Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record:
MDI52K14SW00002
| Record Name(s) | Griffith Mine - 1965, Griffith - 1965 |
|---|---|
| Related Record Type | Compound |
| Related Record(s) | |
| Record Status | Past Producing Mine With Reserves or Resources |
| Date Created | 1986-Oct-14 |
| Date Last Modified | 2022-Jul-19 |
| Created By | |
| Revised By |
Primary Commodities: Iron
Township or Area: Bruce Lake Area
Latitude: 50° 47' 48.01" Longitude: -93° 22' 39.02"
UTM Zone: 15 Easting: 473395 Northing: 5627282 UTM Datum: NAD83
Resident Geologist District: Red Lake
NTS Grid: 52K14SW
Point Location Description: south pit
Location Method: AMIS Site Visit
Access Description: The site is 2km east of Pakwash Provincial Park on hwy 105 to Red Lake.
1912: iron ore outcroppings were first identified in an OBM report. 1953: Iron Bay Mines Ltd. staked the claims. 1953-1960: Iron Bay Mines drilled 29 DDH totalling 13,062 ft. 1959: Iron Bay Mines had pilot plant tests conducted at Michigan College of Mining and Technology and in Frankfurt, Germany. 1960: Bulk samples were sent to the University of Toronto for testing to determine the amenability of ore to autogenous grinding. 1963-64: Taconite Lake Iron Co. Ltd. optioned the property and drilled 17 DDH totalling 10,126 ft. 1965: Taconite Lake took a 75-year lease on the property. Taconite Lake Iron assigned all its interest in the property to The Steel Company of Canada Ltd. (Stelco) by indenture in August. The property was named the Griffith Mine. 1966: Construction on the mine began, 10 DDH totalling 9517 ft were drilled. 1967: Iron Bay Mines Ltd. (who still held 20% interest in the property) changed their name to Calmor Iron Bay Mines Ltd. 1967-72: Stelco drilled 68 DDH totalling 17,186 ft. 1968: first shipment of pellets. 1975: Installed SL/RN direct reduction kiln. 1979: 1849 ft of dd for bank stability studies. 1986: Mine was closed in March. Larry Herbert staked the area in 2006-2008 and conducted minor trenching. 2010: Northern Iron Corp. acquired the claims which comprise the Griffith property from Larry Herbert and conducted a one hole drill program totalling 429.16 m on the Griffith property.
| Office File Number | Online Assessment File Identifier | Online Assessment File Directory |
|---|---|---|
| 2.47127 | 20000006737 | 20000006737 |
| 2.50671 | 20000006519 | 20000006519 |
| 2.50722 | 20000007753 | 20000007753 |
| 63.460 | 52K14SW0014 | 52K14SW0014 |
Province: Superior
Subprovince: Uchi
Geological Age: Neoarchean
Mar 23, 2015 (Therese Pettigrew) - The Griffith property lies within the southern part of the Confederation Assemblage , which consists mainly of supracrustal interbedded pillow basalts, mafic to intermediate volcanics, and associated sediments, with minor interbeds of banded iron formation (BIF). TheConfederation belt is thought to have formed as a rifted arc with the aforementioned stratigraphy representing sequences of magmatic and associated depositional phases. The claims comprising the Griffith property lie within an area that is comprised mainly of metasedimentary migmatites, with interbedded intermediate to mafic volcanic flows and tuffs. The large Bruce Lake pluton intrudes to the east of the property. An Algoma-type iron formation occurs discontinuously along the north-western, western and south-western boundaries of the Bruce Lake pluton and passes through the centre of the property (AFRI 20000006519).
| Rock Type | Rank | Composition | Texture | Relationship | Ironstone-unsubdivided | 1 | Is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandstone | 2 | Metagreywacke | Adjacent | |
| Schist-Unsubdivided | 3 | Biotite | Adjacent | |
| Mafic lava flow-unsubdivided | 4 | Near |
Nov 21, 2014 (R Tuomi) - The ore body is complexly folded sequence of ferruginous metasediments. Distinct units can be identified and mapped. The rock consists of alternating magnetite rich and siliceous layers. Specular hematite has been reported from one part of the orebody refered to by mine staff as the Outter Massive Unit. The rock is layered with thin, highly reflective layers of flakey minerals separated by layers of magnetite and grey to red siliceous material.
Mar 23, 2015 (Therese Pettigrew) - Stratiform iron deposits of the Canadian Shield include Lake Superior and Algoma-type iron formations. Canadian Algoma-type iron formations are the second most important source of iron ore after the taconite and enriched deposits in Lake Superior-type iron formations. Iron deposits in Algoma-type iron formations consists mainly of oxide and carbonate lithofacies that contain 20-40% Fe as alternating layers and beds of micro-to macro-banded chert or quartz, magnetite, hematite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, iron carbonates, iron silicates and manganese oxide and carbonate minerals. The deposits are interbedded with volcanic rocks, greywacke, turbidite and pelitic sediments; sequences are commonly metamorphosed. The Griffith Mine is a typical northern Ontario Algoma-type iron formation deposit (Hutchings, 2011). The iron formation is interbedded with meta-greywackes, and consists mainly of magnetite rich chert, interlayered with rare beds of hematite rich chert, locally magnetite rich biotite schist and, near diorite intrusions, recrystallized magnetite-rich chert. Hematite rich layers occur on the eastern edge of the iron formation in the north pit where several granodiorite dykes intrude and were named the Outer Massive in the mine stratigraphy. Contact metamorphism has recrystallized the banded iron formation proximal to the intrusion and increased the metamorphic grade to the amphibolite facies. The Iron formation in the northern pit is complexly folded with multiple minor drag and parasitic folds occurring along the limbs of the major folds. The overall fold impression is that of a double syncline with a central anticline that has been folded along a northeast trending axe. The central anticline plunges approximately 35 degrees to the south and the limbs of the folds dip steeply at 75 to 89 degrees. The southwest limb of the west syncline is overturned. The banded iron formation under the south pit is folded into an overturned open syncline with a steeply westward dipping north limb, and an east-southeast limb dipping moderately to the south. Some minor drag folds are evident. Contact metamorphism from the Bruce Lake pluton has recrystallized the iron formation extensively here, increasing the grain size, and also the Fe-grades in comparison with the north pit. A narrow band of iron formation is continuous between the two pits (AFRI 20000006519).
| Rank | Mineral Name | Class | Economic Mineral Type | Alteration Mineral Type | Alteration Ranking | Alteration Intensity | Alteration Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnetite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 3 | Hematite | Economic | Ore | ||||
| 2 | Quartz | Economic | Gangue |
Mar 23, 2015 (Therese Pettigrew) - During the fall of 2010 Northern Iron Corp. drilled one exploratory hole on the south-eastern shore of the North Pit. The drill hole GR-10-01 was 429.16 m deep, and intersected magnetite mineralization at various grades from 219.80 m-429.16 m depth. It returned assays ranging from 4.95-38.78% Fe, including 2m of mineralization grading 38.78% Fe from 419.54 m to 421.55 m depth. The average grade of the mineralized portions of the sampled was 25.26% Fe (AFRI 20000006519). The South Deposit had 32.3% total Fe and 31.0% soluble Fe. The North Deposit had 30.5% total Fe and 29.3% soluble Fe, based on the test work done by Iron Bay Mines Ltd. (Shklanka, 1970).
| Rank | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stratiform |
| Zone | Year | Category | Tonnes | Reference | Comments | Commodities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith Mine - All zones | 1970 | Unclassified | 108682000 | OGS OFR 6180, Table 14 | Grade: 29% Fe from 120 000 000 tons of ore. | Iron 29 Percent |
| Year | Tonnes | Commodities | Reference | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 78800000 |
Iron 66 Percent |
MP134, Lavigne and Atkinson, 1987 | Mine produced from 1968 - 1986. Production figures well documented to 1982 (20474513 tonnes), but thereafter difficult to track. Annual production averaged 1.5Mt of pellets, grading 66.4% (Ear Falls Tourism brochure). Produced 22,850,000 tons of iron ore pellets grading 66.7% Fe from 78,800,000 tons of crude grading 23.9% Fe. |
| 1986 | 515329 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1987-88, p. 204, MP128 p. 46 | Production to April 1986, after which the mine was closed. Depressed iron markets and the low cost of international iron production as well as the cost of hydro, natural gas and rail transportation led to the closure of the mine, even though the iron “ore” reserves remained at 41 million tons when the mine closed. | |
| 1985 | 778607 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1986-87, p. 202 | ||
| 1984 | 947335 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1985-86, p. 214-215, MP122, p. 38 | The mine operated at 2/3 capacity and shut down for the month of July. In mid-November, it was announced that Stelco Inc. was planning to shut down operations in early April 1985. | |
| 1983 | 735166 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1984-85, p. 197, MP117 p. 24 | During the first 5 months of 1983, the mine operated at 2/3 capacity. Following a 3-month shutdown in the summer, it resumed production at 2/3 capacity for the remainder of the year. | |
| 1982 | 975833 | MP107, p. 22, Canadian Mines Handbook 1983-84, p. 177 | During 1982, the mine operated at full capacity until the end of June, at which time the operation shut down until the end of September. The mine operated at 2/3 capacity for the remainder of the year. | |
| 1981 | 1535950 | Canadian Mines Handbook, p. 177 | ||
| 1980 | 1505184 |
Iron 1500000 Tons (short) |
MP095, p. 21, Canadian Mines Handbook, p. 177 | 5,216,800 tons of crude ore; estimated 1,500,000 tons of pellets containing 66.74% Fe and 3.53% Si. |
| 1979 | 1476204 |
Iron 1500000 Tons (short) |
MP091, p. 16, Canadian Mines Handbook, p.177 | 5,304,300 tons of crude ore; estimated 1,500,000 tons of pellets containing 66.72% Fe and 3.56% Si. The SL/RN direct reduction kiln did not operate during 1979 due to the low price of scrap steel. |
| 1978 | 1538114 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1983-84, p. 177 | ||
| 1977 | 1534180 |
Iron 1534180 Tons (short) |
MP078, p. 15 | 5,838,639 long tons of crude ore; 1,534,180 tons of pellets containing 66.67% Fe and 3.46% Si |
| 1976 | 1449000 |
Iron 1449000 Tons (short) |
MP064, p. 20 | 5,188,000 tons of crude ore produced 1,449,000 tons of pellets |
| 1975 | 1448050 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1976-77, p. 140 | ||
| 1974 | 1515382 | |||
| 1973 | 1566200 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1974-75, p. 147 | ||
| 1972 | 1430148 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1973-74, p. 149 | ||
| 1971 | 1366205 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1972-73, p. 145 | ||
| 1970 | 1470810 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1971-72, p. 177 | ||
| 1969 | 951115 | Canadian Mines Handbook 1970-71, p. 164 | ||
| 1968 | 506295 | MP023, p. 6 | First load of pellets was shipped March 18, 1968. By the end of the year, the mine had produced 506,295 tons (wet) of pellets containing 65.65% Fe (dry), 1.61% moisture, 5.22 SiO2, 0.02% P, 0.11% Mn, and 0.52% Al. |
Publication - Technical Report on the Griffith Property, Ontario, Canada
Publication Number: 2011 43-101 Date: 2011
Author: Hutchings, C.
Publisher Name: Kiex Consulting Ltd. for Northern Iron Corp.
Location: SEDAR
Publication - The Griffith Mine Story; In: CIM Bulletin vol. 63 no. 703
Publication Number: CIM Bull v.63 Page: 1271-88 Date: 1970
Author: Morawski, R.P., Jeffries, J.D., Wilson, D.M. et al.
Publisher Name:
Location: CIM
Mono - Iron deposits of Ontario
Publication Number: MDC011 Page: 219-220 Date: 1968
Author: Shklanka R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
MonoMap - Geology of the Bruce Lake area, District of Kenora
Publication Number: R082 Page: 18-24 Date: 1970
Author: Shklanka R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Article - 1979 report of Red Lake Resident Geologist
Publication Number: MP091.002 Page: 16 Date: 1997
Author: Durocher M.E., Panagapko D.A.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Vol - Part 1, component magnetization of Algoman banded iron formations and deposits in Ontario, Part 2, magnetization characteristics of the Algoman iron formation and host rocks at the Griffith Mine, Red Lake, Ontario
Publication Number: OFR5447 Date: 1983
Author:
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Mono - An evaluation of the industrial mineral potential of parts of the districts of Kenora and Rainy River
Publication Number: OFR5718 Date: 1990
Author: Storey C.C.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Map - Bruce Lake area, Kenora District
Publication Number: M2195 Scale: 1:31,680 Date: 1970
Author: Shklanka R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Map - Part of the English River system down from Lac Seul southwest to Ball Lake also showing Pakwash Lakes, districts of Kenora and Patricia, Ontario
Publication Number: ARM33F Scale: 1:126,720 Date: 1998
Author: Bruce E.L.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Map - Compilation series, Trout Lake-Birch Lake sheet, Kenora District
Publication Number: P2386 Scale: 1:126,720 Date: 1981
Author: Thurston P.C., Bartlett J.R.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Map - Trout Lake-Birch Lake sheet, District of Kenora, geological compilation series
Publication Number: P0406 Scale: 1:126,720 Date: 1997
Author: Davies J.C., Pryslak A.P.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
Map - Geological series, Operation Kenora-Ear Falls, Bruce-Bluffy lakes sheet, District of Kenora
Publication Number: P1199 Scale: 1:63,360 Date: 1976
Author: Breaks F.W., Bond W.D., Desnoyers D.W., Stone D., Harris N.
Publisher Name: Ontario Division of Mines
Location:
Map - Geological series, Western Uchi subprovince stratigraphy, (Troutlake River area), Pakwash Lake sheet, Kenora District (Patricia Portion)
Publication Number: P2858 Scale: 1:50,000 Date: 1985
Author: Thurston P.C., Paktunc D.
Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey
Location:
Map - Red Lake-Birch Lake sheet, geological compilation series, Kenora District
Publication Number: M2175 Scale: 1:253,440 Date: 1970
Author: Ferguson S.A., Davies J.C., Brown D.D., Pryslak A.P.
Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines
Location:
We are continuously updating our assessment file / technical report information. If you notice errors in the data, please contact us.
Please review our Terms of Use agreement for this data product.
For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Red Lake Resident Geologist District Office