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LO C ATIO N : Legault and Colter Townships are located on the eastern side of Lake and form part of the 'Sturgeon River Gold Belt'. The western boundary of the map-area is 3.2 km (2 miles) east of the settlement of Jellicoe. The city of Thunder Bay lies to the southwest, a distance of approximately 225 km (140 miles) via Highway 11. Highway 11, a line of the Canadian National Railway and the TransCanada natural- gas pipeline pass through the map-area. An abundance of logging roads and trails pro­ vide excellent access through both townships. A float-plane base and a compacted gravel airstrip are located at Jellicoe.

M INERAL EXPLORATION: Although mining claims are shown on the 1936 geological map of the area (Bruce 1936; Laird 1936) the files of the Ontario Division of Mines Assessment Files Research Office show that the earliest recorded exploration activity in the map-area was in 1949. During this time a total of nine diamond drill holes were PRELIMINARY MAP P 1191 completed on the G. Lattimer property (No.4) in southwestern Legault Township GEOLOGICAL SERIES (Assessment Files Research Office, Ontario Division of Mines, ). Only low 'values' of gold were encountered with the exception of one intersection of 8.16 ounce Au/ton over a core width of 0.49 m (1.6 feet). The workings were not located by the LEGAULT TOWNSHIP field party.

In 1954 and 1955 trenching and diamond drilling (not located in field) were under­ taken on the R.W. Potter property (No.5) north of the Canadian National railway tracks DISTRICT OF THUNDER BAY at the western end of Partridge Lake, Legault Township. The exploration work was presumably for gold but nothing of economic interest is reported in the Assessment Files Research Office, Ontario Division of Mines, Toronto. A program of diamond Scale: 1:15,840 or 1 inch to ¼ mile drilling was completed by March Minerals Limited (No.8) in 1961 on a property in the vicinity of Dumas Creek in northwestern Colter Township. This work was apparently NTS Reference: 42 E/11W, 14W a follow-up of a trenching and X-ray drilling project done by an unnamed party in 1959 ODM-GSC Aeromagnetic Map: 2142G, 2143G and 1960. Only traces of gold were encountered by the exploration work (Assessment ODM Geological Compilation Map: 2102 Files Research Office, Ontario Division of Mines, Toronto).

The Algoma Steel Corporation Limited (No.6) staked a block of 31 claims between © ODM 1976 Partridge and Turkey Lakes, Colter Township during the winter of 1964-1965. A ground magnetic survey was then conducted to test the extent of iron formation in the claim Parts of this publication may be quoted if credit is given to the Ontario Division of Mines and group. No further work appears to have been done and the claims have since been the material is properly referenced. cancelled.

Hudson Bay Exploration and Development Company Limited (No.3) carried out an exploration program in the Jellicoe area in 1971 and 1972 to check out a number of airborne electromagnetic anomalies. A group of 18 claims was staked at the eastern end of Vezina Lake, Legault Township. This ground was later tested by a horizontal loop electromagnetic survey and two diamond drill holes were completed in the winter of 1972. The claim group has since been dropped. Canadian Nickel Company Limited (No.1) in 1973 held a group of seven claims at the northwestern corner of Vezina Lake, Legault Township. The only work reported in the files of the Ontario Division of Mines Assessment Files Research Office is for the completion of one diamond drill hole on the northern shore of Vezina Lake in September 1972.

In September 1974 Roger Duchene (No.5) held one claim in the vicinity of the R.W. Potter workings north of Partridge Lake, Legault Township.

GENERAL G EO LO GY: Legault and Colter Townships are underlain dominantly by Early Precambrian (Archean) metasediments and metavolcanics that form part of the Beardmore-Geraldton belt (Mackasey 1972). Thin-bedded to laminated greywacke sandstone, siltstone, and argillite occur in the southern part of the map-area and make up more than half of the entire stratigraphic succession. A polymictic conglomerate unit with minor related clastic metasediments strikes across the northern extremities of the two townships. A second conglomerate unit, composed mainly of volcanic material and displaying a relatively open framework, was recognized in the north­ western part of Legault Township.

The metavolcanics are predominantly of mafic composition and include pillowed and amygdaloidal flows. Two narrow mafic metavolcanic units strike roughly east-west across the map-area. A distinctive 30 to 60 m (100-to 200-foot) wide porphyritic flow was traced across Legault Township in the southern unit. A third mafic to intermediate metavolcanic flow unit occurs in the northwestern part of Legault Township.

Iron formation composed of magnetite, hematite, chert, and jasper is associated with thin-bedded greywacke sandstone, siltstone, and argillite at the greywacke-mafic flow contact trending east-west across the central part of the map-area. Light grey weathering magnetite-chert iron formation, with minor associated pyrrhotite and pyrite, forms 1.5 m to 3 m (5 to 10-foot) thick units within the mafic flows in the southern part of the map-area.

A 450 m (1,500-foot) long elliptical-shaped granitic body of trondhjemitic composi­ tion intrudes mafic flows on the southern boundary of Legault Township 2.4 km (V/s miles) west of Colter Township. Other felsic and mafic intrusions and dikes occur throughout the map-area. Middle to late Precambrian diabase dikes cut all other rock types.

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY: The map-area lies along the boundary between the Quetico and Wabigoon Belts and comprises an east-trending succession of interbedded metavolcanics and metasediments known as the Beardmore-Geraldton belt (Mackasey 1972). This boundary follows the southern contact of the southernmost volcanic unit in the Beardmore-Geraldton belt (Ayres e t al. 1971; Mackasey e t al. 1974). In the vicinity of Legault and Colter Townships no evidence of faulting exists and the contact is considered to be stratigraphic.

Major stratigraphic units are steeply dipping and have an easterly strike. A moderate- to well-developed east-striking schistosity is present in all the Early Precambrian (Archean) strata.

Broad-scale folding exists in the metasediments in central Legault Township. Folding is outlined by variation in strike of bedding within the metasediments but lacks any key stratigraphic units as markers. Amplitude of folding appears to be in the same order of magnitude as that found in metasediments in the vicinity of Leitch Gold Mine (Mackasey 1970a, b) and in the Little Long Lac gold camp at Geraldton (Horwood and Pye 1951; Pye 1951). •

Several east-striking faults are present in the map-area and have been detected by zones of shearing and by offset of north-striking diabase dikes.

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY: Iron: Iron formation is present in two separate localities in the map-area. The northern band extends across the townships in the vicinity of Partridge and Turkey Lakes and displays a well-defined magnetic trend on ODM-GSC aeromagnetic maps of the region (ODM-GSC 1962 plus the 1 inch to 1 mile aeromagnetic maps of the surrounding area). An extensive area of drift cover prevents a detailed examination of the iron formation. Hematite is present in some iron formation units in the region (Mackasey 1975) and could also occur in the present map-area. Evaluation of iron deposits in the Partridge- Turkey Lakes area is therefore probably best done by combined gravity and magnetic methods and diamond drilling.

The iron formation associated with the mafic metavolcanics in the southern part of the map-area appears to be in units too thin for economic consideration at the present time.

Gold: Only minor amounts of gold have been found in the map-area to date and occurs mainly in quartz stringers and veins in metavolcanics. Some zones of sulphide minerali­ zation in diamond drill core contain minor gold as well.

Although no known occurrences exist, gold may be associated with quartz veins and Early Precambrian intrusions cutting the fine-grained metasediments in the map-area. Consideration should be given to exploration for gold in the vicinjty of the folded metasediments in Legault Township. Arsenopyrite is present in the small dioritic lens just south of Cedargum Lake, Colter Township. This and the other small mafic intru­ sions in the map-area may warrant exploration for gold.

Much of the metasediments in Legault and Colter Townships are covered by Quaternary deposits which prevents thorough prospecting by conventional methods. Geochemical surveys of Quaternary materials, similar to those undertaken by Closs and Sado (1974, 1976) are therefore recommended.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Ayres, L.D., Lumbers, S.B., Milne, V.G., and Robeson, D.W. 1971: Ontario Geological Map; Ontario Dept. Mines and Northern Affairs, Map 2196, scale 1 inch to 16 miles. Compilation 1970.

Bruce, E.L. 1936: The Eastern Part of the Sturgeon River Area (Jellicoe-Sturgeon River Section); Ontario Dept. Mines, Vol.45, pt.2, p.1-59 (published 1937). Accompanied by Map No.45a, scale 1 inch to 1 mile.

Closs, L.G., and Sado, E.V. 1974: Exploration geochemistry and Quaternary geology research within the Beardmore-Geraldton gold area, District of Thunder Bay; p.160-164 in Summary of Field Work, 1974, by the Geological Branch, edited by V.G. Milne, D.F. Hewitt, and K.D. Card, Ontario Div. Mines, MP 59, 206p.

in prep: Geochemistry of Soils and Glacial Sediments Near Gold Mineralization in the Beardmore-Geraldton Area, District of Thunder Bay; Ontario Division of Mines Open File Report.

Horwood, H.C., and Pye, E.G. 1951: Geology of Ashmore Township; Ontario Dept. Mines, Vol.60, pt.5, 105p. (published 1955). Accompanied by Map No. 1951-2, scale 1 inch to 1,000 feet.

Laird, H.C. 1936: The Western Part of the Sturgeon River Area (Sturgeon River-Beardmore Section); Ontario Dept. Mines, Vol.45, pt.2, p.61-117 (published 1937). Accompanied by Map No.45a, scale 1 inch to 1 mile.

Mackasey, W.O. 1970a: Eva Township, District of Thunder Bay; Ontario Dept. Mines, Prelim. Map P.601, scale 1 inch to % mile. Geology 1969.

1970b: Summers Township, District of Thunder Bay; Ontario Dept. Mines, Prelim. Map P.602, scale 1 inch to V* mile. Geology 1969.

1972: Sturgeon River Metavolcanic-Metasedimentary Formations in the Beard­ more-Geraldton Area; p.46-58 in Guidebook, Field Excursion C34, The Precambrian Rocks of the Atikokan-Thunder Bay-Marathon Area 24th Internat. Geol. Congr., Montreal 74p. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

1975: Geology of Dorothea, Sandra, and Irwin Townships, District of Thunder Geology by W.O. Mackasey, G.R. Edwards, D.F. Cape, and assistants, 1973. Bay; Ontario Div. Mines, GR122, 83p. Accompanied by Map 2294, scale 1 inch to 'A mile. Geology is not tied to surveyed lines. Bruce, E.L., The Eastern Part of the Sturgeon River Area; Ontario Dept. Mines, Annual Report, Mackasey, W.O., Blackburn, C.E., and Trowell, N.F. Vol.45, pt.2, p.1-59, 1936. 1974: A Regional Approach to the Wabigoon-Quetico Belts and its Bearing on Exploration in ; Ontario Div. Mines, MP 58, 30p. Ontario Department of Mines Map 45a, Annual Report Vol.45, 1936. Base-map derived from maps of the Forest Resources Inventory, Surveys and Mapping Branch ODM-GSC with additional information by W.O. Mackasey. 1962: Wild Goose Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario; Ontario Dept. Mines- Geol. Surv. Canada, Aeromagnetic Map 2142G, scale 1 inch to 1 mile. Assessment Files Research Office, Ontario Division of Mines, Toronto. Survey April 1962 to October 1962. Magnetic declination approximately 2°W, 1973. Pye, E.G. 1951: Geology of Errington Township, Little Long Lac Area; Ontario Dept. Issued 1976 Mines, Vol.60, pt.6, 140p. (published 1952). Accompanied by Map 1951-7, scale 1 inch to 1,000 feet. Information from this publication may be quoted if credit is given to the Ontario Division of Mines. It is recommended that reference to this map be made in the following form:

Mackasey, W.O., Edwards, G.R., and Cape, D.F. 1976: Legault Township, District of Thunder Bay; Ontario Div. Mines, Prelim. Map P.1191, Geol. Ser., scale 1:15,840 of 1 inch to ¼ mile. Geology, 1973.