Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52L08SW00020

Record: MDI52L08SW00020

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Lithium, Tantalum, Cesium, Feldspar (Nonmetals)

Secondary Commodities: Beryllium, Tin, Niobium

Location

Township or Area: Paterson Lake Area

Latitude: 50° 16' 7.23"    Longitude: -94° 30' 12.22"

UTM Zone: 15    Easting: 392860   Northing: 5569584.99    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Kenora

NTS Grid: 52L08SW

Point Location Description: Map in AFRI 52L08SW2001

Location Method: Data Compilation

Access Description: Pegmatite occurs 60 km north of Kenora on an all-weather road

Exploration History

1997: Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada Ltd. drilled 10 DDH totalling 854.35 m. 1997: Champion Bear Resources Ltd. drilled 4 DDH totalling 375 m. 2000: Tanco drilled 1 DDH totalling 279.5 m. 2002: Champion Bear Resources Ltd. drilled 9 DDH totalling 1085 m.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: English River

Belt: Separation Lake

Geological Age: Archean  

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Jul 13, 2010 (C Ravnaas) - The pegmatite is hosted by the Separation Lake mafic metavolcanics and banded iron formation. Eastern Petalite Zone, pegmatite consists of 4 primary zones and 2 replacement zones. The primary zones are : K-feldspar-petalite core zone, beryl-muscovite-albite-quartz wall zone, medium-grained grey granite and layered sodic pegmatite and sugary sodic aplite.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Jul 14, 2017 (C Ravnaas) - The ore minerals are petalite, manganocolumbite, manganotantalite, wodginite, microlite, cassiterite, pollucite. The pegmatite contains: abundant quartz, K-feldspar, petalite, albite (aplite and cleavelandite), muscovite; accessory spodumene, beryl, tourmaline (elbaite), garnet (spessartine), lepidolite, nanpingite, pollucite, arsenopyrite, fluorapatite, oxides (manganocolumbite, manganotantalite, wodginite, ferrotitanowodginite, microlite, stibiomicrolite, cassiterite, struverite). 40 vol% petalite occurs in the core zone. Alteration minerals are albite in pegmatite, biotite and holmquisite in the host rocks. Alteration type-albitization of pegmatite, biotitization and lithium metasomatism of host rocks. Habit-replacement, Intensity- moderate. Bulk analysis of albite replacement units show 9934 ppm Ta and 0.065 Nb/Ta ratio (Breaks and Tindle 1997). Bulk analysis of petalite from unrecrystallized core zone showed 4.74 wt% Li2O (Breaks and Tindle 2001). Bulk analysis of beryl-muscovite-albite-quartz wall zone (94-44WZ) (60 kg sample) revealed 968 ppm Li, 948 ppm Rb, 83 ppm Be, 163 ppm Sn, 118 ppm Nb, 140 ppm Ta and 0.84 Nb/Ta (Breaks and Tindle 2001). The property contains five pegmatite, the Marko, number 6, number 7, number 8, and number 10 dyke. The Marko Pegmatite is the largest dyke, with a strike length of 170 m and exposed width of 8 m. Channel sampling by Champion Bear returned 1.5 m grading 0.07% Ta, 0.008% Sn, 0.5% Cs, and 1.6 m grading 0.11% Ta, 0.08% Sn, and 0.10% Cs. 10 drill holes tested the dykes with 7 holes targeting the Marko pegmatite. Assays from pegmatite in drill holes returned 2.0 and 12.0 m of 0.05% Ta, 0.07% Sn, 0.29% Rb and 0.12% Cs, the Li values were not available (from Kenora District ROA 1997).

Jul 29, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - Marko’s Pegmatite is 8 x 175 m and is the largest pegmatite within the petalite zone of the Eastern subgroup. It contains the greatest amount of petalite of any in the area, which is estimated to be 40% of the core zone. The white to grey, locally translucent petalite is variably replaced by 10 to 95% veins of white spodumene. Cassiterite occurs locally in flat-lying veins up to 1 cm thick that are composed of fine-grained, lime-green sericite and saccharoidal albite. Several zones are obvious: (1) a central, very coarse blocky potassium-feldspar-petalite zone, (2) intermediate petalite-muscovite-albite zone, and (3) marginal muscovite-albite-quartz zone which possibly grades into local quartz-rich masses (Breaks, 1993). Results from the 2002 drill program included the following: SR-12 assayed 402 ppm Ta2O5 (0.9 Ibs/tonne) over 4.7 m, including an interval of 615 ppm Ta2O5 (1.35 Ibs/tonne) over 2.5 m. SR-17 intersected the dyke over a core length of 17.2 m. The dyke has apparently flattened from a near vertical to a dip of approximately 200 and is well zoned with two petalite horizons as well as two oxide-bearing horizons, which assay 166 ppm Ta2O5 over 3.9 m and 180 ppm Ta2O5 over 2.0 m (Assessment report 52L08SW2014).

Alteration Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (C Ravnaas) - The alteration minerals are albite in pegmatite, biotite and holmquistite in host rocks. The alteration type is albitization of pegmatite, biotitization and lithium metasomatism of host rocks. Habit is replacement.

Assay Samples

Mineral Record Details

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

References

Map - Precambrian Geology, Separation Lake Greenstone Belt-West Sheet

Publication Number: P2673 Scale: 1:20,000    Date: 2008

Author: Blackburn C.E., Young J.B., Breaks F.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Tantalum Mineralogy of Rare-Element Granitic Pegmatites from the Separation Lake Area, Northwestern Ontario

Publication Number: OFR6022 Date: 2000

Author: Tindle A.G., Breaks F.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Publication - Rare-Element Mineralization of the Separation Lake Area, Northwest Ontario; Characteristics of a New Discovery of Complex-Type, Petalite Subtype, Li-Rb-Cs-Ta Pegmatite; In: Industrial Minerals in Canada, CIM Special Volume 53, p. 159-178

Publication Number: CIM V.53 Date: 2001

Author: Breaks, F.W. and Tindle, A.G.

Publisher Name: Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum

Location:

Article - Granite-Related Mineralization in Northwestern Ontario: II. Detailed Examination of the Separation Rapids (English River) Rare-Element Pegmatite Group

Publication Number: MP163.024 Date: 1994

Author: Breaks F.W., Tindle A.G.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Map - Precambrian Geology, Separation Lake Greenstone Belt, West Part

Publication Number: OFM0241 Scale: 1:20,000    Date: 1994

Author: Blackburn C.E., Young J.B., Searcy T.O., Donahue K.

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