Northland Mine
Encyclopedia
The Northland Mine, also called the Northland Pyrite Mine and Harris Mine, is an abandoned underground mine in Northeastern Ontario
, Canada
, located on the southwestern shore of James Lake
in Best Township of Temagami. It was operated by the Northland Mining Company during the early 1900s with the construction of a 91 m (299 ft) shaft
and many open-cuts north of the shaft. Minerals present at the mine include chalcopyrite
, pyrite
and pyrrhotite
, deposited in Precambrian
volcanic rock
of the Canadian Shield
.
s building dams in the lake's outlet, eventually causing the water levels to rise. This rise in water levels began to cease in 1906 when operations of the Northland Mine began to dump volcanic waste rock along the southwestern shore of James Lake. This began with the construction of the 91 m (299 ft) shaft and the several open-cuts north of the shaft, but the mine site was originally discovered in 1903. Erosion of the volcanic waste rock resulted in the development of acidic lake wastewaters next to the waste pile, causing organisms around the mine to disappear. The name Harris Mine was coined for Northland Mine by E.L. Fraleck in 1907 when Northland was actively operating for a year.
From February 1906 to March 1911, the Northland Mine was in nearly continuous production. According to a former report from the Ontario Northland Railway
, 76,067,050 pounds were sent throughout this epoch and was shipped to the town of Cobalt
further north. A.A. Cole, who was the former manager of the former Temiskaming Testing Laboratories facility in Cobalt, stated the closure of Northland was due to the mine transporting pyrrhotite
instead of pyrite for three days. The mined pyrrhotite was said to be in a parallel lens to the mined pyrite and its quality was unnoticed. During mine closer in March 1911, the 91 m (299 ft) shaft was filled in with logs and waste rock and the adjacent waters of James Lake has since flooded the mine to create more acidic lake wastewater. Colours of the wastewater range from orange to dark red in the central portion of the mine site and green in a narrow open-cut at the southern end of the mine site just west of the mine shaft.
s. This is the only major pyrite zone in the James Lake area and the Northland Mine is the only past producer in the area, with no operating mines present. Cobalt
-silver
, molybdenum
, platinum
, nickel
, gold
and copper
exist in the zone.
Northeastern Ontario
Northeastern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and east of Lakes Superior and Huron.Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Nipissing and Manitoulin; and the single-tier municipality of Greater...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located on the southwestern shore of James Lake
James Lake (Ontario)
James Lake is a lake in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located in the Temagami region along Highway 11.-History:Water levels of James Lake increased and decreased in the early 1900s. The cause of this alternation could have been caused by beavers building dams in the lake's outlet, eventually...
in Best Township of Temagami. It was operated by the Northland Mining Company during the early 1900s with the construction of a 91 m (299 ft) shaft
Shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
and many open-cuts north of the shaft. Minerals present at the mine include chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite is a copper iron sulfide mineral that crystallizes in the tetragonal system. It has the chemical composition CuFeS2. It has a brassy to golden yellow color and a hardness of 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale. Its streak is diagnostic as green tinged black.On exposure to air, chalcopyrite...
, pyrite
Pyrite
The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold...
and pyrrhotite
Pyrrhotite
Pyrrhotite is an unusual iron sulfide mineral with a variable iron content: FeS . The FeS endmember is known as troilite. Pyrrhotite is also called magnetic pyrite because the color is similar to pyrite and it is weakly magnetic...
, deposited in Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
volcanic rock
Volcanic rock
Volcanic rock is a rock formed from magma erupted from a volcano. In other words, it is an igneous rock of volcanic origin...
of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
.
History
Before the operation of Northland Mine in the early 1900s, water levels of James Lake increased and decreased. The cause of this alternation could have been caused by beaverBeaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
s building dams in the lake's outlet, eventually causing the water levels to rise. This rise in water levels began to cease in 1906 when operations of the Northland Mine began to dump volcanic waste rock along the southwestern shore of James Lake. This began with the construction of the 91 m (299 ft) shaft and the several open-cuts north of the shaft, but the mine site was originally discovered in 1903. Erosion of the volcanic waste rock resulted in the development of acidic lake wastewaters next to the waste pile, causing organisms around the mine to disappear. The name Harris Mine was coined for Northland Mine by E.L. Fraleck in 1907 when Northland was actively operating for a year.
From February 1906 to March 1911, the Northland Mine was in nearly continuous production. According to a former report from the Ontario Northland Railway
Ontario Northland Railway
The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario....
, 76,067,050 pounds were sent throughout this epoch and was shipped to the town of Cobalt
Cobalt, Ontario
Cobalt is a town in the district of Timiskaming, province of Ontario, Canada, with a population of 1,223 In 2001 Cobalt was named "Ontario's Most Historic Town" by a panel of judges on the TV Ontario program Studio 2, and in 2002 the area was designated a National Historic Site.-History:Silver was...
further north. A.A. Cole, who was the former manager of the former Temiskaming Testing Laboratories facility in Cobalt, stated the closure of Northland was due to the mine transporting pyrrhotite
Pyrrhotite
Pyrrhotite is an unusual iron sulfide mineral with a variable iron content: FeS . The FeS endmember is known as troilite. Pyrrhotite is also called magnetic pyrite because the color is similar to pyrite and it is weakly magnetic...
instead of pyrite for three days. The mined pyrrhotite was said to be in a parallel lens to the mined pyrite and its quality was unnoticed. During mine closer in March 1911, the 91 m (299 ft) shaft was filled in with logs and waste rock and the adjacent waters of James Lake has since flooded the mine to create more acidic lake wastewater. Colours of the wastewater range from orange to dark red in the central portion of the mine site and green in a narrow open-cut at the southern end of the mine site just west of the mine shaft.
Geology
The Northland Mine lies in a pyrite-bearing zone associated with a band of Keewatin bedded tuffTuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
s. This is the only major pyrite zone in the James Lake area and the Northland Mine is the only past producer in the area, with no operating mines present. Cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
-silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
, platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
, nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
exist in the zone.
See also
- Barton MineBarton MineBarton Mine, also known as Net Lake Mine, is an abandoned underground mine in Cobalt Mining District of Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the west shore of the north arm of Net Lake in Temagami North....
- Leckie MineLeckie MineLeckie Mine, also known as Penrose Mine, is an abandoned gold producing underground mine in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the eastern shore of Arsenic Lake north of the town of Temagami...
- Sherman MineSherman MineSherman Mine is a large abandoned open pit mine in Temagami, Ontario, Canada. It was a major producer of iron ore. The mine was the source of a multi-ton boulder of banded iron formation and was mined from 1967 until 1990 by Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company...
- Big Dan Mine
- Kanichee MineKanichee MineThe Kanichee Mine, also less commonly known as the Ajax Mine, is an abandoned base metal and precious metal mine, located in the Temagami region of northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is near the small unincorporated community of Temagami North, accessed by the Kanichee Mine Road from Highway 11. The...
- Beanland MineBeanland MineBeanland Mine, also known as Clenore and A.E. Perron, is an abandoned gold and silver producing underground mine, located in the Temagami region of northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is one of the several mines within the Temagami greenstone belt, a volcanic belt characterized by felsic and mafic...
- Copperfields Mine
- Ferguson Bay MineFerguson Bay MineFerguson Bay Mine is an abandoned copper mine in Temagami, Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located near the eastern shore of Ferguson Bay of Lake Temagami. A winter road from Sandy Inlet through Coppersand Lake was created to the mine in 1957. Subsequently, a small road, known as Miner's Road,...
- Hermiston-McCauley Mine
- List of mines in Ontario