Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52F08SE00004

Record: MDI52F08SE00004

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Iron

Location

Township or Area: Bending Lake Area

Latitude: 49° 19' 14.8"    Longitude: -92° 10' 39.43"

UTM Zone: 15    Easting: 559763.45   Northing: 5463441.46    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Kenora

NTS Grid: 52F08SE

Point Location Description: General

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: The property is located in the Bending Lake and Wapegeisi Lake areas approximately 65 kilometers southeast of Dryden and 40 kilometers west of Ignace. It straddles Provincial Highway 622 approximately 25 kilometers south of the Hwy 17 junction. The Bending Lake East grid is readily accessible from Hwy 622 and the Bending Lake West grid is accessible by boat from Stormy Lake. Access to Stormy Lake is readily available by a gravel road (Snake Bay road) which connects Stormy Lake to Hwy 17. (Kenora Resident Geologist Office Assessment File 52F/08 SE-J-2, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc., Report on Geology and Geochemical Surveying, 1994. Bending Lake Option)

Exploration History

1933: iron exploration began in the Bending Lake area with mapping by Thompson, Ontario Dept. of Mines. Early 1950s: property staked by Josephine Cone and others. 1953: Jalore Mining Company staked 47 claims along the SW arm of Bending Lake to cover the iron formation following a prospecting program in the summer of 1953. 1954: Jalore Mining established a grid and conducted geological mapping over the grid-area at a scale of 1:2400. 3 DDH were drilled. 1955: Jalore conducted a dip needle survey over the grid area and drilled 4 DDH (total of 5,788’ of drilling from 1954-5). 1963: Jalore purchased 4 patented claims internal to the claim group and carried out a ground magnetic survey over the grid. 1964: Jalore drilled 16 DDH totalling 9866’. 1965: Lockwood Survey Corp. prepared topographic maps of the Bending Lake area. 1976: Algoma Steel Corp. optioned the property from Jalore, completed ground magnetometer surveys and drilled 18 DDH totalling 14,395 feet. 1977: Algoma Steel drilled 15 DDH totalling 11,900 feet. In addition, 23 holes were drilled totalling 1209 feet to investigate the type and depth of overburden in the vicinity of the proposed pit brow and a 10 km long winter road was constructed providing access to the property from a logging road. 3 DDH totalling 894’ were drilled for geotechnical testing. Algoma Steel contracted Lakefield Research of Canada Ltd and Ontario Research Foundation to complete laboratory test work on a 612 ton bulk sample taken from the “Main Zone”. 1980: Ontario Geological Survey flew an airbome electromagnetic survey was flown over the Manitou-Stormy Lake area. Early 1990s: A. Glatz staked untested AEM conductors within the current property disposition. Some prospecting and ground VLF surveying were completed. 1993: the claims were examined by D. Laderoute of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, Kenora. Samples collected to assess the exploration potential of the felsic metavolcanic rocks occurring on the property indicated a lithogeochemical signature similar to that often associated with volcanic massive sulphide deposits. A recommendation was made to option the property and a deal was concluded in May 1994. 2003: Property acquired by Bending Lake Iron Group. 2008: Bending Lake Iron Group Ltd. contracted Fladgate Exploration Consulting Corp. to resample and relog all diamond drilling. Behre Dolbear produced a preliminary review, evaluation and cash flow projection on the project. 2009: geological mapping was done on the Southeast Zone. 8 DDH were drilled totalling 2357 m. 2011: Fladgate produced a NI 43-101 and resource estimate on the property for Bending Lake. Bending Lake drilled 20 infill and step-out DDHs, prepared a bulk ore sample, selected plant site location and general layout, initiated civil works and concentrator plant design, initiated baseline environmental assessment studies, and prepared a project description for submission to the Federal government. 2012: DDH program to meet the infill criteria for measured resources.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wabigoon

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - The Bending Lake area lies on a Archean volcanic belt that trends in northeast southwest direction between Lake of the Woods and Savant Lake. Associated within these volcanic rocks are metamorphosed sediments which generally follow the trend of the volcanic belt. One such Metamorphosed sedimentary belt extends between upper Ksnitou Lake to the west and SmirCh Lake to the east, a distance of approximately 32 miles, with an average width of 4 miles and striking in a northwest - southeast direction. The Bending Lake iron formation is located approximately in the middle of this sedimentary belt. All the rocks in the general property area are of Precambrian age. To the north of the Bending Lake property, basic to intermediate lavas are reported and to the south and southwest are granite stock. (from Khan M. A., Algoma Steel Corporation, Geology Report on Bending Lake Deposit , 1977).

Dec 22, 2014 (Therese Pettigrew) - The area is underlain by Archean supracrustal rocks of the Bending-Stormy Lake sector of the Wabigoon Greenstone Belt. Rocks on the property are comprised essentially of a NNE-facing and south-dipping sequence of mafic to felsic metavolcanic rocks of the Wapageisi Lake group , close to their contact with the overlying clastic and chemical sedimentary rocks of the Stormy Lake group (Blackburn et al.1991). A major centre of volcanism is located in the vicinity of Stormy Lake and Snake Bay, where chlorite and chloritoid alteration has been observed to occur in felsic metavolcanics (Parker et aI.1993). It is believed that the area is on the south limb of a major, northwest-trending synform. The Wapageisi group felsic rocks are comprised of a 2.5 km thick wedge of felsic pyroclastics, ash tuffs and porphyritic to aphryric flows exhibiting widespread and multiphase semi-conformable alteration consistent with a VMS environment. This felsic wedge tapers off at both ends at Kawajekiwa Lake in the west and near Bending Lake in the east (Blackburn, 1980). Mapping by D. Kresz indicates middle to upper greenschist facies metamorphism at Stormy Lake, however, the amphibolitic nature of the mafic metavolcanics occurring on the Glatz claims seems to reflect a higher grade (i.e. amphibolite facies. (Kenora Resident Geologist Office Assessment File 52F/08 SE-J-2, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc., Report on Geology and Geochemical Surveying, 1994. Bending Lake Option). The Bending Lake property is situated at the southeasterly end of a 30 km long NW-SE trending belt of Archean volcanic and sedimentary rocks, metamorphosed to greenschist and amphibolite facies, which is part of an arcuate, 70 km long belt of supracrustal rocks referred to informally as the Manitou-Stormy Lakes greenstone belt. The Archean supracrustal rocks consist of a thick succession of differentiated mafic to felsic volcanic rocks and interbedded and overlying clastic and chemical sedimentary rocks, and their metamorphosed equivalents, preserved in the Bending Lake area in a broad overturned NE-facing, SW-dipping synformal structure bounded on the NE by younger granitic rocks of the Revel Batholith and on the SW and S by they Irene-Eltrut Lakes Batholithic Complex. Due to this folding and thickening of the iron formation, large quantities of magnetic iron formation have been concentrated (2011 NI 43-101 report).

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Feb 09, 2011 (C Ravnaas) - The Iron formation in the area is banded and fine grained. The bods are blue-gray to black in colour and hard. Generally the fracture is blocky in narrow beds and sub-conchoidal in wider, more massive beds. In places, where the thin bands are separated by specular hematite the iron formation appear, to be fissile. Generally the iron formation occurs interbanded with quartz biolite schist. The beds are lense-like and generally thin out or thicken along the strike. The widths of the Iron rich beds vary from a fraction of an inch to several feet. Thicknesses of 1 to 3 feet are common on the property. The Iron formation the area is well banded. The bands are generally consistent except in places where local drag folds have contorted the beds. In the central section of the property, due to the isoclinal folding, the iron formation has attained widths up to 1,100 feet. Host of the potential ore is contained in this wide section that is 3,800 feet in length. (from Khan M. A., Algoma Steel Corporation, Geology Report on Bending Lake Deposit , 1977).

Dec 22, 2014 (Therese Pettigrew) - In the vicinity of the Bending Lake claim group, clastic and chemical sediments of the Stormy Lake Group consist of schistose, strongly foliated, metamorphosed equivalents of the original lithology. Three major units have been mapped and logged in drill core; these are quartz-biotite-garnet schist, amphibole-garnet schist, and banded, oxide facies iron formation. Minor rock types recognized include muscovite/sericite schist, biotite-chlorite schist, slatey rocks referred to as argillite, and a banded cherty carbonate (2011 NI 43-101 report).

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 11, 2012 (D Scholtz) - Outcrop exposure on the property is relatively poor, approximately 10-30%. The most prominent and abundant rock outcrops are felsic metavolcanics found along Highway 622 which transects the property and along lake shorelines. Lodgement till covers much of the region. Boulders from this till are angular indicating a small amount of transport. The relief in the map area is moderate, not greater than 40 meters. Several east-northeast trending swampy areas appear to coincide with similiar trending structural lineaments delineated with mag and electromagnetic surveys. A climatic boreal forest comprised of stands of black spruce, birch-popular and cedar covers the map area. Alders and cedar are prevalent in swampy areas. The Bending Lake Property is underlain by westerly trending metavolcanics characterized by felsic to mafic flows and their pyroclastic equivalents. Mafic intrusive(gabbro) occurs mostly as sills and is found associated exclusively with basaltic rocks. In many places it is difficult to distingush gabbro sills from coarse-grained interiors of extensive flows. They are considered as being synvolcanic intrusions. The felsic sequence on the property appears to represent a centre of felsic volcanism. Coarse pyroclastic breccias as well as banded (bedded?) lappilli tuffs,ash tuffs and more massive to porphyritic (flowslsubvolcanic intrusion ?) are the dominant lithologies that make up the felsic volcanic rocks. A major centre of volcanism is located 10-15 km to the west in the vicinity of Stomny Lake and Snake Bay. However, large (up to 30 em), finely laminated , siliceous felsic fragments are observed to occur in fine to medium-grained felsic tuff adjacent to Highway 622, (L50+00E/22+00N) , suggesting that this area represents a proximal volcanic environment as well. Locally, the felsic stratigraphy has been intruded by thin «25m) amphobolitized mafic flows. (Figure 5). Multiphase alteration is exhibited in the fomn of overlapping zones of intense chlorite+l- amphibole alteration, coarse gamet+l- amphibole alteration and high silica +1- bleaching alteration. (Figure 6). Although qtz-sericite float is evidenced in numerous places on the property the only good exposure of intense pyretic qtz-sericite alteration occurs immediately south of the Glatz Zinc occurrence. Varying amounts of disseminated pyrite-pyrrhotite mineralization were found in outcrop or angular float near many of the HLEM conductor axes. (Kenora Resident Geologist Office Assessment File 52F/08 SE-J-2, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc., Report on Geology and Geochemical Surveying, 1994. Bending Lake Option) Recoverable Ore (proposed): 2000 m by 300 m wide with a resource of 247 Mt @ 23% Fe Proposed concentrate of 70% Fe (96-97% magnetite) using magnetic separation reference Bending Lake Ore Corporation, personal communication, 2006. The Bending Lake iron formation is principally composed up of quartz (chert) and iron oxide with varying amounts of iron silicate. It is composed essentially of chert (including quartz), garnet, specular hematite and layered silicate minerals. The iron formation is tine grained and well banded with iron oxide magnetite and minor specular hematite. The ore may be referred to a. cherty magnetite - hematite or Algoman type. The Iron formation consists essentially of chert and iron oxides, with varying amounts of biotite, amphibole, chlorite, garnets, pyrite and pyrrhotite. The main iron forming mineral is magnetite. Hematite is present to a lesser degree. (from Khan M. A., Algoma Steel Corporation, Geology Report on Bending Lake Deposit , 1977). 2011 Mineral Resource Estimate ( % magnetite) Indicated: 185.2 Mt at 29.59 % Inferred : 151.4 Mt at30.38 % Reference: personal communication, Bending Lake Iron Group Limited POSSIBLE 245.5 Mt at 28.19% iron

Mineral Record Details

References

Publication - Northern Miner 77-04-14, Major New Mine, p. A1

Publication Number: NMINER Date: 1996

Author:

Publisher Name: Northern Miner

Location:

Mono - Annual Report 1966, Mines Inspection Branch

Publication Number: B166 Page: 48  Date: 1998

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location:

Mono - Iron deposits of Ontario

Publication Number: MDC011 Page: 200  Date: 1968

Author: Shklanka R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Publication - NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report; Resource Estimate; Bending Lake Property

Publication Number: NI 43-101 Date: 2011

Author: Arnold, J., Thompson, M., Horan, S., and Gharapetian, R.

Publisher Name: Fladgate Exploration Consulting Corp.

Location: SEDAR

Map - Precambrian Geology of the Bending Lake Area (South Sheet)

Publication Number: P3624 Scale: 1:20,000    Date: 2011

Author: Stone D., Hellebrandt B., Lange M.

Publisher Name:

Location:

Map - Geological compilation series, Manitou Lakes sheet, districts of Kenora and Rainy River

Publication Number: P0242 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1997

Author: Davies J.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

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