Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52P08NW00008

Record: MDI52P08NW00008

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Copper, Zinc, Lead

Secondary Commodities: Gold, Silver

Location

Township or Area: Petawanga Lake Area

Latitude: 51° 25' 42.78"    Longitude: -88° 17' 16.71"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 410460   Northing: 5698270    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 52P08NW

Point Location Description: Location obtained from assessment file map.

Location Method: Data Compilation

Access Description: The Boylen Occurrences are located approx. 130 km east of the town of Pickle Lake, Ontario and 1 to 3 km south of Kawitos Lake on the Albany River waterway. Access to the area is by boat, west along the Albany River system from the Fort Hope First Nation, located 30 km to the east-northeast (scheduled flights travel to Fort Hope). Alternatively direct access map be obtained via float plane from Pickle Lake to Kawitos Lake, then south by foot along claim lines tothe occurrences.

Exploration History

1961-1962: M.J. Boylen conducted detailed geology, mag, EM, Airborne E.M. and magniphase surveys and diamond drilling (12 holes). Four shallow trenches blasted uncovering sulphide mineralization. - Seeber claim group- Four trenches, 5 ddh's(1090 feet). Morrison-Eden Group- Six ddh's (2319 feet). Ouilette-Eden Group - One DDH (835 feet). 1972: detailed Mag and EM south of Auger Lake by Imperial Oil Enterprises. 1976: New Jersey Zinc Exploration Co. completed 9 DDH's (1053 feet) on Ryley-Cormac Occurrence. 1986: Airborne MAG, EM and VLF by Aerodat for Gold Fields covering Ryley-Cormac Occurrence. 1987 Gold Fields drilled one 807 foot DDH northeast of original Boylen Occurrence. 1989: Prospecting, trenching and recon MAG and VLF-EM over Boylen occ. and Kawitos Lk. area. 1990: Falconbridge optioned 17 claims and staked 176 claims folloed by linecutting, mapping, lithgeochemical survey, HLEM and MAG surveys and power stripping. 1991: Further linecutting by Falconbridge, geological grid mapping, 1723.5 m of diamond drilling. 1993 Noranda Ex. co. Ltd. bought 25% interest property. 1995 Noranda completed further MAG, Max-Min, recon and detailed mapping and airborne geophysics. 1995 Drilling conducted by Noranda.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Uchi

Terrane: North Caribou

Domain: Uchi

Belt: Miminiska-Fort Hope

Geological Age: Neoarchean  

Metamorphism Type: Regional

Metamorphism Grade: Amphibolite

Geology Comments

Nov 06, 2006 (Mark Puumala) - The Boylen Occurrences are hosted in a relatively narrow belt of metavolcanic rocks between Auger and Kawitos Lakes that is bounded to the north, south and east by felsic intrusions. Edwards (1991) has subdivided the rocks of this area into five geological domains that include the Western Volcanics, Central Volcanics, Cormac Volcanics, Southern Granitic Terrain and Northern Granitic Terrain. The strike direction of the metavolcanic rock units is influenced by the geometry of the granitic batholiths located to the south and north, and varies from northeast in the western part of the area to east-west in the east. Edwards (1991) indicates that the Western Volcanic Domain is comprised of mafic metavolcanic rocks that include massive and pillowed flows, as well as tuff. These rocks are bounded to the southeast by the Central Volcanic Domain and a significant structure referred to as the Auger Shear (Edwards 1991). The rocks of the Central Volcanic Domain include felsic tuff and reworked felsic sediments (Edwards 1991). The most notable feature of these rocks is the common occurrence of anastamosing brickwork-style, fracture-controlled chlorite-amphibole-garnet-magnetite alteration. Brickwork-style alteration was noted in most outcrop exposures, and the intensity of alteration is most pronounced in the vicinity of the Auger Shear. This type of alteration has only been noted in rocks of the Central Volcanic Domain, and has been interpreted by Edwards (1991) to be related to late structural events that produced the shear zone (i.e., not related to massive sulphide mineralization). The Central Volcanic Domain is bounded to the southeast by rocks of the Cormac Volcanic Domain. Edwards (1991) indicates that this domain is comprised of a variety of lithologies, including mafic metavolcanic flows (massive and pillowed), felsic tuff (crystal and lapilli), debris flows and massive biotitic units (possibly metamorphosed interflow sedimentary layers that commonly contain pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite). The majority of the surface exposures of VMS mineralization in this area (i.e., Boylen, Ryley-Cormac, Gold Fields, NJZ-76 and Nyla Occurrences) have been found within rocks of the Cormac Volcanic Domain. The Southern Granitic Terrain, which forms the southern boundary of the Cormac Volcanic Domain, is a coarse-grained quartz-feldspar-biotite intrusion . Edwards (1991) indicates that this intrusion contains chalcopyrite-bearing chlorite pods (Alpamayo Occurrence) and fracture-associated coarse-grained chlorite-biotite-garnet alteration near the contact with the Cormac Volcanics. The felsic intrusive rocks of the Southern Granitic Terrain have been classified as being part of the Hurst Lake Batholith by Wallace (1981a). Rocks of the Northern Granitic Terrain, which forms the northern boundary of the Central and Cormac Volcanic Domains is also indicated by Edwards (1991) to be a coarse-grained quartz-feldspar-biotite intrusion. This intrusion has been mapped by Wallace (1981b) as the Kawitos Lake Batholith. The rocks of the Western, Central and Cormac Volcanic Domains form a single west to southwest-trending volcanic rock sequence (Edwards 1991). Foliations are steeply-dipping and generally parallel the volcanic domain boundaries, with strike directions ranging from 030 in the southwest to 080 in the east. According to Edwards (1991), younging indicators interpreted from rocks of the Cormac Volcanic Domain generally suggest that the volcanic stratigraphy faces south. However, the results of detailed geological mapping in the vicinity of the Goldfields and Ryley-Cormac occurrences indicate the presence of a southwest-plunging synformal fold axis within the Cormac Domain. A significant northeast-striking shear zone referred to as the Auger Shear by Edwards (1991) has been inferred to be located at the contact between the Western and Central Volcanic Domains.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (C Salo) - WESTERN VOLCANICS:MAFIC FLOWS- Massive, med to crs. grained, composed of amph. with interstitial feld, grainsize from2-5 mm, genly. non foliated, associated with pillowed flows. PILLOWED MAFIC FLOWS: Fine grained, composed pred'y of amp and feld. Pillows from 1cmx5 cm to 75cmx200 cm. MAFIC TUFF: fine to v.fine grained, comp. pred'y of apmp and feld with lesser chl as retrograde product. Units are massive to finely laminated. CENTRAL FELSIC VOLCANICS:Felsic Tuff: fine grained, consist of 15 to 20% biotite in quarztofeldspathic matrix, infrequent lapilli in places, some crystal rich units. Felsic Sediments: Very fine grained, med grey to brn., finely laminated, consit of a mixture of mud and reworked felsic material, staurolite occurs infrequently. CORMAC VOLCANICS: Massive Mafic Flows: Dark green, fine to coars grained, similar to Western Volcanics. Pilowed Mafic Flows - Fine grained, med green, consist pred'y of amph and feld. Variable pillow size, some clas rich zones, some vesicular zones, associated mafic flank breccias associated. Felsic Volcaniclastic Tuff: Fine grained, pale greyish white and contain 3 to 5% biot. in a quartzofeldspathic matrix, some crystal tuff units, Debris Flows - Characterized by an open framework of lithic felsic and argillaceous clasts in a muddy pale green mafic to medium brown argillaceous matrix. Felsic Lapilli tuff: Consists of 30% felsic fragments and 5% biotite fragments in a fin grained quartz-feldspar-biotie matrix. SOUTHERN GRANITIC TERRAIN: The southern granitic terrain consits of a coarse grained quarz-feldspar-biotite intrusion, contaces are irregular and in some cases contain thin zones of massive magnetite. NORTHERN GRANITIC TERRAIN: The Northen Granitic Terrain consists of a coarse grained quartz-feldspar-biotite intrusion.The NYLA showing consists of a small sulphide exposure containing thin 3mm to 10 mm wide bands of fine grained sphalerite (1/63% Zn, grab sample) within a biotite rich sed.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Nov 06, 2006 (C Salo) - The NYLA showing consists of a small sulphide exposure containing thin 3mm to 10 mm wide bands of fine grained sphalerite (1.63% Zn, grab sample) within a biotite rich interflow sediment near a mafic-felsic contact. Geophysical anomalies include a large 935 Hz Airborne E.M. Conductor.

Alteration Comments

Nov 06, 2006 (Mark Puumala) - Metamorphosed equivalents of possible VMS-related alteration zones in the Cormac Volcanics were recognized by the presence of chlorite-garnet, chlorite-amphibole-garnet and staurolite-garnet mineral assemblages (Edwards 1991). These alteration zones exhibit strong iron enrichment, sodium-calcium depletion and were generally copper-enriched. A 100 m alteration zone exhibiting significant copper enrichment was encountered in drill hole PO-5. This feature was hypothesized by Edwards (1991) to possibly represent a hydrothermal pipe. Edwards (1991) of Falconbridge describes the following: The Gold Fields showing consists of pervasive stringer chalcopyrite mineralization and chlorite-garnet alteration in a quartz-phyric felsic volcanic host.

Mineral Record Details

References

Map - Ontario geological map, west central sheet

Publication Number: M2199 Scale: 1:1,013,760    Date: 1970

Author: Ayres L.D., Lumbers S.B., Milne V.G., Robeson D.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Book - OPERATION FORT HOPE

Publication Number: MP042 Scale:     Date: 1970

Author: Thurston, P.C. and Carter, M.W.

Publisher Name: Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines

Mono - Mineral Occurrences and Prospects in the Fort Hope-Winisk Area

Publication Number: OFR5926 Scale:     Date: 1995

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Map - Fort Hope area, District of Kenora (Patricia Portion), Ontario

Publication Number: ARM38B-01 Scale: 1:190,080    Date: 1997

Author: Burwash E.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Map - Precambrian Geology of the Miminiska Lake Area, Fort Hope Greenstone Belt

Publication Number: P3764 Scale: 1:50,000    Date: 2012

Author: Buse S.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Map - Fort Hope-Lansdowne House sheet, geological compilation series, Cochrane, Kenora, and Thunder Bay districts

Publication Number: M2237 Scale: 1:253,440    Date: 1972

Author: Thurston P.C., Carter M.W., Riley R.A.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Map - Geological Compilation of the Miminiska-Fort Hope Area, Eastern Uchi Domain

Publication Number: P3611 Scale: 1:250,000    Date: 2009

Author: Madon Z.B., McIlraith S.J., Stott G.M.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

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