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By P. K. Gummer

Gold was fir t di covered on the Seabee property in 1947 by the Con olidated Mining and Smelting Company Limited. Acquired by Claude Resource Inc. in 1984, the property is now being explored by Placer Development Ltd . in joint venture with Claude Re ources. Between Augu t, 1985 and March, 1986, Placer completed 54 drill holes, extending the main o. 2 and o. 5 vein y tern to a depth of 1000 feet below surface and di covering two new satellitic gold zone 800 feet west of the o. 5 gold zone. Drill proven and probable geological re erve in four zone ( os. 2, 5, II, 14) to a vertical depth of 1000 feet, are approximately 1,120.000 tons averaging 0.32 oz. Au/ton.

Jan 1, 1986

By Ian Hattie, Mark R. Wilson, T. Kurtis Kyser, Brian W. Janser

Petrographic, chemical and isotopic compo itions of auriferous and non-auriferous quartz vei ns from the Sta r Lake and Flin Flin-Amisk Lake areas of northern Saskatchewan indicate diver e origins fo r the fluids associated with gold mineralization. In the Sta r Lake area, the metavolcanic , Star Lake pl uton, and heared mafic dikes have retained their original igneous 81 80 values. The 81 80 value of quartz from mi neralized veins vary by I per mi! and range from+I0 to+IJ. The only quartz ample having a 81 80 value outside th is range came from a vein not associated wi th a dike or gold mineralization . Quartz from the Star Lake pluton has identical 8180 value to the qua rtz from mi neralized vei ns which suggests that the vei ns and the pluton are related to imilar proces es. The diffe rence in 81 80 values between mi neralized and barren vein may erve a a potential exploration tool in this area. Because o34S val ues of a limi ted number of amples of pyrite from gold-bearing quartz vei ns at Star Lake correlate directly with gold content. the gold may have been syngenetic with the su lphur and the 834 value may be useful for exploration . 8180 values of co-existing quartz, calcite, and amphibole in the veins from Star Lake indicate that isotopic disequilibrium among the minerals is common, but the val ues also record a high temperature of formation (ea . 500°C) involvi ng a component of magmatic fl uid. TheoD value of hydrou mineral from Star Lake retain their original igneous values but whole rock values are generally much lower, an effect attributed to interaction of the minerals with a late meteoric water. In the Fl in Flin-Amisk Lake area, auriferou and barren quartz veins formed from a mixture of hydrothermal and metamorph ic flu id at lower temperatures (ea . 350°C) than those at Sta r Lake. Becau e there i no apparent correlation between 8180 values of the quartz with gold content or relative age of the vein , nor between the 834S val ues of pyrite and gold content, table isotopes appear limited as an exploration tool in the Fl in FlonAmisk Lake areas.

Jan 1, 1986

By T. I. . I. Sibbald, D. E. Jiricka

The Goldfields area on the north shore of Lake Athabasca , was active in the thirties and early fortie . In 1934, Tom Box discovered gold mineralization in quartz veins in pyritized 'granite' at the ite of what wa to become the Box Mine of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Ltd . In the rush of activity that followed numerou other gold occurrences were found. the most significant of the e being the Athona and Frontier prospects which underwent underground development bur did not reach production. Probable reserve identified to date in the Box and Athona deposits amount to some 3.5 million ton grading an average 0.ITT oz gold/ton . Some 10 to 15 million tons of lower grade, po ible reserve are also reported at the Box. From 1939 to 1942, the mine produced, from underground , 64,066 ounces of gold from ore grading 0.0452 oz gold/ton at a cost of between $1.5 and $2.0 a ton. The Goldfield area is underlain by upracrustal rock intruded by mafic bodies and invaded by ·granite'. The upracru tal . thought to be of Lower Proterozoic age are characterized by a helf-type ucce ion metamorpho ed under lowermiddle amphibolire facie conditions into quartzites, quartz-mica chi ts. dolomitic marbles, diop idic calc-silicates and cordierite-anthophyllite-biotite schi t . Amphibolites of presumed igneou origin form concordant to subconcordant units up to a few ten of metre thick in the upracrustals and occur as le regular masses in the 'g ranite·. Compositionally they vary from gabbroic to granodioritic. with the more mafic varieties being most common. Granitic rocks exhibiting a variety of textural , structural and compositional characteristics underlie most of the area. Four main units are recognized: foliated (older) 'granite', 'leucogranite', feldspar augen 'granite· and pyritic mine 'granite', however, in geological mapping the e are somewhat arbitrarily differentiated due to transitional relationships and admixture of types. Although there is no unambiguous age data available for the e 'granite ' adjacent northshore 'granite' of geologically similar age yield Rb-Sr isochron dates around 2000 Ma. The area is characterized by two major deformation events of which the earliest gave rise to the dominant regional foliation and to rare minor and outcrop scale folds. This foliation which in general parallels compositional layering is folded into the major Goldfields syncline, whose axis plunges weakly to moderately outh. Related open minor folds have subvertical axial surfaces which are locally paralleled by a weakly defined schistosity. Most rock display a pronounced rodding fabric, coaxial with second fold axes and apparently the product of this deformation event. However, a note of caution is introduced into this interpretation, as the rodding fabric is also parallel to first fold axe .

Jan 1, 1986

By W. L. Murphy

The Star Lake property, located 115 km northeast of La Ronge, Saskatchewan is underlain by metamorphosed andesitic tuffs and flows which have been intruded by the dioritic to granitic Star Lake Pluton. Gold mineralization on the Star Lake property was first discovered at Ru h Lake by E. Beveridge in 1959 and by M. and E. Hird in 1961. In 1960 E. Partridge discovered Kahn 18 and Kahn 28. In 1982 the SMDC-Starrex joint venture completed geophysical and geochemical urveys including magnetics, VLF, IP/Resistivity, vegetation, bulk till and oil sampling, followed by drill testing of pecific targets. To date the most ignificant depo it is the 21 Zone which contain drill indicated reserves of 230,000 tons grading 0.5 oz/ton Au . The 21 Zone con ists of quartz with 5-10% (locally > 30%) drusy pyrite, minor chalcopyrite and trace amounts of scheelite, chalcocite and arsenopyrite. The 21 Zone is enclosed by a 25-50 m wide band of mylonitized monzonite. The mylonite occurs in the central portion of a 300 m wide northeasterly trending zone of brittle deformation .

Jan 1, 1986

By K. Howard Poulsen

Shear zones are tabular tructures which tend to occur either discordantly within, or concordantly along the margins of, competent rock masse uch as plutons, sill or flows. They contain deformed equivalents of their host rock and are common sites for gold mineralization localized in tructure oriented y tematically relative to the shear zones and internal linear fabric. Apan from genetic implications, hear zone analysis proves useful in exploration for this type of deposit because the zones are generally wider and more continuous than associated mineralization and because there is an element of predictability to mineralization geometry (i.e. vein orientation. plunge).

Jan 1, 1986

By Samuel B. Rombeger

The behavior of gold in hydrothermal systems is evaluated as a function of pH and oxygen and sulphur activities at temperatures to 250°C. Under conditions of stability of pyrite and argillic alteration as emblages, gold will be transported as bisulphide complexes. In systems containing significant amounts of arsenic, thioarsenide complexes may be important. Oxidation, dilution and reduction in sulphur activity would cause gold deposition from saturated solutions under these conditions. Gold chloride complexes will predominate under oxidized conditions where hematite or other oxides are stable and depo ition would result from increase in pH and/or reduction . Absorption and coprecipitation are po sible mechanisms of deposition for gold in certain low grade depo it . Low concentrations of gold in the transporting solution combined with the ignificant solubility of gold as bisulphide complexes, sugge t hydrothermal solutions rarely may be saturated with gold and coprecipitation with sulphides may be an important initial depositional process. Recrystallization of the sulphides in the presence of the hydrothermal solution would be re ponsible for release of gold to more table ite . Thi mechani m i supported by the close association of gold with pyrite in many hydrothermal gold deposits.

Jan 1, 1986

By Lloyd W. Trevoy

Syncrude Canada Limited is presently studying commercial production of heavy minerals from plant tailings of the openpit A lhabasca tar sands operation. When tar sands are processed and upgraded to synthetic crude oil, heavy minerals can be removed f rom the extraction circuit and beneficiated to provide concentrates of zircon and titanium minerals. Calculated recovery rates indicate that crude oil production capabilities of 105,000 barrels per day would provide 26,000 tonnes of zircon and 114,000 tonnes of titanium minerals annually. The titanium minerals concentrate is a mixture of ilmenite, leucoxene and rutile; it could be used as recovered or upgraded to synthetic rutile. With the consrruction of further synthetic crude oil plants in Western Canada, a large reserve of heavy minerals will become available.

Jan 1, 1984

By Z. D. Hora

Numerous asbestos occurrences are known, and the Cassiar Mine in Northern British Columbia has been a major producer since 1952. The Kutcho Creek deposit is a large medium-grade deposit of potential economic interest. OF THE numerous British Columbia asbestos occurrences, only one mine exists. Another property, at Kutcho Creek, may be commercially viable. Cassiar Mine, in the northern part of the province, has been producing high-quality asbestos since 1952 and is described elsewhere in this volume. The Kutcho Creek property is situated north of Letain Lake about 125 km southeast of Cassiar Mine. The Kutcho Creek asbestos deposit comprises zoned chrysotile fibre veins in a well jointed and locally sheared serpentinite sill. The sill intrudes, more or less concordantly, a sequence of Devonian to Mississippian argillaceous Industrial Minerals in Canada metasedimentary, calcareous, and volcanic rocks. The light to dark green serpentinite contains crossfibre chrysotile veins that are usually less than 1 cm in width but up to several metres in length. Typical sections in exploration drillholes grade between 2.5 and 3.0 per cent fibre. According to the last assessment report submitted, test results indicate that the Kutcho Creek property may contain a large, medium-grade asbestos deposit of potential economic interest.

Jan 1, 1984

By PETER O. SANDVIK

The Cargill deposit, located 32 km south west of Kapuskasing, Ontario, was discovered by International Minerals and Chemical Corporation in 1975 and has been evaluated through an extensive program of drilling, chemical analyses, metallurgical tests and engineering and economic studies. The Cargill alkalic complex, comprising mainly carbonatite and pyroxenite-amphibolite rocks, was intruded into the rift system of the Kapuskasing magnetic-gravity high. Weathering and leaching under assumed temperate to cool climatic conditions plus faulting, shearing and/ or initial petrographic variations within the carbonatite developed a small, locally confined karst system. This resulted in a thick enriched leached carbonatite zone capped by troughs and sinks, and filled with a residuum of apatite, goethite, clay and other minerals. Residuum thickness ranges from nonexistent on ridges to 170 m in troughs and sinks. Apatite values are 5 to 15% in fresh carbonatite, 20 to 40% in leached carbonatite and 20 to 98% in residuum. A tentative open-pit mine designed for preliminary feasibility studies is estimated to contain 62.5 million tonnes averaging 19.6% P20 5.

Jan 1, 1984

By Kilmar Mine

The Kilmar dolomitic magnesite deposit~ in sourhwesr Quebec lie in Grenville Province sedimentary rocks that strike north and dip steeply west. The sediments comprise quartzitic, carbonate and argillaceous members. The middle or carbonate member hosts the magnesite and, like the two other members, has been intensely mewmorphosed. Magnesite occurs as lenticular shaped zones of altered limestone and is mixed with 5 to 30% dolomite crystals. Diopside, serpentine and mica are common accessory minerals. Magnesite appears to have formed from merasomarism of all or part of the carbonate member due to intrusion of hot magnesia-rich solutions. Magnesite is mined from a 490 m vertical shaf1 and is milled and burned into clinkers, which then are shipped 10 pyroprocessing industries around the world.

Jan 1, 1984

By G. H. K. Pearse

Sulphur is derived from both 'voluntary' and 'involuntary' production. The former category includes sulphur obtained from elemental sulphur deposits and from pyrite and gypsumanhydrite deposits. Sulphur in the latter category is produced by pollution abatement at fossil Juel plants and from treatment of metallic sulphides. Canada is the world's largest sulphur exporter and third largest producer. Main resources of Canadian sulphur are sulphurous fossil fuels, metallic sulphides and native sulphur. Only the first two sources have produced sulphur in Canada 10 date; the first source accounts for over 85% of total Canadian production. Future sulphur sources will be derived increasingly through pollution abatement and decreasingly through voluntary production.

Jan 1, 1984

By BARRY BANNATYNE

Ombrotrophic Sphagnum peat bogs have a characteristic signature on both colour injrared film (750 nm to 3,000 nm response) and Daedalus injrared line-scanner images (thermal infrared 3 to 5 microns and 8 to 14 microns response). This remote sensing method was used to survey bogs in southeast Manitoba to delineate targets for surface exploration. Target bogs all have a surface growth of Sphagnum; underlying dead Sphagnum ranges from 1 to 6 m thick. Large Sphagnum reserves exist in the Caribou cluster of bogs, and in /979 a bog first identified by infrared sensing was brought into production.

Jan 1, 1984

By Z. D. Hora

Of four main gypsum areas in the province, commercial production has only come from Falkland and the Kootenay and Columbia River valleys of southeast British Columbia. The Windermere deposit in southeast B.C. has been the major producer since /948. Gypsum and anhydrite from the Falkland deposit is used principally in cement-making at Kam/oops. GYPSUM deposits in British Columbia are known from four different areas: the southeast part of the province in the proximity of the Kootenay and Columbia River valleys; Forgetmenot Creek astride the British Columbia - Alberta boundary near Intersection Mountain; Falkland; and O'Connor River north of Haines . To date, commercial production has only come from Falkland and the southeast part of the province. Gypsum deposits of southeast British Columbia occur in the Burnais Formation of Devonian age. Outcrops of gypsum and numerous sinkholes indicating its presence are scattered over large areas of the Stanford Range. Several properties have been examined by industry in both the recent and more distant past. Significant production is reported from only two deposits. The Mayook deposit, active from 1926 to 1929 and from 1947 to 1954, produced approximately 95,000 tonnes of gypsum. The Windermere deposit, which has been active since 1948, is operated by Westrock Industries and has produced more than 6.8 million tonnes of gypsum. The Burnais Formation is composed principally of well bedded, finely 'laminated gypsum but also contains thin lenses of black fetid limestone and dolomite. Part of the Formation consists of breccia with angular carbonate clasts in massive, coarse grained gypsum. In several exposures, the Formation appears 10 be from 200 10 400 m thick, of which more than 75 Industrial Minerals in Canada per cent is gypsum . In the Stanford Range reserves mineable by quarry methods are estimated to be approximately 450 million tonnes.

Jan 1, 1984

By W. R. Cowan

The Caledon Outwash is a large deposit of glaciofluvial gravel and sand located 55 km north west of down town Toronto. For the most part it was laid down in a meltwater channel fronting the Paris Moraine about 14,000 years ago. Applying the braided bar model of Eynon and Walker (1974) the principal facies present are imbricated coarse gravels (bar corefacies); crudely stratified, imbricated bar top sandy gravels; and trough crossbedded side channel sands and gravelly sands. Of lesser importance are crossbedded bar front gravels, shallow braided stream facies gravels, and stoss side facies sands and pebbly sands (rare). Lithologically these deposits are characterized by FIGURE I. Geological relationships of Caledon Outwash. Industrial Minerals in Canada up to 95% Ordovician limestone and siltstone in the gravel fraction. A siltstone content of up to 34% requires that beneficiation be carried out for the production of better quality aggregates. Resources remaining are estimated to exceed 500 million tonnes in 3000 ha of the most suitable part of the deposit. Present production is about 4.5 million tonnes per year, shared by several producers.

Jan 1, 1984

By Paul Guliov

Potash dominates the industrial mineral scene in Saskatchewan accounting for 44% of total provincial mineral production in 1981. More than 7 million tonnes of potash have been produced annualy in recent years; ten underground mines are presently (1983) active. Sodium sulphate and cement are also important mineral products. Construction aggregates, clay products, bentonite, salt, peat moss and sulphur complete the list of industrial mineral products.

Jan 1, 1984

By RALPH R. STEA, John H. Fowler

Clay, quartz sand and lignite deposits overlie Carboniferous rocks in central mainland Nova Scotia. Recent evidence indicates that these deposits are fairly extensive. Sands consist of almost pure angular quartz grains. Clays are highly plastic and range in colour from black through grey and blue to mottled red and white. Palynologica/ information dates the sediments as Ear{y Cretaceous, and mineralogical studies show them to consist primarily of quartz, kaolinite and mica. There is not yet enough evidence for detailed stratigraphic description, but sequence and thickness of sediments are known to vary greatly over short distances. Drill logs from Musquodoboit Valley recorded Cretaceous sediments at 168 m thick. Of the three active pits in Cretaceous sediments of central Nova Scotia, two are for silica sand production and are located at Elmsvale and Brazil Lake while a third pit at Shubenacadie produces clay for manufacture of structural clay products.

Jan 1, 1984

By D. G. Minnes

Many non-metallic minerals and structural materials are produced in Ontario to serve the needs of domestic manufacturers and export markets. In 1982 production was estimated to have a value of $765 million. Approximately 81 per cent of this was represented by structural materials, nearly 12.8 per cent by salt, and the remainder was other industrial minerals. Total mineral production in Ontario in 1982 was estimated at $3 .16 billion, down nearly $1.5 billion from 1980's high of $4.58 billion.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. T. GRIFFIS, R. J. GRIFFIS

A large magnesite-talc body is locared in Delora Township, 11 km sourh-southeasr of Timmins, Onrario. The deposit occurs in part of an Archean greensrone belt dominated by volcanic and sedimenrary rocks and large bodies of ultramafic intrusions. The magnesite-talc zane is abour 1800 m long, has a maximum width of 300 m and has been drilled ro 120 m below surface. Chemical analyses of rhe main carbonate zane average 20 ro 28% soluble MgO (magnesia), 5 ro 6% rota/ iron oxide and less rhan 0.1 % CaO (lime). Mineralogically, the zane consists of approximately 54% magnesite, 28% rate, /5% quartz and 3% hematire. Perrographic srudies suggest that rhe various assemblages of magnesite, rate, quartz and serpentine were derived from a parenr serpenrinire (after dunire). An early carbonitization stage, which produced a high-magnesite, low-talc assemblage, preceded a farer decarbonitizarion stage, which formed rhe main magnesite-talc assemblage. Despite a favourably low calcium oxide content of rhe magnesite-talc rock, considerable iron in the magnesire /at rice has limited the quality of the beneficiared product: rhe besr flotation concentrate to dare yields 92 to 94% dead-burned MgO. Experimen- I L t r i i c:~:.•-4- -------- ? -_;> ,•----1---- ta/ work continues on finding a process whereby high-purity magnesia can be produced on a commercial scale.

Jan 1, 1984

By D. KEYS, D. E. Gemmell

The portion of the earth's surface covered by peatlands has been conservatively estimated at over 420 million ha (Kivinen and Pakarinen 1980). It is estimated that there are about 170 million ha of peatland in Canada. New Brunswick contains about 140,000 ha. Harvesting of peat for horticultural purposes has been carried out in New Brunsiwck since 1942. This industry, and the potential for using peat for energy purposes, indicated the need for an accurate assessment of the resource. In 1975, therefore, the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources began a detailed peatland inventory. Assistance from the Canada Department of Regional Economic Expansion permitted acceleration of this program and field work was completed in 1982. Information gathered by the program will form the basis for a management plan for future use of the resource.

Jan 1, 1984

By M. J. Collins

The Advocate Mines Limited asbestos property is 6 km north of Baie Ve rte on the northeast coast of Newfoundland. Mining began in the early 1960s and was concluded in 1981. The chrysotile asbestos deposit lies at the north end of the Baie Verte Lineament, the interface between a closing ocean floor and continental margin. Asbestos occurs within ultramafic rocks of abducted ophiolite massifs that were thrust westward against Fleur-de-Lys Supergroup metasediments (continental rise sediments) in the Lower to Middle Ordovician. The asbestos-bearing ultramafics belong to the Central Ultrabasic Sequence of the Advocate Complex. Serpentinized peridotite of this sequence has a 'waste cap' core that grades outward to increasingly sheared rock. Asbestos is found mainly in a northtrending, basin-shaped zone surrounding the core, specifically within fractured serpentinized peridotite that abuts the sheared rock. Asbestos appears as stockworks of chrysotile cross fibre veins and is concentrated between brown, narrow brucitic dunite dykes and sills. Shear contacts commonly surround the ultrabasic body. Cross faults and complex Jointing also exist. The Advocate Mines Limited mill produced 65,000 tonnes of Group IV fibres and 1 l , 000 tonnes of Group VJ fibres annually. The bagged product enjoyed markets worldwide.

Jan 1, 1984