Preliminary Report on Gowganda Mining Division District of Nipissing OntarioCollins, W. H. (William Henry)
Science
Preliminary Report on Gowganda Mining Division District of Nipissing Ontario
Collins, W. H. (William Henry)
Geology -- Ontario; Mines and mineral resources -- Ontario
The present knowledge of the Gowganda area indicates it to be highly
mineralized, at least in so far as number of veins and surface showings
are concerned. The number of discoveries within its area of ten square
miles is steadily increasing. The area, character of the mineral
association and the richness of the surface showings are comparable with
those of Cobalt. There is a general similarity in the geological
conditions. The mineralized veins in Gowganda occur in the diabase as do
some of the good Cobalt veins. There are, it is true, local differences,
but the resemblances are more pronounced than the differences and lead
to the hope that exploitation will reveal similar underground
conditions. The well mineralized veins are sufficiently long and uniform
on the surface to suggest similarly persistent vertical dimensions.
Further geological work may reveal something definite concerning the
character and size of the diabase bodies which form the country rock,
and thus afford a basis for predicting their subterranean distribution.
While there are grounds for hoping that the veins will persist in depth,
this has not yet been proved, nor, if this is the case, that the
mineralization and values are also persistent.
The relative importance of Gowganda is therefore a matter of uncertainty
as yet, but it may be confidently affirmed that for its state of
development the outlook is very favourable, and the number of veins,
area of mineralization and rich surface showings afford good grounds for
hoping that some at least of the veins will be found to be commercially
important.
The details of igneous intrusion, differentiation and mineralization may
never be sufficiently understood to allow of accurate prediction
regarding the location of silver deposits, but a general conception of
the sequence of events culminating in their formation does permit of the
formulation of certain criteria useful in the search for ores. Evidence
is accumulating to show that the silver-cobalt mineralizations in the
Timiskaming region are connected with a late stage of differentiation in
the magma which supplied the quartz diabase and aplite. It seems
reasonable, therefore, to anticipate ore deposits in or near such
bodies, especially if they are of large size and have undergone
important chemical differentiation, that is, if they contain a varied
and extensive association of basic and acid phases of the diabase.
Pre-existing channels to receive the mineralizers are also necessary and
their distribution a matter of vital importance, but in this region they
appear to have been everywhere abundant.
These conditions appear to exist quite as fully at several other
localities besides Gowganda. At Wapus creek they seem identical and,
indeed, results obtained thus far indicate that some mineralization of
the silver-cobalt type exists. Between Duncan lake and the West branch
the conditions require further study, but, as now known, are not
discouraging.
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