Mineral Deposits

In the Timmins area, we are looking for Ni-Co-Cu-PGE and Cu-Zn deposits similar to

• Alexo/Dundonald
• Crawford Township
• Kidd Creek

Alexo/Dundonald

Structurally, The Alexo and Dundonald deposits occur along the southern margin of the Dundonald Dome structure, to the north of the Destor-Porcupine Fault zone. The Alexo North deposit occurs on the northeast arm of a large Z-shaped fold in the Kidd-Monroe assemblage, whereas the Dundonald South deposit occurs on the southwest arm of the fold. The northeast trending fold has an apparent wavelength of 2.5 kilometers and an amplitude of 6 kilometers.

The rocks have been metamorphosed to greenschist facies with minor isolated areas of Prehnite – pellyite, facies and local amphibolite facies at the contract of intrusions. Ultramafic rocks may have abundant secondary metamorphic talc-serpentine with or without magnetite, calcite, tremolite and chlorite.

Mineralization

That nickel sulfide deposits occur at approximately the same stratigraphic level where komatiitic flows overlie a sequence of calc dash alkaline volcanic rocks with variable amounts of pyrite and pyrrhotite and <1 M thick interflow layers of black graphic argillite. The Alexo North and South deposits consist of massive to semi massive nickel sulfide accumulations in basal embayments along the foot walls of two parallel, but separate, steeply dash dipping komatiitic peridotite volcanic channels. Massive to semi-massive sulfide lenses are distributed along the footwall contacts of channels. They are overlaying by stringer, net-textured, blebby and lower-grade disseminated sulfide haloes extending upwards and away from the contact. The deposits consist of massive, veined and disseminated pyrrhotite and pentandlite with minor chalcopyrite.

Deposit Type

Alexo North, Alexo South, Dundonald South and Dundonald N are komatiite-associated magmatic nickel sulfide deposits hosted in the Kid Dash Monroe assemblage in the southern Abitibi sub province of Ontario. In terms of metal content, the deposits are dominated by nickel, reflecting the komatiite magma affinity of the host rocks.

Crawford Township

Dunite and peridotite intersected in diamond drilling is extensively serpentinized. The process of serpentinization involves the introduction of water into the rock, which leads to a substantial volume increase. Fresh, unaltered dunite and peridodite typically has an SG ranging from 3.2 to 3.4. Core samples from drilling have SG measurements ranging in general from 2.61 to 2.63, and this along with observations recorded from drill core, support the inference that the rocks have been strongly serpentinized.

Serpentinization breaks down the olivine and other silicate minerals, resulting in the liberation of nickel and iron in a strongly reducing environment. The result is the liberated nickel partitions into low-sulfur sulfides like heazlewoodite and the nickel-iron alloy, awaruite.

Kidd Creek

The story of Kidd Creek Mind, the deepest base metal mine in the world.

How to large international mining companies dismiss the site of the now 150 million ton Kid Creek mine, the deepest base metal mine in the world, is now a lesson for all of us in the mining industry today.

The enormity of the Kidd Creek deposit speaks for itself. With mind ore and reserves in excess of 150 million tons, and copper and zinc grades of 2.5% and 6%, respectively, The Kidd Creek mine is one of the largest Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) deposits in the world.

How did separate companies dismiss such a deposit on multiple occasions?

Texas Gulf Sulfur Co (Texas Gulf) conducted electromagnetic (EM) surveys over the site of the now Kidd Creek mine on the first day of an extended geophysics program, recording a very large and strong anomaly. Texas Gulf dismissed the anomaly on the basis of its size and strength, and classified it as a low priority on the probable assumption that it was caused by an adjacent. Traffic shale conductor.

Canada Nickel, the exploration arm of International Nickel. Detected the Kidd Creek Anomaly too, and “rejected it as having no economic significance on the account of its extraordinary size and absence of any associated magnetic feature “.

Gold Exploration in the Timmins Area

Targetting Gold  in the Timmins Area

Exploration of Dundonald, Evelyn, German, Gowan, Matheson, Little, and Tully Townships at the eastern end of the Porcupine Mining camp is recommended to discover the bedrock source(s) of 10 gold-rich overburden anomalies. The core size of native gold grains recovered by some overburdened drilling programs indicates that they were derived from quartz veins containing native gold. Pyrite that generally accompanies the gold in the heavy mineral separates indicates that some of the veins will likely be hosted by mafic metavolcanic rock units, similar to those in the nearby Hoyle Pond, Owl Creek, and Bell Creek deposits. The veins might also be associated with the Buskegow River and Pipestone Faults, as well as the projected extension of the northeast-trending Hoyle Pond Fault. Gold grains accompanied by arsenopyrite in some anomalies are likely derived from veins hosted in meta sedimentary rocks.

Magnetics

Serpentinization is the only common alteration that might increase the magnetite – therefore this applies to the Ni-Co-Cu-PGE deposits.  Au mineralization is normally associated with magnetic lows… mafic and ultramafic rocks are similar in magnetic intensity, usually with ultramafics more magnetic, however andesites are comparable to peridotite/dunite.