MINERAL
INVENTORY FILE NO.
666
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRODUCT
COPPER
NTS AREA
63K12
REF.
CU 10
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
NAME OF PROPERTY
WESTARM MINE
OWNER OF
OPERATOR ADDRESS
1983-Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Limited
P.O. Box
1500
Flin Flon, Manitoba R8A 1N9
OBJECT LOCATED
Centre Wan 279
MINING
DIVISION
The Pas
Latitude
54°38'25
Longitude
101°50'42
Uncertainty
(m)
300
UTM Zone
14U
Easting
316400
Northing
6058300
L.S./Quarter
Section
11
Section
19
Township
65
Range
29 WPM
DESCRIPTION OF
DEPOSIT
The deposit is situated about (300 ft.) below the surface of the “west
arm” of Schist Lake (Winnipeg Tribune, February 2, 1974). The steeply dipping
ore body is sandwiched between overlying Precambrian Amisk basaltic lavas,
volcanogenic sediments and graphitic argillite and underlying Precambrian Amisk
volcanogenic sediments and volcaniclastic rocks. Mineralization consists of
“near solid sulphide” in a ‘massive sulphide lenses with no known alteration
zone or stringer mineralization”. Pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite are found
in the lenses (Gale et al, 1980, p. 103).
The deposit has “some similarities
to the Schist Lake Mine (See: Mind No. 660)” (Flin Flon Daily Reminder, April
27, 1973).
ASSOCIATED
MINERALS OR PRODUCTS OF VALUE
Zinc, Silver, Gold
HISTORY OF
EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The mine is 14.5 km south of Flin Flon, approximately 0.8 km east of
the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border.
The deposit was staked as Alp 10, 13
(P20429 and P20432) by N.H. Thurber in 1949. By the end of 1953, a magnetometer
survey was made to aid in interpretation of geologic units and to attempt to
locate magnetic sulphides (assessment file 90362). The claims were cancelled in
1954.
The following activity took place:
Year……Activity
1954.......Alp
10 and 13 (P31623 and 31626) staked by N. Bevans;
1956.......Alp claims
cancelled;
1957.......Pal 2 and 6 (P61036 and P61040) staked by E.
Hopkinson;
1958.......Pal claims cancelled.
Wan 279 and 282 (P1993 and
P196D) were staked by R. McIntosh late in 1967, and assigned to the Hudson Bay
Exploration and Development Company Limited (HBED) in early 1968. Turam and
other electromagnetic surveys were made in 1968 and 1969.
Diamond drilling in
this area by HBED began in 1970, when one hole was drilled on Wan 279. One hole
was also drilled on Wan 282. Since Wan 279 is mostly covered by water, some of
the holes probing this were collared on Wan 282.
In 1973, a copper orebody
was discovered during diamond drilling of an electromagnetic conductor. Seven of
fourteen holes, cut mineralization over an average true width of 5 m (16 ft.),
which averaged 5% copper (Flin Flon Daily Reminder, April 27, 1973). Reserves
indicated by drilling were 644 000 tonnes (t) (710 000 tons) grading 4.63% Cu
and 0.6% Zn to a depth of 427 m (1400 ft.). The deposit was open at depth
(Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. Annual Report, 1973).
The headframe
and surface building were completed in 1974. Eight holes were drilled on Wan 279
and Wan 282 in 1975. The sinking of a 3-compartment shaft commenced on Wan 282
in 1975, and reached 450 m (1475 ft.) by the end of that year. Seven stations
were cut that year (Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. Annual Report,
1975). Production Lease 1, including most of Wan Nos. 266 to 300, was issued in
1975.
In 1976, the shaft was deepened to 580 m (1904 ft.). The property was
assigned to Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. (HBMS) and a surface lease
was issued.
The mine produced developmental ore in 1977, and official
production commenced on January 3, 1978, with rated capacity being reached in
the latter part of 1979.
As of January 1, 1981 proven reserves of Westarm
were 1 053 843 t (1 161 900 tons), grading 3.82% Cu, 1.5% Zn, 17.4 g/t (0.51
oz/t) Ag, and1.37 g/t (0.040 oz/ton) Au (Laughlin, 1982).
Production
continued until 1985, when the mine was closed to further explore the area. The
area was mapped in 1987 and 1988 (Syme, 1992).
In 1991, Granges Inc. signed
an agreement with HBMS to explore 3600 ha, in an option to earn 49% of that area
(Canadian Mines Handbook 1992). Granges carried out mapping, geophysics and
diamond drilling in 1991-1992, completing the first stage of the option. In
1993, with further mapping planned, the option was dropped and the interest
reverted to HBMS (Canadian Mines Handbook 1996).
The mine reopened in 1994,
with reserves at 312 011 t grading 3.18% Cu, 2.05% Zn, 1.29 g/t Au and 16.20 g/t
Ag, a production rate of 800 tonnes per day was planned. The ore exhausted at
the end of 1996 and the mine closed permanently in January 1997, after
completing production (Canadian Mines Handbook 1998).
HISTORY OF
PRODUCTION
...........Tons......%Cu.....%Zn.......Au............Ag
.....................................................oz/ton......oz/ton
1977.....82,488...3.55......1.44.........031...........0.42
1978...119,877...3.57......1.78.........047...........0.54
1979...175,870...3.36......1.46.........038...........0.58
Production
for 1981 to present is not known.
REFERENCES
Bailes, A.H. 1971: Preliminary Compilation of the Geology of the Snow
Lake-Flin Flon-Sherridon
Area; Manitoba Mines Branch Geological Paper
1/71.
Canadian Mines Handbook 1992: Granges Inc.; Canadian Mines Handbook
1991-92, p. 189.
Canadian Mines Handbook 1997: Hudson Bay Mining and
Smelting Co. Ltd.; Canadian Mines
Handbook 1996-97, p. 216.
Canadian
Mines Handbook 1998: Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd.; Canadian
Mines
Handbook 1997-98, p. 230.
Esposito, B. 1995: Exploration ’95;
Northern Miner, March 6, 1995.
Gale, G.H., Baldwin, D.A. and Koo, J.
1980: A Geological Evaluation of Precambrian Massive
Sulphide Deposit
Potential in Manitoba; Manitoba Mineral Resources Division Economic Geology
Report ER 79-1, p. 23, 103.
Gale, G.H., and Eccles, D.R. 1992: Mineral
Deposits and Occurences in the Schist Lake Area,
NTS 63K/12, p.
21.
Heywood, W.W. 1966: Ledge Lake Area; Geological Survey of Canada
Memior 337.
Koo, J. and Mossman, D.J. 1975: Origin and Metamorphism of
the Flin Flon Stratabound Cu-Zn
Sulphide Deposit; Economic Geology, v. 70, p.
48-62.
Laughlin, W.H. 1982: Canadian Reserves as of January 1. 1981 of
Copper, Nickel, Lead, zinc
Molybdenum, Silver, Gold; Department of EMR
Mineral Bulletin, MR 191, p. 17.
Manitoba Mineral Resources Division:
Assessment Files 90362 and 90371; Geoscience Data
Section Manitoba Mineral
Resources Division.
Manitoba Mineral Resources Division: Corporation
File, Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting
Co. Ltd.
Mukherjee, A.C.,
Stauffer, M.R., and Baadsgaard, H. 1971: The Hudsonian Orogeny near Flin
Flon
Manitoba; A Tentative Interpretation of Rb/Sr and K/Ar Ages; Canada Journal of
Earth Sciences, v. 8, n. 8, p. 939-946.
MAP REFERENCES
Bailes, A.H. 1971: Map 1, Geological Compilation of the Snow Lake-Flin
Flon-Sherridon Area;
1:253 400 scale, geological map, accompanying Manitoba
Mines Branch Paper 1/71.
Geological Survey of Canada 1993: 63K Cormorant
Lake; Geological Survey of Canada,
geological map, scale 1:250
000.
Heywood, W.W. 1966: Map 1167A, Ledge Lake; 1:12 000 scale,
geological map, accompanying
Geological Survey of Canada Memoir
337.
International Geology Congress: Map, Geology of Snow Lake-Flin
Flon-Sherridon Area;
1:181 029 scale, geological map, accompanying
International Geology Congress, 24th Session, Field Excursion
A31-C31.
Manitoba Mines Branch and Geological Survey of Canada 1963:
Athapapuskow Lake; Manitoba
Mines Branch and Geological Survey of Canada,
aeromagnetic map, scale 1:63 360.
Manitoba Mineral Resources Division
1976: Maps NW 12, 63K “Circa 1976”, Claim Map Series;
Mineral Resources
Division, claim map, scale 1:31 680.
Surveys and Mapping Branch 1966: Map
63 K/12W, Schist Lake; Surveys and Mapping Branch,
Ottawa, topographic map
(2nd edition), scale 1:50 000.
URL
N/A
REMARKS
Stringers of hematite were found by diamond drilling on H.W. 31 and 38
approximately 2.5 km east and 1 km southwest of the Westarm mine. No assays are
given, This is the only report of hematite stringers in the area (File
90371).
NOTES
N/A
Compiled/Revised
by:
KE...........SMH.......SMH......HRW......JDB.......JJJ
Date
05-74.......01-77.......01-78......01-82.......09-83......07-02
