Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52P16SW00008

Record: MDI52P16SW00008

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Location

Township or Area: Keezhik Lake Area

Latitude: 51° 46' 26.39"    Longitude: -88° 25' 33.88"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 401609   Northing: 5736864    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 52P16SW

Point Location Description: Map in Assessment report 52P16SW0002

Location Method: Data Compilation

Access Description: Located on Keezhik Lake, 38 km northwest of Fort Hope First Nation (north shore of East Arm, Keezhik Lake, west of former Noramco camp). Accessible by float plane and foot or by helicopter.

Exploration History

1971: AEM and MAG - Cominco. 1986-88: EM, MAG, IP, AVLF-EM and MAG, humus geochem., geol. Surveys, and 21 ddh totalling 3339.1 m - Noramco Exploration Inc. for Severide Resources Inc. 2004-2005: Prospecting, geological mapping and assays by MetalCorp.

Assessment Work on File

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Uchi

Terrane: North Caribou

Domain: Uchi

Belt: Miminiska-Fort Hope

Geological Age: Mesoarchean  

Geology Comments

Oct 06, 2006 (Mark Puumala) - The Keezhik Lake area gold occurrences are located within the northern portions of the Miminiska-Fort Hope Greenstone Belt. This portion of the belt has been interpreted by Stott and Corfu (1991) to be underlain by the rocks of three separate supracrustal rock assemblages. The northernmost assemblage is dominated by mafic volcanic flows containing a banded iron formation marker unit. This assemblage is interpreted to be overlain by a southward facing sequence of massive to pillowed mafic volcanics that also contains a well-defined iron formation marker unit. A third assemblage consisting of mafic volcanics, felsic pyroclastic rocks and a quartz porphyry intrusion overlies the second unnamed assemblage. The Keezhik Lake gold occurrences are located near the boundary between the second and third assemblages. A wide variety of lithologies have been mapped in this area, including mafic metavolcanics, mafic to ultramafic intrusive rocks (gabbro and pyroxenite), banded iron formation, intermediate to felsic pyroclastic rocks with thin interbedded sedimentary layers, and quartz/quartz-feldspar porphyry intrusions (Arnold and MacTavish, 2005). Gold occurrences appear to be hosted within all of these lithologies, with the most significant known occurrence (KL-12) being found in a quartz porphyry stock The Keezhik Lake gold occurrences are located in close proximity to the North Caribou Lake-Totogan Lake Shear Zone. This is a major regional-scale structure that may have provided a source of gold-mineralized fluids. Osmani and Stott (1988) identified this area as having significant gold potential, especially where splays or horse-tail shear zones may have transmitted fault movement into the greenstone belt. Lithological contacts with competent units such as porphyry intrusions and iron formations (i.e., the setting for many of the known occurrences) are considered to be favourable locations for the development of significant gold mineralized structures.

Lithology

Lithology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (C Salo) - The felsic metavolcanic unit is dominated by grey-green to blue-grey light colored ash tuffs, well banded and massive. Minor units of lapilli tuff and crystal tuffs with very coarse grained quartz porphyroblasts. Interbedded with test metavolcanic are minor metsediments: low grade Barrovian biotite zone argillites and greywacke. The gabbro unit is found to the north and east of the metavolcanics along the irregular fold contact.

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Oct 06, 2006 (Mark Puumala) - The KL-L18 zone is located at the contact between felsic metavolcanic rocks and a gabbro intrusion. Detailed mapping (1:1000 scale) by Arnold and MacTavish (2005) indicates that the metavolcanics occur as a northwesterly-trending unit up to 120 m thick, bounded to the east and west by a gabbro/pyroxenite intrusion. Davis (1988) indicates that the majority of the gold-bearing mineralization at this location was found within the felsic metavolcanic rocks. Mineralization occurs in light grey to blue-grey tuffs where brecciation and/or silicification, quartz-carbonate veining, microfracturing are present. Mineralization consists of arsenopyrite (up to 10%), pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, galena, tourmaline, molybdenite, sphalerite and occasional visible gold. Arnold and MacTavish (2005) indicate that surface mineralization in the felsic volcanics is associated with silica-flooded zones and 130 degree trending boudinaged quartz veins. These observations are consistent with the interpreted 130 degree orientation of the mineralized zone reported by Davis (1988). Quartz veining within the gabbro is reported by Arnold and MacTavish (2005) to be restricted to narrow 20 to 70 cm wide shears. Davis (1988) has interpreted the presence of an ESE-plunging anticlinal structure at the eastern contact between the metavolcanics and gabbro. The interpreted location of this structure corresponds with the thickest section of metavolcanics mapped by Arnold and MacTavish (2005). This thickened zone appears to host the currently-identified area of gold mineralization. Foliation in the mineralized area is generally oriented at approximately 290/50 in both lithologies (possibly axial-planar to interpreted fold?). The mineralized zone is interpreted by Davis (1988) to be bounded to the west by a north-south-striking fault whose location is shown in mapping conducted by Arnold and MacTavish (2005). This interpreted fault corresponds with the western gabbro/metavolcanic contact. Significant gold assays (i.e., >0.5 g/t) were reported by Davis (1988) from samples collected from nine diamond drill holes that were advanced through this zone in 1987 over an approximate strike-length of 150 to 200 m. The most significant reported Au assay was 18.93 ppm over 1.5 m in DDH KL-10.

Sep 27, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - DDH KL-87-8 assayed 9.79 ppm Au over 3.0 m. DDH KL-87-10 returned 18.93 ppm Au over 1.5 m from a yellow laminated tuff, moderately to highly fractured, with calcite and minor quartz fracture infilling. The zone appears to be part of a linear mineralization trend striking 130* when projected vertically. DDH KL-88-67 returned 1.44 ppm Au over 14.1 m including 14.79 ppm Au over 0.4 m and 9.4 ppm over 0.5 m. Channel samples returned values of 0.51 ppm Au over 0.7 m up to >20.0 ppm au over 1.0 m (Assessment report 52P16SW0002). Sampling by MetalCorp in 2005 returned values of up to 14.76 ppm Au from a boudinaged, fine-grained, recrystallized, sugary-textured quartz vein, containing trace to 1%, finely disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite, and hosted within sheared felsic metavolcanic rock (Assessment report 20000000915).

Alteration Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (C Salo) - Carbonate and silification in gabbro.

Mineral Record Details

References

Map - Keezhik-Miminiska lakes area, District of Kenora (Patricia Portion), Ontario

Publication Number: ARM48E Scale: 1:63,360    Date: 1997

Author: Prest V.K.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

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

Location:

Part - Geology of the Keezhik-Miminiska lakes area

Publication Number: ARV48-06 Scale:     Date: 1998

Author: Prest V.K.

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Map - Operation Fort Hope, Lansdowne House-Fort Hope sheet, districts of Kenora (Patricia Portion) and Thunder Bay

Publication Number: P0562 Scale: 1:126,720    Date: 1997

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines

Location:

Mono - Operation Fort Hope

Publication Number: MP042 Scale:     Date: 1970

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

Publisher Name: Ontario Dept. of Mines and Northern Affairs

Location:

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

Location:

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