ECONOMIC GEOLOGY REPORT 34 GEOLOGY OF BARIUM, STRONTIUM, AND FLUORINE DEPOSITS IN CANADA K.R. DAWSON 1985 © Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1985 Available in Canada through authorized bookstore agents and other bookstores or by mail from Canadian Government Publishing Centre Supply and Services Canada Ottawa, Canada KlA OS9 and from Geological Survey of Canada offices: 60 l Booth Street Ottawa, Canada KlA OE8 3303-33rd Street N. W., Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7 100 West Pender Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1R8 (mainly B.C. and Yukon) A deposit copy of this publication is also available for reference in public libraries across Canada Cat. No. M43-34/1985E Canada: $13.00 ISBN 0-660-11902-1 Other countries: $15.60 Price subject to change without notice Critical Readers R.I. Thorpe K.M. Dawson G.F. Leech D.C . Findlay Original manuscript submitted: 1981 - 07 Approved for publication: 1983 - 04 Preface Preface Barium, strontium and fluorine have many industrial Le baryum, le strontium et le fluor connaissent de applications. All have been produced in Canada during this nombreuses utilisations industrielles. Le Canada en a produit century but at present our needs for strontium chemicals, tout au long du siecle m2is ii doit actuellement en importer, crude fluorite and fluorine chemicals are met by imports, principalement du Mexique et des Etats-Unis, pour subvenir a mainly from Mexico and the United States. ses besoins de derives chimiques de strontium et de fluorine , ainsi que de fluor brut. Barite is primarily employed in the heavy drilling muds La barytine est surtout utilisee par l'industrie used in the petroleum exploration industry. It is also used as d'exploration petroliere, dans Jes boues de forage lourdes. De a filler in a variety of products and an additive in glass and plus, elle sert de charge dans la fabrication de divers produits ceramics. Strontium, which is derived from the mineral et d'additif pour la fabrication du verre et de la ceramique. celestite, is used to produce a variety of chemicals that have Par ailleurs, le strontium, derive du mineral celestine, sert a extensive applications in the glass, ceramic, metallurgical, obtenir divers produits chimiques d'utilisation courante dans pyrotechic and pharmaceutical industries. Several strontium l'industrie du verre et de la ceramique, en metallurgie, en compounds when ignited produce the brilliant crimson flame pyrotechnie et en pharmacie. Lorsqu'ils s'enflamment, common in fireworks, safety flares and tracer ammunition. plusieurs composes du strontium produisent cette flamme Fluorite is used mainly to manufacture hydrogen fluoride rouge si lumineuse qui caracterise Jes feux d'artifice, Jes which has many industrial uses. Inorganic fluorides are used fusees de securite et Jes munitions tra<;antes. La fluorine, in insecticides, in preservatives, antiseptics and in elle, sert a produire le fluorure d'hydrogene que !'on retrouve toothpaste. dans de nombreux produits, sous forme inorganique, comme Jes insectisides, Jes agents de preservation, Jes antiseptiques et Jes dentifrices. In this report the geochemistry and mineralogy of the Le present rapport decrit la geochimie et la three elements are described as a background to the main mineralogie des trois elements dans le but expres de mieux purpose of the publication, a description of the geology of the faire comprendre au lecteur la geologie des 733 gltes dont 733 known Canadian occurrences of barium, strontium and !'existence est connue au Canada. fluorine. This study suggests that our resources of the three D'apres Jes resultats de l'etude, Jes ressources elements are sufficient for domestic requirements and that in canadiennes de ces trois elements suffisent aux besoins the case of barium and strontium exports could be interieurs et, dans le cas du baryum et du strontium, laissent considered. The world market for barite is closely related to presager des possibilites d'excedents exportables. Comme le oil exploration activity and because of the bulky nature of marche mondial de la barytine est largement tributaire de the product, sources of supply near the centres of activity !'exploration petroliere et etant donne la nature massive de will be most competitive. However substitutes for barite in ce produit, ii serait nettement preferable d'en trouver des drilling muds could threaten the entire market. The use of sources pres des centres de consomma ti on. Les subs ti tuts strontium compounds in the electronics field is increasing but utilises dans Jes boues de forage pourraient cependant mettre known world resources appear more than adequate to meet en danger le marche tout entier. L'electronique fait de plus expected demand. World demand for fluorite has been en plus appel aux composes du strontium; Jes reserves closely tied to the chemical, steel and alumimun industries. mondiales connues semblent toutefois depasser la demande In the case of the latter two, changing technologies suggest prevue. De meme, la demande mondiale de fluorine depend that markets lost during the recent economic recession may largement des besoins des industries de produits chimiques, not be easily regained. Fluorine chemicals also have an de l'acier et de !'aluminium. Etant donne Jes percees important application in the nuclear fuel industry and the technologiques survenues dans Jes deux dernieres, Jes marches long-term future of nuclear-powered electrical generating perdus durant la recente recession pourraient s'averer fort plants will be important to the exploitation of Canada's difficiles a recuperer. Les derives chimiques du fluor sont fluorite deposits. aussi largement utilises dans l'industrie des combustibles nucleaires. II va sans dire que Jes perspectives a long terme des centrales nucleaires determineront dans une grande mesure l'echelle d'exploitation des depots de fluorine au Canada. R.A. Price Le directeur general de la Director General Commission geologique du Canada Geological Survey of Canada R.A. Price CONTENTS 1 Abstract/Resume 2 Summary/Sommaire 10 Introduction 10 General comments 10 Previous work 10 Present work 11 Acknowledgments 11 Historical developments 11 Barium 12 Strontium 12 Fluorine 13 Uses 13 Barite 14 Celesti te 14 Fluorite 15 Market specifications 15 Barite 16 Celestite 16 Fluorite 16 World production 16 Barite 17 Celestite 18 Fluorite 19 Canadian consumption 19 Barite 19 Celestite 19 Fluorite 19 Geochemistry and mineralogy 19 General comments 19 Barium 19 Geochemistry 21 Weathering processes 22 Biogeochemistry 22 Fossil fuels 22 Marine plants 22 Marine animals 22 Bacteria 22 Mineralogy 22 Strontium 22 Geochemistry 23 Weathering processes 23 Biogeochemistry 23 Fossil fuels 23 Terrestrial animals 23 Marine animals 23 Bacteria 23 Mineralogy 28 Fluorine 28 Geochemistry 28 Weathering processes 29 Biogeochemistry 29 Fossil fuels 29 Terrestrial plants 29 Terrestrial animals 29 Marine animals 29 Mineralogy 29 Geology of barium, strontium and fluorine 29 General remarks 32 Barium 32 Syngenetic deposits 33 Deposits in igneous extrusive rocks 33 Intermediate flows and pyroclastics 33 Kuroko-type deposits, Japan 33 Canadian examples of Kuroko-type deposits 35 Deposits in sediments and sedimentary rocks 35 Clastic sediments 45 Chemical sediments 45 Brines 46 Epigenetic Deposits 47 Fissure fillings 47 British Columbia 48 Ontario 49 Nova Scotia 49 Newfoundland 50 Replacement deposits 50 British Columbia 51 Atlantic Provinces 52 Unclassified deposits 52 Yukon Territory 52 British Columbia 54 Ontario 54 Strontium 55 Syngenetic deposits 5 5 Igneous intrusive rocks 55 Salic rocks 55 Felsic rocks 55 Carbonatite complexes 55 Sedimentary Rocks 55 Clastic sediments 55 Chemical sediments 55 Evaporites 56 Carbonate rocks 56 Biochemical sediments 56 Surface waters, ground waters and brines 57 Epigenetic deposits 57 Fissure fillings 57 Replacement deposits 59 Unclassified deposits 59 Fluorine 59 Syngenetic deposits 59 Igneous intrusive rocks 59 Alkaline rocks 60 Felsic rocks 60 Pegmatites 61 Carbonatites and alkaline rock complexes 61 Igneous extrusive rocks 61 Intermediate flows and pyroclastics 62 Sediments and sedimentary rocks 62 Eluvial deposits 62 Alluvial deposits 62 Chemical sediments 62 Biochemical sediments (phosphorites) 63 Surface waters, groundwaters and brines 63 Epigenetic deposits 63 Fissure fillings 65 British Columbia 65 Ontario 67 Quebec 67 Newfoundland 68 Replacement deposits 68 Skarn and greisens 70 Unclassified deposits 70 Summary 70 Syngenetic deposits 74 Brines 74 Epigenetic deposits 74 Unclassified deposits 7 5 Conclusions 7 5 Distribution 7 5 Geological associations 7 5 Cordiller an Orogen 75 Bear, Slave and Churchill provinces 7 5 Superior Province 7 5 Southern Province 7 5 Grenville Province 7 5 Appalachian Orogen 76 Lithology of wall rocks 76 Age of wall rocks 76 Mineralogy 76 Geochemistry 77 Structural environments 77 Prospection methods 78 Geochemical techniques 78 Geophysical techniques 78 Soil analyses 79 World Outlook 79 Barite (barium) 79 Celestite (strontium) 79 Fluorite (fluorine) 79 Canadian Resources 79 Barite 80 Celestite 80 Fluorite 81 References 131 Index Appendixes 90 A. Indices to Canadian deposits and occurrences 99 B. Description of the barium, strontium, fluorine data file 103 C. Description of barium, strontium and fluorine minerals Tables 15 IA. General specifications for celestite for the manufacture of strontium carbonate and strontium nitrate 15 lB. General specifications of manufactured strontium carbonate made from celestite 16 2. Celestite specifications for