Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52F06SW00002

Record: MDI52F06SW00002

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Location

Township or Area: Lawrence Lake Area

Latitude: 49° 18' 54.74"    Longitude: -93° 29' 35.5"

UTM Zone: 15    Easting: 464154.817   Northing: 5462613.587    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Kenora

NTS Grid: 52F06SW

Point Location Description: General

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: NTS 52/F/06JW, lat.49°15', long.93°00', on the north shore of the eastern part of Rowan Lake. Map Reference: ODM Map 2115, Kenora-Ft. Frances Sheet. (Historical Files F06SW00002, Kenora Resident Geologist Office)

Exploration History

ESTIMATED TONNAGE - 1945: 24,000 T @ 0.73, SIZE: 450 FT LONG, 250 FT DEEP, 32 INCHES WIDE. Albert Gauthier of Kenora discovered gold near Rowan Lake in 1936 and staked some claims. A group of 53 claims surrounding this showing were subsequently taken over by Jos. Errington and during 1937 an extensive program of trenching and diamond drilling was conducted. A total of 27 holes aggregating 1,953.5 metres were put down on various showings in the property. In 1945 the resource estimate was given as 24,000 tons of 0.73 oz./t. Au in a zone 137.2 metres long x 1.1 metres wide x 73.2 metres deep (Beard & Garratt, 1976). Twelve more holes aggregating 1,524.0 metres were drilled in 1947. One intersection from this drilling was 0.24 oz./t. Au across 7.6 metres. This work was performed under option by Mid-Central Mining Company Limited. The property was re-examined by the Kenora staft at the Ontario Geological Survey in the summer of 1979. Four grab samples from the rock dump and from exposures in old trenches assayed 0.08 to 0.09 ounces of gold per ton; one chip sample of quartz vein material across a width of 0.9 metre ran 0.86 ounces of gold per ton. (Historical Files F06SW00002, EMR#5025594, Kenora Resident Geologist Office) "The country rock in the vicinity of the main showings is Keewatin greenstone with about the composition of an andesite. This rock is fairly massive although local sheared zones occur, and at these points the greenstone has been altered to chlorite schist. A small amount of diorite is associated with the fine grained lavas. Marker horizons of porphyritic lava containing large crystals of feldspar occur at a few places in the greenstone complex. The lavas are intruded by narrow dikes of fine grained acid intrusives. These occasionally exhibit a finely porphyritic texture in hand specimens. This rock is locally called 'porphyry', but more closely resembles the fine grained intrusive named felsite in some parts of Northwestern Ontario. A second type of intrusive consists of dikes of syenite porphyry containing distinct felspar crystals". (Thomson, 1938, p, 11). Quartz veins up to 0.9 metre wide, some auriferous, either fill tension fractures in acid dikes or occupy an acid/metabasalt contact. The No.1 vein was traced for 122.0 metres and averaged 0.3 metre wide; the No. 4 was traced for 137.2 metres and ranged from 5.1-38.0 centimetres wide; and the No. 2 vein ranged up to 0.9 metre wide. Some pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite occur along with the gold in vein No. 4. (Historical Files F06SW00002, EMR#5025594, Kenora Resident Geologist Office). See also "Deposit Comment".

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wabigoon

Terrane: Western Wabigoon

Belt: Eagle-Wabigoon-Manitou

Geological Age: Precambrian  

Geology Comments

Nov 03, 2009 (D Scholtz) - Errington Prospect: This gold prospect, located at the east end of Rowan Lake, east of Sioux Narrows, was discovered in 1936 by Albert Gauthier, who carried out an extensive program of surface trenching and diamond drilling in 1937. In 1947, the property was optioned by Mid-Central Mining Company Ltd., who carried out approximately 5,000 feet of diamond drilling in at least 12 holes. Although the results of this earlier work are rather sketchy, Mr. Gauthier (personal correspondence, Kenora Regional Geologist's Office) noted that earlier workers calculated a tonnage and grade on the No. 4 vein to be 24,000 tons grading 0.73 oz. Au/ton over a length of 450 feet, to a depth of 240 feet and with a width of 32 inches. Assay results from one drill hole gave 0.29 oz. Au/ton over 12.8 feet. Thomson (1938) describes the gold mineralization as occurring in quartz veins associated with felsite dykes. They generally lie either within the felsite or along the contact of these dykes with the greenstones. "There are two varieties of quartz within the vein; one type is white, the other is smoky and contains chloritic inclusions along fracture plains. A small amount of pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite occurs in the darker coloured quartz, and a little visible gold may be found." The property was reexamined by Kenora staff in 1979. Although insufficient time was spent on the property to allow significant geological observations, grab and chip samples were taken and were assayed by the Geoscience Laboratories of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Four grab samples from the rock dumpand from exposures of quartz veins in the old trenches assayed 0.08 to 0.09 oz. Au/ton; one chip sample of quartz vein material across a width of 3 feet ran 0.86 oz. Au/ton. (Misc. Paper 091, p. 7, 1980)

Mineralization

Mineral Record Details

References

Part - Gold discoveries at Rowan Lake

Publication Number: ARV47-06.002 Scale:     Date: 1997

Author: Thomson J.E.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Gold deposits of Ontario, part 1, districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay

Publication Number: MDC013 Scale:     Date: 1971

Author: Ferguson S.A., Groen H.A., Haynes R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

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

Publication Number: MDC016 Scale:     Date: 1976

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines

Location:

Article - 1979 report of Northwestern Regional Geologist and Kenora Resident Geologist

Publication Number: MP091.001 Scale:     Date: 1997

Author: Beard R.C., Rivett A.S.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Article - 1979 report of Northwestern Regional Geologist and Kenora Resident Geologist

Publication Number: MP091.001 Scale:     Date: 1997

Author: Beard R.C., Rivett A.S.

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