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Thompson Nickel Mine-Canada

Producer in Manitoba, Canada with commodities Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Platinum, Palladium, Gold, Silver
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Ownership information
  15. Production statistics
  16. Reserves and resources
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10069233
MRDS ID W002768
Record type Site
Current site name Thompson Nickel Mine-Canada

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -97.86715, 55.76674 (WGS84)
Relative position 400 MILES NORTH OF WINNIPEG, 200 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HUDSON BAY.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Canada Manitoba

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Copper Primary
Cobalt Critical Secondary
Platinum Critical Secondary
Palladium Critical Tertiary
Gold Tertiary
Silver Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Marcasite Ore
Pentlandite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pegmatite Gangue

Analytical data

Result NI/CU = 14/1
Result ORES GRADE ABOUT 2.5% NI AND 0.2% CU

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Komatiite (Ultramafite)
    Rock unit name Ultramafics
    Rock description Ultramafics
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eoarchean
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eoarchean
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eoarchean
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Quartzite;Iron Formation;Biotite Schist;Biotite Gneiss
    Rock description Quartzite;Iron Formation;Biotite Schist;Biotite Gneiss

Nearby scientific data

(1) -97.86715, 55.76674
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description At Boundary Of Churchill And Superior Province
Type of structure Local
Structure description Large Anticline

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR LENSES AND PODS
    Dip 65 DEGREES EAST
    Thickness 50M
    Length 1600M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 800M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • In Schists, Concentrated In Fold Noses.

Comments on the geologic information

  • SEQUENCE OF METASEDIMENTS IS FOLDED AND INTRUDED BY ULTRAMAFICS. METASEDIMENTS HOST THE ORE BODY.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1956
Discoverer International Nickel Co., Of Canada, Ltd.
Year of first production 1960

Mining district

District name Thompson-Moak Lake Distri Ct

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner International Nickel Co., Of Canada, Ltd.

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^3. % Ni, Est. 85 % Recovery
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Nickel Nickel 3wt-pct
  • Year 1975
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^3. % Ni
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Nickel Nickel 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • ORE PRODUCTION IS ESTIMATED BY GOUDARZI BASED ON 85% METAL RECOVERY FROM 3% FEED ORE

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1975
    Total resources 136000000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 2.7 wt-pct Nickel Major 1975
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Total resources 136050000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 3 wt-pct Nickel Major 1973

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • NO ESTIMATE OF RESERVE MADE, PROBABLY SAME AS SHOWN UNDER POTENTIAL RESOURCES
  • TOTAL THOMPSON DISTRICT 'IDENTIFIED NICKEL-SULFIDE RESOURCE*' IS 1-BILLION METRIC ? TONS OF ORE AT AN AVERAGE OF 1.0% CONTAINED NICKEL. *-CORNWALL (1973)-DEFINES 'IDENTIFIED RESOURCES' AS: SPECIFIC, IDENTIFIED MINERAL DEPOSITS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE EVALUATED AS TO EXTENT OR GRADE, AND WHOSE CONTAINED MINERALS MAY OR MAY NOT BE PROFITABLY RECOVERABLE WITH EXISTING TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. THE THOMPSON DISTRICT INCLUDES MYSTERY LAKE, MOAK LAKE AND OTHER UNIDENTIFIED DEPOSITS, AS WELL AS THE THOMPSON MINE; MANIFILE (1973-SEE REFERENCES) REPORTS 2,500,000 METRIC TONS OF CONTAINED METAL

Comments on the workings information

  • ORE DEPOSITS ARE TIGHTLY FOLDED AND THICKEN IN FOLD NOSES. THE ULTIMATE DIMENSIONS OF THE OPEN PIT MINE WILL BE 5,100 FT ALONG THE NORTH-SOUTH DIRECTION, 800 FT IN THE EAST-WEST DIRECTION, AND 400 FT BELOW SURFACE AT ITS DEEPEST POINT.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: DECISION TO BRING OPEN PIT INTO PRODUCTION BASED ON EXISTING TECHNOLOGY, PERSONNEL, AND EQUIPMENT AT THE PIPE OPEN PIT. NEW PIT COSTS/T OF ORE MINED ARE 50% LOWER THAN INCO'S UNDERGROUND COSTS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CORNWALL, HENRY R., 1973, NICKEL: USGS PROF. PAPER 820, P. 437-442.

  • Deposit

    CORNWALL, HENRY R., 1966, NICKEL DEPOSITS OF NORTH AMERICA: USGS BULL. 1223, P. 20, MAP P. 10-11.

  • Deposit

    ZURBRIGG, H.F., 1963, THOMPSON MINE GEOLOGY: CANADIAN MINING AND METALL. BULL., V. 56, NO. 614, P. 451-460.

  • Deposit

    MANIFILE, THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FILE OF NONFERROUS METAL DEPOSITS OF THE WORLD, 1973, UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, INDEX NO. A131600005) SKINNER,WALTER J.,1975, MINING INTERNATIONAL YEARBOOK: THE FINANCIAL TIMES,LONDON,P.302. 5)MINING MAGAZINE,9/75,P.1886)CANADIAN MINES HANDBOOK 1974-1975,1974,THE NORTHERN MINER,P.166.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL, 1986, INCO'S NEW OPEN PIT DELIVERS LOW-COST NICKEL ORE: V. 187, NO. 7, P. 10-11.

  • Deposit

    BURGER, J.R., 1984, INCO LIMITED DREDGES THOMPSON OVERBURDEN: ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL, V. 185, NO. 2, P. 42-45.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL, 1981, MANITOBA: V. 182, NO. 11, P. 156-177.

  • Deposit

    SEE REFERENCE

  • Production

    WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/8/74, ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL, 1986, P. 11.

  • Reserve-Resource

    CORNWALL, HENRY R., 1973, NICKEL: USGS PROF. PAPER 820, P. 437-442

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit OVERBURDEN IN OPEN PIT MINE REMOVED BY DREDGE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1974 Shaffer, Glenn L. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1976 Foose, Michael P. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUN-1989 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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