PR1945-01 - Geology Ontario

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ONTARIO
DEPARTMENT OF MINES
P.R. 1945 - l
L. MAMEN GROUP, BEE LAKE
With notes on adjoining properties
RED LAKE MINING DIVISION
Robert Thomson
Resident Geologist -Kenora, Ontario
INTRODUCTION
Interest in the Bee Lake area has recently been
revived by the discovery by L. Mamen, prospecting in cont
junction with E. Carlson, in August, 1945, of a gold showing
about half a mile south of Bee lake, which lies approximately
60 miles a little south of west of Red Lake and 2 miles east
of the Manitoba-Ontario boundary.
Mining claims staked are
shown on the "Rickaby Lake" claim map,
The writer spent about four days in the vicinity
and- is grateful to Mr. Mamen for hospitality and information.
ACCESS
Access is most conveniently and rapidly obtained
by airplane from either Red Lake or Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba,
at both of which places the Canadian Pacific Airlines main
tain bases.
Numerous lakes in the vicinity of Bee lake pro
vide easy canoe routes in the area.
Camps have been erected
on the south side of Bee lake in a small bay in claim
K. R. L. 23,396.
PREVIOUS WORK
Some twenty years ago a prospecting rush took
place in this area, and much of the ground was staked.
-2-
Geological reports on work done along the belt of lavas and
l
2
associated sediments includes those by Burwash and Gilbert ,
1.
E. M. Burwash, Ont. Dept. Mines, Vol. XXXII, 1?23, pt. 2,
pp. 1-47.
2. Geoffrey Gilbert, Ont. Dept. Mines, Vol. XXXVI, 1927,
pt. 2, pp. 73-84.
3"
covering the Ontario part of the belt, and that of Stockwell ,
3.
C. H. Stockwell, Can. Dept. Ivfines and Resources, map 811A,
"Gem Lake/1 1945.
covering part of the Manitoba section.
GENERAL GEOLOGY
Stockwell outlines a belt of sediments, acidic
lava, and basic lava of early pre-Cambrian age, grouped under
the term "Rice Lake group," extending in a southeasterly
direction across the Manitoba-Ontario boundary; at the
boundary the belt has a width of some 7 miles and lies against
intrusive granites on either side.
Gilbert showed the belt as extending l6 miles into
Ontario and gradually pinching out in intrusive granite.
Stockwell has mapped a band of basic to intermediate lavas,
some 2-^ miles wide, extending eastward as far as the interprovincial boundary and has shown it as underlying sediments,
with some acidic lava flows, in an overturned anticlinal
structure.
The band of basic to intermediate lavas in
Ontario extends eastward through Anderson and Rickaby lakes.
The recent discovery was made in the sediments on the north
side of these lavas.
The succession northward from Rickaby lake is
shown roughly on the accompanying sketch map; from south to
north the formations are believed to be successively younger.
Immediately north of the lavas at Rickaby lake are varied
sediments, usually well bedded and including a little iron
-3-
formation.
North of these, particularly on claims K. R. Lo
23,393 and 23,392, is rhyolite, for the most part fresh and
massive and containing quartz and feldspar phenocrysts, with
a maximum diameter
of an eighth of an inch.
t
is gradational into arkose-like sediments.
The north contact
The rhyolite
closely resembles^ quartz porphyry intrusive rock,,
North of the rhyolite is a sedimentary series,
including arkose-like sediments and greywacke near the
rhyolite, cherty iron formation of variable width, and some
nondescript varied rock, probably largely tuffaceous.,
The
largest exposure of iron formation is at the main showing at
the northwest corner of claim K. R. L. 23,382 (see accompany
ing sketch map).
It consists largely of black, white, or
grey cherty beds, frequently containing abundant magnetite;
in a few places and to a minor extent red jasper also occurs.
Extensions of the iron formation band have been found to the
southeast for about a mile and a quarter, but the width is
much less.
Extension of the band to the west is not clear;
minor scattered cherty beds over a width of 8 feet occur at
what seems to be a slightly higher (and more northerly)
horizon.
North of the iron foriaation are bedded sediments
and a light-grey, generally unbedded fragmental rock con
taining about 5 per cent quartz grains; it may be a rhyolite
or a rhyolitic tuff*
A band of conglomerate occurring on the north
side of the lake in claim K. R. L. 23,397 contains pebbles
of iron formation, which are generally well-rounded, and
quartz in a chloritic matrix.
From this point north to
Mamen's camp at Bee lake a varied rock lacking pronounced
bedding or banding and containing fragments similar to the
matrix, is exposed.
In some places, as at Mamen's camp, it
is clearly rhyolitic; in other places, it is tuffaceous and
-4-
agglomeratic.
On the south shore of Bee lake, north of
Mamen f s camp, there is a band of conglomerate, at least 160
feet wide, containing well-rounded boulders of iron formation
with a maximum diameter of 6 inches.
Most of the contacts seen in this vicinity were
not s,harp or clearly defined.
STRUCTURE
The few determinations of tops of beds made by
the writer were in accord with the structure outlined by
l
Stockwell for the Manitoba part of the sedimentary and lava
1.
C. H. Stockwell, op. cit.
belt; that is that the sediments and associated acid volcanic
flows overlie stratigraphically the basic to intermediate
lavas to the south in the vicinity of Rickaby lake.
A large
drag-fold in the iron formation in which the recent discovery
of gold was made accords with this structure and indicates a
pitch to the east.
The general strike of formations in the
vicinity of Bee lake is roughly S.60 0E., and dips are 60 0 to
80 0N.
A broad zone of schisting striking in this direction
extends through the Mamen group of claims about threequarters of a mile south of the south shore of Bee lake.
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY
Gold is the only mineral of economic importance
known to occur in this vicinity.
The original discovery, and
main showing, lies in iron formation near the northeast
corner of claim K o R. L. 23,382 (see accompanying sketch) and
is connected with the camps by-a trail.
The showing is in
iron formation, at a sharp bend where the strike changes
abruptly from N.60 0W. to about N.60 0 E.
At the bend, which
pitches to the east, the iron formation has a width of at
-5least 100 feet (or 200 feet as exposed across both limbs of
the fold), but to the northeast it thins out in about 400
feet to a width of a few feet and then turns west.
It also
appears to become narrower to the southeast of the main
showing; strong magnetic reactions with a dip needle indicated
i,ts presence under the lake in the southwestern part of claim
K. R. L. 23,397, Just south of the point extending eastward
into the lake.
Gold occurs in quartz veinlets in the iron for
mation and in green chloritic shear zones; some of the pre
liminary sampling indicated a wider distribution of gold than
is explained by the two methods of occurrence outlined above.
The quartz veinlets are in variable amount, roughly estimated
at less than 3 per cent of the rock as a whole; they are
irregular and usually less than 2 inches in width.
quartz is white or grey and coarse-grained.
The
It is estimated
that pyrite makes up less than 2 per cent of the veinlets c
The writer noted fine-grained visible gold in places in the
quartz; three selected grab samples gave assay returns of
0.21 ounces, 0.13 ounces, and a trace of gold per ton.
i
Irregular green chloritic shear zones, up to a foot in width
and with varying amounts of pyrite up to 12 per cent, yield
gold on panning; the gold is quite fine grained.
Three grab
samples from the chloritic zones gave assay returns of 0.85
ounces, 0.21 ounces, and 0.01 ounces gold per ton.
A sample
of iron formation over 0.9 feet next to a chloritic zone gave
an assay return of 0.01 ounces gold per ton.
The importance of the showing would seem to
depend on the general distribution of gold throughout the
iron formation in addition to that localized in quartz vein
lets and small chloritic shear zones.
Pyrite mineralization
throughout the iron formation is slight.
At this deposit
-6there is no strong linear structural disturbance; possibly
the sharp bend in the iron formation is one of the factors
that has determined the position of gold deposition.
At the time of the writer*s visit, trenching
through overburden had been done on the showing, but no
blasting.
About 500 feet north of the main showing on claim
K. R. L. 23,391, and extending into claim K. R. L. 23,390,
gold occurrences were found in the same sedimentary belt as
that containing the main showing but probably at a slightly
higher horizon.
Minor bands of iron formation occur near by
over a width of about 8 feet.
Gold can be panned from small
quartz stringers and also from chloritic shear zones.
At
the time of the writer's visit, the showing was being
explored by stripping.
Insufficient work has been done on the group to
determine the eventual importance of the gold occurrences.
ADJACENT PROPERTIES
Gold occurrences are known on several adjoining
properties; these occurrences include quartz veins in shear
l
zones and in mineralized schisted zones. Gilbert has
1.
Geoffrey Gilbert, op. cit., pp. 82-84.
described some of the properties prospected during 1926.
Consolidated Diana Gold Mines, Limited
The property of Consolidated Diana Gold Mines,
Limited, is situated in Manitoba about half a mile west of
the interprovincial boundary and about the same distance
northwest of the west end of Anderson lake; it is the only
property in the vicinity that has had a gold production,,
From mining and milling operations carried on from 1934 to
-71936, a production of some 5,850 ounces of gold was obtained
from high-grade (in part) but usually narrow quartz veins in
two zones of strong schisting, striking N.72 0W. and dipping
about 73 0N.
A depth of 750 feet was reached in mining
operations. The mine is now closed and the mill dismantled.
J.
Stockwell reports the presence of gold, pyrite, chalcopyrite,
1.
C. H. Stockwell, op. cit.
l
carbonate, chlorite., feldspar, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, arseno
pyrite, and tourmaline in the quartz.
CARLSON GROUP
A group of 9 claims, K. R. L. 23,381 to 23,389,
east of and adjoining the Mamen group, was staked by E.
Carlson in 194-5.
The iron formation, with which gold is
associated on the Mamen group, extends into Carlson ground,
and it is reported that gold was panned from it.
About mid
way between posts Nos. l and 2 on claim K. R. L. 23,385, a
quartz vein striking about N.60 0W. contains gold.
It has a
'.r
maximum width of 3 feet and is mineralized with galena and
chalcopyrite.
A granite intrusive is reported to occur on
claims K. R. L. 23,381 and 23,382 in the southeast corner of
the group.
ROSS NIESSEN GROUP
i
On claim K. R. L. 20,584, quartz veins containing
tourmaline occur on the south shore of Bee Iake 0
On the top
of a 40-foot cliff facing the lake, a quartz vein striking
S.59 0E. and dipping steeply to the south is exposed in
trenches; the writer saw widths up to 3 feet but it is
usually narrower and in places pinches out.
The writer
followed the vein for about 600 feet, and it is reported to
have a length of 1,500 feet.
It is estimated that pyrite and
-8chalcopyrite constitute l per cent of the vein; visible gold
is reported to occur in places.
At the foot of the cliff, about 60 feet north of
this vein, a sheared zone containing abundant coarse quartz
has been opened up by large trenches.
Visible gold is
reported to occur.
JAMES YOUNG- GROUP, ANDERSON LAKE
A group of 30 claims has been staked on the
south shore of Anderson lake by J. Young, who spent some
years prospecting the ground.
His camp is situated at the
west end of Rickaby lake a few hundred yards south of the
portage between Rickaby and Anderson lakes.
The claims are
largely underlain by andesitic lavas and some iron formation*
About the middle of claim K. R. L. 16,657,
trenching has exposed quartz veins in a shear zone which
intersects lava and strikes about No55 0W.
On claim K. R. L. 17,264, about 50 feet from the
south shore of Anderson lake, a schisted zone from 4 to 10
feet in width strikes S.70 0E. and dips 75 0N 0
Arsenopyrite
occurs in stubby crystals with a maximum diameter of an eighth
of an inch.
Mr. Young reports that the highest assay he has
obtained is 0.03 ounces of gold per ton.
On the north side
of the zone, a fine-grained granodiorite dike, about 60 feet
in width, is intersected by numerous irregular quartz veinlets; some of the veinlets contain pyrite and minor amounts
of galena.
At about the middle of claim K. R. L. 18,348,
350 feet south of the south shore of Anderson lake, a sheared
zone in amphibolitic rock contains pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite,
and quartz.
dip 75 0N.
The strike of the schistosity is So80 0E., and the
A 20-foot trench has been dug.
the writer assayed a trace in gold.
A sample taken by
-9Several other veins are known to occur on this
group,
MCKINNON GROUP
The McKinnon group consists of 9 patented claims,
K. R. L. 7,964 to 7,969 and K. ; R. L. 10,376 to 10,378, adjoin
ing the interprovineial boundary south of Anderson lake.
A
trail leads from a small bay in the southeast corner of claim
K. R. L. 7,964 to the main showing on the north side of a little
lake in claim K. 7*966.
A considerable amount of rock-trenching
has been done on this group.
At the main showing a shaft, which
is inclined about 45 0S. and is now filled with water, is
reported to be 40 feet deep.
Two narrow quartz veinlets,
striking S.80 0 E. and dipping 45 0 S., may be seen near the top of
the shaft cutting through pillow lava.
Quartz on the dump con
tains abundant visible gold and pyrite, chalcopyrite, tourmaline,
carbonate, and light-coloured mica.
In the vicinity of the shaft, to the east of it, and
north of the little lake, are very large quartz veins with a
maximum width of 20 feet.
About 80 feet from the middle of the southwest
shore of the little lake on claim K. 7,968, a shear zone con
taining dark quartz veins, veinlets, and irregular areas is
exposed in a 40-foot rock trench.
pyrite.
The quartz contains a little
Gold is reported to have been obtained by panning.
November, 1945
JLa&e
K. R. L.
K.R.L.2339I
Camp
~-TKENCHES,
NORTH SHOWING
TRENCHES,
MAIN SHOWING
IN IRON FORMAT ON-,.
i ''-7-1'
\
S. l
O'
Trail
RHYOLITE -^
\
tU i
Vo,
K.R.L.23396
*
\ ^TRENCH ON
x1
\S IRON FORMATION /
\
K.R.L.
23392
\ CONTORTED (
\SEDIMENTS^
^-c
\
K.R.L.
23397
N ,-.
K.R.L. 23393
,' a
,'vo
lt
l ^
SKETCH MAP
OF PART OF L MAM EN GROUP
BEE LAKE-ONTARIO.
Scale'1 Inch,to 1O Chains.