- SMDI #
- 2028
- Current Showing Name
- Black Forest Radioactive Erratics or Niska U-Ni Boulder Occurrence
- Historical Showing Names
- Black Forest Radioactive Erratics or Niska U-Ni Boulder Occurrence
- Company Name
- CAMECO CORP, Uranerz Exploration and Mining Limited, Eldor Resources Limited
- Project Name
- UTM Easting (NAD83 Z13)
- 461108.4500
- UTM Northing (NAD83 Z13)
- 6335905.1200
- NTS Sheet
- 074H04
- TRM (Township-Range-Meridian)
- 94-23-2
- Primary Commodities
- Uranium
- Associated Commodities
- Iron, Nickel, Titanium, Zirconium
- Discovery Type
- Float Rock
- Status
- Anomaly: Bedrock/Felsenmeer
- Geological Details
- The showing, also referred to as the 'Black Forest Lake Erratics' or the Niska Occurrence, is located just east of Black Forest lake.
The area around the showing was mapped by G.E. Ray in 1976 (Ray, 1977) as lying within a sand and gravel region with a few small isolated outcrops of Archean biotite-hornblende gneiss, pelitic and semipelitic schists and gneisses, and quartzofeldspathic meta-arkose interlayered with pelites and semipelites to the east. The meta-sedimentary rocks belong to a unit of Aphebian Supracrustal rocks of the Wollaston Group, and are believed to represent early Aphebian metasediments.
The radioactive pebbles which constitute this showing form a pebbly unit in sand that is 6 inches (15.2 cm) to 2 feet (1.8 m) below surface. The radioactive pebbles occur within an area that is less than 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter. Testing indicated that the pebbles occurred in colluvium. The pebbles layer is most probably the source of the majority of uraniferous erratics in the area. All of the massive (>10% U-Ni) pitchblende pebbles are angular with sharp corners while the other pebbles in the layer are well-rounded.
The 1980 sonic drill program indicated that the boulders were eroded from a U-Ni-Pb till dispersion train in a glacially inscribed, overburden filled bedrock valley. Both the boulders and the mineralization are of massive basement type mineralization. The non magnetic heavy metal concentrates recovered by overburden drilling returned hematite, garnet, zircon, pyroxene and rutile.
- Geological Domain
- Wollaston
- Host Rocks
- Host Minerals
- Hematite, Rutile, Zircon
- Indicators
- Exploration History
- 7/27/1989 Earliest available records indicate that the area was held under Dynamic Petroleum Products Permit No. 3 staked on 16 December 1968. In 1969, they did an extensive program consisting of airborne magnetic, EM and radiometric surveys (AF 74H03-0004). The showing area was included within CBS 1769, staked within the permit area and a reconnaissance EM survey over the area was done in 1970 (AF 74H04-0006). The area came open 1 June 1970 .
The showing area was covered by Inexco Mining Co. Permit No. 1 by December of 1972. Intensive exploration by Inexco, Uranerz and SMDC followed on the permit. Early in 1973, Inexco Mining Co. did both airborne and ground radiometric surveys, as well as geological, geochemical and radon surveys (AF 74H11-0011) and Uranerz Exploration and Mining Ltd. began diamond drilling, grid magnetometer, EM and IP surveys (AF 74H04-0013) which continued into 1974. The following year, they continued drilling (AF 74H04-0021, 0017), and as well did further grid magnetometer, radiometric and gravity surveys over the permit (AF 74H04-0017). A joint program of airborne EM and magnetic surveys, prospecting, grid EM and magnetometer surveys, lake water and sediment sampling and diamond drilling was undertaken by the partners (AF 74H-0013) and it was as a result of this intensive exploration that the pebbles which constitute SMDI 2028 were discovered. As a continuation of this exploration, Uranerz Exploration and Mining Ltd. flew magnetometer and EM (input) surveys (AF 74H-0012). Another joint exploration program was done in 1977 and consisted of prospecting, lake sediment, water and muskeg sampling (AF 74H-0020), and Uranerz continued their drilling (AF 74H04-0023) into 1978 (AF 74H04-0056).
ML 5205 was staked over the showing area within Inexco Permit No. 1 on 15 November 1977. In the winter of 1980, SMDC completed a series of overburden holes to attempt to locate the source of mineralization (AF 74H04-0070,-0071,-0080). In 1981, SMDC completed 15 diamond drill holes, geological mapping, prospecting and trenching and ground magnetic and soil hydrocarbon surveys in an attempt to locate the source of mineralization (AF 74H04-0072,-0073,-0081). In 1982, the work performed on the mineral lease consisted of a gradiometer survey by SMDC in 1982 (AF 74H-04-0067). In 1982, Uranerz completed a fixed wing gradiometer and magnetic survey and ground HLEM, VLF-EM and magnetic gradiometer surveys over the lease (AF 74H04-0074;-0075;-0082, 74G01-0040). In 1983, Uranerz completed HLEM, VLEM, ROAC radon and gravity surveys and 3 drill holes (BF-108 to 110) in the Black Forest area (AF 74H04-0076, 0077, 0083). No significant mineralization was intersected. Between 1980 and 1984, SMDC-Eldor-Uranerz completed prospecting on the property (AF 74G-0013 and -0014.
In 1984, Uranerz completed ground HLEM, VLEM, VLF-EM and resistivity surveys and 23 drill holes (BF-111 to 123A) in the Black Forest area (AF 74H04-0084,-0091). No significant mineralization was intersected. In 1985, three drill holes (KAP 2 to 4) were completed in the Black Forest-Kapesin Lakes area. Drill holes BF-132 and BF-134 were completed on the main Key Lake conductor extension and drill hole BF-133 tested a small isolated conductor. (AF 74H04-0093;-0085). No significant mineralization was intersected.
- Production History
- Reserves and/or Resources