--1 Canada The Canadian 1Mineral Industry 1954 Reviews by the Staff of the Mines Branch Department of Mines and I Technical Surveys, Ottawa No. 857 Price One Dollar 1400-1956 CONTENTS Page Introduction (v) ME TALLICS Aluminum Graves, H. A. 1 Antimony Neelands , R. E. 5 Arsenic (Arsenious Oxide) Janes, T. H. 8 Bismuth Neelands , R. E. 9 Cadmium Neelands , R. E. 11 Calcium Graves, H. A. 14 Chromite Jones, R. J. 15 Cobalt Jones, R. J. 20 Copper Neelands , R. E . 26 Gold Graves, H. A. 35 Iron Ore Buck, W. K. 40 Lead Neelands , R. E. 49 Magnesium . Graves, H. A. 55 Manganese Jones, R. J. 57 Mercury Dick, W. 62 Molybdenum Jones, R. J. 63 Nickel McClelland, W. R. 68 Platinum Metals Graves, H. A. 72 Selenium Neelands , R. E. 74 Silver Graves, H. A. 77 Tellurium Neelands , R. E. 82 Tin McClelland, W. R. 83 Titanium Buck, W. K. 86 Tungsten Jones, R. J. 95 Uranium Lang, A. H. * 99 Zinc Neelands , R. E. 104 INDUSTRIAL MINERALS Abrasives (Natural)** Janes , T . H. 113 Aggregates , lighweight Wilson, H. S. 117 Asbestos Woodrooffe , H. M. 121 Barite Haw, , V A . 126 Bentonite Janes , T. H. 131 Brucite (see Magnesite) Cement Simpson, LA. 133 Clays and Clay Products Phillips , J. G. 136 Diatomite Janes , T. H. 140 Feldspar Bruce, C .G . 143 Fluorspar Carr, , G. F. 145 * Geological Survey of Canada ** Conmdum, emery, garnet, grindstones, pumice, and grinding pebbles. CONTENTS - concluded Page Granite Carr, G. F. 148 Graphite Bruce, C. G. 154 Gypsum and Anhydrite Collings , R. K. 157 Iron Oxides Janes, T. H. 161 Lime Woodrooffe, H. M. 164 Limestone (General) Woodrooffe, H. M. 168 Limestone (Structural) Woodrooffe , H.M. 170 Magnesite and Brucite' Woodrooffe , H. M. 172 Marble Woodrooffe, H. M. 175 Mica Bruce, C. G. 177 Nepheline Syenite Bruce, C. G. 185 Phosphate Bruce, C. G. 187 Pyrites (see Sulphur) Roofing Granules Janes , T. H. 189 Salt Collings , R. K. 193 Sand and Gravel Simpson, R. A. 196 Silica Collings , R. K. 199 Sodium Sulphate Carr, G. F. 204 Sulphur and Pyrites Janes, T. H. 205 Talc and Soapstone Bruce, C. G.' 213 Vermiculite Bruce, C. G. 217 Whiting Woodrooffe, H.M. 219 FUELS Coal . Swartzman, E. 221 Coke Burrough, E. J. .228 Natural Gas Toombs , R. B. 230 , Peat , Swinnerton, A. A. 239 Petroleum (crude) - . , Toombs , R. B. 242 PREFACE This volume contains reviews on the metals and minerals produced in Canada in 1954. Production statistics for the year are preliminary, those for 1953 being final. Except where noted, statistics were supplied by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. Market quotations are mainly taken from standard marketing reports published in London, Montreal, and New York. All the reviews were pl'epared by officers of the Mines Branch, with the exception of that on uranium, which was written by Dr. A. H. Lang of the Geological Survey of Canada. The Branch is indebted to all those who contributed data for the reviews, and in particular to mining operators and others connected with the mineral industry. John Convey, Director , , Mines Branch. (iii) INTRODUCTION Mineral development reached a record level in Canada in 1954, bringing in its wake new highs in volume and value of production and con- tributing greatly to the outstanding growth under way in the Canadian mineral industry. Of special importance were marked extensions in iron ore and nickel production facilities, steady development of the uranium industry, progress in proving additional reserves of crude petroleum in Western Canada, and discovery of several important base-metal deposits. Production was valued at $1,488,382,091*, an eleven per cent increase over 1953 and the tenth consecutive annual increase in the value of mineral production. All provinces and territories shared in the general increase. Ontario was the major producer, folLowed by Alberta, Quebec and British Columbia. Of the separate minerals, crude petroleum headed the list in value, followed by nickel, copper, and gold. Details are given in the tables at the end of this introduction. Exports of metals and minerals in raw or semi-fabricated forms increased two percent in value over 1953 to $689,000,000 and accounted for 18 per cent of Canada's total export sales. In tonnage, United Kingdom markets absorbed 51 per cent more copper than in 1953, 1 per cent less lead, and 6 per cent more refined zinc, while United States bought 9 per cent more nickel and 13 per cent more lead, but 15 per cent less copper and 2 per cent less zinc. Base metal prices improved markedly during the year. Lead rose from 13.00 cents at the beginning to 14.25 cents at the end of the year, and zinc 1-1.35 cents to 12.85 cents. Copper remained firm, closing the year at 29.01 cents. Nickel was 57 cents until mid-November, when it was increased to 61.40 cents. A total of 129,445 persons were employed in the industry al salaries and wages totalling $465,305,873 compared with 130,038 and $453,065,518 in 1953. An outstanding development was the great expansion in Canadian reserves of crude petroleum from 1,845,422,000 barrels in 1953 to an estimitted 2,207,614,000 barrels. Much of this increase came from the extension of existing fields in Alberta, but Saskatchewan led the provinces in the amount of reserves found in new areas. Almost $1,000,000 a day was spent on oil exploration and development activity in Western Canada, but geophysical exploration was below the peak levels of the last few years. No major field discoveries were made in Canada in 1954. The chief development in Alberta was the establishment of the Pembina * Excluding aluminum valued at $182,000,000, all of which is produced from imported ores. field, discovered in 1953, as a major producing field. In Saskatchewan, the discovery of the Frobisher field gave the southeastern part of the province its first light gravity oil field. Alberta continued to supply over 90 per cent of the production but Manitoba and Saskatchewan showed significant rates of growth, Manitoba tripling its production of 1953 to 2,148,184 barrels and Saskatchewan doubling its production to 5,422,899 barrels. At the end of the year Western Canada had 6,451 producing oil wells with a daily potential production of 413,000 barrels, equivalent to almost three- quarters of the Canadian market demand that year. Daily production averaged 263,200 barrels. Some progress occurred during the year in providing new market outlets for this production. Trans Mountain Oil Pipe Line Company built a 27-mile spur from the British Columbia-Washington border to Ferndale, Washington, to service a new refinery there, and plans were made to extend this line 36 miles southwestward in 1955 to a refinery under construction at Anacortes. Interprovincial Pipe Line Company spent $51,000,000 on the looping of large sections of its line in Canada and United States. An outlet for the medium-gravity crude oil from the Fosterton-Cantuar-Success group of fields in Saskatchewan was provided by the construction of a 153-mile line from Ca,ntuar to the Interprovincial pipe line at Regina, from which the oil will be shipped to St. Paul, Minnesota. Natural gas reserves in Western Canada rose to 16 trillion cubic feet. The problem of providing major market outlets for such quantities of gas was very much to the forefront during 1954. Financing arrangements for the proposed 2,250-mile natural gas pipe line of Trans-Canada Pipe Lines Limited from Alberta to Toronto and Montreal were still incomplete at the year's end. The Board of Transport Commissioners for Canada and the Alberta Government granted the company extensions, first to April 30, 1955, and later to October 31, 1955, on the time limit set in which to complete these arrangements. Notable headway was made by the metal mining industry; one indication of this is seen in the amount of new railway construction that was either , under way or completed. In northwestern Ontario, both Canadian National Railways and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company began the con- struction of line.s into the Manitouwadge base-metal area. In northérn Quebec, the CNR started to build a line from Beattyville, near Barraute, into the Chibougamau area. Meanwhile, the 360-mile railway from Seven Islands on the St. Lawrence River to the Iron Ore Company of Canada property at Schefferville In New Quebec-Labrador was completed, as was also the 48-mile line in British Columbia connecting the new aluminum centre of Kitimat, 400 miles north of, Vancouver, to the main line of the CNR. (vi) The disclosure by diamond drilling of very large tonnages of relatively low-grade uranium ore in the Blind River district of northern Ontario gained wide prominence during 1954 and plans for large-scale production were completed by Pronto Uranium Mines Limited and Algom Uranium Mines Limited, the two major operators in the field. Several important events took place in the iron ore industry which, together with developments already under way at the beginning of the year, point to a great expansion in Canada's output of iron ore within the next few years. An initial production of 1,781,453 long tons was obtained during the year from the Iron Ore Company of Canada project in New Quebec-Labrador. This served to offset a decline in output from Ontario and the Island of Newfoundland, and led to a new high of 6,572,855 long tons in the Canadian output of iron ore. In eastern Ontario, Marmoraton Mining Company Limited had, by the end of the year, almost completed stripping the 130-foot capping of limestone overlying its magnetite orebody.