The Unexploited West: A Compilation of all of the authentic information available at the present time as to the Natural Resources of the Unexploited Regions of Northern CanadaChambers, Ernest J.
History
The Unexploited West: A Compilation of all of the authentic information available at the present time as to the Natural Resources of the Unexploited Regions of Northern Canada
Chambers, Ernest J.
Canada -- Economic conditions; Northwest, Canadian -- Economic conditions
Mr. A. P. Low, in his report of his examination of the country between
Lake Winnipeg and Hudson bay, says “The rocks in several places
ARE HIGHLY MAGNETIC,
and probably contain large quantities of iron ore, both disseminated in
small crystals through the rock, and in large masses.” When being
examined before the Senate committee in 1907, Mr. Low, then Director of
the Geological Survey of Canada, drew attention to the fact that the map
of Keewatin showed a large number of lakes, like Gas lake, Island lake,
Favourable lake, Severn lake, Trout lake, etc., and remarked that
wherever these patches of water are seen it indicates softer rocks than
the other parts. These rocks are usually Huronian, and in many places
they carry good indications of minerals, copper pyrites and different
sulphides of that kind. At Trout lake there is a large area of what is
called norite rock. These are the rocks in which the nickel deposits of
Sudbury occur, and there is great probability of a small deposit being
found up there.
There have been no indications of coal discovered in Keewatin, but Mr.
Low explained that on hurried trips such as he had made it was
impossible to examine mineral deposits very much, and one is liable to
lose many of them. The general character of the southern part of
Keewatin as regards mineral resources is good.
In the bank of Nelson river, opposite the mouth of Pine creek, Mr. J. B.
Tyrrell reports a dark grey, rather fine-grained diorite or uralitic
diabase, probably forming part of a large dyke cutting the gneiss. “Near
the north end of Little Playgreen lake is a light reddish-grey massive
biotite-granite cut by veins, a foot or more in width, of red pegmatite
containing crystalline masses of molybdenite, with occasional crystals
of pyrite and magnetite.”
Mr. Tyrrell reports copper and arsenical pyrites in a diabase dyke
exposed in an island in Pipestone lake two miles and a quarter from the
mouth of the river.
He reports the cliffs on the lower part of Burntwood river as being
“occasionally overlain by a small thickness of peat.” He reports other
deposits of peat in the district north of Lake Winnipeg.
Before the Senate committee of 1907, Mr. Tyrrell explained that the
primary object in all his explorations was the mineral development of
the country, and any other information that he collected was incidental.
He stated that there is a district from Cumberland House northeastward
towards Nelson river which is underlain by what are known as
KEEWATIN AND HURONIAN ROCKS,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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