Publication information

Geological Survey of Canada
Open File 4086 (revised)

Reconnaissance-scale till survey in the New Liskeard-Temagami region, Ontario: kimberlite indicator minerals and geochemistry

M.B. McClenaghan, I.M. Kjarsgaard, and B.A. Kjarsgaard

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources, 2017

Permanent link: https://doi.org/10.4095/306189 

Publications in this series have not been edited; they are released as submitted by the author.

Recommended citation

McClenaghan, M.B., Kjarsgaard, I.M., and Kjarsgaard, B.A., 2017. Reconnaissance-scale till survey in the New Liskeard-Temagami region, Ontario: kimberlite indicator minerals and geochemistry; Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 4086 (revised), 1 zip file. https://doi.org/10.4095/306189   

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Contents

Abstract
This report describes results of a reconnaissance-scale kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) till survey in the area south of the known Lake Timiskaming kimberlite field, between New Liskeard and Marten River. The survey provides information on the regional background content of KIM in till, the nature of KIM signatures in till just down-ice of known kimberlites, and the distribution of KIM anomalies that warrant further investigation. 
Three phases of flow are associated with erosion, transportation and deposition of till in the region. The main carriers of glacial debris, however, were the two oldest ice flows to the southwest and south. A large dispersal train of Paleozoic limestone derived from upper Lake Timiskaming trends south-southwest across the area, but has been truncated in its proximal part (Latchford area) by the last southeast ice flow indicating that in this area, southeast ice flow was a major carrier of debris. These situations have to be taken into consideration in the interpretation of dispersal trains formed by the three major ice flows.
Mg-ilmenite is the most abundant and widespread KIM in the till in the study area. Chromite occurs in approximately the same till samples that contain Mg-ilmenite, but is generally present in lower abundances. Pyrope in till is approximately half as abundant as Mg-ilmenite. Cr-diopside is similar in abundance to pyrope and is present in almost every sample. Elevated Cr-diopside abundances that are not accompanied by other KIMs likely are not from kimberlite. Anomalous concentrations of kimberlite indicator minerals in till occur: on the Red Squirrel Road; near Temagami; along Highway 11 in the central part of the study area; on the east side of Lake Timiskaming; and on the Rabbit Lake forest access road. Some of these anomalies coincide with anomalies identified by the OGS in their recent stream sediment survey (Allan, 2001). Additional till sampling combined with geophysics should be conducted to determine the extent of the KIM anomalies and trace them to their bedrock source, with a sample spacing that is much smaller (<500 m) than used in this reconnaissance survey.

Revisions
The original version of Appendix B is an Excel® file with one worksheet of sampling processing weight data. It has been replaced with one Excel® file with 5 worksheets of data that contain the data originally reported plus additional laboratory data. These additional data have been added because they were generated and reported to the GSC at the time the samples were processed (2001). Publishing these additional data worksheets is consistent with established GSC protocols (in 2011) for the publication of heavy mineral data. The complete dataset that is in this revised version of the open file will allow the user to more fully understand and use the data.
Appendixes A, C, E, and F were revised by changing the various sample number formats that were originally reported to one consistent format in all the files to allow for importing and use of all the data in a digital database. 

Directory structure

of_4086_rev.pdf   (Open File 4086 report)
of_4086_readme_rev.rtf   (this file)
Appendices\AppendixA\of_4086_AppendixA_rev.xlsx (Till sample locations, texture and matrix carbonate content)
Appendices\AppendixB\of_4086_AppendixB_rev.xlsx (Till sample processing data reported by Overburden Drilling Management Limited)
Appendices\AppendixC\of_4086_AppendixC1_rev.xlsx   (Microprobe data for all picked minerals)
Appendices\AppendixC\of_4086_AppendixC2_rev.xlsx   (Microprobe data for Mg-ilmenite)
Appendices\AppendixC\of_4086_AppendixC3_rev.xlsx   (Microprobe data for chromite)
Appendices\AppendixC\of_4086_AppendixC4_rev.xlsx   (Microprobe data for garnet)
Appendices\AppendixC\of_4086_AppendixC5_rev.xlsx   (Microprobe data for diopside)
Appendices\AppendixD\of_4086_AppendixD1.xlsx   (Gold grain summary)
Appendices\AppendixD\of_4086_AppendixD2.xlsx   (Visible gold grain shape, size, and abundance)
Appendices\AppendixE\of_4086_AppendixE1_rev.xlsx   (ACME whole rock data)
Appendices\AppendixE\of_4086_AppendixE2_rev.xlsx   (ACME rare earth element data)
Appendices\AppendixE\of_4086_AppendixE3_rev.xlsx   (ACME base metal data)
Appendices\AppendixE\of_4086_AppendixE4_rev.xlsx   (ACME INAA data)
Appendices\AppendixF\of_4086_AppendixF_rev.xlsx   (Pebble lithological data)

Author contact information

M.B. McClenaghan (Beth.McClenaghan@Canada.ca)
Geological Survey of Canada
601 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0E8

Contribution to: Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI) 2000-2002

Availability information

This publication is available for free download through GEOSCAN (http://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/).

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