CANADIAN AND WORLD MINERAL DEPOSIT DATABASES
Geological Survey of Canada


Deposit group number Country Location Names Commodities
31 Canada (Nunavut) 68.16.56 N -- 085.23.13 W West Melville Iron Deposits Fe
 
Database name: Canadian Iron Formation
Custodial agency: Geological Survey of Canada
Compilers: G. A. Gross and E. M. Hillary
Release date: 2014-08-21
   
Deposit group name(s): West Melville Iron Deposits (occurrence group)
Political location(s): Canada; Province or state: Nunavut; Subprovince or locality: Melville Peninsula
NTS map data: 047B07 (Mackar Inlet)
Deposit clan (type): iron formation
Deposit (sub) types: Algoma type; Reference: Underhill, D. H., 1970: Report on the 1970 Mineral Exploration Program, Melville Peninsula (060744); Mineral Assessment Report, Borealis Exploration Ltd; UnderhillDH (Norman H. Ursel Associates Ltd) (operator), Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Publication code 060744
Deposit group status: developed prospect; Size category: significant; Status comments: Reserves were esrtimated by using surface areas determined by planimeter, 0.29 cubic m per long ton, and a depth to width ratio of 2:1 up to a maximum of 488 m (1600 ft).
Geologic province: Canadian Shield
Geologic subprovince: Rae craton
Commodities: Fe
Mineralization styles: stratiform (wall rock); layered/banded (mineralization zone); stratiform (mineralization zone)
Geological ages: Archean (mineralization)
Archean (host rocks)
Host rocks: (1) sedimentary; iron formation; Depositional setting: shallow marine; Metamorphic grade: amphibolite - lower; Component: mineralization zone
External host rock forms:tabular sedimentary body
Internal host rock structures:massive
Individual lithologies:iron formation - oxide
Host rock stratigraphy:Prince Albert group
Country rocks: (1) banded iron formation; Metamorphic grade: amphibolite - lower
Individual lithologies:iron formation - oxide

(2) quartzite; Metamorphic grade: amphibolite
Country rock protoliths:sandstone
Individual lithologies:quartzite

(3) greenstone; Metamorphic grade: amphibolite
Country rock protoliths:mafic-ultramafic suite
Individual lithologies:greenstone
Metallogenic signatures: Fe
Mineralogy: (mineralization - massive / mineralization zone): magnetite, hematite, quartz
Deposit group shape: tabular; Component: mineralization zone
Qualified comments: (Applies to: reserve/resource assays) Grade of western deposits range 32 to 38 % soluble Fe and 29 to 37 % magnetic Fe.

(Applies to: regional geology) The iron formations of the West Melville Peninsula occur as discontinuous layers in greenstone and quartzite of Prince Albert Group of Archean age. Iron Formation units generally vary from 20' to 150 ' in thickness, 200' to 1500' wide over a strike length 15,000 ft. and consists of mainly magnetite and hematite, minor grunerite and specularite. An E-W fault separates dominantly magnetite rich northern and hematite-rich southern portions..

(Applies to: reserve/resource descriptions) Combined estimated tonnage of Borealis 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 deposits of the West Melville Iron deposits group is 3,352 million long tons (3,221 million long tons after deducting 131 million tons of hematitic ore of Borealis - 3).
Geophysical-chemical signature: Signature type: Airborne Magnetometer; Response type: positive (strong)
Signature type: Ground Magnetometer; Response type: positive (strong)
References:
Anonymous Editor(s)), 1980
Non-hydrocarbon Mineral Resource Potential of Part of Northern Canada
Open File, Geological Survey of Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, 716, 376 p., 2 maps.

Anonymous, 1982
Preliminary Feasibility Study, Borealis Roche Bay Magnetite Project (062133)
Mineral Assessment Report, Borealis Exploration Ltd; Scott-Ortech Mining Ltd (operator), Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Publication code 062133

Scruggs, G. G., 1977
Geology and Research of all Borealis Claims, Melville Peninsula (080645)
Mineral Assessment Report, Borealis Exploration Ltd, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Publication code 080645

Underhill, D. H., 1970
Report on the 1970 Mineral Exploration Program, Melville Peninsula (060744)
Mineral Assessment Report, Borealis Exploration Ltd; UnderhillDH (Norman H. Ursel Associates Ltd) (operator), Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Publication code 060744

Associated deposit(s): Fraser Bay 1 (20040), Fraser Bay 2 (20041), Borealis - 4 (20043), Borealis - 5 Central Zone (20044), Borealis - 1 North Extension (20132), Borealis - 3 East Limb (20133), Borealis - 5 Northern Zone (20134), Borealis - 5 Southern Zone (20135)

Generated 2014-09-03 13:02:04 with GQuery -- 3.7 ADO (3.19..3.22 -- 2008-12-16)
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