Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52P04NE00012

Record: MDI52P04NE00012

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Copper, Nickel

Secondary Commodities: Gold, Cobalt

Location

Township or Area: Achapi Lake Area

Latitude: 51° 7' 42.77"    Longitude: -89° 44' 55.52"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 307670   Northing: 5667713    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 52P04NE

Point Location Description: Sample 11913 from map in Assessment report

Location Method: Data Compilation

Exploration History

1960: Monpre Mining Company Ltd. conducted an aeromagnetic survey, and ground EM and dip needle surveys. They outlined a rusty zone assaying traces of gold, silver and copper. 1968: Sturdy Mines Ltd. carried out trenching and sampling. 1969: Sturdy Mines conducted electromagnetic and magnetometric surveys. 1986-87: Inlet Resources carried out line cutting, geological mapping and sampling. 1987: Inlet Resources Ltd. and Pure Gold Resources Inc. drilled 3 DDH totalling 611.71 m.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Uchi

Terrane: North Caribou

Domain: Uchi

Belt: Lake St. Joseph

Geological Age: Neoarchean  

Geology Comments

Nov 09, 2006 (Mark Puumala) - The Sturdy occurrence is located in a metavolcanic and metasedimentary belt described by Sage and Breaks (1982) as the Pashkokogan Lake-Misehkow River Belt. This belt is bounded to the north by Granitoid rocks of the Kagami Pluton and Seach-Achapi Lakes Granitoid Complex (Stott 1996), and to the south by the metasedimentary migmatites of the English River Subprovince. The mineralization occurs along the north contact of an east-trending gabbro dike. The mineralized gabbro also contains numerous milky-white to rusty quartz veins. The gabbro intrusion is reported by Sage and Breaks (1982) to be approximately 210 m wide in the area of the occurrence, and it intrudes a foliated fine-grained, leucocratic rock interpreted to be a felsic tuff. The gabbro dike becomes more strongly foliated to the south, where it is reported to contain metavolcanic rock xenoliths. Elsewhere in the area, the dominant rock type is reported to be mafic metavolcanics (amphibolitized and foliated). An iron formation has been mapped by Sage and Breaks (1982) immediately north of the occurrence, within the metavolcanic rock sequence. An intrabelt felsic intrusion referred to as the Webb Lake Stock is located to the southeast of the occurrence. Stott and Corfu (1991) have interpreted the boundary between rocks of the 2750-2730 Ma Confederation Assemblage and 2723-2713 Ma St. Joseph Assemblage to be located in close proximity to this occurrence, along an inferred contact that is approximately coincident with the course of the Misehkow River. Confederation Assemblage rocks are located to the north of the river, and are dominated by mafic metavolcanics, while the St. Joseph Assemblage rocks are located further to the south and include mafic and felsic metavolcanics and metasedimentary rocks. The Sturdy occurrence is located in rocks interpreted to be part of the Confederation Assemblage. Sage and Breaks (1982) indicate that bedding and foliation orientations in the Pashkokogan Lake-Misehkow River Belt are generally parallel. Foliation in the felsic metavolcanic unit immediately north of the occurrence is reported by Sage and Breaks (1982) to have an approximate orientation of 070/60. The gabbro dike that hosts the occurrence becomes more strongly foliated towards its southern contact, and Quartz veins within the gabbro are either concordant or subcordant to the foliation (Sage and Breaks 1982).

Lithology

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Nov 09, 2006 (Mark Puumala) - Copper-nickel-cobalt mineralization is reported By Sage and Breaks (1982) to occur exclusively within the gabbro intrusion. The mineralization is localized near the northern contact, and has been traced for a strike length of approximately 90m. The width of the mineralized zone varies from up to 4.5 m in the east end of the trenched area to 0.3 m in the west end. The mineralization largely consists of disseminated pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. Pyrrhotite is reported by Sage and Breaks (1982) to be the dominant sulphide mineral, and is present at concentrations that rarely exceed 3 to 4 %. The best assay results reported from grab samples collected by Sage and Breaks (1982) were 0.48% Cu and 0.17% Ni. Earlier samples collected by Sturdy Mines and reported in Shlanka (1969) indicated a best assay of 1.22% combined Cu-Ni across 15 feet.

Apr 26, 2021 (Therese Pettigrew) - Sample 11913 collected by Inlet Resources returned 2900 ppm Cu, 630 ppm Ni, and 74 ppm Co. Sample 11915 returned 2520 ppm Cu, 730 ppm Ni, and 79 ppm Co (Assessment report 52P04NE9380).

Mineral Record Details

References

MonoMap - Geology of the Cat Lake-Pickle Lake area, districts of Kenora and Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R207 Scale:     Date: 1982

Author: Sage R.P., Breaks F.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:

Mono - Copper, nickel, lead and zinc deposits of Ontario

Publication Number: MDC012 Scale:     Date: 1969

Author: Shklanka R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

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