Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI52P16SW00009

Record: MDI52P16SW00009

General

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Location

Township or Area: Keezhik Lake Area

Latitude: 51° 47' 7.48"    Longitude: -88° 25' 51.83"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 401290   Northing: 5738140.01    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay North

NTS Grid: 52P16SW

Point Location Description: Diamond drill hole

Location Method: Conversion from MDI

Access Description: Located on Keezhik Lake, 38 km northwest of Fort Hope First Nation. (1.5 km north of north shore of East Arm of Keezhik Lake and 1.3 km north of KL_L zone). Accessible by float aircraft, then by foot along claim lines by helicopter.

Exploration History

1971: AEM and MAG - Cominco. 1986-88 - AVLF-EM and MAG, EM (max.-min.), MAG, IP and geology surveys, prospecting, stripping, trenching, sampling and 12 ddh.totalling 2552.3 m - Noramco Exploration Inc. for Severide Res. 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

Sep 27, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - The main units in an approximate downhole sequence are: 1) mafic volcanics: flows and tuffs in part with 2-10% magnetite (KL-18,40,41), dark green, moderately to strongly chloritic with 1% pyritization. 2) oxide or lean oxide facies BIF: chert-magnetite or chert-hematite, highly fractured, trace to 6% sulphides that may include up to 1% arsenopyrite, often include sub-units of sulphide facies IF; banded graphite-chert or massive sulphides, quartz veining in KL-30 shows 13.30 ppm Au over 1.4 m. 3) felsic volcanics: thick sequences locally that often pinch out over 25 m, tuff lapilli tuff and rhyolitic agglomerate with up to 50% white to light grey bombs in a grey sericitic matrix, bombs typically have the appearance of a welded tuff. Holes KL-49 and 51 have the same sequence of felsics overlain by BIF followed by intermediate volcanics. Holes KL-29 and 50 have BIF overlain by intermediate then felsic volcanics. Other intervening holes have no felsic unit. 4) intermediate volcanics: grey to blue-grey tuffs that progress through a zone rich in dark chloritic wisps; followed by a combination of crystal-lapilli-llthic tuffs with coarse grained blue quartz eyes, lapilli or rock fragments (typically chert); through tuffs having 3-8% pyrrhotite blebs and stringers. The intermediate sequence as outlined above is typical of holes centrally located within the zone. The regularity of the sequence in the lower half of these drill holes suggests the variation in the upper sequence is due to local units pinching out rather than complex folding (Assessment report 52P16SW0002).

Mineralization

Mineralization Comments

Sep 27, 2019 (Mark Puumala) - The geology of the KL-27 zone is summarized by Arnold and MacTavish (2005; Assessment report 20000000915) as consisting of a complex package of strongly folded, sheared and faulted rocks composed of: moderately to strongly chloritic magnetite-bearing mafic metavolvanics with 1% disseminated pyrite; fractured and sericitized oxide-facies iron formation with up to 6% pyrite and 1% arsenopyrite; graphite-chert and massive sulphide bands cross-cut by quartz veins; felsic pyroclastic rocks; and intermediate pyroclastic rocks containing 3 to 8% pyrrhotite in blebs and stringers. Gold mineralization is reported by Davis (1988) to be associated with fracturing and quartz veining and is interpreted to occur along an easterly plunging trend that deepens toward the east and is oriented at an azimuth of 115 degrees. This is approximately parallel to an approximately east-west transpressional zone exhibiting a dextral sense of shear that was interpreted by Arnold and MacTavish (2005). Anomalous gold values may be found in any of the lithological units, and is associated with quartz veining, fractured iron formation, fold hinges and arsenopyrite mineralization. No pervasive alteration is associated with the mineralization zone. Gold assays above 0.5 g/t were reported in intersections from seven drill holes by Davis (1988), with the best value being reported as 13.3 g/t over 1.4 m. The gold mineralized drill holes intersected mineralization along a strike length of approximately 200m.

Sep 27, 2019 (Therese Pettigrew) - Assays reported include (12.0 ppm Au over 1.5 m in DDH KL-51, 13.3 ppm over 1.4 m in DDH KL-30, and 12.86 ppm over 1.5 m in DDH KL-27 (Assessment report 52P16SW0002).

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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