Geoscience

Industrial Minerals

Commodity Summaries: Chromite

Chromite is present in the Bird River Sill located in the southern arm of the Bird River greenstone belt (BRGB), 25 km east of Lac du Bonnet in southeast Manitoba.

Discovery of chromite deposits on the Page and Chrome claims in 1942 led to extensive investigations of mafic–ultramafic rocks in the Bird River Sill. Exploration activities in the area included several diamond-drill holes, geophysical surveys and geological mapping. The most recent evaluation based on historical data by Ilam and Associates Ltd. was 4.69 Mt ore tonnage resource at a grade of 6.42% Cr2O3.

Suggested References

Bannatyne, B.B. and Trueman, D.L. 1982: Chromite reserves and geology of the Bird River Sill, Manitoba; Manitoba Energy and Mines, Mineral Resources Division, Open File Report OF82-1, 73 p.

Bateman, J.D. 1942: Chromite in Manitoba - extent of deposits and their value in warfare; Precambrian, v. 15, no. 12, p. 2, 5–7, 23.

Bateman, J.D. 1943: Bird River chromite deposits, Manitoba; Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Transactions, v. 46, p. 154–183

Bécu, V., Houlé, M.G, Yang, X.M., Gilbert, H.P. 2013: Euclid Lake intrusion: a revisited cross-section through a historical chrome deposit of the Bird River greenstone belt, southeastern Manitoba; in Report of Activities 2013, Manitoba Mineral Resources, Manitoba Geological Survey, p. 85–94.

Mealin, C.A. 2005: Geological investigations of the Chrome property, Bird River Sill, southeastern Manitoba (NTS 52L5); in Report of Activities 2005, Manitoba Industry, Economic Development and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, p. 146–149.

Mealin, C.A., Linnen, R.L. and Lin, S. 2008: Geology, geochemistry and Cr-Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization of the Bird River Sill; evidence for a multiple intrusion model; Geological Association of Canada–Mineralogical Association of Canada, Joint Annual Meeting, Quebec City, Quebec, May 26, 2008, Abstracts, v. 33, p. 110–111.

 

Simplified geology of the Bird River greenstone belt (BRGB), showing the location of the Euclid Lake intrusion and other significant mafic and ultramafic igneous bodies and their associated Ni-Cu- platinum group element (PGE) and Cr-(PGE) deposits/occurrences. Abbreviations: MORB, mid-ocean-ridge basalt.

Simplified geology of the Bird River greenstone belt (BRGB), showing the location of the Euclid Lake intrusion and other significant mafic and ultramafic igneous bodies and their associated Ni-Cu-platinum group element (PGE) and Cr-(PGE) deposits/occurrences. Abbreviations: BRGB: Bird River Greenstone Belt; MORB, mid-ocean-ridge basalt.

 

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