| Deposit ID | 10097433 |
|---|---|
| MRDS ID | W018674 |
| Record type | Site |
| Current site name | Dunka Road |
| Alternate or previous names | Dunka River Area |
| Point of reference | Ore Body |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates: | -91.9004, 47.6656 (WGS84) |
| Location accuracy | 10(meters) |
Political divisions (FIPS codes)
St. Louis(county)
Minnesota(state)
United States(country)
North America(continent)
Land(continent)
USGS map quadrangles
Babbitt(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)
Ely(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)
Two Harbors(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)
Hydrologic units (watersheds)
Rainy Headwaters(hydrologic unit)
Rainy(hydrologic accounting unit)
Rainy(hydrologic subregion)
Souris-Red-Rainy(hydrologic region)
| Country | State | County |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Minnesota | St. Louis |
| Meridian | Township | Range | Section | Fraction | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Principal | 059N;060N | 013W;012W | 01,02;31,20,10 | Minnesota |
| Commodity | Importance |
|---|---|
| Copper | Primary |
| Nickel Critical | Primary |
| Platinum Critical | Primary |
| Palladium Critical | Primary |
| Ruthenium Critical | Tertiary |
| Rhodium Critical | Tertiary |
| Cobalt Critical | Secondary |
| Gold | Secondary |
| Materials | Type of material |
|---|---|
| Bornite | Ore |
| Chalcopyrite | Ore |
| Cubanite | Ore |
| Gold | Ore |
| Pentlandite | Ore |
| Pyrrhotite | Ore |
| Sphalerite | Ore |
| Analcime | Gangue |
| Apatite | Gangue |
| Biotite | Gangue |
| Chlorite | Gangue |
| Ilmenite | Gangue |
| Kaolinite | Gangue |
| Magnetite | Gangue |
| Natrolite | Gangue |
| Olivine | Gangue |
| Plagioclase | Gangue |
| Sericite | Gangue |
| Result | HIGH GRADE AREAS CONTAIN AS MUCH AS 9.4 PPM PD AND 2.0 PPM PT. CU:NI=5.1:1. MOST OF ORE IS 2-3% SULFIDE, BUT IS LOCALLY MASSIVE. PT+PD VALUES RANGE FROM 100->2400 PPB OVER 10 FT INTERVALS. HIGH GRADE INTERSECTIONS IN FIVE DRILL HOLES RAN A MAXIMUM OF 5.64% CU, 0.64% NI, 2 PPM PT, 9.4 PPM PD, 9 PPB IR, 85 PPB RH, 20 PPB RU, 2.1 PPM AU, AND 15 PPM AG. WEIGHTED AVERAGE FOR COMBINED PT AND PD=1259 PPB, OF AG=1.22 PPM, OF AU=125 PPB, OF CU=0.71%, OF NI=0.24%. MEDIAN PT+PD=1164 PPB. A 3-FT INTERSECTION OF 50% SULFIDES RAN 8.8 PPM PD, 1.35 PPM AU, 15 PPM AG. A 17-FT INTERSECTION RAN 2.8 PPM PT. CONCENTRATES CONTAINED 1176 PPB PT AND 5245 PPB PD. CU:NI=3:1 |
|---|---|
| Result | PD:PT=3:1 |
| Model code | 9 |
|---|---|
| USGS model code | 5a |
| Deposit model name | Duluth Cu-Ni-PGE |
| Host or associated | Associated | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite | ||
| Rock unit name | Virginia Formation | ||
| |||
| Host or associated | Host | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro > Troctolite | ||
| Rock unit name | Partridge River Intrusion | ||
| |||
| Ore Body (1) | Gunflint (~1,878 Ma), Biwabik, and Emily Iron Formations |
|---|
| Type of structure | Regional |
|---|---|
| Structure name | Faulting Related To Rift Origin Of Duluth Complex |
| Type of structure | Local |
| Structure description | Proposed Faults Offsetting Ultramafic Subunits Trend Northeast And Dip Steeply Southeast. Northwest Trending Strike-Slip Faults |
| Type of structure | Regional |
| Structure description | Several Ne-Trending Normal Faults Parallel The Midcontinent Rift System Near The Margin. These Faults Formed During The Opening Of The Rift And Controlled Emplacement Of The Troctolitic And Late Intrusions. |
| General form | DISSEMINATED |
|---|---|
| Strike | N45E |
| Dip | 25E |
| Thickness | 100M |
| Length | 10000M |
| Depth to top | 0M |
| Development status | Prospect |
|---|---|
| Commodity type | Metallic |
| Deposit size | Large |
| Significant | Yes |
| Discovery year | 1967 |
| Discoverer | U.S. Steel (Usx) |
| District name | Western Margin Duluth Complex |
|---|
| Type | Operator |
|---|---|
| Owner | U.S. Steel/Fleck Resources |
| First year | 1990 |
| Type | Owner |
|---|---|
| Owner | USX Corp. |
| First year | 1990 |
| Type | In-situ | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate year | 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total resources | 44mt ore | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | In-situ | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate year | 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total resources | 122mt ore | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | In-situ | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate year | 1977 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total resources | 136mt ore | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | In-situ | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate year | 1990 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total resources | 83mt ore | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type of workings | Surface |
|---|---|
| Area | 1600HA |
| Overall length | 9144M |
| Overall width | 1600M |
| Agency | Database name | Acronym | Record ID | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS | Mineral Resources Data System | MRDS | W018674 |
BONNICHSEN, BILL, 1974, COPPER AND NICKEL RESOURCES IN THE DULUTH COMPLEX, NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA: MINNESOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INFORMATION CIRCULAR 10, 24 P.
IPLEY, E.M., 1986, ORIGIN AND CONCENTRATION MECHANISMS OF COPPER AND NICKEL IN DULUTH COMPLEX SULFIDE ZONES - A DILEMMA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 81, P. 974-978.
BONNICHSEN, BILL, 1972, SULFIDE MINERALS IN THE DULUTH COMPLEX, IN SIMS, P.K., AND MOREY, G.B., EDS., GEOLOGY OF MINNESOTA: A CENTENNIAL VOLUME: MINNESOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, P. 388-393.
MINING JOURNAL OF LONDON, 1989, FLECK AGREEMENT ON DUNKA: MINING JOURNAL OF LONDON, V. 312, NO. 8006, FEB. 10, 1989, P. 104.
GEERTS, STEPHEN, BARNES, R.J., AND HAUCK, S.A., 1990, GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION IN THE DUNKA ROAD COPPER-NICKEL MINERAL DEPOSIT, ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MINNESOTA: NATURAL RESOURCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE TECHNICAL REPORT NRRI/GMIN-TR-89-16, 69 P.
MORTON, PENELOPE, AND HAUCK, S.A., 1989, PRECIOUS METALS IN THE COPPER-NICKEL DEPOSITS OF THE DULUTH COMPLEX, IN MOREY, G.B., ED., WORKSHOP ON THE APPLICABILITY OF GOLD AND PLATINUM-GROUP-ELEMENT MODELS IN MINNESOTA: MINNESOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INFORMATION CIRCULAR 30, P. 47-48.
MORTON, PENELOPE, AND HAUCK, S.A., 1987, PGE, AU AND AG CONTENTS OF CU-NI SULFIDES FOUND AT THE BASE OF THE DULUTH COMPLEX, NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA: NATURAL RESOURCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE TECHNICAL REPORT NRRI/GMIN-TR-87-04, 81 P.
LISTERUD, W.H., AND MEINEKE, D.G., 1977, MINERAL RESOURCES OF A PORTION OF THE DULUTH COMPLEX AND ADJACENT ROCKS IN ST. LOUIS AND LAKE COUNTIES, NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA: MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, DIVISION OF MINERALS, MINERALS EXPLORATION SECTION, REPORT 93, 74 P.
COOMBES, J.S., 1990, PLATINUM 1990: LONDON, JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY, 64 P.
HAUCK, S.A., AND BARNES, R.J., 1989, PRECIOUS METALS (PT-PD-AU-AG) IN THREE COPPER-NICKEL DEPOSITS IN THE DULUTH COMPLEX: NATURAL RESOURCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE, CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, TECHNICAL SUMMARY REPORT NRRI/GMIN-TSR-89-1, 19 P.
PAGE, N. J, 1986, DESCRIPTIVE MODEL OF DULUTH CU-NI-PGE, IN COX, D.P. AND SINGER, D.A., MINERAL DEPOSIT MODELS: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1693, P. 16.
| Subject category | Comment text |
|---|---|
| Deposit | THE DUNKA ROAD DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF STRATABOUND DISSEMINATED SULFIDE ZONES WITH ASSOCIATED PGE-ENRICHED ZONES. ORE HORIZON DIPS UNDERGROUND. EXTENT UNKNOWN SO WIDTH UNDETERMINED. LENGTH ALONG SURFACE ARBITRARILY LIMITED. MOST OF ORE IS NEAR BASE OF TROCTOLITE AS DISSEMINATED GRAINS INTERSTITIAL TO SILICATES. THERE ALSO ARE SOME SULFIDE-SILICATE INTERGROWTHS. SOME THIN VEINLETS AND MASSIVE ORE PRESENT. SULFIDE MINERALS ARE FOUND TO 500 M ABOVE BASE BUT ORE GRADE IS ONLY TO 100 M ABOVE BASE. HIGH GRADE ZONES RUN 1-5% SULFIDES. PRECIOUS METALS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FRACTURED AND ALTERED HOST ROCKS; CORRELATIONS AMONG THE ELEMENTS SUGGEST THAT THE PRECIOUS METALS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CU-RICH SULFIDES. THERE WERE TWO STAGES OF SULFIDE MINERALIZATION. |
| Deposit | SULFIDES ORIGINATED AS INTERCUMULATE IN LITHIFYING TROCTOLITE WHEN SULFUR WAS INTRODUCED INTO LIQUID FRACTION CREATING IMMISCIBLE SUFLIDE AND SILICATE LIQUIDS. HIGHER DENSITY OF SULFIDE AND BASAL INTRODUCTION OF SULFUR CREATED BASAL LOCALIZATION. VARIATION IN SULFUR SOURCE, PATHWAYS, AND FAULTING CREATED LOCAL VARIATION AND HIGHER HORIZONS. SEE MORTON AND HAUCK (1987) FOR DISCUSSION OF PGE MINERALIZATION AND NUMEROUS ANALYSES. |
| Deposit | GRAPHITE IN THE DULUTH COMPLEX MAY HAVE DEVELOPED BY REACTION OF THE HYDROCARBONS FUMED FROM SLATE IN THE UNDERLYING METASEDIMENTS WITH THE CRYSTALLIZING TROCTOLITIC MAGMA. |
| Deposit | FAULTS AND FOLDS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOCALIZING SULFIDE MINERALIZATION AS WELL AS FOR PROVIDING CONDUITS FOR LATER SYN- TO POST-MAGMATIC HYDROTHERMAL FLUIDS. SULFIDES SEGREGATED IN BASAL TROCTOLITES SUB-PARALLEL TO LOWER CONTACTS. SULFUR DERIVED FROM COUNTRY ROCK. REDOX BOUNDARIES IMPORTANT TO DEPOSITION OF LATE-STAGE MINERALIZATION. STRIKE OF THE OREBODY IS N45E. |
| Type | Date | Name | Affiliation | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporter | 01-JAN-1984 | no name | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Updater | 01-JAN-1991 | Peterson, J.A. | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Reporter | 01-JAN-1961 | Sutphin, D.M. (Cannon, W.F) | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Updater | 01-MAR-1997 | Sutphin, D.M. | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Editor | 01-MAY-1997 | Mason, Jr., G.T. | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Editor | 25-NOV-2003 | Woodruff, Laurel G. | U.S. Geological Survey | Work done in Filemaker |
| Editor | 28-FEB-2005 | Woodruff, L.G. | U.S. Geological Survey |
Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.