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Raglan, Katiniq |
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Quebec, Canada |
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Ni Cu
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Super Porphyry Cu and Au
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IOCG Deposits - 70 papers
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All papers now Open Access.
Available as Full Text for direct download or on request. |
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The Raglan Project deposits that include, from east to west, Donaldson, Boundary, Katiniq (Katinniq), Zones 2 and 3, and Cross Lake, are distributed over a strike length of 65 km in an east west trending belt of Lower to Middle Proterozoic rocks, the Cape Smith Belt of far northern Quebec, Canada.
(#Location - Katiniq: 61° 41' 12"N, 73° 40' 53"W).
This belt represents a klippen of Hudsonian fold and thrust belt rocks that has been thrust over the northern extremities of the Superior Province. As such the Raglan deposits are now located near the margin of the exposed Superior Province, as are both Sudbury and Thompson, and in similar aged rocks to those at Thompson.
The Cape Smith Belt is a recumbently folded sequence which is composed from south to north, and up section, of the Povungnituk Group of shelf sediments and dominantly continental tholeiitic basalts, the Chukotat Group of komatiitic and tholeiitic lavas and the Watts-Spartan Groups of mafic volcanics and intrusive rocks of unknown affinity.
The Raglan deposits are all stratigraphically located at the same position at the transition between the Povungnituk and the Chukotat Groups, and within a series of 1920 Ma dunitic peridotite lenses interpreted to represent original extrusive komatiitic olivine orthocumulates.
Mineralisation is typically found in lenses averaging 200 x 200 x 15 to 30 m in dimensions, each containing an average of 400 000 t, but varying from 18 000 t to 1.2 Mt. Each occurs as channels or pods in topographic lows at or near the base of the composite sequence of peridotitic komatiitic basalts. The footwall to the peridotites varies from gabbro to sediments and is typically deeply embayed or channelled in areas where mineralisation is known. The lateral boundaries of the embayments, which are suspected to represent thermal erosion channels, define the limits to mineralisation.
The peridotites in the region contain around 1% fine disseminated sulphides, mainly pyrrhotite and pentlandite. In the orebodies, nickel is found in disseminated to heavily disseminated pyrrhotite with up to 10% medium to coarse pentlandite, to net textured to massive sulphides composed of pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite, minor pyrite and traces of sphalerite and magnetite in a peridotitic gangue. Where present, the massive sulphides form the lower one third of the mineralised column. Copper occurs as disseminated chalcopyrite in veinlets and stringers. PGE's generally average a combined 3 g/t. Remobilised ore is very rich in Cu and PGEs and is locally present in the footwall rocks to the normal channel ore.
The Katiniq ultramafic lens, which hosts the main orebodies, is a roughly concordant lenticular body of olivine mesocumulate to orthocumulate that is up to 150 m thick and dips at 30 to 60°N. It cuts across section, being overlain and underlain by high Mg basalts to the west, while the footwall is gabbro near the centre and hornfelsed slatey sediments are in both the footwall and hangingwall to the east. Although the base is very irregular the top is planar and locally exhibits spinifex textures.
Oikocrystic olivine pyroxenite ore from Raglan
Pyroxene oikocrysts in a serpentinised olivine and pyroxene orthocumulate, with a matrix of net-textured sulphides, mainly pyrrhotite > pentlandite > chalcopyrite. Grade of 4.22% Ni, 0.56% Cu from the R Zone of the Katinniq mine. Polished surface.
Ore sample provided by Falcondridge Limited 2000; Images by Mike Porter 2022.
The main underground mine is developed on the Katiniq orebodies, while several small open pits work deposits in the other zones. Mining commenced in late1997 and the first concentrate was shipped in early 1998.
The total 'reserve' in 1998 was - 22 Mt @ 3.06% Ni, 0.87% Cu.
This was within the string of deposits listed above at 6 separate localities.
Proven + probable reserves in 2005 were 14.8 Mt @ 2.8% Ni.
Annual production in the mid to late 1990's was 0.8 Mt of ore per year for 21 000 t of contained Ni and 5200 t Cu. Annual production in 2005 was 22 000 t of contained Ni.
Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources at 31 December, 2020 (Glencore Resources and Reserves 2020 Report) were:
Measured + Indicated Mineral Resources - 19.9 Mt @ 3.16% Ni, 0.91% Cu, 0.07% Co, 0.91 g/t Pt, 2.27 g/t Pd;
Inferred Mineral Resources - 15 Mt @ 3.2% Ni, 0.9% Cu, 0.07% Co, 0.9 g/t Pt, 2.4 g/t Pd;
Proved + Probable Ore Reserves - 10.3 Mt @ 2.69% Ni, 0.75% Cu, 0.06% Co, 0.81 g/t Pt, 1.97 g/t Pd;
NOTE: Mineral Resources are inclusive of Ore Reserves.
The most recent source geological information used to prepare this decription was dated: 2000.
This description is a summary from published sources, the chief of which are listed below.
© Copyright Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, storage or dissemination prohibited.
Raglan - Katiniq
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Barnes S J, Barnes S-J 1990 - A New Interpretation of the Katiniq Nickel Deposit, Ungava, Northern Quebec: in Econ. Geol. v85 pp 1269-1272
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Barnes S J, Coats C J A, Naldrett A J 1982 - Petrogenesis of a Proterozoic Nickel Sulfide-Komatiite Association: the Katiniq Sill, Ungava, Quebec: in Econ. Geol. v77 pp 413-429
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Begg, G.C., Hronsky, J.A.M., Arndt, N.T., Griffin, W.L., O Reilly, S.Y. and Hayward, N., 2010 - Lithospheric, Cratonic, and Geodynamic Setting of Ni-Cu-PGE Sulfide Deposits: in Econ. Geol. v.105, pp. 1057-1070.
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Li, Y.Z. and Mungall, J.E., 2022 - Chalcophile Element Heterogeneity in Ni-Cu-(Platinum Group Element) Orebodies of Raglan Horizon in Cape Smith Belt: Implications for Ore-Forming Processes : in Econ. Geol. v.117, pp. 1131-1148.
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Liu, Y., Mungall, J.E. and Ames, D.E., 2016 - Hydrothermal Redistribution and Local Enrichment of Platinum Group Elements in the Tootoo and Mequillon Magmatic Sulfide Deposits, South Raglan Trend, Cape Smith Belt, New Quebec Orogen: in Econ. Geol. v.111 pp. 467-485
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Naldrett A J, 2004 - Early Proterozoic Komatiite-Related Deposits (extract) - Deposits of the Cape Smith Belt, Quebec, Canada: in Naldrett A J, 2004 Magmatic Sulfide Deposits: Geology, Geochemistry and Exploration, Springer, Heidelberg, pp 101-114
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Seabrook, C.L., Prichard, H.M. and Fisher, P.C., 2004 - Platinum-group minerals in the Raglan Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposit, Cape Smith, Quebec, Canada: in The Canadian Mineralogist v.42, pp. 485-497.
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Werniuk J 1998 - Falconbridges Sub-Arctic Prize: in Canadian Mining Journal, June 1998 pp 8-31
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Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd (PorterGeo) provides access to this database at no charge. It is largely based on scientific papers and reports in the public domain, and was current when the sources consulted were published. While PorterGeo endeavour to ensure the information was accurate at the time of compilation and subsequent updating, PorterGeo, its employees and servants: i). do not warrant, or make any representation regarding the use, or results of the use of the information contained herein as to its correctness, accuracy, currency, or otherwise; and ii). expressly disclaim all liability or responsibility to any person using the information or conclusions contained herein.
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