CANADIAN AND WORLD MINERAL DEPOSIT DATABASES
Geological Survey of Canada


 
Database name: World Mississippi Valley-type deposits
Custodial agency: Geological Survey of Canada
Compilers: D. F. Sangster
Release date: 2015-02-06
   
Deposit name(s): Polaris
Longitude / Latitude: -96.95000 / 75.38333
Political location(s): Canada; Province or state: Nunavut; Nearest community: Resolute Bay (150 km NW)
NTS map data: 068H08 (Riddle Point)
Deposit clan (type): Mississippi Valley-type
Deposit status: past producer; Status comments: 1981-2002
Geologic province: Arctic Archipelago
Geologic subprovince: Arctic platform - Cornwallis fold belt
Commodities: Zn; Pb
Mineralization styles: massive replacement
Geological ages: Late Ordovician (host rocks)
Late Devonian (mineralization)
Tectonic setting: continental platform (host rocks)
Host rocks: (1) sedimentary; carbonate; Depositional setting: Shallow-water carbonates
Individual lithologies:dolostone
Host rock stratigraphy:Thumb Mountain formation
Alteration signatures: illitization: illite; What was altered: smectite-chlorite
kaolinitization: kaolinite; What was altered: smectite-chlorite
clay alteration: kaolinite-illite; What was altered: smectite-chlorite
chloritization: chlorite-corrensite; What was altered: smectite-chlorite
Mineralogy: sphalerite, galena, marcasite, dolomite, calcite
Radiometric ages: Object dated: ore; Age - Ma: 367; +7; -7; Dating method: Paleomagnetism; Concentrate: Whole ore; Source rock: Massive sulphide; Event dated: mineralization; Reference: Symons, D. T. A. ; Sangster, D. F., 1992: Late Devonian Paleomagnetic Age for the Polaris Mississippi Valley-Type Zn-Pb Deposit, Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Volume 29, p. 15 - 25

Object dated: mineralogy(1); Age - Ma: 366; +15; -15; Dating method: Rb-Sr; Concentrate: sphalerite; Source rock: Massive sulphide; Event dated: mineralization; Reference: Christensen, N.; Halliday, A. N.; Kesler, S. E., 1996: Rb-Sr Dating of Sphalerite and the Ages of Mississippi-Valley-Type Pb-Zn Deposits; 6, Section Dating of Mineralization, in Carbonate-Hosted Lead-Zinc Deposits, Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Volume, Edited by Sangster, D. F., Special Publication, Society of Economic Geologists, 4, 664 p, p. 527 - 535
References:
Christensen, N.; Halliday, A. N.; Kesler, S. E., 1996
Rb-Sr Dating of Sphalerite and the Ages of Mississippi-Valley-Type Pb-Zn Deposits
6, Section Dating of Mineralization, in Carbonate-Hosted Lead-Zinc Deposits, Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Volume, Edited by Sangster, D. F., Special Publication, Society of Economic Geologists, 4, 664 p, p. 527 - 535

Leach, D. L.; Sangster, D. F.; Kelley, K. D.; Large, R. R.; Garven, G.; Allen, C. R.; Gutzmer, J.; Walters, S., 2005
Supplement to sediment-hosted lead-zinc deposits: A global perspective
Appendix, in One hundreth anniversary volume 1905-2005, Edited by Hedenquist, J. W.; Thompson, J. F. H.; Goldfarb, R. J.; Richards, J. P., Ecomomic geology, Society of Ecomonic Geologists, 1136 p

Leach, D. L.; Sangster, D. F.; Kelley, K. D.; Large, R. R.; Garven, G.; Allen, C. R.; Gutzmer, J.; Walters, S., 2005
Sediment-hosted lead-zinc deposits: A global perspective
in One hundreth anniversary volume 1905-2005, Edited by Hedenquist, J. W.; Thompson, J. F. H.; Goldfarb, R. J.; Richards, J. P., Ecomomic geology, Society of Ecomonic Geologists, 1136 p, p. 561 - 607

Randell, R. N., 1994
Geology of the Polaris Zn-Pb Mississippi Valley-Type Deposit, Canadian Arctic Archipelago
PhD Thesis, University of Toronto, Department of Geology, 13 maps.

Sharp, R. J.; Ste-Marie, C. P.; Lorenzini, C.; Leigh, K. E.; Dewing, K.; Heroux, Y.; Chagnon, A., 1995
A Field Guide to the Geology of the Polaris Mine, Little Cornwallis Island, Northwest Territories, Canada
in Carbonate-Hosted Lead-Zinc-Fluorite-Barite Deposits of North America, Society of Economic Geologists 75th Anniversary Guidebook, June 3-6, 1995, Edited by Misra, K. C., Guidebook Volume, Society of Economic Geologists, Cirizen Printing Co., Inc., 1309 Webster Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, 22, 254 p, p. 19 - 37

Symons, D. T. A. ; Sangster, D. F., 1992
Late Devonian Paleomagnetic Age for the Polaris Mississippi Valley-Type Zn-Pb Deposit, Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Volume 29, p. 15 - 25

Production data: Report period: from 1981 until 2002; 20,106,555 metric ton ore; Provisional entry?: no; Yearly or summary?: S
Grade-commodity information:Zn: 13.39 percent
Pb: 363 percent
Reference: Lydon, J. W., 2007: An overview of the economic and geological context of Canada's major mineral deposit types; in Mineral Deposits of Canada: a synthesis of major deposit types, district metallogeny, the evolution of geological provinces, and exploration methods, Edited by Goodfellow, W. D., Special Publication, Mineral Deposits Division, Geological Association of Canada, No. 5, 1061 p, p. 3 - 48
Percent weights allocated to deposit: 100.0%



Report period: from 1989-01-01 until 1989-12-31; 1,128,000 metric ton ore; Provisional entry?: no; Yearly or summary?: Y
Grade-commodity information:Zn: 14.1 percent
Pb: 3.5 percent
Reference: Ellis, C. E.; Hearn, K., 1990: Operating Mines; Chapter 2, in Mineral Industry Report, 1986-1987, Northwest Territories, Edited by Ellis, C. E., Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Government of Canada, 284 p, p. 11 - 32
Percent weights allocated to deposit: 100.0%



Report period: from 1987-01-01 until 1987-12-31; 984,000 metric ton ore; Provisional entry?: no; Yearly or summary?: Y
Weight-commodity information:Zn: 128,800 metric ton
Pb: 26,545 metric ton
Reference: Ellis, C. E.; Hearn, K., 1990: Operating Mines; Chapter 2, in Mineral Industry Report, 1986-1987, Northwest Territories, Edited by Ellis, C. E., Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Government of Canada, 284 p, p. 11 - 32
Percent weights allocated to deposit: 100.0%



Report period: from 1986-01-01 until 1986-12-31; 886,000 metric ton ore; Provisional entry?: no; Yearly or summary?: Y
Weight-commodity information:Zn: 114,360 metric ton
Pb: 25,100 metric ton
Reference: Ellis, C. E.; Hearn, K., 1990: Operating Mines; Chapter 2, in Mineral Industry Report, 1986-1987, Northwest Territories, Edited by Ellis, C. E., Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Government of Canada, 284 p, p. 11 - 32
Percent weights allocated to deposit: 100.0%
Resource data:
Disclaimer - Reserves/Resource Data

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Natural Resources (NRCan) does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of Reserve and Resource information (Data) contained in this database, including whether the Data is compliant with any securities regulations or standards, and NRCan does not assume any liability with respect to any damage or loss incurred as a result of the use made of the Data.

Resource and reserve figures are historical in nature. The Data source provided with each set of figures should be cited if the Data are re-reported.

Estimate date: 1984; 22 million metric tons ore; Combined with production?: yes; Provisional entry?: yes; Resource category: proven
Grade-commodity information:Zn: 14 percent
Pb: 4 percent
Fe: 5 percent
Reference: Randell, R. N., 1994: Geology of the Polaris Zn-Pb Mississippi Valley-Type Deposit, Canadian Arctic Archipelago; PhD Thesis, University of Toronto, Department of Geology, 13 maps.
Percent weights allocated to deposit: 100.0%

Generated 2015-02-06 15:20:57 with GQuery -- 3.7 ADO (3.19..3.22 -- 2008-12-16)
GlobalDB System, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada