MINERA~1 Record

MINERAL INVENTORY FILE NO.

520

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PRODUCT

NICKEL

NTS AREA

63O1NW

REF.

NI 1

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

NAME OF PROPERTY

SOAB MINE SOUTH

OWNER OF OPERATOR ADDRESS

__________________________

OBJECT LOCATED

Shaft

MINING DIVISION

The Pas

Latitude

55°12.60’

Longitude

98°25.28’

Uncertainty (m)

200 m

UTM Zone

_____

Easting

_______

Northing

_______

L.S./Quarter Section

___

Section

___

Township

Range

7WPM

DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSIT

Relatively massive sulphides occur in Precambrian metasediments and/or gneisses (Coats, et. al., 1972) or in serpentinized peridotite (Sabina, 1972). Pyrrhotite, pyrite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite are found in several mineralized zones, which comprise the Soab deposit. A doubly plunging fold is located near the deposit, which is reflected in the orebody being narrow and not well defined, meandering haphazardly through the host rock (Northern Miner, July 1, 1971).

ASSOCIATED MINERALS OR PRODUCTS OF VALUE

Copper

HISTORY OF EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The mine is about 1 km west of Provincial Road 391 and 68 km southwest of the city of Thompson.
An aerial magnetic survey helped pinpoint the mineralization in 1951. Follow-up air and ground electromagnetic surveys and subsequent diamond drilling discovered nickeliferous material. Fitz 5 (P 23362) was staked by M. Smith in 1951 and assigned to Canadian Nickel Company Limited later that year. This claim may not directly overlie the deposit, but a shaft was sunk here. Fitz 5 was assigned to The International Nickel Company of Canada in 1956 and leased as M-5348 in 1959.
Development of the Soab deposit began 1965. Shaft sinking commenced on Fitz 5 in January 1967. The shaft was completed to 1,984 feet by March of the next year, with levels at 200-foot intervals between 300 and 1,700 feet (Macke). Mackenzie (1968) estimated that the Soab deposit contains 100,000 to 1,000,000 tons of mineralized material, including ore and protore, grading up to 1.5% Ni.
Macke reports that there were 8-10 years of pre-production reserves at Soab South if the production rate was 3 000 tons per day. The Northern Miner (Oct. 8, 1970) stated that reserves at Soab South were "sufficient to support 3 000-ton-a-day production for 12 to 15 years." Production was expected to be 3,000 tons per day, with mining to start on the 300-, 500-, and 700-foot levels.
In 1970 exploratory deep drilling was underway on the 1 700-foot level. By 1971 the Soab South shaft was 2 083 feet deep. Mining was done by the shrinkage stope method (Northern Miner, July 1, 1971).
The Soab South Mine produced from 1967 to 1971 (INCO staff, November 1975). After 1968 ore was trucked from Soab North and, together with Soab South ore, transported by a private INCO railroad to Thompson for processing.
Mining ceased in 1971 due to several factors leading to a decrease in "ore". The shaft is dewatered and on standby.

HISTORY OF PRODUCTION

1967-70: Ni

Shipping Point: Soab South Mine Distance from mine: 68 km to destination
Material Shipped: Crusher ore Carrier: INCO railroad
Destination: Thompson

REFERENCES

Bell, C.K., 1971: Boundary Geology, Upper Nelson River Area, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, in Geoscience Studies in Manitoba; Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 9, p. 11-40.
Coats, C.J.A., Quirke, T.T., Bell, C.K., Cranstone, D.A., and Campbell, F.H.A., 1972: Geology and Mineral Deposits of the Flin Flon, Lynn Lake and Thompson Areas, Manitoba, and the Churchill-Superior Front of the Western Precambrian Shield; International Geological Congress, 24th Session, p. 53-63.
Davies, J.F., 1960: Geology of the Thompson-Moak Lake District, Manitoba; Canadian Mining Journal, v. 81, No. 4, p. 101-4.
Douglas, R.J.W., 1970: Geology and Economic Minerals of Canada; Geological Survey of Canada, Economic Geology Report. 1, p. 180-1.
Godard, J.D., 1968: Geology of the Halfway Lake Area (West Half); Manitoba Mines Branch, Publication 64-5.
International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited, The, NW 1, 63 0; Corporation File, Manitoba Mineral Resources Division.
Kilburn, L.C., Wilson, H.D.B., Graham, A.R., Ogura, Y., Coats, C.J.A., and Scoates, R.F.J., 1969: Economic Geological Monograph 4, p. 276-7.
Macke, Willis; Manitoba Mining Operations, Unpublished Notebook, Mining Engineering & Inspection Branch, Manitoba Mineral Resources Division, Soab South.
MacKenzie, B.W., 1968: Nickel-Canada and the World; Mineral Resources Division, Ottawa, Mineral Report 16, p. 75, 6.
Quirke, T.T., Cranstone, D.A., Bell, C.K., and Coats, C.J.A., 1970: Geology of the Moak-Setting Area, Manitoba; Geological Association of Canada and Mining Association of Canada, 23rd Annual Meeting, Field Trip 1.
Sabina, A.P., 1972: Rocks and Minerals for the Collector, La Ronge-Creighton, Saskatchewan; Flin Flon-Thompson, Manitoba; Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 71-27, p. 71.
Quinn, H.A., 1956: Mineral Occurrences Between Chipewyan and Herb Lakes, Manitoba; Precambrian, v. 29, No. 11 (Nov.), p. 10, Showing No. 32.
Zurbrigg, H.F., 1963: Thompson Mine Geology; Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Trans., v. LXVI, p. 227-36.

MAP REFERENCES

Map 63 0/1, Halfway Lake, (Topographic), Scale 1:50 000; Surveys & Mapping Branch, Ottawa.
Map 54-13, Nelson House, (Geology), Scale 1:253 440; accompanied Marginal Notes by Quinn (1955); Geological Survey of Canada.
Map 64-5, Halfway Lake Area, (Geology.), Scale 1:60 200; accompanied publication by Godard (1968); Manitoba Mines Branch.
Map, Moak-Setting Lake Area, (Geology), Scale 1:96 000; accompanied I.G.C. Field Excursions by Coats, et. al. (1972), 24th Session, International Geological Congress.
Map 2591 G, Halfway Lake, (Aeromagnetic), Scale 1:63 360; Manitoba Mines Branch. and Geological survey of Canada.
Maps, NW 1, 63 0 (Claim), Scale 1:31 680, "Circa 1975" Claim Map Series, Mining Recording, Manitoba Mineral Resources Division.

URL

N/A

REMARKS

In articles and reports it is often difficult to differentiate between Soab North and Soab South. When no distinction was made the term "Soab Deposit" was used on the front of this card.

NOTES

N/A

Compiled/Revised by:

SMH

Date

2-73 11-75