A total of 926 m of diamond drilling in 6 holes was carried out. 1990: In February, Scramble Mining Ltd. announced the joint venture with Madeleine Mines was terminated. 2017: Alienation order No. W-K-23/17 withdrew mining rights, prospecting, staking out, sale or lease of a large portion of the Scramble trend. 2020: First Energy Metals Ltd. optioned the Scramble Mine Gold Property from Alex Pleson. The company undertook channel cutting, sampling, preparation work for bulk sampling and a geophysical survey. 2021: Property was dormant, with no public communication from First Energy. 2022-2024: George and Richard Zebruck registered a group of claim cells over the Scramble property.




Geology Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - The Scramble Mine gold deposit is located about 8 kilometres east of the town of Kenora in Northwestern Ontario. The mine was discovered in 1894 but after an initial exploration phase remained essentially dormant until 1984 when Boise Cascade Canada Ltd. commenced an evaluation of the property. Since then approximately 5,200 metres of diamond drilling, 250 metres of surface stripping with sampling and 450 metres of underground development have taken place. The Scramble Mine area is underlain predominantly by tholeiitic pillowed flows, minor mafic tuffaceous units, exhalites (?) and occasional felsic units. All the volcanic rocks on the property face and dip steeply to the northwest. Foliation tends to subparallel bedding. Deformed pillows, shearing and shear folding occur throughout the property and are well exposed at the mine site. Quartz-tourmaline veins both concordant and discordant to foliation are ubiquitous. Nowhere on the property has there been observed an area of significant alteration due to a primary volcanogenic hydrothermal system. Reference: Parr, M. and Kuehnbaum, R. 1990. The Scramble Mine gold Deposit; Field Trip No.2, Canadian Institute Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, Exploration and Mining Geology, 14th Annual Meeting, pp. 41-65.




Lithology

Lithology Data
Rock Type Rank Composition Texture Relationship
Mylonite/Fault Gouge/Pseudotachylite 1 Shear Zones Contains N/A
Vein 2 Contains N/A

Lithology Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - Gold mineralization occurs in a variety of rocks contained within a zone of shearing referred to as the Scramble Zone. A total of 250 metres of strike length is exposed in the shaft and decline areas. This exposure of the mineralized zone allows excellent visualization of the severe structural and lithological complexities interpreted from drill core, as well as correlation problems of rock types and mineralization. The Scramble zone is contained in a sequence of pillowed basalt flows which are progressively deformed and altered towards a sulphide-and gold-enriched, micaceous core. The zone of mineralization, including pyrite-gold enriched biotite-rich schist felsic units and veins, extends on surface and in drill holes for about 550 metres. In the stripped area east and west of the Scramble shaft, intense deformation has resulted in buckling, folding, dismemberment and boudinaging of the competent units (felsic rocks and Quartz bodies) within the relatively incompetent biotite-rich schists. Reference: Parr, M. and Kuehnbaum, R. 1990. The Scramble Mine gold Deposit; Field Trip No.2, Canadian Institute Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, Exploration and Mining Geology, 14th Annual Meeting, pp. 41-65.




Mineralization

Mineralization and Alteration
Rank Mineral Name Class Economic Mineral Type Alteration Mineral Type Alteration Ranking Alteration Intensity Alteration Style
1GoldEconomicOre
2PyriteEconomicOre
3SilverEconomicOre
4ChalcopyriteEconomicOre

Mineralization Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - Gold mineralization occurs in a variety of rock types within the Scramble zone. However, the overall distribution of gold is controlled by poorly understood factors: the presence/absence, thickness and grade of the Quartz bodies; degree of 'silicification' or early veining; and the diluting and disrupting effects of the felsic rocks. All of these may be the result of post-depositional tectonism. In other words, an earlier and relatively predictable distribution of gold within the Scramble system could have been later modified into a more chaotic pattern. The degrees of biotitization and sulphidization appear to have played a less important role. The gold mineralized system hosted by an assemblage of sulphide and quartz bearing biotite-rich schists hosted in a series of pillowed basalts. Drilling to date has indicated a resource of approximately 70,000 ounces (using a cut off grade of 0.05 oz/t) containing a probable reserve of 150,000 tons at 0.24 oz It (using a cut off grade of 0.15 oz It) • The mineralization has a strike length of at least 450 metres and extends to a depth of 150 metres at the west end of the zone. The zone strikes in a northeasterly direction and dips to the northwest at about 800 Reference: Parr, M. and Kuehnbaum, R. 1990. The Scramble Mine gold Deposit; Field Trip No.2, Canadian Institute Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, Exploration and Mining Geology, 14th Annual Meeting, pp. 41-65.



Mineral Record Details

Reserves or Resources Data
Zone Year Category Tonnes Reference Comments Commodities
Scramble 1990 Possible 150000 Parr and Kuehnbaum, 1990, Scramble Mine in CIM 14th Annual Meeting Field Trip notes Possible Resource Estimate: 150 000 t grading 0.24 opt Au Drill estimated: 70 000 oz Au cut-off 0.05 opt Au Gold 0.24 oz/T

References

Book - MNI FILE, 52E/16 AU 10

Publication Number: N/A Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location:


Book - Northern Miner 84-10-25, Boise, p. 3

Publication Number: NMINER Date:

Author:

Publisher Name: Northern Miner

Location:


Book - Northern Miner 85-03-07, Kennco, p. C12

Publication Number: NMINER Date:

Author:

Publisher Name: Northern Miner

Location:


Part - Mines of northwestern Ontario

Publication Number: ARV07-01.003 Page: 58-59  Date: 1998

Author: Bow J.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Bureau of Mines

Location:


Mono - Gold deposits of the Kenora-Fort Frances area, districts of Kenora and Rainy River

Publication Number: MDC016 Page: 36  Date: 1976

Author: Beard R.C., Garratt G.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:


Mono - Gold deposits of the Kenora-Fort Frances area, districts of Kenora and Rainy River

Publication Number: MDC016 Page: 36  Date: 1976

Author: Beard R.C., Garratt G.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:


Mono - The geological setting of gold occurrences in the Lake of the Woods area

Publication Number: OFR5695 Page: 289-292  Date: 1988

Author: Davies J.C., Smith P.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Kenora Resident Geologist District Office