The Canadian Mineral Industry 1955 Reviews by the Staff of the Mines Branch Department of Mines and I Technical Surveys Final Edition No. 862 Price One Dollar ■-■7, The Canadian Mineral Industry 1955 Reviews by the Staff of the Mines Branch Department of Mines and I Technical Surveys Final Edition No. 862 Price One Dollar 67462-2--1 THE QUEEN'S PRINTER AD CONTROLLER OF STATIONERY OTTAWA, 1959 Price $1.00 Catalogue No. M32-862 CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 METALLIC MINERALS Aluminum 8 Antimony 12 Bismuth 15 Cadmium 17 Chromite 20 Cobalt 24 Copper 30 Gold 39 Indium 44 Iron Ore 46 Lead 54 Magnesium - 61 Manganese 62 Molybdenum 68 Nickel 73 Niobium and Tantalum 77 Platinum Metals 80 Selenium 82 Silver 84 Tellurium 90 Tin 91 Titanium 94 Tungsten 103 Uranium 107 Zinc 112 INDUSTRIAL MINERALS Abrasives* 121 Aggregates, Lightweight 126 Arsenic trioxide 130 Asbestos 132 Barite 137 Bentonite 142 Brucite (see Magnesite) Cement 145 Clays and Clay Products 148 Diatom ite 152 Feldspar 155 Fluorspar 157 Granite 160 *Corundum, emery, garnet, quartz, grindstones, pumice, and grinding pebbles. 67462 -2--1i Page INDUSTRIAL MINERAL'S (Cont'd) Graphite 165 Gypsum and Anhydrite 168 Iron Oxide Pigments 173 Lime 177 Limestone, General 181 Limestone, Structural 184 Magnesite and Brucite 185 Lithium 188 Marble 194 Mica 196 Nepheline Syenite 203 Phosphate 206 Pyrites (see Sulphur) Roofing Granules 210 Salt 213 Sand and Gravel 217 Silica Minerals 221 Sodium Sulphate, Natural 225 Sulphur and Pyrites 227 Talc and Soapstone 234 Vermiculite 239 Whiting 241 MINERAL FUELS Coal 244 Coke 253 Natural Gas 255 Peat 264 Petroleum, Crude 267 Preface This volume contains reviews of the metals and minerals produced in Canada on a commercial scale during 1955, as well as a few others , which, while not produced in Canada, are nevertheless important to industry. Statistics are final, and, except as noted, are from the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. Market quota.tions are mainly from standard marketing reports published in London, Montreal and New York. All reviews were prepared by officers of the Mines Branch with the exception of that on uranium, which was written by an officer of the Geological Survey of Canada. The thanks of the Branch are due to all those who contributed data, and especially to those mining operators and others connected with the industry whose co-operation throughout has Éeen invaluable . John Convey, Director, , Mines Branch. a a INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CANADIAN MINERAL INDUSTRY IN 1955 Canada's mineral industry in 1955 achieved the largest annual advances in Volume and value of output ever recorded. The index of physical volume of output (based on average for 1935-39 equal to 100) stood at 242.0 at the end of 1955 compared to 209.7 for 1954, and value of production rose from $1,488,382,091 to $1,795,310,796. Major growth factors in the industry were the continued expansion in actual and potential production of crude petroleum, a great increase in the output of iron ore, large-scale developments in the uranium industry, and the extension of base-metal production facilities, particularly of nickel, copper, and zinc. Industrial minerals shared notably in the headway, more than one half of the main minerals of the group achieving records in volume output. Metal production reached a record billion dollars for the value of $1,007,839,501, twenty-six per cent above the 1954 value. Mineral fuels increased 17 per cent in value to $414,318,015, and industrial minerals 11 per cent to $373,153,280. Crude petroleum ranked first at $305,640,036, copper second at $239,756,455, and nickel third at $215,866,007. The only principal metals and minerals with decreased tonnage were lead (7 per cent decrease), silver (10 per cent), and coal (less than one per cent). The big three among the provinces in terms of value of mineral output were Ontario at $583,954,682, Quebec at $357,010,045, and Alberta at $325,974,326. Nova Scotia, Yukon, and Northwest Territories showed small decreases, compared to 1954. Exports of metals and minerals and their products, valued at $1,431,000,000, accounted, in value, for about 33.4 per cent of the total C anadian exports in 1955, the gain over 1954 being $276,000,000. The mineral industry, exclusive of smelting and refining, employed about 105,000 persons in 1955, with salaries and wages of approximately $384,000,000. It is significant that although approximately the same number of persons were employed in 1952, the physical volume index rose from 174.7 in that year to 242.0 in 1955, indicating a large increase in productivity. Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas Production of crude petroleum at the end of 1955 was at the rate of about 435,000 barrels a clay with a potential production at about 650,000 barrels a day. Alberta, which supplied more than 87 per cent of the total, increased its output 29 per cent above that of 1954. Saskatchewan and Manitoba showed increases of 109 and 93 per cent, respectively. - 2 - Over $400,000,000 was spent on exploration and development of crude petroleum and natural gas in western Canada in 1955, with the -emphasis on. oil field development drilling. The main development of the year was expansion of the Pembina oil field in Alberta; at the end of 1954 it was producing 6,500 barrels daily and by the end of 1955 this had increased to 97,000 barrels daily. In natural gas, the main development concerned the increasingly Important problem of market outlets for the growing reserves. The Federal Power Commission of the United States gave approval for importation of natural gas from Canada's Westcoast Transmission Company Limited whose source of gas is the Peace River section of British Columbia and Alberta. This company planned to construct a 650-mile pipe line from the gas fields to Sumas, British Columbia, on the international boundary. Problems connected with marketing western gas in central Canada, however, , were unresolved at year's end. In order to help in getting the 2,327-mile gas line project of Trans-Canada Pipe Lines Limited under way, a proposal was put forward during the year that the Federal and Ontario governments jointly finance the 675-mile section through northern Ontario. Proved reserves of crude petroleum in Canada at the end of 1955 amounted to 2,756,619,000 barrels. Reserves of natural gas were estimated at more than 20 trillion cubic feet and were rising at an annual rate of 2 trillion cubic feet. The Metals The main developments were in uranium and base metals, with exploration and development at a high level in the Blind River area of northern Ontario, the Chibougamau area in western Quebec , and the Bathurst- Newcastle area in New Brunswick. For base metals, the year was outstanding. Nickel and zinc output reached all-time records, and copper output, after nine consecutive annual increases, was less than one per cent below the record of 1940. This high level of activity was due to increased world demand and higher prices, and, especially in the case of nickel, also t,o the results of long-range expansion programs. Production of lead was about 7 per cent less than in 1954. The price of copper moved from 28.9 cents a pound at the beginning of 1955 to 43.0 cents at the end of the year, nickel increased from 61.4 cents to 63.0 cents, zinc from 11.5 to 13.0, and lead from 14.25 to 15.50. Nickel production came mainly from the mines of The International Nickel Company of Canada Limited and Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited in the Sudbury area, Ontario, with new production from the Lynn Lake mine of Sherritt Gordon Mines Limit,ed in north-central Manitoba. Two smaller producers in the Sudbury area sold nickel concentrates to Falconbridge. This company is preparing four new mines for production, one of which is expected t,o start operations in 1956. Copper production was derived from ores of eight provinces, namely, Ontario, Quebec , Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, in order of production. Twenty-four 3 - companies accounted for the output, with those in Ontario and Quebec contributing 76 per cent of the total. In Quebec , Gaspe Copper Mines Limited, a large producer , , commenced operations during the year , , and several other producers increased mill capacity. Exploration or development of copper properties was at a high level in several provinces. One of the most active areas was Chibougamau, Quebec, where three relatively new mines were in production and other properties were nearing production. This area shows promise of becoming one of the largest sources of copper production in Canada. In the Bathurst-Newcastle area of New Brunswick, promising new lead-zinc properties were under development toward large-scale production, and establishment of a large metallurgical-chemical industry based on these resources was planned. Iron ore output rose 121 per cent in 1955 over 1954, chiefly owing to the large-scale operations of Iron Ore Company of Canada in New Quebec- Labrador , , although gains were also made by other operators in Quebec , Newfoundland, Ontario and British Columbia. The leading C anadian producers were: Iron Ore Company of Canada in New Quebec-Labrador; Dominion Wabana Ore Limited in Newfoundland; and Steep Rock Iron Mines Limited and Algoma Ore Properties Limited in Ontario. Bethlehem Steel Company brought its open-pit mine at Marmora, Ontario, into operation during the year , , producing about 196,000 long tons of pelletized magnetite concentrates.