Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52H09SE00005

Record: MDI52H09SE00005

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Tungsten, Silver

Location

Township or Area: Eva

Latitude: 49° 37' 19.02"    Longitude: -88° 2' 48"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 424402.47   Northing: 5497124.86    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 52H09NE, 52H09SE

Point Location Description: Minesite

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: The Sand River Mine property is located in east central Eva Township, south of the Leitch Mine, approximately 10 km northwest of the town of Beardmore. Travel north from the Beardmore townsite on Highway 11 for approximately 1 km to secondary Highway 580. Continue east for 7.5 km to a point just past the Leitch Mine road and turn left on a gravel road. The old Sand River Mine site lies 1 km along the road.

Exploration History

1934: J.R. Cryderman discovered gold (Discovery Vein or No. 1 Vein). 1935: The Sand River Gold Mining Co. Ltd. was incorporated. Surface exploration and diamond drilling were carried out. 16 holes tested the No. 1 Vein (771.5 m) and the Creek Vein (746.8 m). 1936: Stripping and trenching were carried out on the No. 1 Vein. A 3-compartment shaft was sunk. Underground dev't began. A road was built connecting the Sand River property and adjacent Leitch property to the town of Beardmore. 1937: Underground dev't con't. A 75-ton cyanide mill was constructed; prod'n began in Dec. 1938-40: Underground dev't con't. 1941: An agreement allowed Northern Empire to mine the ore down to the level of the diabase sill, and a further option to sink the shaft through the sill and mine below the diabase. In Sept., Northern Empire Mines took over mine dev't and operation. 1942: Underground dev't con't until August, when wartime conditions forced cessation of operations. 1944: The Undersill Gold Mining Co. Ltd. was formed to take over the property. 1945: The shaft was dewatered. 1946-1948: Underground dev't con't. Operations ceased in March. 1954: Undersill was liquidated and Leitch Gold Mines took over the property. 1955: On the 19th level of the Leitch Mine, the No. 1902 W drift was extended 270 m beyond the Leitch boundary to a major east-dipping fault. A narrow high-grade ore shoot was indicated. 1965: Leitch Gold Mine closed. 1979: Camel Resources conducted mag and geological surveys over part of the Sand River property. The work was concentrated on the Creek Vein. 1980: Work con't on the Creek Vein (mapping, trenching and assaying). 1985: The Sand River Mine property was acquired by Podany Mining Corp. 731.5 m of drilling was done on the No. 16 Vein. A small mill or concentrator was milling quartz material from the waste dump. 1987-88: Cryderman Gold Inc. carried out magnetic and VLF-EM surveys, humus sampling, stripping, mapping, and drilled 55 DDH totalling 4527.8 m.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wabigoon

Belt: Beardmore-Geraldton

Geological Age: Archean  

Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - The Sand River Gold Mine property adjoins the Leitch ground to the west. It is, therefore, reasonable to expect that the vein character and nature of gold mineralization are similar in many ways to the Leitch vein system. Three veins on the Sand River property are described in literature: The No. 1 Vein (aka Main or Discovery Vein), the Creek Vein and an unmineralized, sub-parallel quartz vein 6 m east of the main vein. However, only the No. 1 vein, which is the western extension of the No. 2 vein on the Leitch property, was mined and extensively developed below the surface. All three exist as narrow quartz veins occupying fractures in bedded greywacke. No. 1 Vein: Occurs in a narrow shear zone in well-bedded greywacke with thin slaty interbeds. The vein follows the shear zone, which strikes N60-70 degrees E. Like other veins in the area, it shows a strong tendency to pinch and swell, both along the strike and on the dip. The greywacke beds strike N85 degrees W and dip 80 degrees N. The vein is rather sinuous and broken in several places by eastward-dipping thrust faults, which result in minor horizontal displacements. Although the average width is only about 33 cm, it is remarkably persistent, having been exposed for a length of 640 m. Creek Vein: This vein is not well exposed on surface. It strikes N74E and has an apparent dip of 50 degrees N. Average surface width is 61 cm, occuring mostly in a broad dyke of quartz diorite (dip 50-60 degrees N). Toward the east it passes into greywacke; the dyke ranges from 18 to 40 m in width. The Sand River Vein, although an extension of the Leitch No. 2 Vein, had less continuity and was of lower grade. Tough (1979) suggests 'the bedding strikes a little south of east and the schistosity strikes north of east in the vicinity of the Leitch veins. This divergence of the bedding formation and shearing at the Leitch, is missing on the Sand River section and may be responsible for the lack of continuity.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - The vein matter (Creek Vein) consists of a highly altered, greenish, silicified material cut by numerous quartz stringers, which constitute about 25% of the whole.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Gold mineralization is associated with chlorite-sericite 'slips', ankerite, pyrite, arsenopyrite and tetrahedrite in well fractured milky-white quartz. Also present is sparse malachite and azurite. Specks of visible gold are common, especially in test pits near the west end of the exposure. Carbonate, greenish sericite, and chlorite are rather common constituents of the vein matter and occur mainly in the longitudinal fractures and in tiny slip planes. In the Creek Vein, arsenopyrite is abundant in places. No visible gold was observed, but a character sample carrying asp yielded 0.14 oz/ton Au. According to official plans the average of channel assays taken on surface indicates a gold content of 0.218 oz/ton Au over a width of 0.45 m. In 1942 a 22.7 kg sample containing scheelite (from the No. 1 Vein) was shipped to the Bureau of Mines in Ottawa. It assayed 0.23% Tungsten and 0.23 oz/ton Au.

Mar 28, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - DDH 87-19 intersected 11.7 feet grading 0.439 oz/t Au, including a 0.3 foot section which contained visible gold and returned an assay of 14.82 oz/t Au. Drilling on the Creek Vein included the following results: DDH 87-24 - 0.123 oz/t Au over 25.3 feet; DDH 87-37 - 0.1305 oz/t Au over 11.9 feet; DDH 87-34 - 0.1557 oz/t Au over 56.0 feet; DDH 87-42 - 0.1164 oz/t Au over 7.8 feet (Assessment file 52H09NE0004).

Alteration Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (B Nelson) - Gold mineralization is associated with chlorite-sericite 'slips', ankerite, py, asp and td in well fractured milky-white qtz.

Mineral Record Details

Site Visit Information

Date: Jan 17, 1997

Geologist: B Nelson

Notes: The Beardmore-Geraldton Economic Geologist visited the minesite July 2, 1985, July 19, 1985, August 8, 1985, and August 13, 1985.

References

Map - Sturgeon River gold area, District of Thunder Bay, Ontario

Publication Number: ARM45A Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1998

Author: Bruce E.L., Laird H.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Eva Township, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: P0601 Scale: 1:15,840    Date: 1997

Author: Mackasey W.O.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Compilation series, Lake Nipigon sheet, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: P0257 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1984

Author: Stott G.M., McConnell C.D., Mason J.K.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Part - The western part of the Sturgeon River area (Sturgeon R.-Beardmore section)

Publication Number: ARV45-02.002 Page: 109-112  Date: 1998

Author: Laird H.C.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Tashota-Geraldton sheet, geological compilation series, Thunder Bay and Cochrane districts

Publication Number: M2102 Date: 1997

Author: Pye E.G., Harris F.R., Fenwick K.G., Baillie J.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Gold occurrences, prospects, and deposits of the Beardmore-Geraldton area, districts of Thunder Bay and Cochrane

Publication Number: OFR5630 Page: 519-526  Date: 1986

Author: Mason J.K., White G.D.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

File - Resident Geologist Mineral Deposit Files

Publication Number: Min Dep Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location: Thunder Bay RGP

Part - Geology of the Beardmore-Nezah gold area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: ARV37-04.003 Page: 83-108  Date: 1998

Author: Langford G.B.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Folio - Poplar Point area (Dorothea Township), District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: GDIF186 Date: 1997

Author: Thunder Bay RGO

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

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