'■{. '^^Jl PROVINCE OF QUEBEC DEPARTMENT OF COLONIZATION, MINES, AND FISHERIES MINES BRANCH "^^j^ON. C. R. Devlin, Minister ; S. Dufault, Deputy AfiNisTER ; '. i '\ Tnto. C. Denis, Superintendent of Mines. -" REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION QUEBEC " BY THE CHIBOUGAMAU MINING COMMISSION E. R. FARIBAULT. B.Sc. J. C. GWILLIM, B.Sc. ALFRED E. BARLOW, M. A., D.Sc. *" ' Chairman * :?^ gytBEC CANADA OVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU 1911 " ■-*'' ;, '"ft ■ ■ ■ ■ *<,' §: ' X :^*^' ■> , '' ^" * ,> ' 1 ■■ ■ , !'■. '^ ■■ H Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924072684552 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 072 684 552 PROVINCE OF QUEBEC CANADA DEPARTMENT OF COLONIZATION, MINES, AND FISHERIES MINES BRANCH Hon. C. R. Devlin, Minister ; S. Dufault, Deputy Minister ; THto. C. Denis, Superintendent of Mines. REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION QUEBEC BY THE CHIBOUGAMAU MINING COMMISSION E. R. FARIBAULT. B.Sc. J. C. GWILLIM. B.Sc. ALFRED E. BARLOW, M.A., D.Sc. Chairman 0684: QUEBEC GOVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU ENGR. UBh- jUt^'i' 1996 Chapteb I. Chapter II. Chapter III. Chapter IV. Chapter V. Chapter VI. Chapter VII. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page — Introductory 11 — Historical 27 — Economic Geology 64 — Canoe routes described 72 — General character of the Region 91 — General Geology 118 — Mining 181 ERRATA. Page 83-9th line, read "lake" instead of "river." Page 90— 14th line, read "1,255" instead of "1,225." Pagel09-24th line, read "Chamuchuan" instead of "Chibougamau.' iviuuut,aii± . . . .- XI. Beaver dam on creek near Beaver Mountain 35 XII. Low country south end of Lake Chibougamau 35 XIII. Boulder escarpments made by lake ice. Lake Chi- bougamau 36 XIV. Portage beeween Lakes David and Simon 36 XV. Cache Creek, between War and David lakes 37 XVI. Islet of drumlin formation, Lake Chibougamau 40 XVII. Granite dykes and masses in anorthosite near con- tact with Laurentian, Lake Chibougamau 41 XVIII. Jackpine (Pinus banksiana) at Portage Dur 44 XIX. Osprey bay, Lake Wakonichi 48 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapteb I. Chaptek II. Chapter III. Chapteb IV. Chapter V. Chapter VI. Chapter VII. Page — Introductory 11 — Historical 27 — Economic Geology 64 — Canoe routes described 72 — General character of the Region 91 — General Geology 118 —Mining 181 ILLUSTRATIONS — PHOTOGRAPHS Frontispiece. Prof. Gwillim and group of assistants and guides — Camp on Chamuchuan River Frontispiece Plate I. Headquarters camp, Pointe aux Bouleaux, Portage Island, Lake Chibougamau 14 II. Pointe Bleue, Lake St. John (south part) 17 III. Pointe Bleue, Lake St. John (north part) 18 IV. Sandbars and low land at mouth of Chamuchuan River 19 V. Prof. Gwillim and Mr. Bateman at work in the sampling mill, Pointe aux Bouleaux 20 VI. St. Felicien, showing Chibougamau hotel and Car- bonneau bridge 24 VII. Group of Indians at Mistassini 30 VIII. Indian at Mistassini 30 IX. Indian at Mistassini 30 X. Lake Wakonichi and Wako Mountain from Bouleau Mountain 34 XI. Beaver dam on creek near Beaver Mountain 35 XII. Low country south end of Lake Chibougamau 35 XIII. Boulder escarpments made by lake ice. Lake Chi- bougamau 36 XIV. Portage beeween Lakes David' and Simon 36 XV. Cache Creek, between "War and David lakes 37 XVI. Islet of drumlin formation. Lake Chibougamau 40 XVII. Granite dykes and masses in anorthosite near con- tact with Laurentian, Lake Chibougamau 41 XVIII. Jackpine (Pinus banksiana) at Portage Dur 44 XIX. Osprey bay. Lake Wakonichi 48 Plate XX. " XXI. " XXII. " XXIII. " XXIV. " XXV. " XXVI. " XXVII. " XXVIII. " XXIX. " XXX. " XXXI. " XXXII. " XXXIII. " XXXIV. " XXXV. " XXXVI. " XXXVII. " XXXVIII. " XXXIX. " XL. " XLI. " XLII. " XLIII. " XLIV. " XLV. " XLVI. " XLVII. ILLUSTRATIONS— PHOTOGRAPHS— CoMiiMwed. Page The Chibougamau expedition on Chamuchuan River 51 Chute Vermillion, Chigobiche River, showing "chaudiere" at side of fall 52 Captain Machin's camp, Little Discharge, Lake Chibougamau 58 The rapids above lowest chute, Chaudigre Falls, Chamuchuan River ^2 Dyke of altered anorthosite, intruding serpentine at Pit No. 3, Asbestos Island 66 Chaudiere or "Kettle" at the Chaudiere Palls, Chamuchuan River 68 Denis (Island) bay, Lake Chibougamau, from Sorcerer Mountain '^^ Looking down Chamuchuan River from ChaudiSre Palls, showing flat-lying Laurentian gneisses Chute Gras, Chigobiche River 84 Gumming and Portage Mountains from Block A, Lac Dorfi 88 McKenzie bay, from small island S.E. of Asbestos Island, showing Juggler House, Gumming and Portage Mountains 92 Field of potatoes in flower at Mistassini on Aug- ust 14th, 1910 102 Prof. Gwillim's garden at headquarters camp, Pointe aux Bouleaux, Portage Island, Lake Chibougamau 104 Black Spruce, south side of Lake Bourbeau 106 Peat and moss on glaciated rock surface, on small island southwest of Pointe aux Bouleaux, Lake Chibougamau 108 Burnt forest (Fire, July, 1910), north shore of Lake Dore, on line between McKenzie and Roy townships 110 Mistassini Post (Hudson's Bay Co.) at Narrows Lake Mistassini Ill Indian squaws and children at Mistassini post 114 Indian squaws and children at Mistassini post 114 The Indian quarters, Mistassini post 116 Factor Joseph L. Iserhoff and family, with Mission- ary Charles Iserhoff, at Mistassini post 116 Islet of drumlin formation near Specular Point, Lake Wakonichi 126 Detail of islet of drumlin formation near Specular Point, Lake Wakonichi 128 Beginning of Laurentian highlands, Pimonka rapids, Chamuchuan River 130 Looking down Chamuchuan River from Pas de Fond rapids -j^q Cryptozoon ( ?), Mistassini limestone 132 Wako mountain from conglomerate hills on N. E. side Outlet bay. Lake Wakonichi 134 Ripple marks on Lower Huronian sandstone, Rapid bay. Lake Chibougamau 136 ILLUSTRATIONS— PHOTOGRAPHS— OoMtintied. Page Plate XLVIII. Glaciated surface of Lower Huronlan conglomerate, Lake Wakoniclii 136 " XLIX. Bouleau mountain (Laurentian granite), northwest side of Wakonichi lake 140 " L. Lowest falls (30 feet) ChaudiSre Falls, Chamuch- uan River 144 LI. McKenzie bay with Asbestos Island, from Juggler Mountain 150 Lil. Dyke of anorthosite intruding chloritic and horn- blendic schists of Keewatln formation, Copper Point, Lake Chibougamau 156 " LIII. Quartz 'veins (pegmatitic) cutting anorthosite. Con- tact Point, Lake Chibougamau 156 LiiV. Contact between Laurentian granite and anorthosite, islet near centre of Lake Chibougamau 156 LV. Porphyritic anorthosite, near Copper Point, Lake Chibougamau 158 " LVI. Foliated anorthosite. Block A, Lake Dor6 160 " LVII. Ellipsoidal or "pillow" structure in serpentine, Asbestos Island 164 " LVIII. Ellipsoidal or "pillow" structure in serpentine. Asbestos Island 166 "• LIX. Rude and deformed basaltic structure in Keewatin formation, Chibougamau lake 166 " LX. Magnetic Cone, McKenzie bay. Lake Chibougamau . . 168 LXI. Veins of picrolite in serpentine, south side McKenzie bay, Lake Chibougamau 170 " LXII. Veins of chrysotile (asbestos) and picrolite, Asbestos Island, Lake Chibougamau 172 " LXIII. Speciment of so-called asbestos (mostly picrolite). Pit No. 5, Asbestos Island 182 " LXIV. Picrolite and chrysotile (asbestos). Asbestos Island, Lake Chibougamau 182 LXV. Replacement of foliated anorthosite by bands of chalcopyrite, siderite, quartz, calcite, and dolomite. Lake Dore 184 " LXVI. Asbestos Island (southeast side), Lake Chibougamau. 186 LXVII. Cut No. 1, Asbestos Island, Lake Chibougamau.... 186 LXVIII. Veinlets of Asbestos (chrysotile) in "grainy" ser- pentine. No. 2 Pit, Asbestos Island 188 " LXIX. Picrolite at Cut No. 5, Asbestos Island, Lake Chibougamau 190 " LXX. Picrolite from Cut (a), Asbestos Island, Lake Chibougamau 192 " LXXI. Veins of picrolite in serpentine, from No. 5 Pit, As- bestos Island 192 LXXII. General view of McKenzie gold mine. Portage Island, Lake Chibougamau 194 LXXIII. Flat vein of quartz, main shaft, McKenzie gold mine, i upper part is all quartz with underlying chloritic schist 196 ILLUSTRATIONS— PHOTOGRAPHS— OontiMMed. Page Plate LXXIV. Cut No. VI., McKenzie gold mine, Portage Island, Lake Chibougamau, showing steeply inclined (inter- foliated) quartz veins with pyritic schists 198 " LXXV. Main shaft (Cut No. VII.) McKenzie gold mine, Port- age Island, Lake Chibougamau 200 LXXVI. "Tunnel cut," McKenzie gold mine. Portage Island, Lake Chibougamau 202 LXXVII. Cut No. v., showing trenching, McKenzie gold mine. Lake Chibougamau 198 LXXVIII. Openings at Copper Point, Portage Island, Lake Chibougamau 202 Figure 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. DRAWINGS Map of southeast side of Asbestos Island 187 No. 1 Cut, Asbestos Island 188 No. 2 Cut, Asbestos Asland 189 No. 6 Cut, Asbestos Island 189 No. 5 Cut, Asbestos Island 190 Nos. 3 and 4 Cuts, Asbestos Island 191 Sketch of McKenzie gold mine cuttings 195 Assay chart, McKenzie gold mine 196 Sketch of Cut V., McKenzie gold mine 197 Sketch of shaft, McKenzie gold mine 199 Sketch of shaft, McKenzie gold mine 199 Sketch of Cut VII., McKenzie gold mine 200 Sketch of Copper Point 202 Workings on "Block H.", Lake Dorg 204 Workings on "Block A.", Lake Dor6 206 Workings, Kokko's claims. Lake Dore 208 Sketch, Island II., Lake Dore 210 Map of a portion of Lake Dor6 211 Magnetite Bay, and iron deposits 214 MAPS Geological map of the Chibougamau Region, Province of Quebec End Geological map of Asbestos Island (part of), Chibougamau Lake End To the Honourable C. R. DEVLIN, M.L.A., Minister of Colonization, Mines and Fisheries, Quebec, P.Q. Sir, I have the honour to transmit herewith the final report of the Commission appointed to investigate the natural resources (chiefly mineral), and to study the geology, of the Chibougamau Region. I have the honour to be, Your obedient servant, THEO. C. DENIS, V Superintendent of Mines. To THEOPHILE C. DENIS, ESQ., Superintendent of Mines, Department of Colonization, Mines and Fisheries, Quebec, Que. Sir, We beg to submit the following final report on the Geology and Natural (chiefly mineral) resources of the Chibouga- mau Region. We have the honour to be. Sir, Your obedient servants, J. C. GWILLIM, E. R. FARIBAULT, ALFRED E. BARLOW. McGill University Montreal, June 2nd, 1911. :k^'!>^^'1: ^-:^i&' GEOLOGY and MINERAL RESOURCES of the CHIBOUGAMAU REGION BY THE CHIBOUGAMAU MINING COMMISSION CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. GENERAL STATEMENT. The Chibougamau District first came into public notice as a probable mining field soon after the two expeditions of Mr. Peter McKenzie in the summer of 1903. The finding at this time of what was then believed to be important deposits of copper at Copper Point, on Paint Mountain Island (now called Portage Island) , and the accidental location of asbestos while prospecting for iron ore near the northern end of Lake Chibougamau, together with the general excellence of the specimens brought by Mr. McKenzie to Quebec, created such an interest in this region that it was decided to send Mr. J. Obalski, then Superintendent of Mines for the Province of Quebec, to make an official examination and report on these discoveries, as well as to conduct some further enquiry into the mineral resources of the surrounding district. During the latter part of the following summer (1904) Mr. Obalski, in company with Mr. McKenzie, visited the Chibougamau District, and made a short examination of the principal dis- coveries. During this visit the reef of gold bearing quartz which has since been known as the McKenzie Gold Mine, was found while searching for copper on Paint Mountain. In addition some small deposits of iron, copper and pyrite were located. Mr. 12 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Olialski's report, (dated February, 1905)' was so favourable as to encourage further exploration and development. As a result of these discoveries and strengthened probably by the optimism of Mr. Obalski's report, "The Chibougamau Mining Company, Limited," was formed. On behalf of this company Mr. John E. Hardman, S.B., Ma.E., of Montreal, was sent to make a report " on the asbestos, gold and copper deposits. Accom- panying Mr. Hardman, and representing the United States Steel Corporation, was Mr. W. W. J. Croze, who was entrusted to make a special examination of the iron ores. Mr. Hardman's report (dated July 3rd, 1905) addressed to the Directors and P. McKenzie, Esq., General Manager of the Chibougamau Mining Company, Limited, although made less publicly, confirmed the impression of this being a valuable field for mining development, especially as regards the asbestos of Asbestos Island, and the gold bearing quartz of Portage Island, whenever suitable transportation facilities would be supplied. A little later in the season Mr. A. P. Low, of the Geological Survey, was also entrusted with an examination of the Chibou- gamau region. His attention was directed to a closer examin- ation of the geology of the area, as well as to a study of the geo- logical relations and relative importance of the various mineral occurrences. This work, which occupied him for a space of nearly six weeks (July 12-Aug. 28, 1905), covers an area some- what in excess of that examined by the present Commission. His report was sufficiently optimistic to add to the inducements already attracting prospectors and exploration companies. These favourable reports, some of them official and all considered to be authoritative, caused many parties to be sent into this district, while at the same time they stimulated interest in the mining possibilities of the whole of Northern Quebec. The Chibougamau Gold and Asbestos Mining Company, with headquarters at Montreal, was incorporated on the first of Decem- ber, 1905, with a capital of $5,000,000. During the seasons of 1906 and 1907, on behalf of the company, work was prosecuted with some vigor on various prospects already found on Portage 1 Mining operations in the Prov. Que. 1904, pp. 3-21. = Report to the Chibougamau Mining Co., Ltd., John E. Hardman S.B., Ma.E., 1905. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 13 and Asbestos Islands, which had been purchased from the Quebec Government, as well as on other areas held under license. In 1906-07 Capt. H. A. C. Machin, of Kenora, Ontario, and John Kokko, of Chicoutimi, Que., carried on considerable mining development work on the shores of Lac aux Dores. During 1906 and 1907 prospecting and mining development seems to have been especially active, and it has been stated on what is believed to be reliable authority, that between 200 and 300 persons took part each season in the various expeditions by which this work was performed. The extensive and thorough character of much of this work of development on the discoveries already made and the general prospecting of the whole district covered by this report are evidenced by the presence of old camps, abandoned tools, and surface work upon obscure mineral deposits often in remote places. In 1908 Prof. B. Dulieux, of the Laval Polytechnic School, Montreal, also made a somewhat extensive examination of this region for the Department of Mines, Quebec. His report is dis- tinctly less favourable than those which preceded it, and was by far the most comprehensive issued up to that time, as it embraces detailed descriptions of most of the discoveries and mining de- velopment work which has been already done. OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVESTIGATION. Since the date of this last official report little has been done towards further prospecting or development, the general attitude of all concerned being that nothing further could be done without railway facilities. Indeed, the Government of the Province of Quebec has been repeatedly and strongly urged either to under- take the building of a railway to Chibougamau, or to give such substantial assistance that private enterprise would be induced to undertake its construction. Before, however, committing themselves to any policy or definite line of action, which in any case would involve the expenditure of a very large amount of public money, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Mines on the recommendation of the newly-appointed Superintendent of Mines, Mr. Theo. Denis, determined to obtain the judgment of those who compose the present Chibougamau Commission, not 14 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES only as to the real value of the mineral discoveries already made, but also their opinion as to the future mining possibilities of this region. With this object in view the present Commissioners exam- ined in detail all the prospects and mining development work which they could find, or concerning which they had any infor- mation. In addition a careful and critical geological examina- tion was made of the whole district in order to make possible the preparation of a geological map which would show not only the boundaries between the various formations, but also the mode of occurrence and relations of the various mineral deposits studied. In brief, the present investigation was designed to obtain the fullest information from a single season's field operations regard- ing the natural resouroes, especially from the mining standpoint, of what has been called the ' ' Chibougamau Mining Region, ' ' with special reference to the asbestos and gold deposits already dis- covered there. The Commissioners, therefore, in the present report aim to answer not only the question as to whether the construction of a railway to Chibougamau is at present justified by reason of the mineral discoveries already made and partially developed, but also to furnish in detail the results of the various surveys and examinations arising out of their investigation. PERSONNEL OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU MINING COMMISSION. As it was desirable that the verdict of the Commission should be authoritative and so far as possible conclusive, it was decided that a mining engineer of ripe experience and good judgment should be associated in the work with the economic geologists, both of whom were considered well qualified for the present in- vestigation. Dr. Alfred B. Barlow, Special Lecturer in Economic Geology at McGill University, and late of the Geological Survey of Canada, was chosen as Chairman, while associated with him were Pro- fessor J. C. Gwillim, Professor of Mining at Queen's University, Kingston, and Mr. E. R. Faribault, of the Geological Survey of Canada. Professor Gwillim with Mr. A. M. Bateman, of King- ston, as assistant, devoted most of his time and attention to a critical examination and sampling of the numerous prospects and . .jar*?!? IMk!^> ^y^ '.^^ > -^ 3 a C3 3 o 3 o t3 d OS 3 C3 OS 3 C •A OF THE CHIBOUGAMiU REGFOIn 15 whatever mineral occurrences conld be found, while Mr. Fari- bault's judgment was eagerly sought and appreciated in the appraisal of the gold discoveries. After Professor Gwillim's de- parture for home, Mr. Bateman acted as geological assistant to Dr. Barlow, besides doing some independent geological work on Lac aux Dores. Dr. Barlow's work consisted primarily in mapping the distribution of the several formations, and the study of the geological relations of various mineral deposits. In addition, Dr. Barlow, as a consequence of his direct con- trol of the whole investigation, devoted considerable time and energy in the necessary administrative work. As it seemed desir- able to cover as much of the territory as possible during the com- paratively short season available for the work the party was made unusually large. On arriving at the scene of operations it was found expedient to subdivide the larger party into several smaller parties, each carrying on independent work, but reporting at frequent in- tervals to headquarters. In this way it was found possible not only to embrace the whole of the Chibougamau Mining Region with a rather detailed and critical reconnaissance, but also to examine and study very closely the origin, mode of occurrence, and geological relations of the various mineral deposits. Mr. J. H. Valiquette, Q.L.S., the Assistant Superintendent of Mines of Quebec, and Mr. Arthur J. Merrill, of McGill University, did most of the topographical work, although after his arrival in the district Mr. Faribault also did a very considerable part of this work. Mr. Valiquette was assisted in his work by Mr. Eugene Poitevin, Jr., of the Laval Polytechnic School, Montreal, while Mr. A. 0. Dufresne, of the same institution, acted as assistant to Mr. Merrill. Mr. Theodore Lefebvre, of Montreal, assisted Mr. Faribault for a short time, afterwards joining Mr. Merrill's survey party. The Commissioners wish to take advantage of this oppor- tunity to exp^ss their keen appreciation of the zealous and in- telligent work of all who aided in the scientific part of the work, often in tli'e face of many adverse circumstances. The following is a list of the canoemen who conducted the party. Some of these men for various reasons did not remain during the whole of the field work, their names being italicized. 16 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL BESOUECES Alfred Sioui, of Lorette, Quebec, who had been engaged as cook, had to return early in July owing to his serious illness. He died at Quebec early in August. Cleophas Lavoie and Paul Groslouis also returned owing to sickness, the former being threatened with blood poisoning, and the latter principally with nostalgia. With these exceptions and some minor mishaps always incident to such an undertaking, the Commissioners are pleased to report a clean bill of health during the whole time occupied by the expedition. NAMES OP CANOEMEN. Stanislas Valiquette St. Jerome, Que. Urbain Xepton Pointe Bleue, Lake St. John, Que. Prosper Cleary Thomas Cleary . . William Cleary Joseph Xepton Cleophas Lavoie Charles Courtois Charles Buckell Peter Deschene Alfred Sioui Lorenzo Sioui Paul Sioui Paul Groslouis Joseph Gastonguay. . . . Bruno Levesque. . . . Joseph Xeron Ladislaus Girard .Lorette, Que. .St. Felicien, Que. .Roberval, Que. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Our grateful acknowledgments are due to Mr. Reginald W. Brock, Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, for maps and the loan of certain surveying instruments which it was im- possible to obtain by purchase during the short interval between the organization and the departure of the expedition. We are also indebted to Dr. L. A. Bauer, Director of the De- partment of Terrestrial Magnetism of Carnegie Institution, Wash- ington, for the results of certain astronomical observations by OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 17 which the position of the map has been fixed, and to Mr. R. F. Stupart, Director of the Meteorological Office, Toronto, for tables showing the average temperatures at Mistassini and Quebec. Our acknowledgments are also due to Mr. C. Omer Senecal, Chief Draughtsman of the Geological Survey, for advice and assistance in the preparation of the map for the engraver. ITINERARY. The Chairman of the Commission accepted office on February 15th, 1910, during a personal interview with the Premier, Sir Lomer Plate II. Pointe Bleue, Lake St. John, (South part). Gouin. Owing to certain other engagements it was impossible for Prof. Gwillim to accept until March 17th, while Mr. Faribault's agreement to join the Commission was not possible for the same reason until April 28th, and it was further stipulated that he should not leave Quebec for Chibougamau until July 15th. The Chairman, in company with Mr. Valiquette, paid a short visit to Roberval on March 23rd, for the purpose of inspecting the supplies which had been ordered for the expedition, and which left Roberval the following day. These supplies, chiefly provisions and hardware, were for- warded to Chibougamau lake under contract with Mr. Alfred 18 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Drolet, of St. Feflicien, and in charge of Messrs. Bruno Levesque and Joseph Neron, of Roberval. Owing to the sudden and early- advent of spring, Mr. Drolet only succeeded in taking the supplies as far as the head of the second rapid on the Nikabau river above Ashuapmuchuan lake. From this place at the opening of navi- gation, and with the assistance of certain Indians, under Malek, engaged by Mr. Drolet, they were taken to Bouleau Point on Portage Island in Chibougamau lake, which place had been chosen as the headquarters camp. The supplies reached this place in good condition on June 11th. According to instructions Messrs. Levesque and Neron immediately began the erection of a Plate III. Pointe Bleue, Lake St. John, (North part). storehouse which was soon completed, as well as a small cabin for office purposes, which latter was ready for the roof when the expedition arrived on June 30th. Mr. Bateman left Quebec for Roberval on June 1st, in order to make all necessary preliminary arrangements. He was joined a few days later by Messrs. Mer- rill, Dufresne, and Poitevin. The expedition left the end of the portage which comes down to the Ashuapmuchuan river on the north-east side almost directly opposite the Riviere aux Trembles {Poplar River) , on Wednesday, June 15th, at 7.30 in the morning, and reached the headquarters camp at Pointe aux Bouleaux {White Birch Point) on Thursday, OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 19 June 30th, at 1.30 p.m. The time thus occupied in actual travel- ling was 13^ days. The six canoes used were made specially for the expedition by the Ontario Canoe Company of Peterborough, Out., and were of the largej* sizes of what are known as the explorer 's (fanoes. They were built of cedar covered over with painted canvas. Each canoe in addition to its crew of from three to four men carried about 700 lbs. of supplies and luggage. Mr. Faribault arrived at the headquarters camp at 4 p.m. July 27th, having taken nine days for the trip, with much lighter loads, however, and with the men in much better condition for undertaking an arduous trip of this sort. Plate IV. ^^M r 1 H :\:::-:-.-^-:-:: 1 W^^^^T-r^-^^y: .- '--' ^^s,^^ . l=^iS^:-^i- - 1^^'li Sand bars and low land at mouth of Chamucliuan river. Prof. Gwillim on his return left Pointe aux Bouleaux on Friday, September 2nd, at 7.15 a.m., and travelling by way of the Ashuapmuehuan river from the lake of the same name, reached Roberval at 2 p.m., September 9th, having been detained by bad weather. The main party left the headquarters camp on Monday, September 19th, at 6.30 a.m., and travelling by way of the Chigobiehe river reached St. Felieien on Saturday morning, September 24th, at 9.30 a.m. Dr. Barlow and Messrs. Faribault, Valiquette and Bateman by leaving the main party at the foot of the Pimonka rapids, and travelling by way of the Riviere aux 20 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Trembles and the Village of La Dore reached St. Felicien at 11 p.m. on Friday, September 23rd. Saturday and Sunday, September 24th and 25th, were occu- pied in settling up accounts, packing and storing outfit, when the whole party left Roberval for Quebec, reaching the latter plac0 on the morning of Monday, September 26th, 1910. METHODS OF WORK. The inadequacy for oiu- purposes of the first surveys, as shown on the previous official maps of the district, became ap- parent soon after our arrival and preliminary examination of the district, so that it was found necessary to re-survey all the principal lakes and watercourses. The results thus obtained, while not altering to any great extent the general and relative position of these physical features, enabled us to depict our observations on the resulting map, which accompanies this report, in much more detail and with much greater accuracy. The distances were measiired with a Rochon micrometer telescope, in terms of a known base, while the directions were determined by prismatic and sui'vejT.ng compasses. In the northern portions of Lac aux Dores and Lake Chibougamau, and the route from ]\IcKenzie bay to Wakonichi lake, as well as the route from the southwest baj' of Lake Wakonichi as far as and including Lake Bourbeau, the angles of direction were taken by means of a Gurley light mountain transit. The distances obtained from point to point were further utilized as bases for a compass triangulation by means of which the position of many of the smaller islands and some of the more conspicuous points otherwise inaccessible were defined with suffi- cient accuracy. In this way detailed surveys were made of the whole of Chibougamau lake, including the large and irregular indentations known as Denis (Island), McKenzie and Southwest bays. Chibou- gamau river was also surveyed as far as its outlet from Little Rush lake, including Dore, David, Simon. Asinitchibastat. Gwillim, and Rush lakes. In addition to this Wakonichi lake was scaled, as well as the route south to .]\IcKenzie bay of Chibougamau lake, and the route northeast from Wakonichi as far as Lake ]\Iistassini. Barlow river, as OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 21 the crooked river which forms the canoe route from the north- west corner of Lake Wakonichi to the Chibougamau river, was called, and its tributary, the Chebistuanonekau river, were also measured. A survey was also made of Lake Bourbeau, as well as the route from its northwest bay to the southwest arm of Wakonichi lake. During the earlier part of September Mr. Faribault made a micrometer survey and geological examination of the Rapid river, and of Fanny, Eva, and Ida lakes, which constitute its headwaters. In addition, sketches or estimated traverses were made of some of the tributaries of the Chibougamau river, including Faribault river, which is regarded as the outlet of Lake Bourbeau. The altitude of all the principal hills or mountains was obtained by repeated observations with aneroid barometers, which had previously been compared with a mercurial barometer. An attempt was also made to determine, by means of these same in- struments, the difference in elevation of all of the lakes, as well as to gauge the levels of the various streams. These determinations have been made use of on the accompanying maps, and while they are regarded as nearer the truth than those obtained'by previous observers, they can only be treated as approximate, although the greatest care was taken both in observation and in subsequent correlation. Professor Gwillim with Mr. A. M. Bateman, B.Sc, as assistant, made a careful examination of, and sampled the occur- rences of mineral already made known and cited in former reports as being of a promising character. They also, in company with Dr. Barlow, travelled over most of the area to gain further in- formation. The samples secured were, with three exceptions, taken by Professor Gwillim or Mr. Bateman. The material was broken up, crushed, reduced, and about two pounds screened through a quarter-inch sieve. A final sample of about one pound was after- wards sacked and sealed. These samples, sixty-four (64) in all, were brought home by Professor Gwillim and assayed by Mr. G. J. Mackay, B.Sc, Lecturer and Mill Assistant at the School of Mining, Kingston. Small samples of the asbestos were also brought out and some specimens of ores for museum purposes. A typical series of all the rock types recognized during this necessarily hurried geological reconnaissance, was collected and from these the usual transparent thin sections were prepared for -2^ GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES examination under the microscope. The detailed petrographical examination of the anorthosite-gabbro and Laurentian granites and gneisMs has hei ii carried out by ilr. A. G. Merrill, under the direction of Dr. J. A. Bancroft in the Petrographical laboratory of McGill University. The results of these microscopical deter- minations have been included in the present report, but the descriptions have been considerably shortened bj* the omission of many details, which, although interesting from the point of view of pure science would be out of place in this instance. The map of the district, which accompanies the report, has been compiled by Mr. J. H. Yaliquette. under Dr. Barlow's direc- tion. The original or manuscript map was prepared on a scale of one mile to an inch, but for purposes of publication this has been reduced to two miles to an inch. Another map, also com- piled by Mr. Valiquette, of 40 chains (half a mile) to one inch, accompanied the preliminary report for purposes of illustration and elucidation of the various descriptions of localities. The area included is considerably less than that contained in the present map. There are also a number of smaller plans and sketches, the principal one being a contoured geological map of part of Asbestos Island, which shows not only the position of the principal excava- tions and pits, but also the geological relation of the asbestos deposits so far developed. The series of photographs from which the half-tones included in this report were executed, were all developed at the headquarters camp at Portage Island, by means of tank machines. In this way it was possible to detect at once and replace anj' defective nega- tives. DETER IIIXATION OF THE POSITION OF THE MAP BY RECENT ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. The position of the whole of the Chibougamau region has been materially changed in accordance with certain astronomical observations by Professor P. X Swett, of Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, who in company with Professor Raymond McFarland and Dr. T. C. Brown, also members of the faculty of the same college, undertook an expedition to Mistassini during last summer. Part of the work accomplished during the progress of their journey had for its object the securing of information in Missing Page 24 GEOLOGY AND IIINEEAL EESOUECES regard to terrestrial magnetism. The necessary data were secured by Prof. Swett, under the direction and with the cooperation of Dr. L. A. Bauer, Director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of "Washington. In spite of the confessed weakness of the longitude determinations as stated in a letter received from Dr. Bauer ' and appended as a footnote to the subjoined summary of observations, it has been thought advisable to adopt the position as ascertained by Professor Swett. The greatest discrepancy with existing maps affects the longitude, while the latitude as might be expected is in rather close agreement. It has been considered of sufficient interest and importance to include the whole table of fixed points as deter- mined by Professor Swett, and furnished to the Commission by the kindness of Dr. Bauer. LOCATION AND AREA. The position of the Chibougamau region covered by the work of the Commission lies between latitudes 49° 43' 0" and 50° 11' 06" north and extends from longitude 70° 03' 40" to 74° 35' 50", thus embracing a rectangle measuring approximately 35.7 miles from east to west, and 32.7 miles from north to south, or an area of 1,167 square miles. The southern boundary of this rectangle is 300 miles almost directly north of ilontreal, or nearly 250 miles N.N.W. of the City of Quebec. The southern end of Chibougamau lake is about 125 miles in a straight line northwest from Eoberval on Lake St. John. Following the canoe route by way of the Ashuapmuchuan and Chigobiche rivers this distance is increased to 200 miles from Eoberval, but by using the waggon road from Roberval by way of the villages of St. Prime and St. Felieien to the Ashuapmuchuan river opposite Riviere aux Trembles {Poplar River), the distance from Roberval to the south end of Lake Chibougamau is reduced to 185 miles. From the south end of Lake Chibougamau to our headquarters camp at Pointe aux Bouleaux on Portage Island is 9.5 miles. 'Letter dated December 9th, 1910, and copies received by both the Chairman of the Commission and Mr. T. C. Denis, Supt. of Mines, Quebec OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 25 MEANS OP COMMUNICATION. Being situated on the other side of the height of land dividing the waters flowing south from those flowing to the west and northwest, this region can only be reached by ascending, to its head waters, one of the larger tributaries which enter the St. Lawrence from the north. Of these the G-atineau, St. Maurice, and the Ashuapmuchuan are the largest, the most direct and the most easily navigable. The shortest and probably therefore the easiest route is that which has usually been followed by way of Roberval and Lake St. John. With the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, a shorter and better route will, no doubt, be found by way of the lakes and streams near the head waters of the St. Maurice river, but pending the completion of this railway, the usual route which was followed by the Commission is much to be preferred. The Quebec and Lake St. John Railway reaches Roberval on the west shore of Lake St. John, about 9 miles from the mouth of the Ashuapmuchuan river (usually abbreviated Chamuchuan). From Roberval, canoes and provisions may be transported by waggons (14.5 miles), or by steamer by way of the lake and river to St. Felicien, a village on the southwest side of the Ashuap- muchuan river (18.5 miles). St. Felicien is really the assembling place for the guides, most of whom come from Pointe Bleue on the Indian Reservation, and is the starting point of all expeditions. From St. Felicien canoes and provisions should be transported by carts to the mouth of the Riviere aux Trembles, the old route to the head of the Portage a I'Ours {Bear Portage) having been superseded by this one, which reaches the stream some miles further up and thus avoids three portages. From St. Felicien there is the choice of two routes. One road follows the west side of the Ashuapmuchuan river by way of the village of La Dore and reaches the Riviere aux Trembles {Poplar River) about three miles above its confluence with the Ashuapmuchuan river. The last three or four miles of this road is bad, as it passes over a flat, burnt, sand country, which is now covered with a very scanty growth of small jack pine. At rather frequent intervals it also passes through black spruce swamps. 26 GEOLOGY AND MnSTEKAL RESOUKCES It has simply been cut out of the thin forest with little or no improvements. The Riviere aux Trembles is a shallow and crooked stream with many sand bars, and is scarcely navigable by loaded canoes in dry weather. The route on the east side passes over a fine new bridge (Carbonneau bridge) nearly 2,000 feet in length, and is that usually travelled to Normandin and the settle- ments on the ]\Iistassuii river. A branch from this road, about five miles in length, reaches the Ashuapmuchuan river, almost directly opposite the Riviere aux Trembles. This last five miles is very bad through a jack pine plain road running over and between sand dunes. This latter route taken by our party is about 18 miles in length. It has little, if any, advantages over the road on the west side, and is considerably more expensive by reasons of certain exactions by some of the local people who claim to have improved the road. The distances from Roberval to Chibougamau as measured on the maps supplied to us are made up as follows : Roberval to St. Felicien by road. ... .... . .14.5 miles Roberval to St. Felicien by water ... .18.25 '' St. Felicien to Poplar river by road 18 Poplar river to Pimonka rapid 8 Pimonka rapid to Rapides Epinettes Blanches 12.75 Rapides Epinettes Blanches to Chaudiere Falls . . . . 6 Chaudiere Falls to mouth of Chigobiche 2.75 Mouth of Chigobiche river to Chibobiche lake 26 Chigobiche lake 12 Chigobiche lake to mouth of Nikabau 17 Mouth of Xikabau to south end of Lake Chibougamau . 69.25 South end of Chibougamau lake to Pte. aux Bouleaux . . 9.5 OF THE CHIBOUQAMAU REGION 27 CHAPTER II. HISTORICAL. EARLY EXPLORATIONS AND PREVIOUS SURVEYS. The history of the exploration of this district dates back almost to the first settlement of Canada by the French. As else- where throughout the interior or "hinterland" of Canada, the first knowledge of its topography and natural resources was directly attributable to the fur trade, the successful prosecution of which required the constant addition of new territory. We thus find that many of the first exploratory expeditions were undertaken by adventurers at their own expense, with the promise of various marks of distinction from those in authority in case of the success of their undertakings. Fur trading licenses while granted to their owners to in- demnify themselves for the expense of their undertakings, were nevertheless given on the understanding that the holders would endeavour to discover new nations of Indians; to form alliances and carry on commerce with them; to take possession of distant countries in the name of the King, and to oppose the efforts of the English for territorial expansion. In addition to these expeditions, and not by any means less important, were the results achieved by the early Roman Catholic Missionaries in their endeavours to christianize the natives. With unparalleled zeal, at all times suffering untold privations and hardships, and in some cases even death, they succeeded in many instances in reaching the most distant and inaccessible regions, carrying on their combined work of evangelization and explor- ation in a manner that has won the admiration of all succeeding generations of explorers and surveyors. Early in the history of Canada both French and English seem to have been fully alive to the importance of the trade of Hudson Bay, and the current -Jo GEOLOGY AND MINERAL KESOUECES history relates the various attempts made by each nation to secure the monopoly or control. The French almost invariably made use of the overland route to gain access to this great inland sea. Writing of these journeys, under date of October 10th, 1686, the Marquis de Denonville says : "We have experienced that by the Temiskamins and Abitibis, the road is terrible, and that all that could be done \vould be to carry a sufficient supply of provisions for the round trip. It is believed that that of Temisco by Tadoussac is better ; but in truth it is long and painful enough; besides, the navigation of the rivers is so difficult, that it is only possible to pass underneath the trees that lie across the narrow river; but that may be overcome ia time." In addition to these two routes by the Saguenay and Temis- kaming, that by the St. Maurice seems also to have been used; and from Lake Superior the French had several routes — ^notably by the Michipicoten river and Lake Xepigon — to the Moose, Albany and Nelson rivers, and thence to Hudson Bay. The history of the ex- ploration of the Lake St. John region begins with the discovery of Lake St. John by Jean de Quen, S.J. He in company with two guides, started up the river 'Sagne" (Saguenay) on the 11th of July, 1647, and after a five days trip from Tadoussac arrived at Lake St. Jolin. A mission was shortly afterwards established here but the wars with the Iroquois, assisted by the ravages of the smallpox, almost exterminated the settlement, and the mission was abandoned in a few years. On October 19th, 1658, the Superior Council of Quebec issued a lease knovsTi as "Le Traite de Tadoussac," to Sieur Demaure, entitling him to the exclusive trading, hunting, and fishing in the territory called the King s Domain. It extended along the St. Lawrence to a point two leagues below Seven Islands. The trad- ing stations established in this territory were called the "Postes du Roi." Subsequently, in 1672. the Commission of the West India Com- pany demanded a passport to Avinter four men at Lake St. John, on the pretext of the Tadoussac trade, and urged the Governor, the Comte de Frontenac, to insert in it a prohibition of all those who would trade on Lake St. Jolm. He pretended that the limits of (Traite de) Tadoussac extended as far as that and even to Hudson Bay. In the meantime in order not to make a noise M. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 29 Talon thought proper that the passport should be granted, but only for one year. The passport, bearing date of September 22nd, 1672, was signed by M. de Prontenac for Father Crespin, S.J., and for Sieurs Montagne, Maquard, Dautray, and Pelletier. ' In 1661 the Governor of New Prance, Sieur d'Argenson, sent Sieur de la Valliere with five soldiers and Father Claude Dablon, a Jesuit missionary, to the country about Hudson Bay. They went thither apparently by way of the Saguenay, Chamuchuan and Rupert rivers. Indians who accompanied them on their return journey to Quebec declared they had never seen any Europeans there. Subsequently the French company in their dispute with the Hudson's Bay Company claimed that they had at that time built a small fort upon the River Nemiskau, called by the English the Frenchmen's river, which empties itself into the lower part of Hudson bay, two or three leagues from the river since named the Rupert. The journal of this expedition of Father Claude Dablon and Gabriel Dreuilletes, who left Tadoussac on June 1st, 1661, was enclosed in a letter to Father Hierosine Lallemant, Superior of the Missions of the Society of Jesus in New Prance. It ends abruptly at Lake Nikabau and nothing is related of the return journey except an entry in the Journal of the Jesuit Fathers, under date of the 27th July, 1661 : "Those who had gone or intended to go to the North Sea. . . Father Dablon and others, returned."' Dablon appears, therefore, only to have reached Nikabau Lake, being unable to go further, owing to the Iroquois war parties in the country to the northwest. The letter enclosing the journal to Father Lallemant is written "From Nikabau, one hundred leagues in the forest on the way to the North Sea, this second of July, 1661." After describing in exaggerated language the diffi- culties and hardships encountered in ascending the Ashuap- muchuan and Chigobiche rivers and arriving at Lake Nikabau, he mentions the prevalence of smoke due to extensive forest fires and the excessively dry and hot weather then prevailing. He notes the scarcity of moose and other animals, owing to the scanty 'Memoir M. de CalliSres to M. de Seignelay, N.Y., Hist. Coll., Vol. 9, p. 268). = Relations of the Jesuits, Vol. XL VI, 1659-1661, p. 181. 30 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL RESOUECES growth of wood,' and relates that "he had passed beyond the mosquitoes, midges, and gnats as they find nothing to live on." In 1663 the Indians from about Hudson Bay returned to Quebec in further quest of traders, and Sieur d'Avaugour, Governor of Canada, sent Sieur de la Couture, Seneschal of the Cote de Beaupre, with five men who proceeded overland to the Bay, took possession in the King's name, noted the latitude, planted a cross, and deposited at the foot of a large tree His Majesty's Arms engraved on copper and laid between two sheets of lead, the whole being covered with some bark of trees. Plate VII. £j,:rri:3-iii;^^5?^^ Group of Indians at Sllstassini. In the same year (1663) Sieur Duquet, King's Attorney to the Provote of Quebec, and Jean I'Anglois, a Canadian colonist, went thither again and renewed the act of taking possession by setting up the King's Arms by order of Sieurs d'Argenson and d'Avaugour. The most notable, however, of all these earlier voyages was that undertaken to Hudson Bay by Father Charles Albanel, a Jesuit missionary, in 1671-72. It is often claimed that this was the first PVench expedition and the first overland journey although Kadisson makes the claim that he and de Groseilliers ' Relations of the Jesuits, Vol. XLVI, 1659-61, pp. 251-293. <' a rt *. ■d a OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 31 reached the waters of Hudson Bay overland from Lake Superior in 1660-61. Albanel was sent accompanied by Paul Denys, Sieur de St. Simon, Commissary, to take possession in the King's name of all the countries which lie between the River St. Lawrence, as far as the Straits of Pretum Davis, including Hudson Bay. Their instructions were to penetrate as far as Hudson Bay ; draw up a memoir of all that was discovered; drive a trade in furs with. the Indians, and especially reconnoitre whether there be any means of wintering ships in that quarter. He was also charged later with the duty to see what the English were doing on the Bay. The route followed by Albanel was up the Saguenay to Lake St. John, thence by the Chamuchuan river and over the height of land to Lake Mistassini and down the Rupert river to Hudson Bay. An account of this trip, given in the "Relations of the Jesuits," is the first detailed description of the whole of this part of the country and its inhabitants." On May 12th, 1782, Sieur Joseph Laurent Normandin, Arpen- teur du Roi,' was sent by the Intendant Hocquart to traverse all the rivers and lakes which discharge into the River Saguenay and to mark out the limits (Traite) of Tadoussac. On the map subsequently issued all of the main lakes and water courses are shown, including the Rivers Chamuchuan (Chamontchouan), Ghigobiche (Chigoubiche), and Lakes Nikabau (Nicouipao), Chigobiche and Askitichi. He indicates a trading station as a "Poste du Roy," French establishment founded in 1690 on the N.E. side of Lake Chamuchuan, (apparently the same site until recently occupied by a similar trading station by the Hudson's Bay Company and McKenzie Trading Company) . He also shows the position of the "Etablissement de M. Peltier," between Nikabau and Askitichi lakes, erected in 1680. On May 23rd, 1733, an ordinance of the Intendant Hocquart was issued on the subject of the boundaries of the King's Domain, called the Limits (Traite) of Tadoussac. It makes mention of the following trading posts as included in these limits, Tadoussac, ' Relations of the Jesuits, Vol. LIV, 1671-1672, pp. 149-271. ^ The public surveys of the Province of Quebec previous to the Conquest of 1760, were in general limited to the demarcation of the fiefs and seigniories conceded by the King of France. These operations were performed by a class of individuals holding a certificate and known as "Arpenteurs du Roi." 32 GEOLOGY AND MINEBAL KESOURCES Chekoutimy, Lac St. Jean, Nekoubau, Mistassinoc, Papinachois, Naskapis, Eiver Moisy and Seven Islands, showing that the lessees were well established in that country. During all these years it is evident, therefore, that the route by way of the Chamuehuan and Chigobiche rivers must have been well known and well travelled for a "Maison Prangaise" is shown on the S.W. shore of Lake Mistassini on the "Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France," by Guillaume de I'lsle, published at Paris in 1703. A French establishment, "Maison des Dorvals," is also shown on the "Carte du Domaine en Canada," by P. Laure ,S.J., 1731. On the "Carte de la partie de la Nouvelle France ou du Canada," by N. Bellin, published in 1744, the "Maison des Dorvals ' ' is shown on a peninsula which juts from the southwest shore of Lake Mistassini. The next man of any prominence to explore the country to the northwest of Lake St. John was Andre Michaux,^ the French botanist, who, in 1792, ascended the Mitassiai river and reached Mistassini. Crossing Mistassini lake, he intended to de- scend the Rupert river, but owing to the lateness of the season decided to return to Lake St. John. Michaux followed the route taken by Father Albanel, and quotes him for his description of the route. The following extract from his report would seem con- vincing that he did not reach the points claimed. "In the neigh- bourhood of Hudson Baj' and the Great Lake j\Iistassini, the trees, which some degrees further south, form the mass of the forest, have almost entirely disappeared in this latitude in consequence of the severity of the winters and the sterility of the soil. The country is cut up by thousands of lakes and covered with enorm- ous rocks, piled one on top of the other, which are often carpeted with large lichens of a black color, and which increase the sombre aspect of these desert and almost uninhabitable regions. In the spaces between the rocks one finds a few pines (Pinus rupestris)' which attain an altitude of three feet, and even at this small height show signs of decay. However, 150 miles further south this tree acquires a better and stronger growth, but it never rises higher than eight or ten feet." Such a description is almost 'Voyage d'Andrfi Michaux en Canada depuls le Lac Champlain jusqu'a la Bale d'Hudson, par 0. Brunet, Quebec, 1861; also Explorations In Labrador, H. Y. Hind, Vol. JI, p. 148. - Synonym for Pinus Banksiana. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 33 grotesque in its absurdity, and is, no doubt, a figment of the traveller's imagination, rather than a scientifie record of observed conditions. Although it thus displays such a wide di'screpancy with existing conditions, it is not wholly out of keeping with the other grossly exaggerated accounts of many of these early journeys. In 1808, McKenzie, of the Northwest Company, made a trip to Mistassini, but his description of the dimensions of the lake is, if possible, a greater exaggeration than that of Father Albanel, as he writes "the lake is so extensive that the natives do not know the dimensions of it. They, however, say that there are bays in it as large as Lake St. John." The first exploration by the Geological Survey of Canada in this region was made in 1870 by James Richardson.* Receiv- ing his instructions in April "to examine the unexplored country to the northwest from Lake St. John on the Saguenay with a view to ascertain the geological structure of this region, as well as its adaptability for agricultural purposes." He left Montreal on the 6th of June, and arrived at Lake St. John on the 13th. Mr. Richardson left Blue Point on the 23rd of June -with his assistant, Mr. John Leitch, and six Indians in three canoes. He commenced a micrometer and compass survey from the junction of Ashuapmuchuan river with the Chief river, as below this point, as far as Lake St. John, the river had been surveyed by Mr. F. W. Blaiklock in 1860. Thence he carried his survey line through the northern part of Ashuapmuchuan lake up the Nikabau river and through Obatogamau, Chibougamau, and Wakoniehi lakes to a point seventeen miles beyond the post belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company. Being unable to pro- cure any provisions at this post, Mr. Richardson was obliged to leave Lake Mistassini on the 13th of August for Nikabau Lake, reaching this place on the 20th of August. Thence Mr. Richard- son travelled by way of the Askitiehi, Foam Falls and Clearwater rivers, reaching Kickendatch (H. B. Co.'s Post) on the St. Maurice, on the 7th of September. Here he waited until the 13th while he sent to Weymontachi, an Indian village on the St. Maurice, about 60 miles from Kickendatch. Leaving Kicken- datch on the 13th of September he ascended the Hair Cutting 'Ann Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 1870-71, pp. 283-308. 34 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOUKCES river, portaging from thence into Light-Fire lake on the north- east branch of the Gatineau river. Thence he descended the Gatineau river as far as the River Desert, from which point he drove with Mr. Leitch to Ottawa, arriving there on the 30th of September. The rocks met with, Mr. Richardson states, are classed under three heads: I. Laurentian gneiss with crystalline limestone. II. Crystalline schists, consisting of chloritic and epidotic reeks, with dolomites, serpentines and conglomerates. III. The nearly horizontal limestones of Lake Mistassini. Plate X. Lake Wakonichi and Wako mountain, from Bouleau (Birch) mountain. He describes the gneissic rocks on the Ashuapmuchuan river as varying in colour from red to grey, either hornblendie or micaceous and varying in texture from coarse to fine grained. He mentions the occurrence of crystalline pinkish limestone, in some parts grey and containing grains of green pyroxene, occur- ring lioth below and above the Chaudiei'e falls. Pegmatite veins varying in width from a few inches to thirty-two feet, were noticed cutting these foliated rocks, these pegmatites being made up of large masses of reddish and yel- lowish orthoelase, black hornblende, quartz, and magnetic iron ore. These rocks, with some vitreous quartzites, outcrop at intervals OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 35 •throughout the region as far as Obatogamau lake, where they are replaced by a granitic rock showing no appearance of stratifi- cation except near the north end of the main body of the lake, Plate XI. Beaver dam on creek near Beaver mountain. where there are a few beds of gneiss. It is, therefore, considered doubtful by Mr. Richardson whether these granites should be included with the Laurentian, but pending further examination he considered it more convenient to consider them as such. Plate XII. % .) i 'fA'li M * -f^-:" - Low country, south end Lake Chibougamau. 36 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES In describing the rocks of the second sub-division (the crys- talline schists, serpentines and conglomerates), he makes mention of the fact that "this series was first observed at the north end of Lake Obatogamau. " He mentions that the rocks met with on the route between Obatogamau and Chibougamau are green chloritie schists occasionally interstratified with brown weather- ing dolomite. He notes and describes the characteristic spheroidal structure emphasized by weathering. He next de- scribes the gabbro-anorthosite on Lake Chibougamau as light grey and yellowish felsite with quartz and minute scales of mica or talc, with narrow inclusions (bands) of a green dioritic rock. He next describes the rocks in the vicinity of Copper Point and Paint Mountain on Portage Island, as green chloritie schists, holding considerable quantities of disseminated magnetite in grains and crystals. The presence of chalcopyrite and pyrite on Paint and Sorcerer Mountains is mentioned. The conglomerate or breccia is also described as outcropping in the narrows in the northeast part of the lake. This rock is succeeded by serpentine and associated rocks, which are dark coloured, and contain much disseminated magnetite, and yield on analysis considerable por- tions of chrome and traces of nickel. He also described the conglomerates exposed on Wakoniehi lake, especially on "Wako Mountain. He next makes mention that the Mistassini series is very uniform in character, consisting of a grey earthy limestone, in beds from an inch to two feet thick, interstratified with darker grey beds of from two to four inches. There are many small geodes or masses of black chert, the former often filled with a black carbonaceous material. He says: "The only fossils observed were an orthoceratite and an obscure coral, neither of which could be determined." Under the heading of economic minerals he describes the chalcopyrite as occurring near Paint Mountain, mentioning that at one point a vein or bed two feet thick was seen in chloritie rock for about twenty feet, which would probably yield five per cent, of copper throughout, while parts of it might produce ten or twelve per cent. He also describes the pyrite as at one place just under Paint IMountain running as much as fifteen or twenty per cent, of the rock although usually occurring in small quantities. He describes the magnetite in chlorite schists occurring over a breadth of fifty feet, and exposed for about 200 paces, and yielding an average of OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 37 from fifteen to twenty per cent, of iron. He describes the soil over most of the area as consisting of sand, or sand and boulders, and thus unsuitable for agriculture. Near Lake Ashuapmuchuan, nine miles up the Nikabau river, the soil is a sandy loam and well fitted for cultivation. He remarks especially on the region around Mistassini as level and thus suitable for agricul- ture, although he confesses that he does not know what in- fluence the climate may have on vegetation; the only fact that he can offer in this connection being that Mr. Burgess, of the Hudson's Bay Company's Post on Mistassini Lake, furnished Plate XV. Cache Creek, between War and David lakes. him on the 7th of August with fair sized new potatoes, this being the only crop then cultivated. In May, 1871, Mr. Walter McOuat, with Mr. John Leitch as assistant, was instructed to make a geological exploration in the country to the north and northwest of Lake St. John, extending and embracing a portion of Lake Mistassini.^ He was to reach Lake Mistassini by some route which would enable him to cross the run of the copper bearing rocks "which had been found by Richardson on Lake Chibougamau the year previous." Although Mr. McOuat arrived at Lake St. John on June 17th, it »Ann. Rep. Geol. Sur. Can., 1871-72, pp. 115-119. 38 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES was not until July 13th that he left Lake St. John, owing to the fact that the spring floods had not subsided sufficiently to allow of the ascent of the rapid rivers. Mr. McOuat ascended the Mistassini river from Lake St. John to near its head, then crossed over to the head waters of the Chief river (a branch of the Chamuchuan river), and from there over the watershed into Lake Mistassini. Mr. McOuat mentions that he could not definitely correlate any rocks found by him with Eichardson's copper bearing rocks on Lake Chibougamau, except, perhaps, some small exposures of a reddish brecciated feldspathic rock with calcareous seams and showing a considerable amount of a dull green steatitic mineral. This rock occurs in the interval (about a mile in width), between the last exposures of gneiss and the first of the comparatively flat lying ilistassini limestone. He survej^ed about 150 miles of the shore line in the southern portion of Mistassini lake, extending from the foot of Cabistachuan hay to a point on the main northwest shore about 75 miles from the extreme soiithwest point. He makes the significant remark that " as no land was visible from a point about 40 feet above the level of the water, the whole length of the lake cannot be much less than 100 miles. It appears, however, to be comparatively narrow, being probably not more than 15 miles wide." In 1881 Professor John Galbraith, M.A., C.E., the Dean of the School of Practical Science, Toronto University, made a canoe trip from Lake Superior by way of Hudson Baj- and Lake ilistas- sini to Tadoussac. Leaving Michipieoten on June 21st he reached Missinaibi Post June 25th, and descending the Moose river reached Moose Factory on July 8th. He left Jloose Factory on July 11th, and arrived at Rupert House on July 20th. Leaving Rupert House on July 25th, and travelling by the usual route by the Rupert and Marten rivers, arrived at Mistassini Post on August 11th. Continuing his journey on August 13th through Wakonichi, Chibougamau, Obatogamau and Nikabau lakes, he followed the main Chamuchuan river, reaching Pointe Bleue on August 26th. Leaving Pointe Bleue on August 29th and passing through Kenogami lake he arrived at Tadoussac at 6 a.m., September 26th. Professor Galbraith's account of this canoe trip was embodied in a paper which was read before the Geographical Society of OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 39 Quebec, on the 28th of January, 1885/ One of the most in- teresting notes mentioned in his journal ref^s to the origin of the name Mistassini. Professor Galbraith relates that soon after portaging into Mistassini from the river, the bay, narrow for about half a mile, became more open. His old guide, Namagoonis, pointing to a huge boulder on the point of a small island and having the appearance of a man's head, exclaimed "Mistassini." The Indians regard both the stone and the lake from vi^hich it is named with a great deal of reverence and awe. Professor Gal- braith also mentions that his guide called his attention to the strong, local attraction between Wakoniehi and Chibougamau. After mentioning his regret that he had not heard more about the report in regard to the size of Lake Mistassini, he ventures his own opinion "that Mistassini will be found to be about 100 miles long, 20 wide in the widest point, and perhaps 1,500 feet above sea level." No further attempt was made to explore this region until 1884, when, owing to the request of the Quebec Geographical Society, the Bignell-Low Mistassini expedition was despatched, under the joint auspices of the Geological Survey and Quebec Crown Lands Department. This expedition was under the charge of John Bignell, P.L.S., and Mr. A. P. Low was attached to it as geologist.'' Although Mr. Low left Ottawa on June 9th to join the party it was not until the 8th of August that he started from Bersimis with one canoe and two men. The main party did not leave Bersimis until August 20th, and the Hudson 's Bay Company's Post at Lake Mistassini was not reached until December 23rd. The route followed was by the Bersimis and Peribonka rivers to the height of land. On the 2nd of February (1885) owing to several disagreements regarding the conduct of the party, Mr. Low, accompanied by two men, left for Lake St. John, travelling by way of the Chief and Chamuchuan rivers, arriving there on February 21st. Having received instructions to return and take charge of the party, Mr. Low, with Mr. J. M. Macoun as assistant, left Lake St. John on April 9th, and passing by way of the Chamuchuan and Chigobiche rivers, and Obato- gamau and Chibougamau lakes, reached Mistassini Post on April 'Trans. Geol. Soc. Que., Vol. 1, No. IV, 1885, pp. 1-12. 'Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., Vol. I. 1885, Part A, pp. 8-14, p. 37. 40 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOUECES 29th. Mr. Low, however, did nothing to supplement Mr. Richard- son's observations during these journeys, owing to the lack of time and a shortage of provisions. The description of the geology of the area surrounding Lakes Chibougamau and Wakonichi ' is, therefore, simply quoted verbatim from Mr. Richardson's report {vide ante). A supply of provisions for the use of the members of the Mistassini expedition was sent in charge of Lieutenant F. H. Bignell. Leaving Lake St. John on the 16th of July, 1884, he reached Mistassini Post on the 10th of September. Returning, he Plate XVI. Islet of drumlin formation, Lake Chibougamau. travelled by way of the Shipshaw, Manouan and Peribonka rivers in the hope of meeting the main party, but without success. An account of his trip was read before the Geographical Society of Quebec, on the 28th of January, 1885." In 1889 Professor W. J. Loudon, of the University of Toronto, and Mr. George Sandfield Macdonald, of Montreal, undertook a private exploration of Lake Mistassini. Leaving Roberval on the 16th of July, they followed the Chamuchuan river as far as the lake of the same name, avoiding the shorter route by way of the ' Ann. Rep. Geol. Survey Can., Vol. I, 1885, Part D, pp. 27-31. = Trans. Geog. See. Que., Vol. 1, No. IV, 1885, pp. 13-25. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION H Chigobiche river on account of. the low water then prevailing. Continuing up the Nikabau river, and through Nikabau, Obato- gamau, Chibougamau, and Wakonichi lakes, Mistassini Post was reached on August 9th. Proceeding to the northeast end of the lake they ascended the Toquoco river a short distance and crossed country to a hill about five miles away. From this emin- ence they obtained a very good view of the whole of the sur- rounding country. Returning home they left Mistassini on August 18th, by the same route they had used coming, and reached Pointe Bleue on August 27th. In summing up the Plate XVII. ■■^■I^HIHI^^' '-'''' ' "'' ■' '^^^SBKBttBtK^^'^^-'Y - .'-'iZi^z,^:'-- "'.:■ '. P^^_^ _"'" > : •' ■ V _.,.- !<-_, f. . ■•' - ■ , /.- ■■-"-:' ;'_ ^ ■■..r-^^' Granite dykes and masses in anortliosite, near contact with Laurentian, Lake Chibougamau. results of their trip they found that ' ' Mr. Low 's survey, although far from answering all the requisites of a complete hydrographical and topographical survey of the lake was in the main correct. As to its mysterious character, the only mystery we found was the awful barrenness of a most unchristianlike country, and although here and there an, oasis occasionally appeared in the desert of rock and water, we were quite satisfied that the region had always been a mystery, simply on account of the absence of anything in the shape of animal life (except the fish in the lake) to keep a person alive." \ ' The Morning Chronicle, Quebec, September 18-19. See also same paper, September 21, (copied from the 'New York Herald). 42 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES In 1892 Mr. A. P. Low, accompanied by Mr. A. H. D. Ross as assistant, left Lake St. John on June 13th, and travelling by way of the Chamuchuan and Chigobiehe rivers, through Nikabau, Obatogamau and Chibougamau lakes, reached Mistassini Post on June 29th, on their way to survey the Eastmain river. During this journey a track survey was made of Chigobiehe river and lake, and the route thence connecting with Richardson's survey on Chamuchuan lake. From the height of land to Mistassini the rock exposures along the route were examined and a collection of rocks, including the pyrites from Portage Island on Lake Chibougamau, was made. Little, however, was accomplished beyond confirming the statements of Richardson. Jlr. Low returned by way of the Eastmain river, Hudson Bay and Moose river to ^Missinaibi, reached Ottawa on September 21st.' In 1892 L. P. de Courval, P.L.S., made a survey of the canoe route between the Washimeski (a branch of the Jlistassini river) and Chamuchuan rivers. In 1893 Mr. A. P. Low, accompanied by Mr. D. I. V. Eaton again ascended the Chamuchuan river to ilistassini, on their way to Nichikun and Fort Chimo on Ungava Bay. On this journey, however, they used the route of the Chief river ' and over the height of land into Cabistachuan bay of Mistassini lake. Mr. Low's report on "Explorations in the Labrador Penin- sula" contains the results of his work during the years 1892-93- 94-95. It was published in 1897 and contains much valuable in- formation regarding the area to the northwest of Lake St. John.' In 1894 D. C. ilorency, P.L.S., made an inspection survey of a part of the Rivers Chamuchuan, Mikoasas, Jlistassini and Washi- meski, and the canoe routes between these rivers. This included a survey of the "Lac a Jim" route, which is an alternative route during extreme high water, avoiding the deep and dangerous rapids on the Chamuchuan river between Pimonka rapid and the Chaudiere Falls. This route leaves the Chamuchuan river on the northeast side about 1.5 miles below Pimonka rapid. It includes > Ann. Rep. Geol. Survey Can., 1892-93, Vol. VI, Part A, pp. 46-48. = Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 1894, Vol. VII, Part A, pp. 63-64. = Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 1895, Vol. VII, Part L, pp. 1-387. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 43 a number of small lakes passing through Lac a James, and up the Mikoasas river into Lac Cronick. Thence a portage is made into a series of lakes, of which Lac aux Broehets is the largest, and reaching the Chamuchuan river nearly 10 miles above the mouth of the Chigobiche river. In 1894 L. Horace Dumais, P.L.S., made a survey of part of the rivers Chamuchuan, Nikabau and Askitichi, as far as and in- cluding Lake Askitichi, including Chamuchuan and Nikabau lakes. In the latter part of the season of 1896 Mr. R. W. Brock, then assistant to Dr. Robert Bell, of the Geological Survey, made a hurried geological reconnaissance of the route from Waswanipi lake to Mistassini by vs^ay of the Waswanipi, Chibougamau and Barlow rivers, and Wakonichi lake." In 1897 Mr. Henry 'Sullivan, D.L.S., C.B., Inspector of Surveys of the Province of Quebec, made an inspection survey of the Chamuchuan and Chigobiche rivers, and the canoe route as far as Lake Nikabau. In 1898 this inspection survey was continued between Lake Nikabau and Mistassini. Later surveys were made of Lac Dore and the route thence through David and Simon lakes, and down the Chibougamau river to Waswanipi. He also made a survey of the Barlow river from its junction with the river Chibougamau to its head waters. The general description of the country, including a brief statement of the results are embodied in two reports made under instructions from the Department of Colonization and Mines, Quebec. These are entitled "Report of Progress of Exploration in the Country between Lake St. John and James Bay." The first of these was published in 1898 and the second in 1901. In 1899 Mr. C. B. Lemoine, P.L.S., made a survey of the canoe route from the northern end of Lake Nikabau to Mistassini, in- cluding Obatogamau, Chibougamau, Dore and Wakonichi lakes. In 1903 Mr. Peter McKenzie, the Manager of the McKenzie Trading Company, having read the published reports on the Chibougamau region, especially that of Richardson and its con- 'Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 1896, Vol. IX, Part A, pp. 71-72. 44 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL BESOURCES firmation by Low, determined to make a prospecting and trading trip through it. In this year Mr. McKenzie made two journeys to Lake Chibougamau. While prospecting for iron ore in the northern part of Lake Chibougamau (McKenzie Bay), Mr. Mc- Kenzie discovered the asbestos-bearing serpentine of Asbestos Island. He also discovered the deposits of copper at Copper Point on Portage Island, and prospected the pyritous band of Paint Mountain extending inland from the shore on Portage Island. Keturning to Quebec with this information and submit- ting in corroboration excellent specimens representative of these discoveries, the Government was recommended by Mr. Obalski to have the information verified. Agreeably with this suggestion the Department of Lands, Mines and Fisheries in the following year (1904), sent Mr. J. Obalski, Inspector of Mines for the Province of Quebec, to make a more thorough examination and report of the area in the vicinity of these discoveries in the northern part of Chibougamau. In company with Mr. McKenzie, Mr. Obalski left Portage a I'Ours on the Chamuchuan river on the 19th of August, and reached Portage Island on Lake Chibougamau on the 11th of September, ilr. Obalski in his report,' after a brief reference to previous explorers, describes the route by way of the Chamu- chuan, Chigobiehe and Nikabau rivers. It was during Mr. Obalski 's visit that the large gold-bearing quartz vein was dis- covered on Portage Island. Mr. Obalski relates the history of its discovery and his participation in it. He gives a short descrip- tion of the vein with assays of some of the specimens collected. This is followed by details of the occurrence of copper and iron pyrites at Copper Point and Paint Mountain. He also furnishes brief descriptions of the asbestos-bearing serpentines of McKenzie Bay, and the magnetite found near Paint and Sorcerer Mountains. Some short notes regarding the geology of the district, the climate, timber, soil, fish and game are also given. In addition, a short account of his trip to the lakes at the head waters of the Rapid river is included. ^Mining Operations, Prov. Que., 1904, pp. 1-21, with map and 10 illustrations. ^ OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 45 His summary of the results of his exploration is as follows \ 1. A great development of serpentine over a distance of more than 7 or 8 miles. 2. On Asbestos island where this serpentine was prospectefi, many veins of asbestos similar to that of the Eastern Townships, and whose length attains two and one-half inches. 3. Magnetic iron probably in great abundance, seeing the great attraction exercised on the needle in that region. 4. Indications of iron pyrites from which the existence of an important deposit may be presumed. 5. Copper ore of good grade in sufficient quantity to justify further search. 6. Gold bearing quartz indicated by a very considerable outcropping showing gold in the rock and in the sur- rounding debris. 7. The probability of discovering the other industrial minerals which usually accompany such formations. 8. It is well timbered with pulp-wood trees, possesses water powers, and contains sufficient arable land to be self- supporting, the climate being favourable thereto. In his letter of transmittal accompanying his report, Mr. Obalski says: "I cannot too earnestly call your attention to this new (Chibougamau) district, and to the important discoveries made there, for I consider it as destined to play a great role in the industrial development of our Province." In his annual report for 1905, Mr. Obalski quotes this remark and adds: "It now affords me much pleasure to state that my previsions have been realized." ' ' Mining Operations, Prov. Que., 1904, pp. 20-21. - Mining Operations, Prov. Que., 1905, p. 23. 46 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES As an immediate result of these discoveries, and Mr. Obalski's very favourable report on the mining possibilities of the region, a syndicate was formed by Mr. McKenzie, under the name of the Chibugamoo I\Iining Company, Limited. After the formation of this syndicate, it was decided to secure the services of Mr. John E. Hardman, not only to report upon the commercial importance of these discoveries, but also to advise as to the methods and extent of mining operations to be undertaken. With these objects in view Mr. Hardman, in accordance with the request made by Mr. Peter McKenzie, in February, prepared for him some directions for the preliminary development of the pro- perty. j\Ir. Hardman asked that four or five trenches at right angles to the vein should be dug 400 or 500 feet apart. This was necessary to enable him to form a just appreciation of the extent and value of the discovery. The men, however, who were to carry out this work only arrived the week before Mr. Hardman, and, therefore, as he states in his report, his examination was delayed and was not so complete as it would have been had time permitted this development. Mr. Hardman left ]\Iontreal on the 22nd of May, 1905, in company with Mr. McKenzie and Mr. Y.". W J. Croze, of Duluth, representing the United States Steel Company. Owing to a delay of three da.ys at St. Felicien he did not reach ilcKenzie Camp of Portage Island in Lake Chibougamau until June 8th at 1.45 p.m. He left for home at 8 a.m., June 20th, thus being eleven and a half days making an examination and appreciation of the discoveries on Portage and Asbestos Islands. After a short itinerary and description of the route with dis- tances, Mr. Hardman gives the location and area of the various properties held by the s>-ndicate. This is followed by a very brief general statement regarding the geology. After examining the discoveries of iron ilr. Hardman makes the direct statement that no "commercial iron ore" has, up to the present time been found on the property of the syndicate. He does not, however, make any very positive statement in regard to the occurrence of copper at Copper Point, and between this point and Paint Moun- tain, although he does not believe that a lens, pocket or segre- gation would be found. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 47 In summarizing his conclusions Mr. Hardman states as follows : 1. "Tour asbestos property contains a very large amount of commercial fibre of good quality ; at the present time it is useless because it is 205 miles from the beginning of rail transportation; when rail transportation has been se- cured this property alone will be able to earn very satis- factory dividends on a capital in excess of one million dollars. ' ' In another place he says: "As a help to a proper con- ception of it permit me to state that the King Mine at Thetford does not contain as many seams of chrysotile as have been counted on your property." 2. Your property also contains a deposit of quartz carrying both free and combined gold to an amount approximating $10 per ton over a length of 400 feet, and a width of 40 feet — this fact is proved. There is every ground for believ- ing that this length will be found to be 2,000 feet or more, but as yet it has not been proved. Of this $10.00 per ton at least $2.50 to $3.00 per ton is easily obtained by stamp- milling ; the remaining $7.00 or $8.00 is combined with the pyrites which occurs frequently in the vein. It is my belief, based on evidence which is not susceptible of proof to you, that this asset is of equal value with that of the asbestos; further work, I trust, will afford proof which will be satisfactory to all of your shareholders. 3. I do not advise the expenditure of any time or money in the endeavor to find either copper or iron at the present time. Both of these minerals are base and of compara- tively lesser values, and, therefore, transportation must be even cheaper for their successful exploitation, than for asbestos and gold. Mr. Hardman 's report, although submitted to a private cor- poration, was given currency by its publication in pamphlet form by the Chibugamoo Mining Company. Under the same cover the 48 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL EESOUEOES company also included a copy of Mr. Obalski's report addressed to the Minister of Lands, Mines and Fisheries of Quebec/ As a direct outcome of Mr. Hardman's optimistic report, "The Chibugamoo Gold and Asbestos Mining Company" was in- corporated on the 1st of December, 1905, with headquarters at Montreal, and with a capital of $5,000,000. During 1906 and 1907 prospecting and mining development work were carried on with considerable vigour on behalf of this company, especially on Portage and Asbestos Islands, which had been purchased from the Quebec Government. Since that time, however, little or nothing has been done, although it was under- stood by the present Commission that some one would be at Chibougamau to represent the company's interests, during their examination. In the spring of 1905, in answer to a petition signed by a large number of the prominent citizens of Quebec, many of whom were deeply interested, both financially and otherwise, the Right Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier sent Mr., now Dr. A. P. Low, the Deputy Minister of Mines for Canada, with instructions to examine what by that time had become known as the "Chibougamau Mining Region." Mr. Low left Lake St. John on the 26th of June, 1905, and travelling by way of the Chamuchuan and Chigobiche rivers, reached Lake Chibougamau on July 12th. Passing at once through Chibougamau to McKenzie Bay at the northeast end, he examined the asbestos deposits on Asbestos Island, which at the time of his visit were being uncovered and developed by a small party of miners. His journey was then continued through the portage route to Lake Wakonichi. Starting from the north end of the portage into "Wakonichi Lake a log and compass survey was made of the southeast shore and off-lying islands to the outlet into Lake Mistassini. A visit was then paid to the Hud- son's Bay Company's Post. Returning, a careful examination was made of the western shores of the southwest bay (Abatagush Bay) of Lake Mistassini, in the hope of discovering the actual contact between the comparatively undisturbed Mistassiai sedi- ' Official Reports of the Mineral Resources of Lake St. John District Report to Provincial Government of Quebec by J. Obalski Mining En- gineer and Inspector of Mines, and Report to the Chibugamoo Mining Company, Limited, by John E. Hardman, S.B., Ma.E. 1905 Eh < OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 49 mentaries and the older Huronian or Keewatin formations which outcrop on the shores of Wakonichi lake to the southwest. The search proved unsuccessful. In resuming the journey to Chibou- gamau Mr. Low made a log and compass survey of the northwest shore of Wakonichi lake, as far as his starting point at the north end of the portage into Lac Vert, thus completing a much more detailed survey than had hitherto been attempted, at the same time securing the necessary information for a geological map of the area immediately surrounding the lake. Chibougamau lake was reached on July 22nd, the two weeks following being devoted to a geological examination of its shores and numerous islands. During part of this time (July 25th), he made a log and compass survey of the islands and bays in the southwest corner of the lake, to the south and west of Long Point (the termination of Devlin peninsula) ; the islands to the southwest of Malek Island and near the centre of the lake (August 2nd) ; and also those to the northeast of Long Point (August 3rd) . Passing from Chibou- gamau into Dore lake he followed its outlet, the Chibougamau river, through David, Simon, Assinitichibastat, Rush, Opemiska and Mikwasach lakes as far as the junction with the Obatogamau to form the Waswanipi river. This place was reached on August 18th, when the geological reconnaissance was continued of the country in the immediate vicinity of the Obatogamau river, as far as its main source in Obatogamau lake. This included as detailed a geological examin-- ation as was deemed essential in the circumstances of the com- paratively large and intricate Presqu'ile, Eau Jaune and Musk- osho lakes. Two days (August 24th-25th) were engaged in a log survey and compass triangulation of the shores and many of the islands of the eastern portion of Obatogamau lake, from the inlet to the first narrows. Returning home Mr. Low left Obatogamau lake on August 28th, and by running the navigable rapids on the main Chamuchuan river, reached Lake St. John on the 1st of Sep- tember. In closing the brief itinerary of his trip Mr. Low men- tions that the season was "most remarkable for its fine weather, not a day having been lost by rain or head winds. ' ' ' 'Geological Report on the Chibougamau Mining Region hy A. P. Low, B.S., F.R.G.S., 1905. No. 923 Geological Survey Department Publica- tions, 1906. 50 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Before commenting upon or in any way criticizing the results of Mr. Low's work, the present Commission would like to ex- press their admiration for the general accuracy of this remark- able geological reconnaissance. Mr. Low's description of the main physiographic and geologic phenomena are unusually clear and concise. The appearance of the report marked a distinct epoch in the history of the exploration of northeastern Quebec. Its general optimism, together with the recognized ability, in- tegrity and disinterestedness of the author, no doubt, contributed in no small measure to swell the number of prospectors, syndi- cates and mining companies who operated for a time at Chibou- gamau, and during the boom regarded the district as one destined to outrival Cobalt. Mr. Low, however, had no mandate from his Department to examine and appreciate the various discoveries made in the Chibougamau district. Li fact such a mission would be incom- patible with his duties as a government geologist, whose functions should as much as possible be limited to mapping the distribution and the description of the various geological formations encoun- tered, giving especial attention and emphasis to those formations with which economically valuable minerals may or do occur, leaving to private effort and mining engineers or economic geologists the appraisal of individual discoveries, or properties of mining corporations. Mr. Low's general descriptions, how- ever, (some of them hearsay) conveyed the impression to the public that the district was immensely important from a mining standpoint, and it was in this connection that Mr. Obalski quoted him extensively in one of his annual reports."^ The Commission, as might be expected, is, with one or two exceptions, in general agreement with the table of formations as shown on Mr. Low 's map. As a result of their work, however, they failed to distinguish any essential difference in appearance, composition or age between the formations described and separ- ately mapped as "hornblende granite and gneiss," and "Lauren- tian gneiss." It must be confessed, however, that none of the members of the Commission examined the area of the latter found by Mr. Low crossing the Obatogamau river, below Presqu'ile lake. In harmony with the views and recommendations of the In- ' Mining Operations in the Prov. Que., 190.5, pp. 24-36. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EESION 51 ternational Committee on Correlation of Pre-Cambrian Rocks, the Commission prefer to regard all the granites and gneisses met with as of Laurentian age, for they differ in no important feature from large areas of similar rocks in our hinterland so classified and mapped/ On the other hand. Low shows no separation of the Keewatin and Lower Huronian formations, both series being included under the term Lower Huronian, and described as "mostly diabase and diabase schist with conglomerate and arkose." There was appar- ently some confusion in Mr. Low 's mind as to the exact relations Plate XX. The Chibougamau expedition on Chamucliuan River. existing between these two very evidently unconformable series, for in one portion of the report (page 32) he states that "there is little doubt that the old Keewatin schists do, in places, underlie the bedded series here in a manner similar to their occurrence west of Timiskaming lake, ' ' while in another passage he says (page 31) "individual boulders and isolated masses of conglomer- ate are found at different levels in the mass of the green basic rock, and appear to show that the latter was originally sheets of trap in which portions of the conglomerate had floated, perhaps rising in its fluid mass by the difference of specific gravity be- ^ Summary Report Geol. Surv. Can., 1907, p. 4, Jour, of Geol., Vol. XV., No. 3, 1907. 52 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL RESOURCES tween the trap and the granite boulders." Such apparent anomalies are, however, clearly explicable and are readily under- stood when the sections are examined more closely and critically, being due primarily to mistaken identity brought about by: 1. — The imevenness of the line of junction owing to the Lower Huronian conglomerate being deposited upon the hummocky and upturned edges of the previously profoundly weathered and eroded Keewatin. 2. The frequent inclined position and some- times the development of a rude schistose structure in the basal beds of the Lower Huronian, which is in a measure comparable with and usually in conformity to the similar but more perfect structure in the underlying Keewatin. These steeply inclined or schistose portions are especially prevalent in the deeper hollows between the hummocks, and are more plainly discernible when the whole district has been so deeply truncated as to leave a series of rudely parallel but separated patches or basins of altered and deformed conglomerates, which are sometimes mistaken and described as belonging to the Keewatin series. 3. The simi- larity in appearance and composition of the matrix of the Lower Huronian conglomerate to the underlying Keewatin green schist also lends greatly to the confusion. The conglomerate, in the absence or paucity of the conspicuous and usually distinguishing granite pebbles or colour banding, is often mistaken for the Kee- watin, especially in those instances where the Keewatin may be unusually massive diabase or the conglomerate has been sub- jected to considerable dynamic metamorphism. It usually happens that the Lower Huronian conglomerate resting directly upon the Keewatin greenschists contains either a minimum of granitic pebbles or no pebbles at all, as the schists are not so resistant to disintegration as the granite, and hence form much finer sediments. In another part of the report (page 45) ]\Ir. Low mentions the presence of two granites differing in colour, one of which (light red) he describes as newer than the con- glomerate, while the other (dark red) afEords the material mak- ing up the arkose. In explanation of this anomaly it may be ex- plained that light red is the prevailing colour of the Wakonichi granite over the greater part of the area between Wakonichi lake and Chibougamau river, where it has been deeply eroded, the deep red or weathered portions having thus been almost altogether removed. The deeper colour, due to prolonged oxid- X OP THE CHIB0U6AMAU REGION 53 ation in moist or wet situations is still preserved in those pro- tected portions of the granite, and the resulting arkose immedi- ately overlying it. The members of the present Commission found no evidence of any granite which was younger than the Lower Huronian except the presence of certain quartz veins with sometimes pyrite or hematite, which often cut these rocks on Wakonichi lake. Although these quartz veins are regarded as the differentiation products of some post-Lower Huronian in- trusion, no such irruptive was found. All the granites and gneisses, whether of acid or basic composition, are very evidently older than the Lower Huronian conglomerates. Together with the Keewatin series they form an igneous complex (the contact between these two formations, Laurentian and Keewatin, show- ing an irruptive unconformity) on the eroded and hummocky surfaces of which the Lower Huronian conglomerates and arkoses have been deposited. The most serious difference, however, between Mr. Low and the present Commission relates to the economic importance of the Chibougamau serpentine and its associated asbestos deposits from a purely geological standpoint. Mr. Low states (page 59) that "the asbestos found on the island (Asbestos Island) and elsewhere in the vicinity, is very- similar in appearance, and in the mode of its occurrence to that of the famous deposits at Thetford and Black Lake." He con- tinues (page 60) "with a railway built to the shores of the lake, and with a reasonable amount of capital there is little doubt that several of the areas of asbestos-bearing serpentine, if worked economically, would yield good profits even against the added railway haul to market." The present Commission finds itself altogether as variance with both these statements, as shown in the summary of conclusions already published,' for the following reasons : 1. There is very little, if anything, to justify a comparison between these two widely separated asbestos-bearing serpentine areas. The association of chrysotile-asbestos and serpentine is by no means unusual, but is a well ^ Preliminary Report on the Geology and Mineral Resources of the Chibougamau Mining Region, Dept. Colonization, Mines and Fisheries, Que., 1911, p. 23. GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUEOBS known and characteristic feature of the natural history and evolution of olivine-rich peridotites. The Thetford and Black Lake occurrences are in a measure unique, or at least very unusual by reason of the size and abundance of the so-called veins and the extreme flexibility of the asbestos fibres. The Chibougamau occurrences are almost identical in every respect with deposits occurring on the Upper Montreal River and the Abitibi District, Ontario, and which so far have not been found to be economically valuable. In the case of the Chibougamau asbestos, although the mineral present in some of the smaller veins is the desirable chrysotile variety and possessing all the pro- perties which make this mineral valuable, the veins are narrow, irregular, infrequent and not continuous over any great distance. The occurrences are not therefore of economic importance as far as present development has shown. The serpentine at Chibougamau associated with the asbestos is, in most cases at least, only a peridotite which always contains a considerable proportion of pyroxene in addition to the olivine. It is difficult, on account of the advanced serpentinization, to state that the pure olivine peridotite, or dunite, is present over any large area. The prevailing serpentine, except in the immediate vicinity of certain dykes of anorthosite, is distinctly "grainy" and decidedly harsh to the touch. It is of a very dark green, often almost black colour owing to very abundantly and finely disseminated secondary magnetite. In this respect it contains a much higher percentage of iron than is usual or desirable, as it shows that the supplies of magmatic waters were not even suffi- cient to remove the larger part of the iron, and this leaching of the iron seems to be essential to the pro- duction of good asbestos. The Chibougamau serpentine is thus usually and readily distinguishable from the asbestos-bearing serpentines of Thetford and Black Lake. 2. The associated rocks at Chibougamau, moreover, show a differentiation extending only to anorthosite, a rock of OF THE CHIBOUGAMATJ REGION 55 only medium acidity, whereas in the Eastern Townships, the transition from one rock type to another extends to rocks of the most acid type, including hornblende and biotite granite, and even aplite/ The presence of these "dykes and sills, or intrusive sheets" of granite and aplite are believed to be essential to the production of the best qualities of asbestos/ 3. The Chibougamau serpentine is an integral part of the Keewatin series of crystalline schists and is thus very different in geological age from either the Broughton serpentine, which is Post-L 'Islet, (Cambrian) or the Thetford serpentine, which is Post-Sillery (Upper Cam- brian). Part of the Thetford series to which the ser- pentines of Thetford and Black Lake belong, are re- garded by Dresser as in part at least, later than Lower Devonian/ 4. The serpentines of Black Lake and Thetford, moreover, occur in comparatively wide batholiths or very thick laccoliths, covering from 10 to 20 square miles in places. In parts of the belt the serpentine sometimes attains a dimension of five miles across the strike. In the Chibougamau region the asbestos-bearing ser- pentine occurs apparently in comparatively narrow (usually less than a quarter of a mile) lenticular masses, distributed at intervals over a belt of country extending in a northeast and southwest direction from a little east of the mouth of the Rapid river to Asinitchibastat lake and even beyond. In certain places, as on Asbestos Island, the north shore of McKenzie Bay, only as far east as the Castor river, the south shore of Gunn Bay, the east end of Lake Bourbeau {Cran Penche Bay), the west shore of a small lake between Bourbeau and Dufault lakes, as well as on Asinitchibastat lake, the serpentine over very limited areas has been sufficiently pure and in favourable places it has been altered along certain very irregular cracks and fissures into chrysotile. • Summary Report Geol. Surv. Can., 1909, pp. 180-199. ' Summary Report Geol. Surv. Can., 1909, pp. 181-182 and 189. = Summary Report Geol. Surv. Can., 1909, p. 186. 56 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES The delimitation of large bands of serpentine, as shown on Low's geological map, was a very serious mis- take, and one that can only be attributed to the haste with which the examination was conducted. It is, no doubt, true that these areas as shown contain serpentine, but only in subordinate amount, basic rocks, similar in appearance and composition but essentially different from an economic standpoint, occupying by far the larger part of the areas. In one instance nearly the whole of the area shown as serpentine is underlaid by the con- glomerate and slate of the Lower Huronian. At the 8th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mining Institute held at the Chateau Prontenae, Quebec, on March 7th, 8th, and 9th, 1906, the evening of Wednesday, March 7th, was devoted to the delivering of addresses and the reading of papers dealing with the Chibougamau region, then attracting a great deal of public attention. Mr. J. E. Hardman delivered an interesting lecture, illustrated by lantern slides, on his trip of the preceding summer. He was followed by Mr. Low, who discussed the geology of the district.* Mr. J. Obalski then read his paper on the "Probabilite de trouver des Mines au nord de la Province de Quebec,"' and also a paper by Armand iluscovici entitled "Notes sur un Depot de Pyrrhotiae Nickelifere sur une pointe appelee Malachite Point" {Copper Point. Y In the summer of 1906, under instructions from Mr. E. E. Tache, Deputy Minister of Lands and Forests of Quebec, Mr. C. S. Lepage, P.L.S., started a survey of some of the outlines of townships in the vicinity of Lake Chibougamau. Leaving Quebec on the 16th of May and proceeding to Lake Chibougamau, he started this work, but fears for the safety of his men and himself, on account of the bush fires then prevailing, caused him to abandon the work after completing only a few miles of line on the south and east sides of McKenzie township.* Leaving Chibougamau on July 20th he reached St. Pelicien on July 26th, 1906. •Jour. Can. Min. Inst, Vol. IX, 1906, pp. 16-20. " " , pp. 218-220. ' " " ' ' , pp. 221-222. * Dept. Lands and Forests, Que., 1909, pp. 122-124. OF THE CHLBOUGAMAU KEGION 57 In January, 1907, Mr. Frederick G. Pauli published a pamphlet, descriptive of a journey made in the summer of 1906 to Lakes Chibougamau and Mistassini/ Leaving Rober- val on July 4th, Portage Island was reached on July 20th. A few days were spent on Lakes Chibougamau and Dore, when the party left for Lake Mistassini, reaching the Hudson's Bay Company's Post on the afternoon of the 26th. The return journey was commenced on the afternoon of the 28th, by way of the Chief river, reaching Roberval on August 4th. This pamphlet, although containing some useful information, is of value chiefly to intend- ing tourists, and must not be regarded as either serious or authori- tative. It contains an extended extract from Mr. Obalski's report, accompanied by the map issued with this publication. Mr. Hardman's summary is also included. In the annual report issued by the Department of Coloniza- tion, Mines and Fisheries, the progress of prospecting and pre- liminary mining operations is noticed from year to year, while the lists of companies incorporated show several whose scene of operations was at Chibougamau.' In 1906-1907, Capt. H. A. C. Machin, M.L.A., of Kenora, Ontario, -^ith Messrs. G. W. Dixon and Baton, began the develop- ment of Blocks "A" and "H" on Lac Dore. Their camp build- ings, seen in the accompanying illustration (Plate XXII) are good samples of Chibougamau architecture. They are situated immedi- ately south of block H, on the portage trail between Dore and Chibougamau lakes on the north side of the Little Discharge {East Discharge). About the same time John Kokko wajs en- gaged in uncovering his prospects, chiefly on the west side of Lake Dore. In 1907, Mr. J. H. Sullivan laid out the boundaries of the townships of McKenzie, Roy,, Obalski, and Lemoine, as shown on the accompanying map. He travelled to Chibougamau by the Chamuchuan and Chigobiche rivers, reaching the head of the lake on 19th March. Having completed these surveys Mr. SuUi- * "A record of a trip through Canada's wilderness to Lake Chibo- gamoo and to the Great Lake Mistassini." Privately printed by Carroll J. Post, Jr., New York, pp. 1-62, with 2 maps and 25 illustrations. 'Mining Operations in the Province of Quebec, 1905, pp. 23-38; 1906, pp. 28-30, pp. 56-57, 1907, pp. 32-35, p. 59; 1908, p. 20, pp. 50-83. 58 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES van left Chibougamau on the 22nd June, and reached St. Pelicien on June 28th/ Mr. Sullivan mentions that on the 10th of May they had the worst blizzard experienced during the whole of the survey. On the 22nd of May it froze so hard that they were able to cross Lake Dore on the ice, although in so doing two of the men broke through with their loads. By this time the snow was mostly off the south side of the hills, but on the north side there still remained from three to four feet. On June 9th the snow had all disappeared, but the passage across Lake Dore was blocked by ice. He states that June 12th they were preparing to cross Lake Chibougamau as soon as there was a passage through the ioe. This passage was made the next day. He continues that by this time the leaves had opened up on the birch and poplar, and the south sides of the mountains became quite green in a couple of days. In 1908, Professor B. Dulieux, of the Laval Polytechnic School, Montreal, made an extended -examination of the Chibou- gamau region. His report is, by far, the most comprehensive from a mining standpoint, embracing a detailed description of the mineral discoveries and their development up to the time of his visit.'' He mentions in the beginning of the report that it ' ' contains the results of a two months ' trip, from the 8th August to the 8th October," during which he visited Lakes Chibou- gamau, Dore, David, Asinitchibastat and Bourbeau. The report is divided into three parts. I. Description of the regions traversed; their physical geo- graphy; forest resources; agricultural possibilities. II. Geology of the said regions. III. Description of the prospecting works done in the region of Lakes Chibougamau, Dore, and Bourbeau. The report is distinctly less optimistic than any of those which preceded it, and being based upon a much more detailed and critical study of the mineral occurrences, from a mining and economic standpoint, is correspondingly more authoritative. ' Dept. Lands and Forests, Que., 1907, pp. 190-206. " Mining Operations in tlie Prov. Que., 1908, pp. 50-83. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 59 Regarding agricultural possibilities he was rather favourably impressed with the delta deposits of the Nikabau river and their extension down the Chamuchuan river. Concerning the Chibou- gamau district he states: "The subsoil is composed of boulder clay in the valleys and depressions between the chains of hills, while the hills themselves show only a slight covering of earth under the moss. Some of these valleys might bear certain crops (potatoes, vegetables, oats). In any case this country on the whole, would furnish good pasture land. ' ' Nothing is said, how- ever, of the suitability of the climate, even if the soil in this vicinity was, as might be inferred from the above statement, moderately fertile. Mr. Dulieux was also impressed by the forest growth sur- rounding Lake Bourbeau, which is, indeed, the best in the district, as it contains the largest single area of what appears to be the old or virgin forest. Without attempting any modification of Mr. Low 's geological classification. Professor Dulieux gives a brief description of the rock formations, stating, however, that "the relative age of these rocks will be more difficult to fix ; but for the engineer this is not a question of supreme importance." He describes, giving analyses, the magnetite and associated basic rocks on the north shore of the Bale des lies (Denis Bay) and Sorcerer mountain. He furnishes particulars of the serpentinous rocks and the asso- ciated dykes of Asbestos island and McKenzie bay, placing emphasis on the fact that he found no serpentine either on the top or the sides of Gumming mountain, and still less asbestos, as some prospectors had claimed to have observed there.^ He also gives an account of the sulphides developed along the line of contact between the gabbro and diabase on Portage island and Dore lake. Then follows a description of the rocks on Lac Bourbeau, as well as along the canoe route by way of Lakes David, Simon, Asinitchibastat, and the Chibougamau river, to within a mile of the township line between McKenzie and Blaik- lock. Brief descriptions of some of the smaller prospects visited and examined are also included. He finishes this narration by the significant statement that "nowhere did I find erythrite ' Geol. Rep. Chibougamau Region (Low), 1906, p. 59. 60 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOTJBCES (cobalt bloom), whose presence had been said to have been noted in the rocks of Lake Asiaitehibastat. Professor Dulieux in his account of the "prospecting works," says that "the only minerals that can play an economic role are gold, copper, iron, and asbestos." He classifies the mineral de- posits of Chibougamau into three groups: I. The deposits of copper bearing and gold bearing sul- phurets. II. The deposits of magnetic iron. III. The deposits of asbestos. Under the first heading he gives particulars with assays of the sulphides at Copper Point. He also gives some notes of the calcite vein on the north side of Portage island, the hematite and pyrite of Hematite Point with an assay, the pyrite of Paint mountain, and a prospect on the Une between the townships of Roy and ilcKenzie, about a quarter of a mile north of Lake Dore. He also furnishes detailed descriptions of the mineral occurrences and mining development work on Block "A," belonging to Captain Machin, and Kokko's prospects on the west side of Lake Dore, at Cache Bay, and on two of the islands in Lake Dore. Eegarding the mineral present on Block "A," Professor Dulieux is of opinion, and so states, that it can be profitably worked. Tl^n foUows a very detailed description of the McKenzie Gold Mine, which Professor Dulieux says is "the best known, the best developed deposit and the only one in the region whose value can be estimated." There are plans attached showing the outcropping quartz, as revealed by the development work so far accomplished. There is also a diagrammatic sketch showing details of the two principal cuts (V and VII), as well as of the shaft itself. The samples obtained were all assayed at the Laval Polytechnic School, under the immediate supervision of Pro- fessor Dulieux. With the exception of the oxidized or surface portions of the veins, or quartz, which was very richly mineralized with sulphides, none of the assays were over $2.00 per ton, and most of them verj- considerably lower. Oxidized portions showed .$12.77 and $12.80 of gold per ton, while portions rich in sulphides afforded values of from $3.00 to $4.00 per ton. These OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 61 latter were "from the most heavily mineralized of the quartz." Professor Dulieux makes no decided comment as to the value of this property as a mining proposition. Regarding the so-called Magnetic Cone on the west side of McKenzie bay, just west of Asbestos island, he says that it is an "impure serpentine holding 10 to 20 per cent, of oxide of iron and so insufficient to work." He gives an analysis of the magnetic-bearing rock from the south side of Sorcerer mountain, showing 45.70 per oeait. of metallic iron, but makes no definite statement as to the economic importance of the deposit. Professor Dulieux gives a detailed account of the occurrence of asbestos on Asbestos island, the north shore of McKenzie bay, Gunn bay, and at the narrows at McKenzie bay, as also on Lakes Bourbeau and the Chibougamau river. His descriptions of all of these occurrences of asbestos are decidedly discouraging. Under the heading of "Railway," Professor Dulieux con- cludes his report with the statement that "with regard to the construction of a railway to connect Lake St. John with the Lake Chibougamau region, it is difficult for me to give a positive opinion." He mentions, however, that there are no great engin- eering difficulties to be overcome in its building. He remarks that it would open up a very fertile region, extending from Roberval to the Pimonka rapid, and also makes note of extensive reserves of pulp wood, especially towards lakes Nikabau, Jour- dain, "Whitefish, Obatogamau, Bourbeau, and Dore. The presence of such waterfalls as the Chaudiere (100,000 H.P.), Vermilion (9,000 H.P.), Gras (4,000 H.P.), near the pro- posed line of railway is also noticed as an additional incentive for building a railway, suggesting at the same time that it might be found economical to use electricity as the motive power in the event of construction. In conclusion, Professor Dulieux summarizes that: "Con- sidering the great area of mineralized lands in the Chibougamau district, it may be said that the indications, so far, are very promising as regards the development of that region. Prom this standpoint a railway is very desirable, for it alone will permit a thorough study of the region and the utilization of the riches it contains. ' ' 62 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES In spite of Professor Dulieux's conclusions as to the desira- bility of a railway it will suffice to say that a perusal of his report lends little or no support to such a proposition. Early ia October, 1909, 3Ir. C. C. Stewart, representing the Department of Eesearch in Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, spent a week taking magnetic and other observations at ilistassini. He reached Jlistassini by way of Moose Factory and Eupert House, and left for home by way of the Chief and Chamuchuan rivers. During the past summer (1910) there were two prospecting parties in the district. One directed by Mr. J. N. Moss, of Mont- real, stayed the whole summer, while the other, made up of Messrs. Arthur Lemoine and Blondeau, of Quebec, left Chibou- gamau for home on July 27th. During August and September (1910) Mr. Fred C. Dyer, a mining engineer of Toronto Uni- versity, was engaged in examining the discoveries made by John Kokko on Lake Dore. In August and September, 1910, Professor Eaymond Mc- Farland, Dr. Thomas C. Brown, and Professor Phelps N. Swett, all of Middlebury College, IMiddlebury, Vermont, U.S.A., visited the region. They took eighteen days to travel from Lake St. John to jMistassini, passing Portage Island on Lake Chibou- gamau on August 30th. Three of these dajs, however, were occupied in taking observations. In a letter to the Chairman of the Commission, Professor ilcFarland says: "It was a personal venture, organized and carried out by myself, and financed per- sonally with the cooperation of the other members of the party. My prime object was to get geographical information of the land beyond the watershed of the Labrador peninsula. Incidentally our party studied the Indians of the region of JMistassini, geologic formation, plant and animal life, as weU as making observations in terrestrial magnetism (vide ante). When we had ascended Mistassini Lake about thirty miles beyond the Hudson's Bay Company's Post, the other members of the party returned via the File-Axe and Chief rivers, making two observations along the route. I continued up the lake to the outlet of Little Mistassini lake, passed through into the latter lake, followed its western side to the northern bay, and thence by portages, small lakes and streams, reached the Porcupine Broth river at a point about twelve miles from its outlet into the northern part of Grand 0^ THE CHIB0U6AMAU EEGION 63 Lake Mistassini. Instead of descending the river inunediately, I climbed the Porcupine range of mountains in company with my guide. This range lies about thirty miles west of and parallel to the height of land, having its beginning at about the parallel of 51° 30'. From our point of vantage on the range, I was able to get a magnificent view of the country for many miles around and to follow the windings of the Porcupine Broth river a long dis- tance to the northeast. "Our return was by the Grand Lake Mistassini along the western coast of the group of islands that divide the lake into two parts.. From the southern end of the lake we followed the course taken by the other members of the party. Our party had no accidents or losses, and no serious delays. On the whole I was most favourably impressed with the interior, expecting it to be rocky and barren, and finding it to be covered with an unbroken growth of evergreens." A short account of Professor McFarland's trip has already been published under the title "Beyond the Height-of-Land. " ' Professor McFarland mentions that he measured three trees at Mistassini lake which were 28, 28^, 29 inches, respectively, in diameter. The magnetic observations, the results of which are shown in a table kindly furnished to the Commission by Dr. Bauer, were conducted under instructions from and with the cooperation of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institu- tion of Washington. 'Bull. Geog. Soc. Phila., Vol. IX, No. 1, Jan., 1911, pp. 23-33, with G illustrations. 64 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUKCES CHAPTER III. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. AGE RELATIONS OF GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. The area under consideration, subjacent to the superficial deposits, is underlain by rocks of Pre-Cambrian age. These are included in the Keewatin, Laurentian and Lower Huronian forma- tions. In addition, a rock which seems peculiar to this area has been called " anorthosite, " because although it is of gabbroic type, there is usually - a marked absence or paucity of ferro- magnesian minerals, which are present and sometimes quite abundant in typical gabbros. The prevalent phases of this rock highly resemble the highly feldspathie gabbro to which the term anorthosite was first applied, and which is characteristic of the formation formerly classified as Upper Laurentian. The Keewatin formation is made up of a series of decom- posed and deformed basic magnesian rocks, which may in general be described as greenstones and green schists. These are the oldest rocks of the district. They are penetrated by the batho- lithic mass of the anorthosite already mentioned, and which, as shown on the map, extends in a west-south-west direction from Denis bay [Baie des lies), across Chibougamau, Dore, Cache, David and Simon lakes, where it seems to end abruptly, being replaced in this direction by granite and granite-schist breccia. Both the Keewatin schists and anorthosite are intruded by certain granites and diorites, some portions of which, especi- ally near the junctions with the older rocks, are very plainly foliated. From their general composition, appearance and geo- logical relations, these rocks have been classified as Laurentian. Both the anorthosite and the granite, in certain areas, intrude the Keewatin in the most intricate manner, forming a breccia which, in certain localities, underlies a comparatively large area, as on Asinitchibastat lake in the vicinity of and opposite to the inlet (Chibougamau river). OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 65 The Lower Huronian is represented by conglomerates, arkoses, sandstones and slates, which either in horizontal position or in low, broad anticlinal and synclinal troughs rest uneon- formably upon the upturned edges of the Keewatin and the uneven or the hummocky surfaces of all the older rocks which have already been described. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. From an economic standpoint, the junction between the anorthosite and Keewatin schists is perhaps the most important geological feature in the district, for it is at or in the immediate vicinity of this line of structural weakness that the copper- bearing quartz veins, in which gold has been discovered, occur. Both in the gabbro itself and in the Keewatin greenstones and schists, veins and patches of quartz with smaller quantities of calcite, dolomite and ankerite often occur, either with or occa- sionally without sulphides of copper and iron. It has been established almost beyond a doubt that the intrusion of the anorthosite has been the direct cause of the formation of these quartz veins in which gold as well as copper has been found. Such quartz veins, as well as certain dykes containing these same sulphides, are deposits which owe their presence to the differen- tiation of the same magma from which the anorthosite has solidi- fied. In addition to these veins, other deposits of chaleopyrite and pyrrhotite with low values in gold and nickel occur at Copper Point, on Portage island. These appear to be similar in origin, though much smaller in volume than the nickel and copper deposits of the Sudbury district. They are thus a direct differ- entiate of the anorthosite, and occur close to the line of junction between this rock and the Keewatin green schists. These primary segregations of sulphide material, occurring at this place and under such conditions, seem to have puzzled some of the mining engineers who first examined them, but, as they apparently lacked any analogy to veins, received but scant attention. They were worthy of more serious development. As already mentioned, the rocks underlying the whole area examined by the Commission are of Pre-Cambrian age. The presence of these rocks, as in other similar areas of the Quebec "hinterland," is very promising from a mining standpoint. The 66 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES large areas of Keewatin schists in the CMbougamau district present precisely similar rock types as have been found associated with the gold of the Porcupine and Larder Lake districts in Ontario, while the geological relations are not altogether dis- similar. In addition, the almost invariable presence of gold in the quartz, and its occurrence over such a wide area, although usually in small amount, is distinctly encouraging and should stimulate prospecting.. Most of the outcrops, however, are deeply covered with peat and moss, while the region is remote and only accessible at much expense and difficulty. None of the discoveries of copper and gold, as already developed, are in deposits of such magnitude or promise as would enable your Commission to state without a considerable degree of hesitation that they would, with further development, become "mines" in the strict meaning of this term. The anorthosite is also an economically valuable rock forma- tion because it is the intrusion of certain feldspathic dykes, which cut the serpentines on the shores of McKenzie bay and Asbestos island, and which are believed to be the surface ex- pression or upward extension of the anorthosite batholith, that has Contributed to the formation of the silky asbestos at Pits 3, 4, and 7, while the presence, at the surface, of a small dyke of similar material a short distance northeast of No. 6 Pit, may be an indication that the main body of the anorthosite is not very deeply buried in the vicinity of Pits 1, 2, and 6. The serpentines of Rapid river, McKenzie bay, lakes Bour- beau and Asinitchibastat, result from the alteration or decom- position of peridotites, and probably dunites, which are integral portions of the Keewatin greenstone complex. These serpentines are very dark green in colour, sometimes almost black, and have a distinctly harsh rather than the unctuous feeling characteristic of pure serpentines, except in the vicinity of the feldspathic dykes already mentioned, and other favoured localities where most of the iron has been leached out and removed to other places, leaving a comparatively small band (3 to 6 inches in width on either side of the dyke)_ of very pure pale green serpentine. In certain places, usually in the immediate (3 to 6 inches) vicinity of the feldspathic dykes, small veins of silky asbestos have been formed; many of which are of high grade material, but these do not constitute a large percentage of any considerable bulk of the rock nor are Plate XXIV. Dyke of altered anorthosite intruding serpentine at pit No. 3, Asbestos island. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 67 they continuous for any great distance, as they are subject to frequent dislocation and faulting, and very often thin out alto- gether in every direction. Most of these veins vary from the thickness of a knife blade up to a quarter of an inch and the widest are not more than three-quarters of an inch. Although the possibilities of the Chibougamau serpentine as an asbestos producer have not been exhausted by the mining development work so far undertaken, the results obtained are decidedly disappointing. The amount of asbestos noticed in the working faces of the various open cuts and workings, as well as in the dumps, is insignificant and altogether insufficient for their successful exploitation as mines. The previous reports on the occurrences of this mineral are, to say the least, unduly optimistic and misleading. Not only does the serpentine of Chibougamau cover a much less area than was described and outlined in previous reports and maps, but the serpentine itself is much less pure, except in very restricted outcrops, and as a consequence is very much less in area than that of Thetford and Black Lake in the Eastern Townships with which it has been compared. In ad- dition, the geological relations are essentially different from Thet- ford and Black Lake, for whereas at these places the differ- entiation in the magma, as shown by the various rock types, extends to the most acid phases and is therefore very complete, the most acid rock type noticed at Lake Chibougamau is only at most of intermediate composition, as exemplified by the felds- pathic dykes already mentioned as cutting the serpentine. The titaniferous magnetite deposits found at Sorcerer moun- tain, on Portage island, north of Copper Point, and also on the islets near the southern or main outlet of Lake Chibougamau, are also largely of magmatic origin, and occur at or in the immediate neighbourhood of the line of junction between the anorthosite and Keewatin green schists. This magnetite is perhaps more largely and typically devel- oped on the southern face of Sorcerer mountain than elsewhere in the region. It is not, however, of any great importance at the present time. The chief occurrences of pyrite are on Portage island near the northern end of Paint mountain. The mineral occurs as abundant disseminations in chlorite schist and decomposed diabase. No large body of pure pyrite, capable of economic development 68 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES as a source for sulphur, was, however, noticed. Outcrops resembling these on one of the western summits of Sorcerer mountain may be a continuation of this belt, but here, likewise, no massive deposit was found. Similar occurrences, some richer and some leaner, are by no means uncommonly met witn in the Keewatiii formation of Northern Ontario and Quebec, in fact their frequency seems to be a characteristic of this formation. It is possible that a large and pure body of pyrite might be dis- covered, but the expense of prospecting ai^d the remoteness of the district, are, in this case also, sufficient deterrents to further prospecting under existing conditions. The conglomerates of ]\IcKenzie Narrows, ilcKenzie and Kapid bays, on Lake Chibou- gamau, as well as those on Wakoniehi lake, are regarded as Lower Huronian and thus presumably of the same geological age as the conglomerates of the Cobalt district, in which most of the silver veins of that famous region have been found. The newer diabase, however, which is the real "silver bringer" in the Cobalt area, and to whose intrusion the silver-bearing veins owe their presence, was not found, although careful search was made for it. It is not likely, therefore, that any similar deposits will be foirad in the Chibougamau region and the reputed "finds" of silver, smaltite and cobalt bloom must be treated as mere fictions. It is possible, although unnoticed by any member of the Com- mission, that cobalt bloom may occur in small amount, but an examination of the localities where it was reported as occurring failed to show any signs of the mineral, while the rocks themselves at one of these places were not at all favourable to its presence. Galena and zinc blende are both present in small amount in the flat-lying limestones occurring at the Narrows, about two miles north of Hudson's Bay Company's post at Mistassini. Although the deposits there examined are not economically valu- able, the presence of these minerals even in small quantities and in such geological association, is of somewhat more than scientific interest, as it is under precisely similar conditions that the great deposits of the Mississippi Valley occur. Since the date of the last official report (by Professor Dulieux) little has been done in further prospecting or mining development work, the general attitude of all concerned being that nothing further could be done without railwav facilities. > a Eh Oh OF THE CHIB0U6AMAU REGION 69 The Commission's examination, like all those preceding it, could only be made upon superficial evidence, as with the excep- tion of the one shaft at the McKenzie Gold Mine (which is 35 feet deep) no workings had extended beyond a depth of 10 or 12 feet. Indeed, many of the prospects consist of rock excavations, the result of a single blast. The region is difficult to prospect, much of the area being of low relief, usually densely covered with a thick forest growth, principally of small and often closely packed black spruce. The greater part of the area is covered by drift, while a thick mantle of moss and peat, often from two to three feet in depth, usually hides even the steeper slopes. Rock exposures are by no means plenti- ful, so that a small proportion only of this region is available for ordinary methods of prospecting, nor can this condition be im- proved unless by repeated forest fires. Such conditions, combined with the cost of provisions and equipment, the necessity of employing voyageurs or eanoemen who are altogether unaccustomed to mining activities, the time and trouble of getting into and out of the district, naturally dis- courage prospectors as well as development. Only an extra- ordinary richness or magnitude of its mineral deposits would keep up a condition of progress. The region appears to have been as thoroughly prospected as conditions justified, and the mining development work in some cases has been carried as far as is reasonable in these circumstances. Considering, therefore, the limitations of the prospecting surface and the excessive cost of mining development, the district can only be examined and reported upon to a limited extent. This, however, constituted the field of our enquiry and upon its merits the following judgment has been given. There should be no mistake or misrepresentation regarding the scope of this investigation. "Our duty," as the Canadian Mining Journal has very well represented it, " was to determine the general geological character of the country, and to discover how true were current tales of spectacular vrealth. The findings of the Comttnission must be accepted as they are offered — as an appraisal of the present results of prospecting in one section of Northern Quebec. It must not be misconstrued into a sweeping condemnation of a region that may yet prove entirely worth while." 70 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES SUMMARY OP CONCLUSIONS. From a geological standpoint the Chibougamau Region, in common with other Pre-Cambrian areas, promises a rich reward to diligent and intelligent prospecting ; but the remoteness of the district and the almost universal thick covering of moss and peait render the economic search for minerals both difficult and unduly expensive. In addition, while large areas probably of equal economic import- ance from a mining standpoint still remain unprospected in much more accessible portions in Northern Quebec, it would be unwise to devote further attention to detailed prospecting in the Chibougamau district. Gold. — The ore bodies which have gold as their chief value do not contain this metal in a free milling state in sufficient quantity to make stamp-milling feasible. As smelting ores, the values and apparent tonnage do not offer much encouragement even with rail- way facilities. Copper. — ^Wtile some of the assays of the specimens for this metal run to a good percentage, these are special or picked samples and by no means representative of the various deposits. Assays which represent a commercial tonnage are rarely above 2 per cent., which is not at presMit marketable. Nickel. — Although there is a close analogy in mineralogical composition and origin of the ehalcopyrite and pyrrhotite occurring at Copper Point to the famous nickel and copper deposits of Sud- bury, both the deposits themselves, as well as the nickel contents as shown by the assays, are too small to render them commercially valuable, at least for their nickel values. Asbestos.— The asbestos noticed in the working faces of the various open cuts, as well as in the dumps, is insignificant in amount and altogether insufficient for their successful development as mines. OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 71 Iron. — While some of the oeeurrenees of magnetite are in large deposits, they are usually very low in iron, less than 20 per cent., with only very minor segregations, in places, of high grade ore. Such ores will only become commercial possibilities at some uncer- tain time in the future. Sulphur. — Iron pyrites occurs thickly disseminated through the green schists and schistose diabases at Paint and Sorcerer moun- tains, and also in a vein with specular iron ore at Hematite Point, but no large deposit of sufficient purity to mine for sulphur was found. Pulp. — If the greatly increased use and demand for wood pulp continues, so as to permit of the use of the smaller black spruce and jack pines, the area immediately surrounding Lake Chibougamau shows a very abundant supply of these trees. Agriculture. — The district is altogether unsuitable for agri- culture both by reason of the general sterility of the soil, when present at all, as well as the extreme rigour of the climate. Railway. — Tour commissioners regret that after carefully weighing the evidence which has accumulated as a result of their examination and study of the district, they cannot find that the mineral deposits so far discovered are of sufficient merit to justify the spending of public money in the building of a railway as pro- posed from Lake St. John to Lake Chibougamau. GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES CHAPTER IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE CANOE ROUTE BETWEEN LAKES ST. JOHN AND CHIBOUGAMAU. The Chibougamau Region has shared with its neighbour, the Mistassini District, in much of the mystery and ignorance which has for so long a time enveloped the northeastern portion of Quebec and Labrador. All of the earlier travellers, and even the missionaries, vied with one another in depicting in the most exaggerated language the dangers and difficulties of the route. These earlier descriptions are made up of repeated statements regarding the deep, turbulent and powerful rapids rushing through steep-walled rocky canons where it was impossible to make use of the paddle, tracking line, or even in some cases to obtain a foot- hold for the poles, the long and wearisome climb of narrow port- age trails across yawning abysmal depths and over high and precipitous mountains, the dangerous traverses across wide and stormy lakes, where gigantic waves arose without warning, eager to swallow up the frail canoe and its venturesome occupants. Nature was always depicted, in these early chronicles, in her angriest mood, determined to guard for ever the secrets of this great lone land. Even the guides and natives of the present day, who possess a knowledge of the district, evince the strongest desire to magnify unduly the length and difficulties of the road, seeking to impress on all intending travellers or explorers the many awful dangers to be encountered. The older experienced guides repeat to those who are only serving their novitiate, around the evening camp-fire, blood curdling tales of unusual hardships and privations, followed in some cases by the starvation and death of whole families, or the survival of others by recourse to cannibalism. Such abject conditions of want are, no doubt, aided by the unusual severity of some of the winters and the failure of nature's bounty, but are commonly directly attributable to the laziness and improvidence of the natives. In addition, the very names given to some of the most interesting of the physical OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 73 features around Chibougamau have shared, and in a measure assisted, in the spread of this superstition and dread. The Sorcerer mountain and the Juggler's House may be mentioned in this connection, while a magnificent spring of water, at the south end of the portage from McKenzie bay towards Wakonichi lake, is said to enable one to feel the heart-throbs of the Great Being who makes this peculiar shaped mountain his home, because a stick pressed into the ever-moving quicksand at the bottom trans- mits a certain vibratory motion. The unusual local attraction of the magnetic needle, caused by abimdantly disseminated magnetite, also has something uncanny about it. Many of the exaggerations and superstitions have been handed down by suc- ceeding generations of guides and are related to the various travellers and explorers with gusto. Dr. Low's expeditions into the interior of Labrador, and in particular his survey and descrip- tion of Mistassini Lake, have, in a great measure, discredited most of these fairy tales. No one with experience of outdoor life in the northern wilds and possessed of a knowledge of canoe navigation need be deterred from undertaking a journey to Chibougamau, if for any purpose he thinks it entirely worth while. It is, no doubt, true that the canoe route, especially that portion of it along the Chamuehuan and Chigobiche rivers from the Pimonka rapids to Lake Chigobiche, is arduous, necessitating the almost continuous use of poles in ascending the many rapids and long stretches of swift water. Some of the portages, moreover, are long and a few of them are difficult, chiefly by reason of their swampy, rocky or hilly character, but with the assistance of some of the skilful and willing eanoemen who make Pointe Bleue their home (and such are available) there is very little danger or necessary hard- ship attendant on the undertaking. The Quebec and Lake St. John Railway, now operated by the Canadian Northern Quebec Railway, reaches Roberval on the western shore of Lake St. John, 188.3 miles from the city of Quebec. This village, with a population of nearly 2,000 inhabi- tants, is the distributing center of a prosperous, though somewhat isolated farming community. It is about 9 miles south of the mouth of the Chamuehuan River and shared for many years with Pointe Bleue the distinction of being the starting point for all expeditions seeking the interior of Northeastern Quebec. Pointe Bleue (on the Indian Reservation), which has long been a post of 7-1: GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES the Hudson's Bay Company and the home of most of the half- breed and Indian guides, lies about midway between Roberval and the Chamuchuan river. The opening up of the country to settlement and the building of colonization roads and bridges has considerably shortened the old canoe route, as it is now possible to drive passengers, equipment and provisions as far as the mouth of the Poplar river, a tributary which enters the Chamuchuan river about 15 miles above St. Felicien. In this way both time and energy are saved, for the journey by road avoids seven portages and 24 miles of river, most of which is strong current. Chamuchuan is really the abbreviated form of Ashuap- muchuan and is of Indian derivation (Ash-wap-mus-wan) mean- ing literally "the watching place for moose." The Chamuchuan River enters Lake St. John near the northwest corner. During times of high water it is navigable without any great difficulty as far as St. Felicien (nine miles from the mouth), but in the latter part 01 the summer it has to be ascended with great caution by steamers of light draught. During last summer a channel was being dredged by the Dominion Public Works Department, which, when completed, is expected to greatly facilitate na\-igation. At its entrance into the lake the Chamuchuan river is obstructed by constantly shifting sand bars through which it has cut a shallow, tortuous and ever changing channel. To add to the difficulties of navigation Lake St. John shows a very large difference between the extremes of high and low water, this variation in level being 27 feet, according to the levels of the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway." This abnormal change in the surface of the lake may be explained as due to the vast area drained by the Saguenay and its tributaries (35,900 square miles)' and the compara- tively contracted discharges of Lake St. John being unable to carry off the water brought down by the numerous and large tribu- taries during the time of the spring freshets. Between Lake St. John and St. Felicien, the Chamuchuan river varies in width, at times measuring nearly three-quarters of a mile across ; the river flowing with a considerable current for the ■White; Altitudes in Canada, P. 128, and Dictionary of Altitudes P. 133. = White; Atlas of Canada, map 33. The area drained by the Saguenay is considerably greater than the drainage basins of the St. Maurice, Lievre and Gatineau rivers combined (27,800 sq. miles). Ed H < 3 3 o OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 75 greater part of this distance between low banks of clay and alluvium. The wider portions are obstructed by several large islands. During times of high water much of the land in the lower parts of the river is under water. At St. Felicien, the new Carbonneau Bridge (so called in honour of the local member of the Quebec Legislature), crosses the stream, giving access to the settlements to the northeast in the townships of Parent and Nor- mandin. Between St. Felicien and the mouth of the Poplar river the banks, for a distance, gradually become higher until they rise in some places to a height of nearly 100 feet, being made up of a well stratified bluish grey clay, overlaid with a coarse' yellow sand. Above the Stoney Rapids, and as far as the mouth of the Poplar river, the shores of the stream are low, the surface of the water having nearly reached the level of the plain on either side. In this interval above St. Felicien there are seven portages, to avoid as many rapids and falls, while in addition there are considerable stretches of strong current. The best known of these obstructions in ascending order are known as the Chute de la Riviere aux Saumons (sometimes called Cliute a Gagnon or Chute St. Ange), the Big and Little Bear Chutes, and Stoney Rapids. The longest portage, over a mile in length, is at the Big Bear Falls. The total rise in the river, from Lake St. John to Poplar river, is about 210 feet. From Poplar river to the Pimonka rapids, the river is wide and comparatively shallow, flowing with a gentle current over a sandy or gravelly bottom. In this distance of about eight miles there are several large islands with low sandy shores thickly wooded with willow, poplar, ash and elm. The banks on the lower portion are low, but gradually increase in this regard until at a sharp bend in the stream to the west, just below the Pimonka rapid, the banks of stratified sand and gravel resting upon a very stiff bluish grey clay, rise very abruptly from the water to a height of over 100 feet. These steeply scarped banks show frequent, though comparatively small, land slides, caused by the constant en- croachment of the river. A portage route passes up the steep bank of the river in the small bay on the north side about one and a half miles below Pimonka {Last Pine) Rapid. This route, known as the "Lac a Jim Route," runs in one direction to the Mistassini river, while, in a direction almost at right angles to this, it is uised as an alternative road to the Chamuehuan river during V6 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL KESOUECES times of high water, reaching this river again some miles above its junction with the Chigobiehe river. A great deal of arable land between Lake St. John and the Pimonka rapid has been surveyed as townships, and sub-divided into lots of the usual dimensions by the Crown Lands Department of Quebec. These include the townships of Ashuapmuchuan, Demeules and Dufferin on the southwest and Parent and Nor- mandin on the northeast side of the river. The soil along the lower portions of the river is very fertile, consisting of a sandy loam resting upon a clay sub-soil. As the river is ascended, how- ever, the soil becomes lighter and more sandy, although over con- siderable areas it is quite productive on account of the proximity of the impervious clay beneath, which greatly helps to retain much of the necessary moisture. The hills of Laurentian granites and gneisses, which in the vicinity of Roberval approach to within about a mile of Lake St. John, cross the road between the villages of Roberval and St. Prime on the way to St. Felicien. Again receding from the Chamuehuan river, they leave a wide and level plain much of which is fertile and extending all the way to the foot of Pimonka rapid. This plain is made up of successive terraces, the surface of the highest of which is nearly 650 feet above the sea. The settlements extend up the river nearly to the Portage a rOurs {Bear Chute), while clearings have been made, though not yet cultivated, a little beyond the Poplar river. At the Pimonka rapids, there is an abrupt change in the character of the country, and the flat topography of the plains is replaced at once by characteristic rocky Archean scenery. The river becomes contracted and the rocky banks usually rise abruptly and sometimes precipitously from the level of the water, with very few and small flats or beaches. These hills usually vary in alti- tude from 200 to 350 feet and are made up of Laurentian granites and gneisses, except in the vicinity of Flat rapid where on the east side there is a small area of a very rusty weathering gabbro (anorthosite?) with ilmenite into which are intruded dykes of pegmatite. Two of the highest of these hills are known as Pas de Fond and Epervier (Hawk) mountains. They are conspicuous chiefly by reason of their peculiar conical shaped outline, but also by reason of their superior height (350 feet) and precipitous character. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 77 In certain places, embayed between the hills, are occasional small flats made up chiefly of coarse gravel and boulders with some sandy or finer gravel filling in the interspaces. From the foot of the Pimonka rapid to the foot of the Chaudiere falls, the river is made up of a series of rapids and long stretches of swift current with only occasional small reaches with sufficiently gentle current to permit the use of paddles. Names have been applied to some of the more important of these rapids. The first in ascend- ing order above the Pimonka is known as the Pas de Fond {Bottomless) rapid, so called because the banks on either sides are so steep and the water of such a depth as to render tracking and the use of poles, especially during times of high water, extremely difficult and, on occasions, impossible. Just below the mouth of the Riviere du Cran, there is a much shorter stretch of rough water known as the Hat rapid, and so called because Peter Ross of the Hudson's Bay Company at one time (28 years ago) lost his hat in ascending it. Then follows the Flat rapid, so called because of its shallowness, the White Spruce and Hawk mountain rapids. The White Spruce is the most boisterous and dreaded of all these obstructions to canoe navigation. It is a little over a mile in length, with a short portage on the southwest side which avoids a steep pitch. The head of the White Spruce rapid is about 46 miles from Lake St. John, and the rise in the stream between this point and the Pimonka rapid is 130 feet. From the head of the White Spruce rapid to the foot of the Chaudiere Falls the distance is f> little over 6 miles and the fall in the stream in this interval it. '65 feet. This descent in the stream is accounted for by three small rapids and almost continuous swift current. Between Pimonka rapid and the foot of the Chaudiere Falls the river shows a total rise of 165 feet flowing through a comparatively narrow rocky gorge. Throughout this distance the forests on either side have been repeatedly burnt and though picturesque from a scenic point of view, is decidedly barren and uninviting to the agriculturist. The Chaudiere falls (so called because of the presence of certain "kettles" or pot holes formed in the rocks by eddies) are perhaps the most impressive sight on the whole of the canoe route between Lake St. John and Chibougamau. They consist of a series of very heavy rapids and falls, the lowest of which shows a vertical drop of about 30 feet with a smaller chute immediately 78 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES above of 8 feet. Immediately below this again are very heavy rapids on either side of a small rocky island which here obstructs the channel of the river. The Chaudiere portage (about 56 miles from Lake St. John) is about a mile in length and starts from one of the small bays below the last fall. There are two trails in use at present. The high water portage, as well as that most used in descending the river, starts in at the small bay further removed from the foot of the fall and goes up over a very steep and high gravel bank where there is very little security in the foot hold The other trail starts in a small bay which forms an eddy below the lowest fall and passes up over the bare rocks in the immediate vicinity of the river. It joins the other path at a little distance inland, and both arrive at the same point above the falls. The total descent in this mile of falls and rapids is about 110 feet. At the Chaudiere falls an excellent opportunity is afforded for studying the occurrence and association of the several rock types which are included under the general name of Laurentian gneiss. This advantage is especially enjoyed during times of low water, where comparatively wide stretches of bare and well washed rock surfaces are exposed. The acid granite gneiss is seen to intrude a dark coloured almost black basic diorite or amphibolite in the most intricate manner, these paler reddish feldspathic portions forming very irregular arms and apophyses ramifying through the black hornblende and micaceous variety. In addition, irregular fragments or patches of the darker basic rocks are included in the lighter coloured acidic types. Intruded through all of these, are pegmatite dykes of two distinct ages, as ascertaiiied by the cir- cumstance of their cutting one another. The older pegmatite is made up of very deep salmon-coloured feldspar with a much smaller proportion of hornblende and little or no quartz. The other is a more acid variety made up largely of a pale flesh-red feldspar and quartz, with little or no bisilicate material. Many occurrences of the latter illustrate in a most beautiful and com- plete manner the perfect transition between ordinary granite pegmatite and true quartz veins.' The gneisses exposed at the Chaudiere falls are very dis- tinctly foliated and even laminated, the laminae dipping at a comparatively small angle to the southeast (25°). Their line ' Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., Vol. X, 1897, Part I, pp. 63-67. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU BEGION 79 of outcrop on the east side of the river shows a series of trans- verse low undulating folds. This is well seen in the accompany- ing illustration (Plate XXVII), which is from a photograph taken from the top of the lowest fall looking down the river into the narrow rocky valley below. The Little Chaudiere falls is a little over half-a-mile above the Chaudiere falls. It is a very powerful rapid with a drop of about 8 feet in a comparatively short distance and is impassable for canoes. A portage avoiding this, passes up on the west side, and is nearly a quarter of a mile in length. The Chigobiche river flows into the Chamuchuan river from the westward about one mile and a half above the Little Chaudiere rapid (56 miles from Lake St. John) . In this interval the Chamu- chuan river leaves the narrow rocky gorge in which it has been confined from the foot of the Pimonka rapid and becoming wider flows with a moderate current. The valley is also more open with comparatively gentle slopes rising into low rounded hills clothed with a dense growth of small second growth trees. The Chigobiche river is usually followed by travellers into the interior, for by its use the distance to Lake Chamuchuan is shortened, as roughly speaking it forms one side of a triangle, the other two sides consisting of the course of the main river. Both streams are rough, navigation being rendered both difficult and dangerous by many falls and rapids, as well as intervening stretches of swift water, thus necessitating the frequent use of poles and portages. The Chigobiche river, however, is much to be preferred rather than the main river, even in this regard, as being smaller, the rapids and currents are much less powerful and dangerous. At times of very low water, however, and especially with heavily loaded canoes the Chigobiche is sometimes discarded in favour of the principal stream. In descending with compara- tively light loads and good sized canoes the main river should be chosen as the easier and quicker route. The Chigobiche river enters the Chamuchuan over a wide and shallow gravel and boulder bed, the channel of the river being obstructed by several gravel bars and islands. This shallows, howr ever, is usually passed with only half the load, a portage on the north side, about 35 chains in length, being used to carry over the rest. Even above the upper end of this portage the river has a very rapid current, but as it is in places deep enough to float the 80 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES loaded canoes this current can be overcome with the use of the poles. Between this point and the foot of the Chute Vermilion there is a short portage to overcome, a boulder shallows and rapid. The Chute Vermilion is perhaps next to the Chaudiere Falls the most picturesque cataract on the route. As shown in the illustration (Plate XXI) it is a mass of white water made up of a series of very turbulent rapids and falls, the total descent in the stream being about fifty-five feet. A very good "kettle hole" (chaudiere) is shown on the left side of the view near the bottom of the chute. The portage to overcome this powerful obstruction is about one and a quarter miles in length, passing for the most part over steep rounded hills of granite gneiss. It is divided into two nearly equal parts by the crossing of the Vermilion river, which, coming from the south, empties into the Chigobiehe river. The crossing in late summer may be done by wading as the river is shallow, but often the canoes have to be used. The next port- age of importance is to avoid the Chute Penehee, the fall in the stream at this place being about twenty feet. In the intervening stretch of nearly two miles, however, there are two small rapids which in each ease necessitates the carrying of part of the load at least. The Portage Penche is thus called because it passes up over a very steep gravel hill, across a level gravel plain and down a very steep grade to the river at the upper end. The portage is about 35 chains in length, the summit rising 90 feet above the river at the lower end. The distance between the Portage Penche and the Portage Savanne is nearly a mile, and in this distance the river widens with a rather stiff current at only one place. At the foot of the Portage Savanne the river divides up into a number of channels with intervening islands made up mostly of gravel and boulders. The Portage Savanne has the dis- tinction of being the worst portage on the whole route to Chibou- gamau, because not only is it comparatively long (72 chains) but it is mainly through a series of almost impassable muskegs, which are usually so wet and soft that it is very difficult to obtain a firm footing. The fall in the stream in this interval is about fifty feet. Between Portage Savanne and Chute Gras there are four rapids with a combined fall of about 10 feet. Two of these necessitate portages of eight and sixteen chains respectively. The Chute Gras (so called as the scene of a grand feast of bear meat) is made up of rapids above and below with an intervening fall of about 12 OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 81 feet, the total descent in the stream being about 20 feet. The portage to avoid this obstruction to navigation is 16 chains in length, the trail passing over and between low rounded ridges of very distinctly foliated red and grey granite gneiss. Between the Savanna and Gras Portages, as well as above the latter, the river flows with a slow current (except at the rapids), between low banks often fringed with willows, showing behind these, stunted and often deformed growths of jackpine and small black spruce. Many of the dead tamaracks killed some years ago by the ravages of the European larch sawfly {Nematus erichsonii) ^ still remain standing as silent sentinels of the greed of this pest. The young tamaracks may also be seen growing alongside, these new growths having now attained a height of from fifteen to twenty-five feet. The banks of the river are made up of small sand dunes with corre- spondingly shallow sAvampy hollows. Occasional outcrops of small round hummocks of gneiss may be noticed, while navigation is rendered very difficult by a plentiful supply of large boulders in the river bed. Between Portage Gras and Portage Brule the dis- tance is nearly four miles, and there is in this space, in addition to a small rapid and some swift current, a rapid nearly a mile in length. The total fall in the stream in this space is about 30 feet. Brule portage, so called on account of its having been swept by fire, is 34 chains long and passes to the north side of rapids which give a total fall of 25 feet. A short distance above Brule portage, the river is divided into a; number of channels by one large and several smaller islands. In ascending the stream, the most northerly course was adopted, but on the return trip use was made of the south channel, which is to be preferred. Around the southwest or Tipper end of the large island there is a very considerable rapid, caused by large boulders in the stream. Another rapid is met with before Portage Cypres {Jackpine) is reached. Jackpine portage, which is 50 chains in length, crosses a level sand and gravel plain, grown up with small and sparsely scattered jack- pines, and cuts off a sharp bend in the river. There are several rapids in this distance, with a combined fall of about 15 feet. There is only a very short space between Jackpine portage and the next, which, with a length of 15 chains, passes the north side of a ^ First Ann. Rep. Commission of Conservation of Canada, Ottawa, 1910, pp. 145-146, O'-i GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES small rapid with a drop of 3 feet. Above this again there is another portage about 9 chains in length, passing a rapid also showing a fall of 3 feet. Prom the head of this rapid to Chigo- biche lake the distance is about two miles. In this distance the stream, which has become much narrower and more obstructed by boulders, is an almost continuous rapid, the total fall being about 52 feet. The combined fall in the Chigobiche river from Chigobiche lake (1,138 feet above the sea) is 320 feet, for the mouth of the Chigobiche river is 818 feet above the sea, according to our observations. In this last two miles, the country on either side of the Chigobiche river becomes much higher, rising into hills from 200 to 300 feet in height. Cedar has also made its appear- ance, growing in occasional crooked and stunted trees along the river 's margin. It is perhaps worthy of note, too, that we caught brook trout, some of which weighed about half a pound, in this part of the river. The name Chigobiche applied to the river was really given to the lake, out of which it Hows, and should be spelled "Ochiko- piche," meaning literally "Little Sawbill water having a narrows." Chigobiche lake is divided into two parts, separated from one another by a long narrows. The lower and larger portion has a general northwest direction, while the upper part runs nearly north and south. The lower part is that passed through on the canoe route, the distance to be travelled being about 12 miles. In this distance the lake varies from a mile to nearly two miles in width and this large stretch of open water is only broken by three comparatively small islands. The region on either side of the lake in the lower parts is quite rough, rising into hills 150 to 300 feet high and well wooded with a small but dense growth of black spruce, white birch, poplar and some banksian pine. In the northern part and to the east of the lake, the coun- try rises into rough and rocky hills, sometimes to a height of 350 feet. The highest and most conspicuous hill on the lake, known as "Chigobiche mountain," with an elevation of a little over 400 feet, seems to be a spur or extension of the Partridge range of mountains further south. Ascending the lake the country on either side becomes lower with more gentle and rounded slopes, the immediate shore lines exhibiting frequent sand and gravel flats, beaches and even points. The portage out of Chigobiche lake starts from a small bay forming the elbow made by the > X &4 OF THE CHIBOU6AMAU REGION 83 change in direction between the lower and upper parts of the lake. It runs westward at first through a spruce swamp and then up a steep terrace to a sand and gravel plain above. Although this portage is nearly one and a quarter miles long, and in this respect perhaps worthy of its name, "Portage Dur," still the trail, with the exception of the spruce swamp at the beginning, is so level and hard that no great trouble is experienced in its passage. The path goes through a comparatively level jackpine (cypres) flat, the highest point of which is only 52 feet above Chigobiche river (1,190 feet above the sea). The western end of the portage reaches a bend in a small sluggish stream known locally as the "Riviere de la Cote Croche," which flows in a very tortuous course through a wide swamp, into a small and crooked lake of the same name. Although the distance between the west end of the portage and the entrance of this small stream into Chamu- chuan lake is only about two and a half miles in a straight line, the distance by creek and lake is a little over seven miles, as nearly as could be estimated. There is practically no current throughout this distance. Crooked river (Riviere de la Cote Croche) flows into Lake Chamuchuan at the southeast corner. Lake Chamuchuan is about 9 miles in length, running in a general northwest and south- east direction and averaging from half a mile to a mile in width ; according to present observations it is 1,160 feet above the sea. The shore line is broken by a niunber of small bays, two of which are about a mile in depth. Its shores are either very gently sloping or present low cut banks of sand or gravel, especially along the bottoms of the bays. There are only one or two points on the northeast shore where the underlying Laurentian gneisses are exposed. Several of the points are made up of sand and gravel and the bay into which the Crooked river enters is almost cut off from the rest of the lake by a beautifully curving point of boulders which have evidently been deposited in this position by the retreating glacier at the close of the Glacial period. The northeast end of that lake shows a very large area of low, often swampy, land, made up of the delta deposits brought down by the Miskokau and Nikabau rivers, which empty into the lake very close to one another. The Miskokau river comes from the west and is sometimes utilized as a canoe route to Lake Askitichi, and thence to the head waters of the St. Maurice river. The Chamu- 84 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES ehuan river, which above Chamuchuan lake is known as the Nikabau river, empties into the northeast end of the lake and flows out of it again immediately to the northeast, the channels of both inlet and outlet interlocking, so to speak, with one another through the delta points and islands. On the northeast side of the lake and commanding the approaches to the three canoe routes by way of the Miskokau, Nikabau and Chamuchuan rivers, are the ruins of the old trading post abandoned by the Hudson's Bay Company some years ago. The first "Poste du Roi" was estab- lished here in 1690, according to Normandin {vide ante). Since the Hudson's Bay Company's operations have ceased, the Mc- Kenzie Trading Company have had a depot for supplies at this place, but this building is also rapidly falling into decay. The selection of this site for a "Poste du Roi" was, no doubt, in the first place determined by reason of its advantageous posi- tion for fur-trading purposes, but also because of the excellence of the fisheries in the immediate neighbourhood, great quantities of very fine white fish especially still being taken here. Moreover this point of comparatively dry land, suitable for a place of residence, contains a few acres underlaid by moderately fertile soil. The Nikabau river for a distance of about seven miles above Chamuchuan lake, flows with a gentle current and in long sweep- ing curves as far as the foot of the Two Portage rapids.' The river in this interval has very low banks, sometimes swampy, and often with extensive swamps immediately in rear of the shores of the stream. These banks are made of the finer sands and silt-like delta deposits, carried down by the river. As the Two Portages are approached the shore lines become gradually higher and are made up almost wholly of sand with a comparatively small pro- portion of clay or alluvium. In places low hills of Laurentian gneiss protrude through the surrounding sandy plains. There is only a space of about two hundred yards of river separating the Two Portages, each of which has a length of about half a mile to avoid rapids, giving a combined fall in the stream of 42 feet. The lower rapid can be passed with the assistance of poles and with light 'The lower part of these rapids is called Pole Rapid and the upper the Little Chaudifere, but as both these names are duplicated at other points on the route, their continuance in use should not be permitted. ■ mm OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 85 loads in the canoe, but it is necessary to portage everything at the upper rapid. From the head of these rapids the stream has only one small rapid with some small stretches of rapid current as far as the foot of the Crooked portage, a distance of about 6 miles This portage, which avoids the Crooked rapids (made up of three rapids) where there is a total fall in the stream of about 15 feet, is about 50 chains long and much of it is through swampy land where the walking is bad. It crosses a neck of land at a sharp bend in the stream, the distance by the latter being about three miles. It is a little over 2 miles from the head of Crooked Portage to Little Nikabau lake, but in this distance navigation is obstructed by two small rapids. Above the Two Portages the Nikabau river often shows steep banks of coarse sand, gravel, and boulders with occasional low rounded hills of Laurentian gneiss. The forests on either side are much better and the trees larger than on the lower Chamuchuan river. Black spruce is by far the most abundant, but interspersed with trees of this species are also a considerable number of white spruce trees and banksian pine. The balsam fir (Abies halsamea) is now noticed for the first time on the route to Chibougamau, and seems to indicate an enrich- ment of the soil conditions in the lower portions of the river. "White birch, poplar and cedar are also present in considerable number, although the last mentioned tree is very crooked and stunted in its growth. Little Lake Nikabau measures only about a mile in any direction, the shores being for the most part low, especially on the north side where no hills can be seen for a distance of nearly two miles from the lake. A boulder point of drumlin formation, designated as "Belle Pointe," extends from the north side of the lake not far from the outlet, and near its extremity affords a very fin e camping spot. The south shore is composed principally of gravel and boulders, gradually rising from the lake into low, rounded, well forested hills. At a point on the east side, near the outlet, there are low exposures of a micaceous gneiss in laminae which dip to the southeast at a comparatively low angle. Agreeably with observations taken last summer. Little Lake Nikabau is 64 feet above Lake Chamuchuan or 1,224 feet above the sea. The stream connecting Little Lake Nikabau is nearly three miles in length, including two small lake-like expansions, separated by three rapids, which show an aggregate fall of 8 feet. 86 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUKCES Lake Nikabau is about 5 miles in length, and varies from half a mile in the southern part to nearly two miles at the opposite end. It runs in a direction a little west of north, and is surrounded by a low, sometimes swampy, country. The name is pronounced Ni- ko-pau, meaning literally "Willow Point lake." There are a few limited exposures of Laurentian gneiss, chiefly on some of the small islands and points near the northwest corner. Most of the points, however, are made up of sand and gravel. The forest growth around Lake Nikabau is comparatively small, consisting of spruce, tamarac, balsam, banksian pine, poplar, and white birch, with occasional low but thick cedars. The Askitichi river, which forms part of a canoe route to the head waters of the St. Maurice, comes in at the southwest corner of the lake near the outlet. A much smaller stream, the Witouche river, comes in at the northeast angle, while the Nikabau river falls into the lake at the northwest corner. From Nikabau lake to the portage leading to Narrow Ridge lake (by mistake sometimes designated Whitefish or Long lake), there is a succession of comparatively small lakes united by narrow, and often rapid, discharging channels. The region in the neighbourhood of these lakes exhibits the well known scenery characteristics of Archean areas near the height of land — low rounded hills with intervening valleys occupied by swamps or small shallow lakes. The loose material which often forms the immediate banks of the stream or the shores of the various lakes, is a coarse yellow sand with some gravel and boulders. The lakes in ascending order from Nikabau lake are known as Jourdain, Aux Jones (Bullrush), Obamichi {Cedar), Atchicach, and Branch lakes. Jourdain lake, the largest, is about three miles in length and has very low sandy or gravelly shores. It is six feet above Lake Nikabau, or 1,238 feet above the sea. Branch lake is nearly its equal in size, but the portage from it into Narrow Ridge lake beyond starts from the southwest end, so that very little of the lake is utilized as part of the route. This portage (Narrow Ridge portage) might also be called Pole portage, for it is at the south end of this portage that the poles are all left, most of them being placed on end in the swampy ground. The portage is about half a mile long, and for part of the distance passes along the summit of a gravel and boulder ridge of drumlin formation. The distance between OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 87 Narrow ridge portage and the next is about three miles, the lake becoming wider near the northern end, where a bay extends east towards its outlet into the northeast end of Branch lake. Narrow Ridge lake is 20 feet higher than Branch lake, or 1,268 feet above the sea. The country is high on the west side, and a hill called Patrick mountain rises to a height of about 300 feet above the lake.' Paddling a short distance up a small and crooked, but navigable, creek, a portage of 54 chains (most of which is through a swamp) reaches the east shore of Whitefish lake (shown on some plans as Lac Epinette Noire). Whitefish lake is scarcely three-quarters of a mile in length and a little over a quarter of a mile wide, and is 1,298 feet above the sea. To the south the country is comparatively high, rising into hills from 150 to 200 feet in height. To the north, the country is a black spruce swamp, very similar to that crossed by the portage into the lake. Ascending a small sluggish stream and over a beaver dam a small beaver pond is entered, which is about 2 feet higher than "Whitefish lake, or 1,300 feet above the sea. The portage out of this beaver pond crosses the height of land into Height of Land lake {Lac Hauteur). The highest point on this portage is 50 feet above the beaver pond, or 1,350 feet above the sea, while Lac Hauteur is 15 feet above the beaver pond, or 1,315 feet above the sea. Both the Height of Land lake and the small stream flow- ing out of it are very shallow and muddy, and during times of low water canoe navigation is very difficult and slow. Although the distance from the Height of Land lake to Obatogamau lake is three miles in a straight line, this distance is nearly doubled by following the stream. Along this stream are five portages aggre- gating over a mile and a half. The first portage is quite short (4 chains) out of a small lake-like expansion of the creek. The second portage is 54 chains in length. To the south of the portage is an exposure of well foliated gneiss, striking across the portage in a direction a little east of north and dipping to the east. A quartz vein cutting this gneiss has evidently been an object of close inspection. The third portage is a comparatively long one (46.50 chains), while the fourth and fifth are 17 chains and 6 chains, 'Patrick Mountain is named in honour of Patrick Cleary, a fur trader of Pointe Bleue, Lake St. John, once in charge of the H. C. Co.'s Post at Lake Chamuchuan. 88 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES respectively. The entrance of this creek into Ohatogamau lake is into a narrow crooked bay, with, low swampy shores. The total descent in the stream from Height of Land lake is 130 feet, which malies Obatogam.au lake 1,185 feet above the sea. Lake Obatogamau is very typical of Arehean lake formation in a granite plateau close to the height of land. It is very irregular in outline, with low shores made up of small rounded hills or hum- mocks of granite, rising but a few feet above the surface of the lake. A multitude of islands, both large and small, dot its surface and limit its horizon in almost every direction. Long crooked points and correspondingly intricate bays very often stretch for miles in directions approximately at right angles to the general course of the lake. It is divided with five narrows into six bodies of water, which might be regarded as separate and distinct lakes, except for the fact that they are all nearly on the same level, and so preferably included as portions of one large lake. The name, as given, is that adopted by the Geographic Board of Canada, but the Indians refer to this expansion as " Oba-tuk-oman, " which means literally "Wooded Narrows Lake." The lake has an area of 56 square miles ' and according to our observations, is 1,185 feet above the sea. The outlet of the lake is a little north of west of the small inlet, by which the lake is entered by the canoe route from the southeast, and the distance in a straight line between these two points is eleven miles, although by following the crooked course necessarily adopted as the canoe route, this distance is increased to sixteen miles. Prom this same inlet to another small stream, which enters the lake from the northeast and forms part of the canoe route to Lake CMbougamau, the distance in a northwest direction is scarcely eight miles, while following the canoe route this distance is nearly doubled. As no very detailed or accurate survey has yet been made of the lake, the outlines of the shores, as well as the islands, can only be regarded as approximate. Low's map of the lake is by far the best which has yet appeared. Following a course a little to the south of west from the small bay into which the inlet on the portage route enters from the southeast, this direction is followed as far as the south end of a large island, when turning to the west and passing to the south of a large number of small islands, ' Atlas of Canada, 1906, p. 14. 'J I ' ,1 I' "W . I,' I ,'i I t' I' '., i , I ,1 w ' \''^. ill I n; ■ r I' ' I M a si 3 o OP. THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 89 the first narrows is reached, at a distance of nearly five miles. This is usually the most difficult place to find, and it is now marked by a burnt point which can scarcely be missed. There is now very little difficulty in following the canoe route, as all the turns have been marked by bumingnthe woods in the immediate vicinity of certain conspicuous points.* The prevailing rock in the eastern part of Lake Obatogamau is a grey, sometimes very pale, pinkish granite, usually quite massive, but occasionally foliated. It is as a rule quite coarse, and presents in detail, rough surfaces due to the unequal weathering of the com- ponent minerals, the quartz standing out in relief. The biotite, which is the prevailing ferromagnesian constituent, is in rather large in- dividuals, and some of them show sharp and well bounded crystal forms. To the west of the Lemoine narrows, in the western part of the lake, the Keewatin formation outcrops, made up of green schists of varying basicity, chiefly deformed and altered diabase, porphy- rite and quartz porphyry. Black spruce, of only medium or small growth, is the most abundant of the forest trees, but white spruce, banksian pine, poplar, and birch are also present in considerable amount, but never grow large. Cedar is also more abundant than on the lower portions of the canoe route, but the trees are stunted and most of them crooked, and, therefore, unsuitable for the pur- pose for which it is customarily utilized. It abounds in fish, especially pickerel, but whitefish, pike and suckers are also caught. Sturgeon was reported by the Indians as being present in the western part of the lalie, near the outlet. The canoe route from Obatogamau lake to Chibougamau lake starts at a small and shallow narrows at the head of the bay which stretches in a northeast direction, northwest of Lemoine narrows. A small lake, about one and a quarter miles long, is succeeded by a very crooked river which is used for about a mile before the first portage is reached. The first portage is three-quarters of a mile in length, but. the trail is good passing over a jackpine plain, underlaid by sand and gravel, and with occasional low rounded exposures of green schists. The small and crooked stream is reached lat the upper end of this portage, and ascended for a distance of about two miles, when a second portage, 35 chains in length, is met with and passed over. ' These burnings were done, it is reported, by parties who had been lost on the lake in 1907. 90 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL KESOURCES This portage, as in the case of the preceding one, is on the north- west side of the creek. Again utilising the stream, although great care has to be taken in navigating the canoe to avoid the many rocks and shoals, a crooked beaver pond is entered, which is shallow at the south end, but deeper towards the northeast. Another, but short, portage (4 chains) avoiding a small rapid, with a fall of about three feet, gives entrance to another beaver pond, which is crossed to the northeast end. The total ascent in the stream between Obatogamau and this beaver pond, or lake, is 50 feet, thus making the beaver pond 1,235 feet above the sea. The portage out of this pond, and over the height of land between Obatogamau and Chibougamau lakes, passes at first over dry ground, which rises abon|, 20 feet above the beaver lake at one or two places, and is thus 1^25Jeet above the sea. The last part of the trail is through a spruce swamp, reaching a small stream, barely wide and deep enough to float a canoe. Descending this very small and crooked creek for a distance of nearly three-quarters of a mile, a shallow lake much obstructed by buUrushes ^ is reached. Crossing this shallow lake a much shallower stream is entered, which flows between .swampy banks and over a muddy bottom. Navigation is very slow and difficult, especially with loaded canoes, for a distance of over half a mile, where the stream becomes deeper in entering a crooked lake. This lake is about a mile and a quarter long, the outlet being a very narrow rapid with a fall of about three feet. A channel has been made sufficiently wide and deep to float a loaded canoe without passengers. The foot of the rapid is a much frequented spawning ground for suckers. Prom this place it is about one and three-quarters of a mile to Lake CMbougamau, the total fall in the stream, from the shallow lake, on the northeast side of the height of land being about five feet, thus making Lake Chibougamau 1,230 feet above the sea. The total distance between Obatogamau and Chibougamau lakes is nearly ten and a half miles, of which little over one and a half miles (129 chains) is made up of portage trails. The country is low and often swampy, and the trees small, and the greater portion of no value. "This lake is sometimes called Lac aux Jones or BuUrush Lake but as this name is duplicated further to the southeast on the route its use is not to be recommended. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 91 CHAPTER V. GENERAL CHARACTER OF REGION. The expression " CMbougamau Mining District," or better "Region," was applied as a term of convenient reference, soon after the more recent discoveries of mineral, in 1903, to designate that particular tract of country immediately surrounding Lake Chibou- gamau. The use of the term "region" is much to be preferred, as it avoids the confusion with other areas in Northern Quebec, to which the term "district" has been applied, and which have thus been set apart officially to denote some of the larger land sub- divisions of the Province. Strictly spealring the term should be confined to the area shown on the map, which accompanied the preliminary report. The region, as shown on that map, reached from, the Bay of Islands, (now called Denis Bay) the eastern extension of Lake Chibougamau to Asinit- ehibastat lake on the west. A line drawn from east to west, about a mile north of McKenzie Bay, marks the northern limit, while a similar line cutting through Long Point (the termination of Devlin Peninsula) constituted the southern boundary. The plan as then presented included an area of 253 square miles. The area, however, contained in the map accompanying this report, is considerably in excess of that just mentioned. (See page 24.) Some of the territory here shown has been divided into town- ships of the more recent form adopted by the Crown Lands Depart- ment of Quebec. Bach township contains ten ranges, running north and south, and numbered with Roman numerals. These townships have not been subdivided into blocl^ as yet, but posts have been placed on the town lines to mark their limits at these places. As many blocks, (designated by the ordinary Arabic figures) as the lakes and rivers adopted as portions of their boundary will permit, are also shown and will be deliminated if occasion requires. Each block measures one mile square, thus con- taining 640 acres. Only a few of the township outlines (shown as 92 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES full lines on tlie map) have been run. Portions of tlie following townships are included in the accompanying map : McOorkill, Eoy, McKenzie, Devlin/ Scott, Obalski, and Lemoine. All of these boundary lines are supposed to be astronomically east and west and north and south respectively, and, so far as we had an opportunity of observing, the work was in general accurate. Mr. Valiquette, however, noticed a rather serious discrepancy in the west boundary of Boy, near the northwest comer, as also some minor divergences in direction on the same line between Chibougamau and Dore lakes. Such discrepancies are not surprising, considering the methods of survey adopted, owing to cloudy weather then prevailing.'' It may be observed in this connection that no stone posts were found, as shown on the official maps and required by the regulations of the Department to mark the comer boundaries of the various townships. As the region under description is situated immediately nortl of the height of land, near the summit of the Hudson Bay slope, it has a certain general flatness of topography which is characteristic of most of our "hinterland" similarly situated. The general char- acter of the country may, perhaps, be best described as that of an uneven or undulating rocky tableland with a gentle slope towards the west and northwest. The average general elevation varies from 1,100 to 1,500 feet above the sea. Few of the rounded rocky hills, with the exception of an area to be described, have an elevation of more than about 50 feet, while the complementary valleys are occu- pied by swamps, lakes, and rivers, most of which are shallow. Low swampy shore lines are very common and characteristic. Perhaps the most striking feature in the whole of the land- scape are the hills, (or mountains) which characterize a strip of very mgged country, varying in \vidth from 5 to 6 miles, extending across the whole of the region covered by the present map, from north of Denis (Island) Bay to Asinitchibastat lake. In this direction the hills become more isolated, especially to the west of Asinitchibastat lake, although tliey seem to continue as far as Opemiska and Mikwasach lakes. These hills have a general elevation varying from 300 to 600 feet above the surfaces of the neighbouring lalces. The highest is Cum- • Name of Devlin Tp. has since been changed to Dufault. ' Rep. Lands and Forests, Quebec, 1907, p. 199. X. OF THE CHIBOUQAMAU REGION 93 ming mountain' to the west of McKenzie Bay, which rises to a height of 725 feet above Chibougamau lake. Juggler mountain has a height of 540 feet, while, the highest peak of the Sorcerer mountains rises 575 feet above Ohibougamau lake. Spy Hill, one of the lower elevations to the south of Duf ault lake, has an eleva- tion of 350 feet above this lake at its foot, while Beaver mountain, on the east side of Asinitchibastat lake, is 580 feet above this lake. In agreement with the lower ridges they have a general trend from east-northeast to west-southwest, and are rounded in outline, although often presenting steep and at times precipitous slopes. Near the outlet of Wakonichi lake, the outliers of Lower Huronian conglomerate form a series of steeply scarped hills with flat tops, which generally rise from 300 to 625 feet abov(; the lake, the last mentioned elevation being that of the highest, Wako mountain. To the southwest, in the granite area, other hills were noticed, but they are somewhat lower and more rounded, being for the most part separated from one another by wider stretches of level country. Bouleau mountain, on the west side of Wakonichi laJje, is the highest and has an altitude of 485 feet above it. DRAINAGE. The greater part of the region under description is drained by the Chibougamau river, and its tributaries, which, flowing in a general westerly direction, empties into the "Waswanipi branch of the Nottaway river, at its junction with the Obatogamau river, finally reaching Rupert Bay, the southeastern extremity of James Bay. The Chibougamau forms the outlet of Chibougamau, Dore, Simon, David, Cache, Bourbeau, Asinitchibastat, and Gwillim lakes. The waters of the northeastern part of the sheet drain into Wakonichi lake, which also finds its way into Rupert Bay, by way of Mistassini lake, and the Rupert river, the mouths of the Nottaway and Rupert rivers being within a few miles of one another. With the exception of the Chibougamau river, towards the northwestern corner of the map, none of the streams are large, but they are almost without exception easily navigable for canoes practically to their sources. They nearly all form portions of 'Named in honour of R. E. Gumming, foreman, at the McKenzie Gold Mine. 94 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES canoe or hunting routes, which, without any great length of port- age, reach almost any part of the district. In common with most of Northern Quebec, characterized by the presence of Arehean rocks, this region is remarkable for the pro- fusion of its lakes. Some of these cover such a wide extent of territory as to be of more than local distinction. Most of them are also noteworthy, not only on aeoount of the extreme intricacy of their shore lines, but also because of the great number of islands, both large and small, which serve to break the continuity of their surface. At first sight these lakes seem to be governed by no law in regard either to their disposition or sculpturing, but a closer examination reveals their close dependence, as regards direction and outline, not only on the nature and attitude of the enclosing rocks, but also on the direction of the ice movement during the Glacial period. The following lakes, with their areas and altitude above the sea, are perhaps worthy of special mention : Lake Mistassini 975 Lake Chibougamau 86.98 Lake Wakonichi 31.84 Lac aux Dores 17.33 EushLake 9.17 Lake Assinitchibastat .... 5.86 Lake Simon 5.00 Lake David 4.75 Lake Merrill 4.38 Lake Frances 4.10 Lake Bourbeau 2.67 Lake Gwillim 2.48 Lake Eva 1.86 Lake Ida 1.49 Lake Cache 1.45 Lake Dufresne 1.00 sq. miles ' 1,243 feet 1,230 1,276 1,218 1,180 1,188 1,195 1,211 1,215 1,360 1,335 1,187 1,374 1,400 1,244 1,277 CLIMATE. The climate of the Chibougamau Region canhot be very dif- ferent from that obtaining at the Hudson's Bay Company, at the ' Atlas of Canada, 1906, p. 13. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 95 narrows on Lake Mistassini (about 40 miles N.N.B.). Mr. William Miller, the officer in charge, took meteorological observations during the years 1894 to 1900, both inclusive, under directions from and with instruments supplied by the Meteorological Service of Canada. The appended table of temperatures, and precipitation, has been very kindly prepared by Mr. R. F. Stupart, the Director of the Meteorological Office at Toronto, and should serve to answer most of the questions, and clear up any misconceptions regarding the climate of this distant, and until recently, unknown part of northeastern Quebec. The mean temperature for the three summer months, (July, August, and September), is about 52.5°, which is nearly 6° lower than Chieoutimi, 8° lower than Quebec, and 10° lower than Montreal. In the seven years, during which these observations were being made, the lowest temperature recorded was -^55° (January, 1899), while the highest was 95.5° (July, 1897). Early and late summer frosts occur in most years, and in occasional years, no month has passed without frost. The month of May, in Quebec, is nearly as warm as June at Chibougamau, while September at Chibougamau is only a little warmer than October at Quebec. The winter is long and severe, and spring can scarcely be said to open until May, nearly a month later than Quebec. During the latter half of June, while on the way to Chibougamau, frost was experienced on several nights, the last occurring on June 29th, at the height of land between Obatogamau and Chibougamau lakes, after which date, until the night of August 14th, no frost was noticed. On this date, however, a light frost occurred during a visit to Mistassini Post, but apparently did no injury to the potatoes which were then in flower. While on Asinitchibastat Lake there was a heavy frost during the night of August 18th, which must have completely frozen the tops, and thus practically stopped the further growth and ripening of the potatoes at Mistassini, although no intelligence to this effect was received. The first snow flurries usually occur about the end of the first week in September, but the winter's snow does not usually arrive until the third week in October, and occasionally it is delayed until the end of the first week of November. The ice takes firmly on Mistassini lake, in the vicinity of the Hudson Bay Company's Post, about the end of the first week in November, and does not usually break up until the end of the first week in June. The rapid change in the seasons seem most remarkable. There is practically no spring, and very 96 a> o w w lU GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES C CO u ^ s.i o <; D '5 =>. tL, r- CO -* ■^ThiO-^MCOiCCO lOCCTt■ CO C' t— CO "* r- lo '00 - o OSOOOiO". CdOOOCl 00 Oi 0000Q0CCCC00OSO0C:X ODOD o o ^ CO -m' of Lo 1- x* -^ -T ^^ — ' >-< 01 C^ CO (N CO CO !>■ tr: lo o o o "O o cm lo o ?^ S ii '^ ?5 ^ ^ 'c? 25 if ? '4 I I.J . ' ' 1 ^ CO O 02 ~ L* t^ CC I" >^ » — CO X c C 00 :d Iff — 7 CO cc -^f wf CO ^ (N CO O a hi s < o ^ Jl y Fi 01 (I) > u o a) z D o « ■^ U3 S x/i 'a ** 1 „ c S s •o c m Id _3 "3 en < m «; S c o s F THE CHIB0XJ6AMAU KEQION 97 0) .14 § - g o ^3 l-l=2S 1« rd fr Aug. [ard Sept. ke F Oct. d Id Cfl tfl tfl OiiAAtA k; a Cii rtc«Cii!/3 c« Bicn = 1 oi QO d zim^ rA d 00 05 .^ ^ ,_^ (>q 00 0 O (ii ^^ >— ' 1-H Z ._^^- — v-,^' ■ ^-v-^ u 1 = o O o o o o o o o o o q J i i>i d « d 00 CO lO (N lo d d -* T 1 ■* CO CO CO --H >o « -* CO < 1 « o »o oo t- o o m o o lo o o o 00 * 0) -H E cii s rH tn 1 ard Frost Sept. 1 ard Frost Nov. 4 X K 1.& o 1 1 1 iK 1 * -* 1 1 1 ! 1 <»- ^ C cn»! Di- Oi m « d Am VI OS en Rl 'jj °-a ce oi oi d^- d OS .-H rH O rt'd • u f-H u Z cu ^"'"^ u " ^ .: q o o o 9 9 9 q ■3-S w d d d (N M d r^ JS (M < rt PS z ; CC TjH ^ 00 ■* d g oi d J s lO tr- 00 t' to to o ^ n ^ o >. t- O o IM t~ -H o m II q q t~ «5 M CO Oq ■* cj d ^' oi CO d d IN (N tX lO o -^ CO Hi 1) 0) u <: Z b b J I. J3 ^ H O rt u August Septem Octobe Novem a > s 3 i 1— » (X, April May c 3 •— > c 98 rrt < C/5 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES (U « ^ « d toO £ ►Jm s« b •a -J ri §s J3 o- u u ffiM o mH a> »o t^ 00 N O! J .5- o -* o (M CO O Ol 02 r~cD o i K lO CD 00 O --1 IN o lO (N IN O CO o <£ c« in C/3 Picfl d k; ci oi PS « eitfl Cfl D 'S E ffO ■* to rt l?i U5 o IN d Ti< CL E ' ' ■ V « 3. c o o lO o o o o o o O O o (-1 o -* (N CO "=' zr 05 05 o 1 tI 1 to O CD CD in ■^ « CD CO 0 rt -H TO ^^ ^ ^ lO Td< ^ ^ CD CO < 1/3 t/) eic« OJcfl (i CiJ DS k; ci PJtAl t/1 t/3 Tf! CD ^ lO >c -^ t-^ t^ o t-^ TO TO 00 t-^ ^ ! o ^ o _ o _ o »c ^ . ^ o -H TO c ■O 1 lO C*2 IN TO T)< TO C-l IN 1 i o o o o O O _^ o lO o ^ CO CO ^H IN p^ O CO o ^ 1- ^ Tf IN TO CO t^ 00 cc 00 l^ -* o o ^ vo o ^ l^ ^ C-1 O X ■T^ o O o 02 00 lO 1C5 >n o 1— ( ^ ^ O CD ■* o CO IN 'M ! 1 TO ■* lO CO lO •* TO (l- a s US E 3 u c 3 3 bo u lU u JO n s o u V o z D OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU BEGION 99 JS i fa ut- u u fe^- J< ^ ■ a, u •a u s S"' K IE ^- 0. o CO O o »r3 OS S § « o o (N O CO to I^ CO -HO I 00 ^ »-H si CO -* o4 CO r-i '^ id ^' (U z 1 = o O o o o o o IC lO yi d r^ t-^ oi d d ^ r-1 t 1 CO 1 7 O) CO lO ^ CO (N T u 3 >! o o o o o o o Is 00 ■* s CO 0^ ■d^ d CO CO 06 d l:~ 00 t- CO IC -* >-l 1 « t~ « 00 J:- lO CO 00 co cc 10 r^ n CO 00 M 00 t^ CO t- 00 OS (N «> 6 t6 (>i lO CO ^ 06 ■* cc "^ S" 1 1 CO "* U5 CO »n -* 10 (N „ a ^ 2 fa S2 to o fc • ^1 4> (4 K J . ci. o o — o (M O CO cc 00 r^ ^1 o o -1 o 04 O CO OS OS 10 -H lO 00 CO d t^ ei CO " ^ cc d d to i « C/} C/3 Dioi Pit/1 Pi Pi Pi Pi 0; Pivi V) rt* d Q-g ■<* OJ r-H CO ■^ rt ■* -*■ id CO o IC ■* cc (N Oi a ^ ■ < Z O >< Xl u J= XI W b ;« J3 u u en s .o s >< s 1 >-> 2 a, ^ s a 9 f— 1 ■3 3 100 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES ^ Oh E u CS o 0, !0 o eJ k; u 0) o z o d o CO o Z z o _ _, o ^ ^ o O O o <>) en ^H CD !> Oi Oi "^ 0^ CO CO t^ CO o iC ^ ^ -t X; X OH CO -^ OS lO x> '' ^ •^ a. >. 3 bo u J3 X S E o V u o o 4J o Z Q OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 101 little autumn weather, as is experienced in the vicinity of Mont- real. Thus up to the end of the first week in September the leaves of the deciduous trees were remarkably green, but at this period and in two days' time, they had completely changed colour, assuming their full autumnal tints. The advent of spring is equally rapid, for usually the end of the first week in June sees the disappearance of the snow from the ground, and the ice from the lakes, while the trees burst forth into fuU foliage in the space of only a few days. On fine days, when not fouled, by smoke from forest fires, the atmosphere is remarkably clear, and one is enabled to see mountains quite distinctly, which are from 30 to 40 miles distant. This re- markable clearness of the atmosphere is shown, in many of the photo- graphs taken from the tops of the various mountains. The measurements of the rainfall, as recorded in the tables which accompany this report, are surprisingly low, the mean of the five years of which the records are preserved, being 12.14 inches. The greatest rainfall was in 1897, when 16.93 inches fell, and the lowest wa^ in 1900, when 9.46 inches is given as the result of the observations. The mean snowfall is nearly 72 inches, the greatest snowfall in any one year, of which we have a statement, being 84.1 inches (1899), and the smallest 51.5 inches (1898). This gives a total mean precipitation of 19.34 inches (10 inches snow = 1 inch rain), less than half of what it is at the city of Quebec (40.46 inches), and considerably less than Ottawa (33.22 inches). Port Arthur has an annual precipitation of perhaps less than this (1885 = 18.84 inches), while Winnipeg has still less (1885 ^= 15.50 inches). August is generally the month in which most of the rain falls, although in occasional seasons July exceeds it in this regard. February and March are usually the months in which there are the heaviest snowfalls; April, May, and June are in most years sur- prisingly free from rain or snow. Although the rainfall is thus abnormally small, the experience of the past summer showed it very constant, and hardly one whole day a week passed without either a continual drizzle (the so called Scotch mist) or showers. Thunderstorms were not very frequent, but they occurred at intervals, even during very cool weather. That the climate is prevailingly moist during the summer months is evidenced by the rank growths of moss and Labrador tea. The temperature is dependent on the wind, and a eahn day was very 102 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES rare, during our sojourn at the lake. Steady rain usually came with southeast, south, or even southwest winds. The west and northwest winds caused decidedly cool but clear weather, north and northeast winds were usually heavy winds with showery wea- ther, while an east wind very often was a sign of fine weather, until it turned towards the southeast, when rain almost invariably fol- lowed. SOIL. As a rule there is a very scanty covering of soil, and over large areas the rounded and glaciated rocks are directly overlaid by peat and moss. In places, however, there is a considerable amount of glacial detritus. This loose material is decidedly sandy in its composition, with a very small proportion of clay, and, therefore, possesses very little fertility. Along the sides of the river valleys, where this unmodified drift has been re-arranged by stream action, the sand is much finer, and, being mixed with some alluvium, is considerably more fertile, but by far the larger proportion of such land is low, swampy, and subject to flooding, and thus undesirable for farming purposes. The natural reforesting of burnt tracts seems also to be unduly -prolonged, by reason of the prevailing sandy and sterile soil. The soil, in the vicinity of Mistassini Post, is a sandy clay with a considerable amount of finely intermixed calcareous matter, derived from the underlying limestones. AGKICULTURE. The scarcity, and, at times, complete absence of soil, and its prevailing sterility when present in the Chibougamau region, seems to preclude the possibility of this territory ever being developed agriculturally, even if the usual rigour of its climate would permit extensive farming operations to be successfully undertaken. As already mentioned, the mean temperature of the three summer months (July-September) is 52.5°, while that of Moose Factory, on James Bay, over a hundred miles further north, is 57.2°. Differ- ence in altitude, rather than latitude, seems to have a much greater effect in the production of this great decrease in the summer tem- perature; while, in addition, the Chibougamau region, being on fhe borders of the Labrador plateau, seems to share in its undesir- able climatic conditions. Frost occurs in every month of the year. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 103 except July, and even tkis month is not always free from this deterrent effect on agriculture. In these circumstances very few determined, or weU directed efforts, have been made to carry on extensive farming operations. At Mistassini Post, probably the most favourable locality, both as regards soil and climate, in the whole of the surrounding country, the factor in charge every year experiences the greatest difficulty in raising a comparatively small crop of potatoes, owing to the annually recurring frosts, more or less severe, about the end of the second week in August. Attempts have been made at this place to grow oats, barley, and wheat, but without success.^ In another report Low mentions his attempts at a farm garden in the following words ^: "In the spring, as soon as the frost was out of the groimd, I sowed garden peas, beans, com, and turnips. On August 20th, the peas were beginning to fill the pods, the beans were in flower, and the corn only eighteen inches above the ground; the turnips alone were doing nicely." Professor Gwillim, on cleared and carefully prepared ground, from which most of the coarser material and roots were removed, sowed radishes, turnips, onions, and lettuce. His favourite garden, to which he devoted great attention when at the headquarters camp, was sown on July 12th, on an area that had not been burnt over. Other seeds, on somewhat similar soil, which had been partially prepared by burning, showed distinctly better growth. All of these attempts were, however, unqualified failures, as is evident from an inspection of Plate XXXII, which is a reproduction from a photo- graph of Professor Gwillim 's garden, taken on the 1st of September. Mr. R. F. Stupart, Director of the Meteorological Office of Canada, under date of December 22nd, 1910, replying to certain questions from the Chairman of the Commission^ writes: "It would appear that while root crops may prove a success in some seasons, there is always a liability of their being injured or destroyed by summer frost. It is exceedingly doubtful whether the clearing of the land near the lake would have any appreciable effect towards lessening the frequency of summer frost, and the change required to ensure successful agriculture is considerable. There is, however, sub- stantial evidence that the clearing of the land in Ontario has had some such effect — the winters now being somewhat colder and ^Geol. Rep. Chibougamau Mining District, Geol. Surv., Ottawa, 1906, (No. 923), p. 16. ^^ Ann. Rep. Geo. Surv. Can., Vol. I, (N.S.), 1885, Part D, p. 16. 104 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUBCBS summers warmer than in the early days of settlement." It is, however, beginning to be recognized that climate is, in many in- stances, extremely local, and is dependent on a great many factors for a long time not fully understood or appreciated. One authority has stated that it is almost as easy to regulate the climate, within certain limitations, iii a given district as it is to control the tem- perature of any residence. Thus it would seem entirely possible that the clearing up of a much larger area, in the vicinity of Mistassini Post, would help to ameliorate the present severe con- ditions. The soil appears to be sufficiently fertile, so that if an additional two or three weeks without severe frosts could be secured, the potatoes would ripen so fully as to enable them to be kept through the greater part of the winter at lea^t. An abundant supply of this vegetable would greatly improve the present condition of the Indians who choose to make the interior of Labrador their home, and who without any knowledge or wish of bettering their lot, will still continue it as their place of residence. The Government might also offer some assistance in selecting or providing a potato which would require a shorter season for ripening. Previous writers on this subject have spoken of this district as possibly suitable for grazing purposes, but the great length and severity of the winters, the almost universal presence of mosses and lichens in place of grassy areas and slopes, would prevent its use even in this respect. There can, therefore, be no doubt that the settlement of even the comparatively fertile slopes of Mistassini, for purposes of agri- culture, is by no means encouraging, when there are such wide areas elsewhere in Northern Quebec far more suitable for such purposes. POEESTS. The whole of the region, under consideration, is included in the sub-arctic forest belt, as described by Professor John Macoun, of the Geological Survey of Canada,' and, except where denuded by recent fires, and in certain unfavourable locations, is thickly covered with a dense forest growth of the various character- "The Forests of Canada and their Distribution," Trans. Roy. Soc. Can., Vol. XII, Sect. IV, pp. 3-17. Plate XXXII. Professor Gwillim's garden, at headquarters' camp, Pointe aux Bouleaux, Portage island, Lake Chibougamau. OP THE CHIB0U6AMAU REGION 105 istie trees. The following nine species were particularly noted, and may be said to constitute the whole arborescent flora of the region in question : Proper Names. 1. Picea nigra (Link) . . 2. Picea alba (Link) . . . . 3. Pinus Banksiana (Lam) 4. Larix Americana . . (Michx) 5. Populus tremuloides (Michx) 6. Populus halsamifera (Linn) 7. Betula papyrifera. . (Michx) Synonyms In common Synonyms in common use (PrencJi). use (English). Black Spruce White Spruce Banksian pine Jackpine Pitchpine Tamarack Larch Aspen Poplar Balsam Poplar Balm of Gilead White Birch Canoe Birch 8. Abies balsamea (Linn) Balsam Fir Fir or Balsam Canadian Fir 9. Thuya occidentalis .... White Cedar Epinette noire Epinette blanche Cypres Epinette rouge Tremble Peuplier baumier Bouleau blane Bouleau a canot Sapin baumier Sapin rouge Cedre blane The black spruce {Picea nigra, Link) is by far the most abun- dant tree of this sub-arctic forest, and constitutes more than three- fourths of the total forest growth. It is most abundant in the valleys, and on the lower levels, and often in these situations forms a very dense growth of small trees. Along the margins of streams, and on certain gravel points these trees often grow in open spaces, the area intervening between the sparsely distributed individuals being deeply covered vnth a soft covering of moss, and usually more or less of the small bush or shrub known as Labrador tea. The open park-like effect thus produced is one of the most pleasant features in an otherwise forbidding or sombre forest landscape. Although usually preferring moister situations, the black spruce. 106 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL EESOUECES I under the peculiar climatic conditions here prevailing, often attains its largest growth along the sides of hills, and even on the summits of mountains, where there is an accumulation of boulder clay or till. In such situations, many of the trees over limited areas, would cut into logs eight or ten inches in diameter, and even this size is occasionally considerably exceeded, as in the vicinity of Lake Mistassini and around Lac Bourbeau. It is reported that black spruce trees, of four inches in diameter, are now being largely ueed in Newfoundland in pulp manufacture. If such 13 the case, and the region were more accessible, there would be a very large supply of such trees, especially in the region extending from the mouth of the Nikabau northwards. The proportion of trees suitable to be cut into logs for lumbering purposes seems too in- significant to be worthy of very serious attention. White spruce {Picea alba. Link) is often noticed, and though very generally distributed throughout this stretch of country, is by no means abundant. It is usually met with on the slopes and sum- mits of certain of the mountains, where there is sufficient soil (chiefly boulder clay) to support it. The finest specimens of this tree were found growing in the vicinity of Bourbeau and Dufauit lakes, and on Sorcerer Mountain. Some of the trees measured here varied in diameter from 16 to 22 inches. Pinus Banksiana, (Lam), usually called Jackpine, or banksian pine, but also sometimes referred to as pitch pine, scrub pine, grey pine, or bastard spruce, is very often encountered in the more barren and rocky areas (especially the dry sandy and gravel plains), and its presence seems an almost certain indication of the extreme poverty of the soil in which it is growing. It is, usually, in trees of small diameter, stunted in its growth, often crooked, and in open spaces its scraggy branches continue to the ground. Besides its prevalence on the higher and drier situations it also' shares in the habitat of the black spruce, and even the tamarack, in boggy places, around the margins of lakes, and along the banks of certain streams. In such locations the individual trees are often scraggy and branching, as well as stunted and crooked. With white birch, the banksian pine probably shares in the honour of occupying second place in point of num^bers. Larix Americana, (Michx), commonly referred to as tamarack or larch, but also called hacmatack (in the Maritime Provinces), and occasionally juniper, was abundant, but the ravages of the X < OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 107 larch sawfiy {Nematus Erichsonii) completely destroyed the whole of the trees in this region, (between the years 1888-1892)/ The new trees show a vigorous and substantial growth, having attained already, in some cases, a height of nearly 30 feet. In common with the black spruce, and also to some extent the bank- sian pine, and when present, the cedar, it affects the low lying areas and those portions of the forest where moisture may be readily and constantly secured, especially the swampy flats in the vicinity of lakes and streams. The white, canoe or paper birch, {Betula papyrifera, Michx) is also of very common occurrence, and in this respect it probably ranks with the banksian pine. Together with the aspen poplar {Populus tremuloides, Michx), it forms the prevailing second growth, in areas which have been recently swept by fire. Both species, in these instances, form very thick groves of tall and straight, though small, trees. Interspersed with the more preva- lent spruces, especially where the soil is deeper and better, are occasionally large trees, which are of sufficient size to furnish good bark for canoes. One such white birch, near the west end of Lake Dufault, measured 6.5 feet in circumference, while another, on the Bale du Gran Penche (Bourbeau lake) was 5.6 feet in circumfer- ence. It has been customary for the Mistassini Indians, until in very recent years, to secure the bark for the manufacture of their canoes, from this region, but they now seem to prefer the use of painted canvas in this connection. The balsam or rough barked poplar {Populus halsamifera, Linn), is a comparatively rare tree, as the soil is in general too poor and shallow to support it, but it was noticed in the vicinity of Mistassini Post. The balsam fir or balsam {Abies lalsamea, Linn) is also a comparatively rare tree. It was not noticed on the canoe route until the delta of the Nikabau was reached. A considerable num- ber were noticed growiag on Portage Island, in Lake Chibougamau. This tree is also very selective in its place of growth, preferring the margins of the larger streams and lakes, where there is soil con- taining the necessary moisture, together with a certain amount of nst Ann. Rep. Commn. Conservation, Ottawa, 1910, pp. 145-146, also Ann. Rep. Geol. Sur., Can., Vol. VIII, 1895, Part A, p. 79, Part L, pp. 30, 61, 62. 108 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES alluvium. As such suitable locations are by no means abundant or extensive, the tree is usually noticeable by its absence or circum- scribed range, and is often excluded when treating in general of the forest trees of the district. White Cedar {Thuya occidentaUs, Linn) was not observed on either the Chamuchuan or Chigobiche rivers until within about a mile of Chigobiche lake. In the Chibougamau Region, however, it is fairly abundant, along the edges of the various streams and lakes. Although sometimes of comparatively large diameter, near the base, it is stunted, and usually twisted or crooked in its growth, and is thus of little value for purposes for which it is generally used. It is replaced in making the ribs of canoes by the balsam, as the Mistassini Indians cannot get cedar of sufficient length and straightness of grain. The largest cedar tree noticed in the district was at the outlet of Lake Bourbeau, where one individual 9 feet in circumference at the base, was only about 30 feet in height. The northern limits of the white cedar corresponds very closely with the limits of the accompanying map sheet. The undergrowth in the woods is chiefly Labrador Tea, {Ledum latifolium) and laurel {Kalmia glauca) which, especially the former, grow in very thick masses, generally from three to five feet in height. On the northern side of the height of land, and especially on the northern slopes, the ground is covered to a con- siderable depth (generally from two to three feet, but sometimes more) with the bog moss "Sphagnum," with here and there small patches of the true "Reindeer" moss {Cladonia). A section of this, which has in many places been exposed from the top downward, shows : 1. A layer of the living bog moss, sphagnum; 2. A layer of pale brownish dead moss with partially decayed branches and trunks of bushes and trees. 3. A layer of much deeper coloured (brown) moss fibre, with some decayed fragments of trees, which, in turn, shows a gradual transition downwards into (4.) A layer of well matured peat, deep brownish to almost black in the lowest portions of the layer. In the lowest part of this layer the vegetable structure is often quite indistinct, and much of the material in the hollows and fissures shows a distinct passage to lignite. This moss, and ils lower layers of decomposition, form a deep and wondrously soft carpet, which, on account of its soft yielding "A OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 109 nature and thickly disseminated remnants of fallen branches and trees, renders travelling exceedingly difficult and tiresome. At the same time it forms a very effectual and complete mantle, entirely concealing the underlying rocks, even on some of the steepest slopes and declivities. Prevalence and depth of this moss, in most cases, presents an almost insuperable barrier to economical prospecting, the thick, tough, and tangled mass being removed only with great difficulty and labour. This moss and Labrador Tea grow luxuriantly on certain portions of the lake shores, especially gravel points, with here and there a black spruce, the whole producing a beautiful open park-like effect, which is very pleasing after the thick sombre foliage of the dense black spruce forest. The low lying banks of most of the rivers, lakes, and swamps, are usually fringed with dense thickets of several kinds of willow. rOREST FIRES. Many of the early travellers, in this and neighbouring dis- tricts, mention the prevalence of forest fires, and comment on the great devastation and losses as their result. In the con- flagration of 1870, a large part of the forests south of the height of land, and eastward from the St. Maurice, was almost completely destroyed, and many of the early settlers of the Lake St. John district lost everything. In this, one of the greatest fires of which we have any record, the whole of the region in the vicinity of the Chibougamau river, as far as its junction with the Chief river, was swept. Richardson makes a rather brief reference to this fire, in his report.' The territory affected still bears unmistakable evidence of the thoroughness with which the fire did its work, the bare rocky hills and steep slopes being still rather thinly clothed with a small second growth of aspen, poplar, white birch, banksian pine, and spruce, in the midst of which are the charred and black- ened stumps of the original forest, the whole contributing to a barren and desolate scene. In the region embraced by the examination of the past summer, by far the larger portion of the surface is covered either with what may be described as very old or virgin forest, as in the area immedi- 'Ann. Rep. Geol. Sur. Can., 1870-71, p. 297. 110 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL EESOUBCES ately adjacent to Lakes Bourbeau and Dufault, or with second growth of forty years and upwards. Since the time of the wide- spread conflagration of 1870, only occasional and for the most part small patches, have been burnt over. Perhaps the largest of these tracts of country which have been so desolated by fire extends from the northeast side of Dore lake, northeast to Wakonichi, passing the east end of Lake Bourbeau, and covered most of the region between the summit of" Gumming mountain and Lac Vert, on the portage route between Chibougamau and Wakonichi lakes. This fire took place during the early part of July of last year (1910), and all the forest trees in the region described were either burnt or killed, with the exception of some comparatively small patches in low. and swampy lands, over a superficies of about 25 square miles. In this season also a small patch was burnt on one of the islands, in the eastern portion of Lake Obatogamau. During 1906, and especi- ally in 1907, when prospecting seems to have been most active in this territory, there were many, and some of them extensive, bush fires. The largest area burnt over at this time is situated to the west and southwest of Asinitchibastat lake, where at least 20 square miles were denuded of their forest covering. There is also a considerable burnt area, on the Chibougamau, immediately south - of the town line between Blaiklock and jMcKenzie, while still an- other area was noticed extending along and on both sides of the Barlow river, above its confluence with the Kawasachuan river. Other smaller patches were noticed on the small lake between the Nikabau lakes, and on the east side of Asinitchibastat, close to the inlet (Chibougamau river). The causes of such fires have often been mentioned,' but in most of these eases they appear to have been caused by the negligence of the prospectors. Some of the fires may have been started by amateur prospectors in order to facilitate prospecting, but the areas over which these fires have passed are now almost impassable. It is difficult, except after a very long dry spell, which sometimes (as during last spring) occurs, to set fire to the bush, but the fire once started during such a time is soon beyond control, and the depth of the moss and imdergrowth requires from a week to ten days of almost contiaual rain to effectually quench it. 'See Ann. Rep. Gaol. Sur. Can., Vol. 1, 1885, Part B, p. 37; Vol. VIII, 1895, pp. 36, 98. I o •a Id a W ■3 3 OF THE CHIBOQGAMAU REGION 111 FAUNA. There were no signs of any of the larger animals belonging to the deer tribe, although five moose {Alee Americanus) were re- ported as having been shot two years ago, a short distance southeast of the Hudson's Bay Company's Post, at Lake Mistassini. Occa- sional individuals or small bands of the woodland caribou (Bangifer Caribou) are said to wander as far to the southwest as the Chibou- gamau Region during very severe winters but such visitors are, no doubt, rare. Father Albanel particularly de- scribes the abundant presence of moose as far north as Lake Nemiskau, but since that time, so far as this stretch of coun- Plate XXXVI. Mistassini Post (Hudson's Bay Co.) at Narrows, Lake Mistassini. try is concerned, both moose and caribou have become extinct. In these circumstances the Indians are compelled to live wholly on fish, rabbits, and many of the fur-bearing animals and birds that are trapped or shot, and which in other areas of our northland would be considered as wholly unsuitable for human food. Even the loons, hawks, and kingfishers are eagerly devoured in their insatiable desire for fresh meat. Of the larger animals, the black bear (Ursus Americanus) is very abundant, especially in the vicinity of Sorcerer mountains, but signs of its presence were noticed almost everywhere in travelling through the woods. The shooting or capture of a bear is an occasion of great rejoicing, and 112 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES a feast is at once inaugurated, and continued or repeated at short intervals until the whole of its flesh is devoured. Of the smaller fur-bearing animals the following are deserving of special mention, otter, beaver, mink, marten, fisher, lynx, fox, and muskrat. The skin of the otter (Lutra Canadensis) , and the sable or marten {Mustela Americana) are especially prized, on account of their soft thick fur, and its particularly dark colour. The beaver {Castor Fiber), the mink {Putorius vison), the stoat or ermine {Putorius erminius), the fisher {Mustela pennantii) , and the muskrat {Fiber zibethicus) are also met with and many of them, especially the mink and the muskrat, are abundant. The minks are usually small, but possess a dark, glossy and soft fur, which is especially prized. The porcupine {Erethizon dorsatus) and the hare or rabbit {Lepus Americanus) are not uncommon. Besides these there are occasional chipmunks {Tamias straitus) and red squirrels or chickaree {Sciurus hudsonius), but they are not by any means as plentiful as in the areas to the south. The Chibougamau Region seems especially suitable as a place of residence for these valuable fur-bearing animals, and with a little care and protection they could be greatly increased in numbers. Their conservation should be a very live question in the politics of our country, and especially in the Province of Quebec, where there are such very wide districts which seem so entirely suitable for the propagation of these species.' No special attention was devoted to noting the presence or habits of the birds of this area, but a few observations regarding the most noticeable ones may not be out of place in this connection. Ducks are, as a rule, comparatively scarce throughout the greater part of this territory, chiefly because of the marked absence of wild rice, their favourite food. There are, however, several very not- able exceptions to the rule, and the shallow and swampy bays and river stretches which often prevail, especially on Rush lake, are favourite resorts for a rather large number of ducks, and among these were especially noticeable many fine specimens of the black duck {Anas obscura). The merganser or saw bill {Merganser Am- ericanus) is also very familiar and widespread along the numerous waterways and rivers, especially at or near the foot of small rapids. A species of diver {Podilymbus podiceps?) is also not uncommon. " 1st. Ann. Rep. Commn. Conservation, Can., 1910, pp. 100-113. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 113 The great northern diver or loon {Vrinator imher) is also a common inhabitant of the district, and very large and handsome specimens were noticed, but these birds are by no means as abundant as fur- ther south. Both the large herring gull and certain smaller gulls were seen, two of their favourite nesting places being on the rocky islets, in the large western bay of Lake Dore, and on some of the bare rocky and bouldery islets of Lake Chibougamau. The osprey or fishhawk (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) was also very often seen, making its nest not far from the water and on the summit of some of the larger white spruces. Partridges, both the ruffled grouse or white partridge {Bonasa uvibellus togata), and the Canada grouse or spruce partridge {Dendragapus Canadensis) were seen, but are by no means abundant. The belted kingfisher {Ceryle alcyon) is a rather common denizen of the region frequenting, as usual, the banks of certain streams and lakes, where the fishing is good. Fish are exceedingly abundant in nearly all of the lakes, although Wakonichi and Chibougamau are perhaps worthy of special mention in this respect, not only on account of the abund- ance, but also by reason of the unusually large size and unfailing good quality of its fish, for even in midsummer all of the species are firm and palatable, due, no doubt, to the prevailing cold water. The lake or rock sturgeon {Acipenser ruhicundus) is taken in the western part of Obatogamau lake, and also along the Obatogamau river, but has not been found in the lakes immediately surrounding Chibougamau. Prom an economic standpoint, the lake trout {Salvelinus namaycush) , the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) , and the whitefish {Coregonus clupeiformis) are the most important, as they are not only abundant and widely distributed, but form the usual article of diet among the small band of Indians who make Mistassini their head- quarters. The lake trout grows to a very large size in Chibou- gamau, Wakonichi, and Mistassini lakes, especially in the latter, where, occasionally, individuals 40 pounds in weight are taken. Brook trout is especially abundant in Wakonichi and Chibougamau lakes, and very fine and large specimens may be secured on the Rapid river, which flows into the northeast corner of Chibougamau lake. Many of these, with beautiful firm and deep red flesh, weigh from 4 to 6 pounds. Small speckled trout, from a quarter to half a pound in weight, were caught with rod and fly, on the Chigo- biche river, near Chigobiche lake. 114 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES The pike-perch or pickerel (Stizostedium vitreum), often called the dore, is next to the trout and whitefish, the most valuable food fish found in the region. This fish abounds in all of the lakes, but is especially plentiful in Dore lake. Many of this species secured weighed from eight to ten pounds. Both the com- mon pike {Esox lucius), and the great pike or maskinonge (Esox nobilior) are caught, although the former, often very large, is by far the more abundant, being a common inhabitant of nearly all the lakes. Other fishes, which might be mentioned, are several species of sucker, (white, black, and red) and the silver chub or witouche {Semotilus corporalis), but these are not of any great value as food fishes, although they often grow to very large size, and their flesh is unusually firm in the cold, clear waters of the lakes. The complete absence of bass is worthy of special remark. Indian camps, used for fishing purposes, were noticed at Specu- lar Point, on Outlet Bay, of "Wakoniehi lake. Until within a few years ago the Hudson's Bay Company made this the scene of their annual catch, succeeding in the space of about ten days, during the spawning season, early in October, in filling the available barrels with fine fish for the winter supply of Mistassini Post. At present this fishing ground is not used to any great extent, as it was aband- oned for a more convenient locality on Poonichuan Bay, on Mis- tassini lake. Another apparently good fishing ground is on the northern side of Wakoniehi lake, a short distance south of the portage over the height of land into the headquarters of the Bar- low river, on the route to Waswanipi. Still another fishing place is in the southern part of Wakoniehi lake, on the northern shore of Spa^vning Bay, near Pointe Misere. Fish is the chief, and often the only, article of food of the Mistassini Indians. During the summer months, when women and children are gathered together in residence at Mistassini Post, in the absence of the able bodied men, on their annual trip to Kupert House, there is often a scarcity of fish, as very few of them wiU go any distance from the Post to set their nets. Much unnecessary suffering and privation are at such times experienced, especially on the part of the old, sick and infirm members of the band, who are unable, even if they were willing, to make the necessary exertion to secure an abundant supply of fish, which is always available at no very great distance. The fisheries of these lai^e lakes would undoubtedly afford a very great revenue from their prosecution, if ■a d .2 OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 115 the district was of easy conununieation, but it is questionable whether they would not be very soon depleted if subjected to an extensive or constant operation. In the meantime, they serve as the chief means of subsistence of a branch of the human family who are, to say the least, deprived of most of the comforts and enjoyments of existence, while at the same time they serve to appease the hunger, and thus bring a certain gratification to those who have to sojourn for any length of time in this, for the most part, rather inhospitable region. NATIVE INHABITANTS. There are no Indians or other inhabitants permanently resi- dent in the area immediately surrounding Lake Chibougamau, but , each year it affords a place of temporary residence for certain members of the Mistassini band who desire to fish, hunt, or procure bark for their canoes. Occasionally some of these residing at Waswanipi, to the west, or some of the Montagnais Indians or half- breeds from Pointe Bleue, on Lake St. John, pay a visit to this district for hunting purposes. The Mistassini band, or tribe, are a branch of the great Algon- quin family. They seem to possess certain of the characteristics of both the Naskapis, of the interior of Labrador and the coast or swampy Crees, who claim the shores of Hudson Bay as their home. They speak a dialect of the Algonquin language, which is distinct from the Montagnais of Lake St. John, with whom they cam. only converse with difficulty. This dialect seems to be a mixture of the Ojibwa and Cree languages. They are usually short and of rather poor physique, although some of the more energetic of the band are exceptions to this rule. Many of them show very distinct evi- dence of their contact with the whites. They exist, for it can scarcely be called living, by hunting, and this pursuit, if followed earnestly and assiduously, would afford them at the least an ample and comfortable living, but with very few exceptions they are un- commonly lazy and shiftless, with little or no thought of providing for the morrow. There are about 30 heads of families, and the whole band now numbers about 160 souls. The absence of any members of the deer tribe in the country, and the frequent scarcity of rabbits, partridge, duck or other natural food products, forces the Hudson's Bay Company to import a comparatively large amount of 116 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES provisions, especially flour, but the supply at Mistassini is always less than the demand. This condition of affairs is explained, by those chiefly responsible, as due to the undoubted fact that if an abundant or even ample supply of food was provided there would be very little, if any, hunting. A condition, therefore, just a little short of starvation is one which seems to be the only means to com- pel the unwilling and lazy native to hunt, and thus be able to exchange the fur so secured, for the usual creature comforts. It is reasonably certain, therefore, that without the presence and fore- sight of the Hudson's Bay Company, the cases of starvation, which Plate XXXIX. The Indian Quarter, Mistassini Post. are not imcommon during the severe winters, would be greatly in- creased. The man at present in charge of the Hudson's Bay Company's Post at Mistassini, and who succeeded Mr. William ]\Iiller, in 1905, is Mr. Joseph L. Iserhoff, formerly in control at Nichikun. During the summer all of the willing and able bodied men descend the Marten and Rupert rivers to Rupert House, to get their annual supplies, which have arrived in the ship from England dur- ing the previous summer. They usually start on or about the 20th of June, and the first canoes return about the middle of August, as they usually have to return as far as Nemiskau lake for a second load before the close of the season. During the winter of 1909-10, OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 117 for the first time a comparatively large amount of flour and other provisions were brought in under contract from Lake St. John and deposited in a cache at the end of the second portage from the lake on the inlet, into the east end of O'batogamau lake. In the early part of last September (1910) a small storehouse was built on an island, in the eastern part of Obatogamau lake, not far from the inlet, and the present intention is that each year aU of the flour and much of the other provisions will be brought to this place during the early spring, so that they can be brought to Mistassini Post at the first open water. In this way it is hoped to secure a better and more abundant supply with less exertion, and at a considerably reduced cost. All of the Mistassini Indians profess Christianity, and are ad- herents of the Church of England. Although earnest and very- devout in their religious exercises, they have not entirely freed themselves from some of their old superstitions and customs. The missionary is Charles Iserhofi', a brother of Joseph Iserhoff, who is in charge of the Post. He is assisted by a lay reader, who, together with the missionary, have received their training at the larger Church of England missions on Hudson Bay. 118 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES CHAPTER VI. GENERAL GEOLOGY. GENERAL STATEMENT. The several geological systems and formations represented in the Chibougamau Region may be tabulated as follows, in descending order : TABLE OP FORMATIONS. I. Sedimentary 1. Cenozoic a. Post Glacial or Modern. Peat mosses, sands (Quaternary) and gravels. B. Pleistocene or Glacial. Boulders and boul- Unconformity. der clay or tiU. 2. Palaeozoic C. Lower Ordovician? Mistassini lime- stones, etc. ( Unconformity) Line of junction not observed ; for the most part at least concealed by the drift. 3. Proterozoic D. Lower Euronian. Slates, sandstones, arkoses a,nd con- glomerates. Unconformity. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 119 Aechean or Archeozoic II. Igneous E. Laurentian. Igneous Unconformity. F. Anorthosite. Igneous Unconformity. G. Keewatin. Granites, granite and diorite- gneiss. Serpentine and pyroxenite ; de- formed quartz- porphyry and porphyrites, ba- salts, diabases and gabbros. The geological formations represented in the Chibougam-au Region belong to the 'Archeozoic (Archean), Proterozoie, Paleozoic, and Cenozoic Eras. They are separable, as shown in the above table, into two grand sub-divisions, based on their origin — I. Sedimentary, II. Igneous. The sedimentary rocks belong to the Cenozoic, Palaeozoic, and Proterozoie Eras, and are divisible into four formations: A. Post- Glacial; B. Pleistocene; C. Lower Ordovician, and D. Lower Huronian. It will thus be seen at a glance that the geological record is very incomplete, great lapses in geological time being altogether unrepresented in the sequence of formations. The Archean or Archeozoic formations are all of igneous origin and are separable into three distinct groups, readily distin- guished from one another, and each of which underlies a consider- able area of country. These groups are (E) Granites and gneisses, usually classified as Laurentian, (P) Anorthosite, and (G) Kee- watin greenstones and schists. The Post-Glacial deposits of stratified sand and gravels, with some alluvium found in certain of the valleys and flats between the mountains, and in the vicinity of the various lakes and rivers, are the complementary or modified portions of the underlying boulder clay or till, from which they have been mainly derived. These areas of drift, as well as others made up of the bare glaciated rocks, are usually covered with a thick carpet of sphagnum moss, passing beneath by progressive stages of decay, into peat. 120 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES The Pleistocene deposits, in the Chibougamau Region proper, are made up of the unmodified boulder clay with a large propor- tion of intermixed sand and gravel, and accumulations of boulders, of morainie and drumlin formation. Most of this loose material is of local origin, being due to the degradation of the underlying rock formations, but a considerable portion of the erratics have travelled comparatively long distances from their source to the northeast. Boulders of Mistassini limestone, outcropping over 40 miles distant, are found on certain of the shores and islands of Lake Chibougamau. The movement of the ice during the Glacial Period has been in a general direction of south-south-west, there being a gradual shifting from a southerly to a more westerly direction, as exemplified by the divergence in the two sets of strife (S. 30° W. to S. 40° W.) impressed and preserved upon some of the rock surfaces. Very narrow and comparatively long points, run- ning in the direction of the earlier set of strise (S. 30° W.), and made up principally, if not altogether, of coarse gravel and boulders, are doubtless of drumlin formation. The Mistassini limestones were first included as Cambrian by Low, because of their resemblance to the Cambrian rocks of the east side of James Bay.^ Later, in 1906, he considered them as resembling the Upper Huronian limestones about Lake Superior, iind so classified them.' Richardson, who examined them first, made no attempt to fix their geological position, being content to refer to them as ' ' f ossilif erous limestones, ' ' remarking at the same time that "the only fossils observed were an orthoeeratite and an obscure coral, neither of which could be determined. ' ' ° The Commission could not make any lengthy examination or detailed study of these rocks, but on grounds of lithological similarity, their uninterrupted stratigraphical succession and their general undis- turbed condition, as well as the practically unaltered character of the component limestones, dolomites, and sandy shales seem to them to furnish very strong presumptive evidence of their being consider- ably younger than Cambrian. They would refer them possibly to the Lower Ordovician. Certain supposed fossils of stromatoporoid "Ann. Rep. Geol. Sur. Can., 1885, Part D, p. 31; 1895, Part L, pp. 266-268. = Geol. Rep. Chibougamau Min. Reg., 1906, p. 31. = Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 1870-71, p. 295. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 121 appearance were collected and submitted to Di;. W. A. Parks, of Toronto University, the recognized authority. After carefully- examining the thin sections under the microscope, he found that there was "no trace of true stromatoporoid structure, but the form might easily be ascribed to Cryptozoon. ' ' The accompanying illus- tration (Plate XLV) shows a slab made up almost entirely of the supposed fossil forms. The Lower Huronian is here referred to the lowest position in the Proterozoic, rather than included with the Archean, as perhaps has been most usual, in direct recognition of the great unconformity existing at the base of this formation, perhaps the greatest in geological history. As geological surveys progress in their examination of the earth's surface open to in- spection, the conviction of an unparalleled hiatus, almost world- wide in its distribution and recognition at the summit of the Archeozoic or .Archean, becomes more firmly established in the minds of all geologists. At the same time is has become evident that the diastrophism, to which most of the constituent rocks of the Archeozoic owe their deformation and alteration, belongs to several distinct periods, probably separated by considerable lapses of geo- logical time. It is also recognized that the various agencies of metamorphism contributing to the decomposition and deforma- tion of these old crystallines, were more or less active and intense in different regions during and after the deposition of the lowest beds, at least of the Lower Huronian, causing disturbance in the lower strata and the development of a schistose structure, at times rude and indistinct, but in certain places very apparent and extensive. This secondary parallel structure is quite similar and usually in conformity with that developed in the unconformably underlying Keewatin crystallines. The discordance at the base of the Lower Huronian represents a great unconformity therefore, because the crystalline rocks of the Archeozoic had all been consolidated or deposited, upheaved, folded and deformed and eroded before the deposition of the Lower Huronian sediments upon their upturned edges. The Lower Huronian is, in large part, a true epiclastic forma- tion, the various strata being composed of more or less comminuted and assorted fragments of all of the underlying Archean crystallines. At the base of the series is usually a conglomerate made up of com- paratively large angular, sub-angular and rounded fragments, 122 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES derived from the degradation of the underlying granites, anortho- site, greenstones and schists. The individuals of granite, of several species and different colours, are the largest and most abundant, while those of greenstone and schist are usually much smaller and of less frequent occurrence. These are embedded in a dark green- ish matrix, made up chiefly of very small pieces of feldspar and quartz, with a much larger proportion of chlorite and sericite. These conglomerates, when resting directly upon the Keewatin, often contain very few pebbles, while the greenish chloritic matrix in which the pebbles are embedded, is by far the more abundant portion of the rock. Where, however, they rest directly upon the granites or gneisses of the Laurentian, the lower beds are con- glomerate or arkose, made up almost altogether of the broken up fragments of the granite. The Lower Huronian presents a tran- sition, upward from a basal conglomerate, usually into arkose or arkose-quartzite, this in turn to a comparatively dark grey or greenish grey feldspathie sandstone, and this again upward into slates, which sometimes show the cleavage planes as quite distinct from those due to bedding. Sometimes there is an alternation of coarser and finer grained sediments, so that at the tops of some of the hills, as on Wako mountain, we find in the upper beds a com- paratively coarse conglomerate, while further down the hill were noticed strata of sandstone and slate. The groups of rocks included in the Arehean or Archeozoic, form for the most part an igneous complex made up of rock types of very variable chemical and mineralogical composition, extending from ultra basic to the most acid species. The rocks composing the several groups are all very intimately associated with one another, coming into unconformable juxtaposition as a result of separate intrusion. Although placed in the order of their relative age it must be distinctly understood that none of these groups represents a true time series, as the later sedimentary formations, although their presence at the earth's surface seems to denote more or less distinct and probably prolonged periods of geological time. Their different periods of intrusion may, and probably have been, very closely synchronous, and the great deformation and alteration of the one series may have been caused by the large displacement and metamorphic action of the later intrusives. The mention of these groups, in this order and with such prominence, is simply to give evidence to their distinctive physical characteristics, which OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 123 enables their easy separation and the mapping of their distribution, occupying as they do comparatively large and important areas. The Archean or Archeozoic era in the Chibougamau region, as elsewhere, was characterized by successive periods of great and probably prolonged volcanism, as well as by unexampled diastro- phism, whereby the various members have been subjected to intense deformation and decomposition. This dynamic metamorphism, extending in extreme cases to very advanced, if not quite complete, recrystallization and re- arrangement of the constituent minerals, was not equalled in any other geological era. In these circumstances, therefore, the in- terpretation of the exact relations obtaining between the several groups, as well as of the individual rock types composing them, is usually exceedingly difficult, and in some cases impossible. Geo- logical examinations in other areas of the great northern shield or protaxis have seemed to demonstrate the existence of a succession of several distinct formations, but for the present purpose and applied to the Chibougamau Region, it is sufficient and less confusing to recognize the three great classes (as shown in the table of forma- tions) as making up the Archean (E.) a great granitoid or gneissic series, (F.) a gabbroid group whose prevalent type is anorthosite, and (G.) an extensive development of greenstones and greenschists. The great greenstone and schist series, or possibly group of series, is included as the Keewatin formation, a name originally proposed by Dr. Andrew C. Lawson,' and which has since come into very general use, especially in Canada, to denote the oldest part of the Archean, of which we have at present any knowledge. In the region under description they consist, for the most part, of altered and deformed lava flows of basic and intermediate com- position, with some hypabyssal rock types and occasional restricted outcrops of plutonie species, together with a much smaller propor- tion of pyroelastic material (volcanic tuffs and breccias). In addition, there are occasional small areas of higher altered quartzite. The transformation into the schistose form is, as a rule, quite com- plete, although in some places and over limited areas, the massive condition of the original eruptive is retained. Later these rocks were invaded by immense intrusions of molten rock, the greater portion of which crystallized as anorthosite. This ^Ann. Rep. Geol. Sur. Can., 1885, Part C. C, pp. 10-15. 124 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES igneous complex of Keewatin and anorthosite was in turn invad«d by a magma, which subsequently was consolidated into the granites and gneisses of the Laurentian formation. Both the anorthosite and granite intrusions were in the form of extensive batholiths, which subsequent uplift and profound truncation of the whole region have exposed at the surface, thus apparently constituting them great formations in themselves. While the batholithic in- trusion of anorthosite is peculiar to this district, and thus only of local importance, the granites and gneisses are regarded as precisely similar to what in other areas have come to be widely known as the Laurentian formation. This name was applied, in the first place, in the belief that they constituted the basal series, and afterwards because they were regarded as portions of the original crust of the earth, which had undergone successive fusions and recementa- tions.^ In view of these facts the International Committee on the correlation of the pre-Cambrian Rocks, reported as follows " : "As the great intrusions of gneissic granite, forming, what has been termed the Fundamental Gneiss, have an enormously great areal development, constituting as they do a very large part of the whole northern protaxis, the Committee recommend that the term Lauren- tian be restricted to this great development of igneous gneisses." It seems entirely probable that the intrusion of these immense batho- liths was the principal factor in the development of the schistose structure of the Keewatin formation, while the accompanying magmatic waters, especially those present during the irruption of the granites and gneisses, were responsible for the extensive metamor- phism and recrystallization, not only of the disrupted and distorted Keewatin, but also of the anorthosite. The development of the foliated structure in the granites, in contradistinction of that of the Keewatin, was produced not so much by the smashing and shearing of solid rocks, but is a parallel structure imparted while the rock was still in a molten, or, a+ most, only partially consolidated con- dition. It is, therefore, an original structure developed as a result 'Ann. Rep. Geol. Sur. Can., 1887-1888, Part F, p. 131; Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. IV, p. 331. Ann. Rep. Geol. Sur. Can., Vol. X, 1897, Part I, p. 44. = Journ. of Geol., Feb.-March, 1905; Vol. XV, No. 3, 1907. Sum- Kcp. Geol. Surv. Can., 1907 ; Geol. Haliburton and Bancroft Areas (Memoir No. (>.), Dept. of Mines, Canada, Geol. Sur. Br., 1910, p. 402. OF THE CHIB0U6AMAU REGION 125 of the application of differential movements and stresses during tlie process of cooling. Some specimens of olivine diabase were collected by Mr. Merrill from the east shore of Lake Dore, and also from one of the islets in the small bay from which the portage runs from Lake Dore to the southwest arm of Lake Chibougamau. Without any serious or lengthy examination of limited exposures these were thought to be either basic portions of the prevailing Laurentian gneiss or Kee- watin fragments caught up in it, but the microscope at once revealed their identity with similar rocks which, in the form of dykes, cut the Lower Huronian in other districts. It is probable that they are thus geologically related in this region, although this has not been ascertained. In hand specimens the rock is a dark greenish grey, medium-textured diabase, with very distinct and typical ophitic structure. The thin section shows a remarkably fresh olivine- diabase made up chiefly of plagioelase, augite and olivine, together with a little reddish brown biotite. The plagioelase is, as a rule, quite fresh and glassy, although in places it shows incipient decom- position. It is in well-twinned tabular or lath-shaped crystals, which have a well-marked ophitic arrangement. The extinction angles indicate a basic labradorite. The augite has a very irregular or jagged outline, pierced by the laths of plagioelase. It is of a reddish brown colour, and very distinctly pleochroie. The olivine occurs in more or less rounded pale yellow grains. It is often re- markably fresh, but many crystals show decomposition to serpen- tine. Apatite is very abundant, and together with ilmenite com- plete the list of important minerals. The areas covered by the several rock formations in the Chibou- gamau Region may be stated roughly as follows. Keewatin Formation 411 square miles Laurentian Formation 286 " „ Anorthosite Formation 99 " " Lower Huronian Formation 22 " " The unexplored and therefore unmapped area is equal to about 347 square miles. 126 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EBSOUECES I. QUATEENART. Under the names Pleistocene, Glacial Period, or the Great Ice Age, are included certain phenomena indicative of a very remark- able series of events in the geological history of Canada and the northern parts of the United States, as far south as about 37° 30'. The gradual refrigeration in climate inaugurated towards the close of the Tertiary, reached its climax in the first or greatest period of glaciation. During this time nearly one-half (the northeastern) of North America was buried beneath a "mer de glace," with an Plate XLI. Islet of drumlin formation, Lake Wakonichi. approximate area of 4,000,000 square miles. This immense glacier was of such a thickness that its onward flow was, for the most part, uninterrupted or undeflected even by the interposition of very con- siderable ridges or hills. Indeed, this indifference to natural ob- stacles was one of the most striking characteristics in the development and movement of this great field of ice. Correlation of the observed phenomena, and especially of the rock striae, shows that there were at least three gathering grounds or centres of maximum acciunulation of snow. The most easterly of these was situated in the highlands of Labrador, nearly midway between Hudson Bay and the North Atlantic Ocean, between 300 and 400 miles northeast of Chibou- OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 127 gamau lake, this glacier being known as the Labrador or Laurentide Ice Sheet. The second centre of dispersion was in the vicinity of the west coast of Hudson Bay, about latitude 60°, the resulting glacier being usually referred to as the Keewatin lee Sheet. While the third great glacier, known as the Cordilleran, had its origin in the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains. As far as the Chibougamau Region is concerned, the work of the Labrador Glacier need only be considered. From its central gathering ground, northeast of Chibougamau, the great Labradorean Ice Sheet spread out in all directions, attaining its maximum length of flow in a southwest direction, where it reached a distance of about 1,600 miles from the point of origin. In this direction it invaded the territory covered by the scarcely less important Keewatin lee Sheet. Although thus generally agreed as to the agency producing the various results witnessed, a considerable diversity of opinion exists among geologists as to whether the large number of observa- tions already made can be adequately explained on the theory of one great ice flow with minor oscillations, or of several distinct epochs of glaciation, each with its own proper ice mass, and separated from one another by interglacial periods during which milder climatic conditions prevailed. It is, however, easy to understand that, while areas situated near the border of the ice sheet may have enjoyed comparatively long interglacial periods, during which the climate was of such a genial character as to permit and favour the growth of a somewhat luxuriant vegetation, others, as in the present case of Chibougamau, near the centre of accumulation, showed very little, if any, amelioration of temperature. The divergence in existing strise observed throughout the Chibougamau Region seems perfectly explicable on the theory of differing phases of one great glacier, or the inequalities in the general slope of the surface on which the great ice sheet moved. The location of the first formed ice mass would of necessity be largely determined by the position of the highest land then existent in this region, which, as already mentioned, was in an area between 300 and 400 miles northeast of Chibougamau lake. It is a matter of assumption, although not susceptible of convincing proof, that the necessary great accumulation of snow for the pro- duction and maintenance of this great confluent ice sheet was accompanied, if not caused, by a vast differential uplift of this whole territory, increasing in amount to the northeast. It is now well understood that the motion of the ice is one resulting from its 128 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUBCES plasticity, resembling substantially the movement which obtains in an extremely thick and viscid fluid when spread upon any surface, and a supply of fresh material constantly added. It is, therefore, obvious that any inclination, however slight, of the underlying sur- face was in the first ease the determining cause of the general direc- tion of ice flow. This inward motion once imparted was continued, and depended subsequently, not so much on the nature of the land surface on which the glacier was moving, as upon the general slope of the upper surface of the glacier which inclination was imparted as a result of the great accumulation of snow and ice at the centre of radiation. The whole of the Chibougamau Region has been pro- foundly glaciated. The present topography has been the result of prolonged denudation and erosion, assisted to a considerable extent by subsequent glacial action, which simply removed the upper de- composed material from the higher elevations, to be deposited else- where in the neighbouring valleys, or in areas considerably removed to the southwest and south. The scouring action of this great glacier has exposed the undecomposed rock surfaces in the form of smooth and well-rounded hummocks or hills. These characteristically rounded forms, while the immediate results of glacial action, are more in- timately connected, as regards origin, with the ordinary processes^ of rock decay as applied to crystalline rocks whose customary tendency in this connection is to assume hemispherical or spheroidal outlines. The present surface is practically the limit to which pre-Glaeial decay had proceeded, and there is very little evidence of extensive deep abrasion or removal of the underlying solid rock. Throughout the whole of the Chibougamau Region, therefore, most of the rocky elevations have been made smooth, and in some cases even polished, while scratched and striated surfaces are very common. These glacial strife are usually long, more or less parallel, scratches varying in size from extremely fine lines, which can often only be detected by very close scrutiny, to furrows several inches in depth and width. They have in general a somewhat constant direction (S. 30° W.) north of the height of land, and in corre- spondence with this natural barrier. South of the height of land they show a gradual change from south to a little east of south as Lake St. John is approached. Some of these striae consist of a series of irregular curving and often faint scratches, as if occasioned by an uncertain or intermittent action, while some of the deeper and more pronounced furrows exhibit irregular broken cavities at inter- ^ 04 OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 129 vals in their course, as though produced by a "bumping" action caused by hitches in the rocky implement producing them. Hills and ridges, which have been exposed to the action of the weather, usually reveal little or no evidence of such striation, on account of the subaeri.d decay to which the rock has been subjected, while on the contrary rock exposures which have been but lately denuded of their overlying loose materials, as well as these portions of the rocky shores between extremes of high and low water, usually exhibit such markings in great perfection. Exposures of the granites and gneisses of the Laurentian, as well as of the anorthosite, are so faintly, if at all, marked that the direction of the stria; can seldom be ascertained with any degree of certainty. There seems no reasonable doubt that such markings were originally present, as under the favourable conditions already mentioned they are often plainly discernible, but, as a rule, prolonged atmospheric decay has so acted on exposed surfaces that they had become roughened and the strise obliterated. On the other hand, exposures of the Keewatin greenstones and schist, and often of the Lower Huronian conglomerate, show these markings in great perfection, even where long exposed to processes of weathering. In the sculpturing of this region occasioned by the passage of this immense glacier, the general direction of the various mountains and ridges, and the in- tervening complementary valleys have been determined, not so much by the direction of the ice flood as by the strike of the neigh- bouring rock. This is especially true of the areas of the Keewatin formation, where the schistose structure and corresponding lines of structural weakness are well developed. This close dependence of topographical outline on the strike of the surrounding rocks is especially well exemplified in the northern part of Chibougamau, and the southern part of Wakonichi lakes, as also on Lake Bour- beau. On the other hand, the direction of many of the boulder points and islands, as well as trend of the lakes excavated in the more massive granite and anorthosite, show a rather intimate de- pendence upon the direction of ice movement. In the excavation produced by the glacier, bare and rounded slopes generally face the north and northeast, while the southern and southwestern sides of the hills 'are covered by boulders and other coarse loose material, giving them a more gradual outline. With few exceptions, hills facing the north or northeast are bold and rocky, while those facing 130 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES southwards show comparatively few and low rock exposures with wide stretches covered with boulders, gravel and sand. The drift matfflrial is, as a rule, very coarse, the finer portions being made up of coarse gravels and sands rather than clay. The ground, both in the higher and lower levels, is very much encum- bered with subangular or rounded boulders, some of them of very large size, which usually do not show transportation from any great distance, although some of these loose fragments have been tran- sported at least fifty miles in a direction corresponding with the general direction of striation. Many of the islands and points, Malek, Boulder and Needle islands, and Needle and Long Points, are of drumlin origin. These irregular accumulations of boulders, with very little of tho finer interstitial matter (gravel and sand) have a rather definite elongated outline, with their longer axis in the direction of the ice movement. These drumlins are of very fre- quent occurrence, often serving as dams, as between Lac Vert and Lake Wakonichi. At other times they are almost, if not quite, completely submerged beneath the waters of the several lakes, as in the case of certain of the boulder islets and reefs in Wakonichi, Chibougamau and Dore lakes. The origin of these drumlins is still a matter of doubt and dispute, and opinion seems divided as to whether (a) they were accumulated beneath the ice under special conditions without the agency of water or (&) that they were de- veloped by erosion of pre-existing drift material. So far as the present investigation enables a decision, the former view appears the more tenable. Following, and to some extent coincident with, the retreat of the great ice sheet there occurred a profound submergence, during which time the ocean invaded a large portion of the Saguenay and Lake St. John valleys, extending for a distance of over thirty miles at least up the Chamuchuan river. There is evidence of this in the terraced banks cut out of fossiliferous and stratified marine clays and sands, more than 200 feet above Lake St. John (high water 341 feet, low water 314 feet above the sea.' Similar deposits are found as far as the foot of the Pimonka rapid, where they form an escarpment nearly, if not quite, 650 feet above the sea. Following this period of mjarine submergence (Champlain substage), during which the immense accumulation of 'Altitudes in Canada; Dictionary of Altitudes in Canada, p. 133. > X a OF THE CHIBOUGAMATJ EEGION 131 stratified clays and sands were deposited in the Lake St. John basin, came a period of gradual uplift and emergence from the sea, which continued until the present or modern conditions were reached. During the progress of this uplift the streams began to excavate their new channels, probably very much in the same general direc- tion, from the vast accumulation of these superficial deposits often breaking across morainic or drumlin barriers left by the retreat of the ice. Most of the valleys are very old, long antedating the Glacial Epoch, for the Saguenay and Lake St. John valleys, as well as the valley in which lies Lake Mistassini, were in existence at least very early in the Ordovician and possibly in Cambrian time. The Chamuchuan river, in its upper portion at least, is also of great antiquity, as evidenced by its great rocky gorge over 300 feet below the surrounding uneven rocky plateau between the Pimonka rapid and the Chaudiere Falls. This gorge was, moreover, much deeper than at present, for all the rapids below the Chaudiere are caused by boulder obstructions, the stream not having as yet suc- oeed«d in excavating the channel to its original depth. It was also during this period of progressive uplift that the Lower Chamuchuan river succeeded in carving a passage through the loose drift materials, as far as Lake St. John. Then followed the modem period, during which the whole region underwent certain comparatively minor changes, which brought about topographic conditions as at present shown. Most, if not all, of the lakes gradually shallowed to their present lower levels and somewhat more restricted areas, leaving traces of their abandoned shore lines in the shapes of certain terraces. The climate gradually assumed its present character with sufficient moisture and lack of sunshine to produce the characteristic peat deposits, with an overlying rank growth of sphagnum and other mosses. 2. PAIjAEOZOIC. C. — Lower Ordovician? Only a very hurried examination was conducted of the lime- stones and dolomites making up the Mistassini series. Low has, however, described these in some detail, and reference must be had 132 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES to his report for any further information/ Richardson, who furnished the first description of these rocks, made no definite correlation beyond mentioning that they were fossiliferous. The only fossils, however, noticed were an orthooeratite and an obscure coral, neither of which could be determined.'' Low, in com- menting on these fossils found by Richardson, says "the supposed fossils found by Mr. Richardson have on closer examination proven to be mineral concretions." Low mentions that the total thickness of the limestones remain- ing probably does not exceed three or four hundred feet, and across the strike there are probably repetitions by faults parallel to the strike. The lowest beds, resting on the gneisses along the northwest shore of Lake Mistassini, consist of a dark bluish grey limestone holding irregular concretionary masses, as also thin bands and veins of black chert, along with thin bands of black shaly limestone. Above these are thin beds of light blue fine grained silicious dolo- mitic limestones, that weather to a light buff, and are interbedded with thin layers of a greyish coarse gritty limestone, containing large quantities of small rounded grains of transparent quartz. Resting on these are beds of light blue grey compact limestone, exceedingly hard and breaking with a conchoidal fracture. These are followed, in ascending order, by thinner beds of the same char- acter interbedded with coarse grey silicious limestone. In the vicinity of the lines of fault the beds are considerably contorted and broken, the shattered portions being cemented together, with either ealcite or quartz, most often the latter, which gives the rock a brecciated appearance. At the southwest point, small veins of ealcite hold little globes of the bright black coaly (anthracite) substance known as "anthraxolite.'"" In addition, lead and zinc minerals, (galena and sphalerite) are found under similar conditions at the Narrows, two miles north of the H. B. Company's Post. These rocks are either lying flat or dip at very gentle angles, 3° to 6°. Only a small area of these rocks are included in the 'Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 1885, Part D, pp. 31-32; 1895, Part L, pp. 266-268. = Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 1870-71, p. 295. = Ann. Rep. Geo. Surv. Can., 1892-93, Part A, p. 68; 1894, Part R, p. 66. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EE6I0N 133 present map. Loose slabs of shaly limestone, evidently detached from the solid rock formation in the near vicinity, are observed for the first time on the small lake above the second rapid from Lake Mistassini, on the outlet from Lake Wakoniehi. These Mistassini limestones seem to the present Commission to be higher in the geological scale than that assigned to them by Low (Cambrian or Upper Huronian), being possibly of Lower Ordovician and the equivalent of the Chazy formation. The supposed stromatoporoid forms were handed to Dr. W. A. Parks, of Toronto University, for examination, who, under date of March 15th, 1911, writes : " I made sections of the specimens you submitted and found that there was no distinct stromatoporoid structure. The forms look, how- ever, very like Cryptozoon proliferum, and the sections you sent have the same aspect. Cryptozoon consists of a series of concen- tric layers with little other evidence of structure. Seely (Geol. Surv., Vermont, 1903-1904) has not hesitated to describe new species from no better material than yours. Matthews ' Archteozoon rests on less secure ground; on examining a number of his speci- mens I have n«ver seen as much structure as your specimens present. To conclude, I would say that there is no trace of true stromato- poroid structure, but that the form might easily be ascribed to Cryptozoon." In the light of the very meagre nature of the in- vestigation so far undertaken in regard to this very interesting series, it would seem to be the privilege and duty of the Dominion Geological Survey to make a detailed examination and careful search of these rocks for fossil remains, not only in the flat lying limestones and dolomites of Lake Mistassini, but also in the closely related rocks exposed in the vicinity of the Koksoak and Hamilton rivers, Lake Michikamau, as well as on the east coast of Hudson Bay, from Cape Jones northward to beyond Great Whale river. The information so far secured is extremely unsatisfactory and alto- gether insufficient to make any geological correlation possible. The detailed study of the nature and stratigraphy of these old sedimentaries, and the possible finding of fossils would doubtless fill a great hiatus in the geology of Labrador and northeastern Quebec, at the same time furnishing much more accurate information in regard to the past geological history of these districts. 134 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES 3. — ^PEOTEEOZOIC. D. — Lower Huronian. The name Huronian was adopted by Sir William Logan and Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, in 1855, to include a great series of elastic rocks overlying the Laurentian gneisses in the territories adjacent to Lakes Huron and Superior.' As developed in the Lake Chibougamau region, only the lowest beds of this formation are represented, and in agreement with its correlation with similar rocks outcropping in the more widely studied and known regions of Northern Ontario, they are thus con- sidered in the present report. Although widely separated, geo- graphically, from any previously studied area, the inclusion of these rocks as Lower Huronian seems reasonably certain. Their correlation as such depends mainly on certain peculiarities of composition and behaviour, which seem unmistakable in the light of past experience. At the base, resting unconformably upon the eroded edges of the igneous complex made up of Laurentian, Kee- watin and the anorthosite, there is the usual basal conglomerate or arkose showing a transition upwards into greywacke or feld- pathic sandstone, and this in turn is followed by shale or slate. There are four main patches of these rocks exposed in the region under description which have escaped the deep and wide- spread erosion to which the whole of this district has been sub- jected. An outlier in the northeastern part of Chibougamau lake, near McKenzie and Contact bays, has an area of a little over three square miles, the greatest thickness being nearly 150 feet. The patch noticed in the southeastern part of Lake Wakonichi extends from Route bay, across Cliff and Osprey bays. Thence following along the northeast shore it makes up the highlands in this vicinity, forming a strip about three-quarters of a mile in width. Along this shore vertical cliffs of this formation continue for a distance of nearly a mile, the height varying from 100 to 150 feet. Its greatest thickness, as exposed in a cliff section and hill north of Cliff bay, is about 230 feet. At Specular Point, which is a flat topped hill (sometimes called Table Mountain) rising abruptly, and in places precipitously, about 125 feet above "Wakonichi lake, is an isolated patch of this formation scarcely three-quarters of a mile in area. 'Esquisse G6ologique du Canada, Paris, 1855, p. 29. OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 135 On the northeast side of Outlet bay, of 'Wakoniehi lake, an extreme- ly rugged piece of country, is underlaid by Lower Huronian forma- tion, consisting of conglomerate, arkose, sandstone and slate, with conglomerates forming the summits of the hills. The highest of these hills is Wako mountain, which rises to a height of 625 feet above Wakoniehi lake, or 1,911 feet above the sea. This patch of conglomerate is nearly eight and a half miles in area ; occurring on both sides of Outlet bay, as well as on the islands. Near the shore it rises in almost vertical cliffs to hills from 300 to 400 feet in height. Wherever exposed the Lower Huronian formation occurs either in perfectly horizontal beds or in a series of low undulating folds. On account of its usually massive character it is generally difficult to obtain any definite dip or strike, but this approximate horizontality is a distinguishing feature, not only of its occurrence in the Chibou- gamau region, but elsewhere in our northern districts. In certain places, as on the south shore of Rapid bay, and on a bare island be- tween McKenzie and Rapid bays, the slates, sandy shales, with occasional beds of arkose, are disturbed and tilted, while in the slates cleavage planes have been developed which do not corre- spond to the bedding planes. This unusual attitude of the beds of Lower Huronian has already been explained as due to movements which were a recurrence or a continuation of those so prevalent in Keewatin times. Very evenly laminated greenish slate occurring at the outlet of Lac Bourbeau, as well as near the southwest end of Lake Gwillim, doubtless represent lower portions of the Lower Huronian similarly placed, and which might be readily included with the Keewatin, as they are infolded with it. At many places on Wakoniehi lake, noticeably on the north side of Cliff bay, and at Heart island, are certain quartz veins which cut the conglomer- ate, making a small angle with the bedding. These run often for considerable distances, but are barren looking, containing very sparsely disseminated small grains of pyrite. At Specular Point the conglomerate is considerably fractured, the irregular fissures being filled with quartz and specular or micaceous iron ore (specu- larite). Sometimes these veins are made up almost wholly of this metallic compound, with little or no gangue material. The geological history of the Lower Huronian must always be one of conjecture, but so far as the Chibougamau Region is con- cerned, there are certain facts and inferences which may be stated without much fear of contradiction. 136 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES With the advent of the Lower Huronian, the great Archean revolution was at an end, leaving a surface scarred by the evidences of repeated intrusions of basic and acidic material, whose precise and detailed order of succession over any extended area it is im- possible to ascertain. It is uncertain to what extent true sedimenta- tion obtained in Keewatin times, but for the most part it was very limited. The greatly metamorphose! greenish quartzite noticed as occurring on the southwest arm of Lake Chibougamau, near the narrows, southwest of the line of contact between the Laurentian and the Keewatin, and its extension outcropping on Dore lake, near its outlet, as well as a similar rock near the outlet of Lake Simon, were, probably, originally shallow water deposits, laid down in Keewatin times, which have been greatly altered since. Following, however, the great diastrophism and metamorphism evidenced by the presence of the Laurentian and Kee- watin formations, and after a great cycle of erosion, true epielastic action on any extended scale was inaugurated in Huronian times. There is undoubtedly evidence of the presence of a great ocean, with abundant land surfaces in the form of islands and points, upon which the littoral deposits were laid down, which were afterwards consolidated into thick and massive beds of conglomerate and arkose. Then followed the sand- stones, indicative of shallow water conditions, with very beautiful ripple marks (on Rapid bay, Lake Chibougamau). These marks show a combination of both current and wave action. The slate present were deposits that were laid down in water of only medium depth. There were probably two or more cycles in this order of deposition of the Lower Huronian sediments, as shown by the sect- tion on Wako mountain. The rocks most characteristic of the Lower Huronian is the slate and arkose conglomerate which makes up the greater part of all the sections examined. This rock, especi- ally when overlying the Keewatin greenstones and schists, is usually of a dark greenish or greenish grey colour, especially where the finer matrix is more abundant. When directly reposing upon the granite the rock is of a deep red or reddish brown colour and made up al- most altogether of broken up fragments of the underlying granite. As a rule the rock is extremely massive, showing very little, if any, evidence of stratification, but in the larger exposures evidence of stratiform arrangement axe seldom lacking, although not conspicu- ous. There is often an alternation of beds of differing degrees of hi 1-] Pi CD O Plate XLVIII. Glaciated surface of Lower Huronian conglomerate, Lake Wakonichi. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 137 coarseness, and also of composition, while in the slaty varieties there is often a distinct colour banding, corresponding with the planes of sedimentation. Both as a massive rock and in its more imperfect form of slaty structure, it exhibits the character of a true conglomerate, carrying fragments of various eruptive materials which vary in size from the smallest pebble to boulders a foot or more in diameter. In some localities the rock is so full of these fragments that very little of the finer interstitial matrix is ap- parent. This is especially true of the exposures at Specular Point, or on the northeast shore of Lake Wakonichi. In other localities only an occasional pebble can be noticed, as on the north shore of Route bay, of Lake Wakonichi. Usually the fragments are more or less perfectly rounded, often they are subangular, while some out- crops show larger individuals present, which possess sharp and occasionally re-entering angles. The finer grained matrix possesses a very typical clasitic structure. Almost everywhere the rock is seen to consist of granitic debris, the majority of the fragments being simple minerals; coarser varieties show occasionally composite fragments. The min- erals usually noticed are orthoclase, plagioclase, and more rarely mierocline and microperthite and quartz, embedded in a still finer ground-mass of these same constituents, together with chlorite, sericite, epidote and zoisite, and occasional granules of zircon, sphene and apatite. Biotite and sometimes hornblende, both largely altered to chlorite, may also be distinguished, but fresh in- dividuals belonging to these mineral specimens are uncommon. Pyrite is sometimes present, and occasionally chalcopyrite, both in irregular grains and crystals. Magnetite is also very abundant, especially in the arkose of Specular Point and Wako mountain. It occurs in very irregular forms filling in the interstices between the other minerals, and also in occasional crystals. Hematite, and especially limonite, are both somewhat plentiful as interstitial cementing material. The quartz is usually in clear areas and is of the ordinary granitic variety. It sometimes shows wavy extinction due to pressure. Some of the feldspar fragments, especially those of mierocline, are fresh and glassy, but most of the individuals are turbid owing to decomposition. The chlorite has resulted from the alteration of both hornblende and biotite, and is the prevailing cementing material of the dark green matrix. The sericite occurs for the most part in minute scales and has, largely at least, resulted 138 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL KESOURCES from the alteration of the feldspar. It makes up the greater part of the matrix in the pale greenish grey sandstone and shales of Rapid bay, in Chibougamau lake. As a rule, composite fragments made up of two or more minerals, are rarely seen in this finer matrix, but with increase in coarseness of the conglomerate such fragments become more abundant. Even when small these rock fragments possess a more rounded outline than individuals made up of simple minerals, which are very frequently quite sharp and irregular. In this ground mass are embedded fragments, pebbles, and even boulders, mainly of homblende-biotite granite, but also of biotite granite and hornblende granite. These granites vary from very deep salmon pink to pale pink, and even to grey colours. Some occasional small pebbles of jaspilite may be noticed. Fragments of greenstones from the Keewatin formation are also present, but of rarer occurrence, this formation evidently furnishing the larger proportion of the cementing material. The feldspathic sandstones and greywackes are made up of precisely similar material in a finer state of division. The darker coloured and deep green specimens show a prevalence of chlorite in the matrix, while in the paler coloured varieties this mineral is largely, if not altogether, replaced by sericite. Some small areas of conglomerate, made up by the breaking down or waste of the anorthosite, are found on some of the islands between Portage and Granite islands, in Lake Chibougamau. These patches, however, are thin and small. Microscopic exam- ination of thin sections show their origin, the material having been laid down "in situ" with very little evidence of the rounding action of water. 4. AECHEAN. E. — Laureniian. The name Laurentian was originally proposed by Sir William Logan, in 1853, as the most appropriate designation for rocks classified by him in previous reports as the "Metamorphic Series." The selection of this name was suggested by the fact that these rocks were found to constitute the bulk of the Laurentide Mountains, a series of elevations lying to the north of the River St. Lawrence, and which were so called by Garneau, the historian of Quebec. Under the term Laurentian, in the Chibougamau region, are included certain varieties of rocks, mainly granitic, but also of OP THE OHIBOUGAMAU REGION 139 dioritie type, which in chemical and mineralogical composition, as well as in behaviour, are identical with snch rock species. These rocks are given an importance and position which they do not really possess, because they are regarded, in large part at least, as a disguised and rejuvenated facies of the first formed crust of the earth. Their behaviour with regard to the Keewatin formation is explained on the assumption that this outer shell was necessarily thin and fragile, and so liable to frequent upwellings of the molten in- terior, so that these early crystallines had reached their present solid condition only after repeated fusions and reeementations. As mapped, they are, therefore, regarded as a complex of irruptive plutonic rocks, representing repeated intrueions of basic and acidic material. It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the Laurentian formation is not a time series, and that any foliation or parallelism which may be present is not the surviving traces of sedimentation, but a structure developed owing to differential pres- sures and movements in a mobile or, at most, only partially con- solidated mass. As a rule, most of the rocks making up the Laurentian forma- tion are perfectly massive in structure, but in some instances a certain parallelism is observed, which becomes more pronounced as the contacts with other formations are approached. These foliated varieties differ from the more usual and massive forms in the elongation and parallel disposition of certain of the component minerals and the more prevalent development of cataclastic struc- ture. Fracturing, dislocation, and, in extreme cases, granulation of some of the minerals, especially the quartz, are in these eases some- times shown as the result of pressure and deformation. On the large scale the foliation presented by these rocks is of two distinct varieties, although there is every possible gradation between these two extremes. It may consist (a) of the parallel arrangement of the constituent minerals, usually the bisilicates, but sometimes also the feldspars and quartz, or it may be due to (b) the alternation of lighter and darker bands showing a varying miner- alogical composition. Intermediate phases of such structures are produced by the development in approximately parallel position of nuclei of the ferromagnesian constituents, whose gradual coales- cence into ever lengthening bands produces ultimately that perfec- tion of foliation sometimes noticed. 140 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES • The foliation first described is the one characteristic of the more massive and granitoid varieties, and is evidently the result of differential movements or pressures in a magma of somewhat homogeneous composition. On the other hand, the second variety of foliation is produced by alternating sequences of rock belong- ing to both acidic and basic groups, and has been imparted to the rock as a result of differentiation, in a slowly cooling magma of heterogeneous composition, aided by a flowing movement in a rather constant direction. Whether this diversity in mineralogical composition is due altogether to original differentiation under cer- tain conditions of control, or whether the basic bands are occasioned by the absorption and partial digestion of the originally over-lying or neighbouring anorthosite and Keewatin greenstones detached by stoprng processes during the slow progress of batholithic intrusion and uplift, cannot, so far at least as the present examinations are concerned, be definitely stated. It is, however, entirely reasonable to assume, and the assumption finds strong support in certain observed phenomena, that both processes have been at work to bring about the diverse results witnessed. On the one hand, processes of in- trusive interaction are exemplified by certain well-marked contact phenomena where fragments of various sizes and shapes, but for the most part in elongated forms, of both the anorthosite and Kee- watin greenstones are caught up and arranged in approximately parallel positions to one another. Some of these pieces of foreign material are angular in outline and sharply bounded, but the larger proportion show rounded and indefinite borders with a gradual and well-marked transition into the enclosing Laurentian granite or gneiss. In addition, there seems to be abundant evidence that an intermediate type of rock, possessing certain characteristic features peculiar to both the granites and anorthosite, has been produced by the commingling through actual fusion of the material of both magmas. Such a type was noticed outcropping in the western part of Simon lake, as well as in certain favourable places at or near the line of contact between the Laurentian granites and the anorthosite. The "blotched" type of the anorthosite is regarded as a contact f acies which owes its distinguishing qualities to the influence of the granite, while a diorite porphyrite occurring on the southeast shore of Poitevin bay, on Lake Chibougamau, is also looked upon as an unusual rock species due to certain influences which were active along the line of jimction between the granites and anorthosite. X ft OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGIOJST 141 The various dark and light coloured bands of relatively greater or less basicity, usually producing this foliation, succeed one another across the strike or cut one another off, thus suggesting even to a casual observer a complicated intrusion of one rock through another, although the frequent absence of any distinctly recognizable boun- dary between the different folia shows clearly that such conditions obtained in the mass before its final consolidation. The tendency to nuclear aggregation observed in the crystallization of the first formed constituents seems to be a usual and marked feature, not only of slow cooling magmas but of all highly saturated and complex solutions, when undergoing change to the solid state. With differ- ential movements, the pressures produce a flow which tends to the parallel alignment of these nuclear masses, and they are gradually elongated into bands of differing composition. The viscosity of the whole was such as to prevent the too free transmission of the ma- terial of contiguous bands, thus furnishing the approximately sharp lines of division so frequently observed. The somewhat uniform direction in strike of this banded struc- ture when present in this region, and its marked correspondence with the line of outcrop of the neighbouring Keewatin formation and anorthosite, seems to point to the conclusion that the resistance offered by the solid rocks of the Keewatin formation, dring the irrup- tion of the Laurentian, has been the main determining feature of the direction of foliation. During the progress of this great batholithic intrusion the forces of upheaval have acted in such a way as to pro- duce irregularly ovoid forms, which subsequent truncation of the district has revealed at the present surface. The inner or central portions of these batholiths are now occupied by the more massive granitoid varieties, while in the outer zone or border the more basic forms prevail and the foliation becomes much more pronounced. The immediate line of junction with both the Keewatin forma- tion and the anorthosite shows undoubted evidence of the irruptive character of the Laurentian gneisses and granite. Their behaviour in these circumstances is precisely similar in every respect to that which obtains in the case of much younger granites intrusive into older formations. In their present form they are, therefore, younger than either the Keewatin greenstones or the anorthosite. Intimately associated with both these granites are certain por- tions, which, on account of some peculiarities of composition, as well as from their structural relations with their parent plutonic rock, 142 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES have been usually referred to as pegmatite. They are really the latest or residual portions of the magma in which water has played a more important role in their crystallization. They occur as dykes or irregular masses intimately associated with the surrounding finer grained rocks, but with more or less well defined boundaries separ- ating them. They are regarded as masses of more fully hydrated and acid portions of the magma which have invaded and filled varioiis cracks and fissures as fast as these were opened in the finer grained granites or gneisses. Although in the detail of their struc- tural relations many of these occurrences are obviously newer than the associated granites, their general study would seem to show that they must be regarded as substantially of the same age. The pro- cess of crystallization was evidently practically continuous, from the first development of the earlier constituents in the still molten and viscous magma, to the filling in of the most minute cracks and fissures by the remaining quartz, marking the final step in the com- plete crystallization of the whole mass. It would far exceed the scope of the present report to attempt to describe in any detail the exact mineralogical composition of these granites and gneisses at the numerous localities examined. Their composition is found to vary from place to place, owing to processes of differentiation and absorption. For convenience of description and reference they may be divided into two great divisions, and these again into minor sub-divisions or groups, al- though it must be distinctly understood that no arbitrary line exists in nature between these several classes. 1. An acidic division, characterized by orthoclase, as the predominant feldspar, and biotite, either with or without hornblende, as the coloured constituents. This division is made up of several distinct varieties of granite and their foliated equivalents, showing a complete transition from museovite granite to hornblende granite. These may be called the granites and granite-gneisses. II. A basic division, including a series of diorites and their foliated representatives, in which mica or quartz and some- times both, accompany the hornblende. Plagioclase is the prevailing feldspar, and hornblende ^he most usual and abundant f erromagnesian mineral. In general they may be be called diorites and diorite gneisses. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 143 The first division may be subdivided into four groups, depen- dent on the presence of one or other of the coloured constituents, whilie the second may be considered under three separat/C groups. These groups are as follows : I. — Acidic Division. GRANITE AND GRANITE GNEISS : 1. Muscovite granite and gneiss. 2. Biotite granite and gneiss. 3. Hornblende-biotite granite and gneiss. 4. Hornblende granite and gneiss. II. — Basic Division. DIORITE AND DIORITE GNEISS. 5. Grano-diorite and gneiss. 6. Diorite and diorite gneiss. 7. Quartz-mica-diorite and gneiss. I. — Granite and Granite gneiss. In colour these rocks range from light grey to a deep salmon red, while other colours are yellowish white, pale green, pale pink and deep flesh red. The greenish tinges are brought about by the presence of chlorite and epidote. The red varieties represent what has usually been referred to as " orthoclase gneiss, ' ' by early writers on the Laurentian, but we find in the field every gradation from the deep red to the very pale grey, the one passing imperceptibly into the other in many localities, while the microscope has failed to reveal any essential point of difference. The red granites and gneisses contain a larger quantity of disseminated iron oxide to which the colouration seems to be largely due. Plagioclase is abundant in both red and grey gneisses. The absence of augite is to be particularly noted. Even in the hornblende granites this mineral is very rarely, if ever, found. The various thin sections examined show unmistakably the holocrystal- line structure so characteristic of granite, the feldspar and quartz 144 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES individuals forming comparatively large areas of interlocking grains, especially in the more acidic portions or bands of tlie rock with which are associated the hypidiomorphically developed bisili- cate constituents. Agreeably with what has already been often described, there is a certain definite order in the generation or cry- stallization of the various component minerals that has been rather closely observed in the consolidation of the rock. In accordance with this general law, which seems to govern the solidification or cooling of all fused magmas, zircon, sphene, apatite, and primary epidote are the first to form in the slowly cooling mass, and are thus almost invariably present in sharply outlined and well developed crystals, evidencing considerable freedom from restraint during the progress of their formation. The iron ores are of earlier generation than the bisilicate minerals, which later are usually present in im- perfectly developed (hypidiomorphic) forms, although occasional individuals show good crystallographie boundaries. The customary grouping together in masses produces a mutual interference of the constituent minerals, which militates greatly against perfection of crystal boundaries. The first formed minerals, apatite, sphene, epidote, etc., usually occur, as might be expected, in close con- junction with the ferromagnesian minerals, although the rest of the rock may not be entirely free from them. The feldspar, and, especially the quartz, which are the last minerals to crystallize, occur for the most part in irregular areas. In the gneisses both of these minerals, but especially the quartz, are often elongated in the direction of the foliation, showing apparently that these minerals were gradually forming as residual spaces of this shape were being made. 1. MUSCOVITE GRANITE AND GNEISS. The rocks thus designated are of comparatively rare occurrence, as strictly integral portions of the Laurentian granites and gneisses, and where present they are evidently the latest secretions fron> the original magma. In reality they are pegmatitic in origin, although of much finer texture than the rock to which that name is usually applied. In colour they are white, light grey or pale pink, with pearly surfaces in the schistose varieties. Under the microscope they present the usually interlocking aggregate principally of quartz, orthoclase, ■OF THE CHIBOUQAMAU REGION - 145 pJagioelase (albite or oligoelase) microeline, microperthite with a smaller amount of sericite (hydrous muscovite) in comparatively large plates. In the schistose or gneissic varieties these large scales of muscovite are arranged in curving and approximately parallel bands. A small quantity of epidote occurs, both in crystals and grains, some of which may be primary. Much of the muscovite is doubtless of primary formation, but some has evidently resulted from the shearing of the feldspar. The quartz is very abundant in this type, occurring in large irregularly outlined fragments filling in the interspaces between the other constituents. Strain shadows are only sparingly developed. Rutile needles were noticed, chiefly at least, in association with the chlorite. Zircon and sphene are only sparingly represented. 2. ^BIOTITIE GRANITE OR GRANITITE AND GNEISS. These rocks vary from coarse to fine grained, and present the usual holocrystalline aggregate essentially of quartz, orthoclasej plagioclase, and biotite, with little or no hornblende. Microeline is occasionally quite an abundant constituent. It is usually the freshest of all the feldspars, and shows the characteristic "cross- hatched" or "fenster" structure. The plagioclase, which, as a rule, is oligoelase, is usually more or less saussuritized, the products of such decomposition being mainly sericite and epidote. Zonal strucr ture, as well as twinning, according to the albite and Carlsbad laws, is usually well seen. Orthoclase is usually badly decomposed. Biotite is the predominating ferromagnesian mineral and is often very abundant. It undergoes decomposition to chlorite, and some of the specimens show the biotite individuals now represented by an aggregate of chlorite and magnetite. Some crystals are curiously curved and contorted, while occasionally they show a poikilitic structure. -Apatite, zircon, epidote, magnetite and pyrite are usu- ally present in small amount. Some of the epidote of primary origin occurs in sharply bounded crystals. Kaolin gives a turbid appearance to the orthoclase. Chlorite, epidote and sericite are all sometimes present as secondary products of decomposition. Leu- coxene was observed in a biotite granite from Girard bay, near the southeast end of Denis bay. The feldspars are often stained with hematite or limonite. 10 146 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES 3. HORNBLENDE-BIOTITE-GRANITE OR HORNBLENDE-GRANITITE AND GNEISS. This type of granite and gneiss is very similar to the biotite granite, except that hornblende is present, and together with the biotite are essential mineral constituents. The rock is, therefore, made up chiefly of quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, biotite and horn- blende with mieroeline, apatite, sphene, zircon, epidote, allanite and black iron ore as accessory constituents. Kaolin, chlorite, epidote, iealeite and leucoxene occur as secondary products of decomposition. Cataclastic structure is not prevalent. The hornblende usually is the predominant coloured mineral present, and is often altered to chlorite. Quartz sometimes forms a graphic intergrowth with the feldspar. The plagioclase is usually so badly decomposed that it is almost impossible to make an accurate determination of the species. Some of the sphene shows intense pleochroism. Allanite is not abundant, although it was noticed in sparing amount in a number of the thin sections. 4. HORNBLENDE GRANITE AND GNEISS. This rock is very similar in general character to that preceding, except that hornblende replaces biotite, which latter mineral is some- times altogether excluded from its composition. The rock is made up essentially of quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, and hornblende. It is the prevalent type of the granite area between Wakoniehi lake and Chibougamau river. There is very little evidence of pressure, even the quartz showing only occasional strain shadows. Microperthite and mieroeline are sometimes present, but always in much smaller amounts than the other feldspars. Besides these, apatite, sphene, epidote, zircon, limonite, rutile and allanite are present as accessory minerals and sericite, kaolin, chlorite, epidote and hematite are the secondary minerals due to decomposition. II. — DiORITE AND DiORITE GNEISS. In hand specimens and outcrops in the field these rocks are usually much darker in colour than the granite gneisses, due chiefly to the prevalence of the coloured minerals. They are of a pre- vailing dark grey, dark green, to almost black colour, with some- OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEHION 147 times a mottled appearance, due to the somewhat irregular distri- bution of the light and dark coloured minerals. The more acid varieties seem to merge insensibly into the more basic phases of the granites, from which they differ chiefly in that the orthoclase is replaced by plagioclase as the predominating feldspar, while horn- blende is much more abundant and quartz relatively scarce. The coloured constituents, such as hornblende or biotite, or both make up the greater part of the rock, which is comparatively much poorer in quartz and feldspar, the most important and abundant minerals in the granites and granite-gneisses. Quartz is relatively plentiful in the quartz-mica-diorites and grano-diorites. 5. GEANODIORITE AND GNEISS. These rocks, intermediate in character between the granites and diorites, are characterized by containing a large amount of plagioclase with orthoclase in subordinate quantity, a small amount of quartz, and usually hornblende, with occasionally biotite, as the principal constituents. The rock, besides these commoner minerals, contains rutile, sphene, apatite, magnetite, epidote, allanite, micro- cline and zircon, as accessory minerals, while sericite, kaolin, epidote and chlorite are of secondary origin. As a rule, these rocks show very little evidence of cataclastie action, although one specimen col- lected on the Chibougamau river, from an exposure a little north of the town line between the townships of Blaiklock and McKenzie, was found to be a deformed granodiorite. The plagioclase present is either albite or oligoclase, some of which has undergone consider- able saussuritization, although occasional individuals are undecom- posed. A microperthitic intergrowth of orthoclase and albite is sometimes noticed in the feldspar. Hornblende, always more or less decomposed, and occasionally with a poikilitic structure, is the pre- domiaant ferromagnesian mineral. Primary epidote associated with allanite are among the rarer constituents. Needles of rutile were occasionally observed in the quartz. Biotite is sometimes quite abundant and is, in almost every instance, partially decomposed to chlorite. 6. DIOEITE AND GNEISS. Microscopically these rocks are very deep coloured, dark green to almost black. "When broken the fresh surfaces show brightly 148 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL KKSOUHCES glistening crystals, mainly of hornblende, but sometimes also of mica. The hornblende is abundant and some of it is uralitic, but no traces of augite, from which it was derived, were observed. Biotite is not usually abundant, and sometimes occurs intergrown with the hornblende. Both hornblende and biotite are often decom- posed to chlorite. Plagioelase, apparently an acid labradorite, from the few determinations made on existing lamellae, is usually con- siderably saussuritized, the resulting products being epidote and caleite. The essential minerals noticed were hornblende and plagio- elase with biotite, apatite, magnetite, zircon, pyrite and sphene, as accessor^' constituents, while the secondary products of decompo- sition noticed were uralite, epidote, sericite, zoisite, and ealcite. Some of the iron ore is titanif erous and as a consequence, leueoxene is present, as a resiilt of its alteration. 7. — QUARTZ-MICA-DIORITE AND GNEISS. This rock is considerably more acidic than the preceding and usually of a lighte" cnjiiir. Quartz, as it is invariably present, is an essential constituent and is sometimes quite abundant. The plagioelase is commonly saussuritized, the resulting products being sericite and epidote. The biotite is abundant in the more basic phases, and is then commonly accompanied by hornblende. A peculiar rock type, and one which is regarded as a contact product between the granite and the anorthosite, occurs not far from the line of junction between these two batholiths, on the southeast shore of Poitevin bay. It is diorite or hornblende porphjrrite, showing abundantly disseminated dark green irregularly shaped porphyritic individuals in a liglit^;r coloured ground mass. Some of these phenocrysts of hornblende, with brilliantly reflecting cleavage planes or crystal faces, have a length of half an inch. The ground mass is made up of an aggregate of finer grained individuals of chiefly plagioelase and augite. The augite occurs both in small cr^'stals and also patches of several individuals. It frequently shows verj- characteristic alteration to uralitic hornblende. The plagioelase is almost completely saussuritized. The most abundant and essential minerals are plagioelase, hornblende and augite, with apatite and sphene as accidental or accessory com- ponents. Zoisite, epidote, chlorite and uralite are the secondary products represented. OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 149 Minerals op the Laurentian Granites, Diorites and Gneisses. As these rocks are, as a rule, mueli fresher than the anorthosite, their determination is much more accurate and satisfactory. The minerals observed in both acidic and basic divisions of the Lauren- tian formation are as follows : Essential. Accessory. Secoi Quartz Microeline Sericite Orthoclase Mieroperthite Kaolin Plagioelase Epidote Muscovite Hornblende AUanite Chlorite Biotite Sphene Epidote Apatite Zoisite Zircon Caleite Magnetite Hematite Ilmenite Limonite Pyrite Leueoxene Rutile QUARTZ. — This is generally a very abundant mineral in thp granites and their gneissic equivalents. It usually enters very largely into the composition of rocks of the basic division, so much so in cases as to distinguish them as quartz diorites or quartz-mica- diorites. In its general character it does not differ from the ordinary granitic variety, and is, of course, crushed, stretched, and, in some cases granulated in the gneissic varieties which have been subjected to dynamic metamorphism. In this particular it is much more readily affected than the feldspars. This mineral appears to fiU in the spaces between the feldspars and consequently has crystal- lized out of the magma after they were formed. This is especially noticeable in the case of the diorites. Distinct crystals have not been noticed, the mineral filling in the irregular interspaces left by the other minerals. A granophyrie intergrowth with feldspar is a rather common occurrence. Some of the quartz occurs in grains scattered through the hornblende, the individual grains having no regular arrangement or orientation with respect to one another, or 150 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL RESOUBCES to their host. Such a structure has been named "poikilitic" by the late Dr. George H. Williams." Inclusions are frequent These include small prisms of apatite and long hair-like forms suggestive of rutile. Small cavities, some of which contain gas, and others a liquid, are of common occurrence. ORTHOCLASE. — This is, perhaps, the most abundant of the feld- spars in the granites and granite gneisses, although an acid plagio-' elase is very abundant, and in some specimens equals, if it does not exceed, the orthoclase in amount. It usually forms irregular grains interlocked with the other feldspars and quartz. In some instances it is twinned, according to the Carlsbad Law, and a typical "augen" structure is produced, which may be seen in the granite on Granite island on Lake Chibougamau. It is usually turbid in appearance, owing to alteration, the products of decomposition, either kaolin in the initial stages or sericite, epidote and zoisite in the more advanced cases, being grouped together towards the interior of the individual. In these specimens representing rocks which have evidently been subjected to dynamic action, the orthoclase shows a marked tendency to pass into microcline. Inclusions of the other minerals of the rock are of frequent occurrence, and inter- growths with triclinie feldspars and quartz were also noted. It is often stained with oxide of iron, giving the prevailing reddish colouration to those types in which the feldspars are abundant. In common with the other feldspars it has escaped to a large extent the results of dynamic action, rocks in which quartz has' been completely granulated frequently preserving large grains of the feldspars, which show only a few cracks and a well defined, though sometimes obscure, undulous extinction. MICROCLINE.— This is a very abundant constituent of the gran- ites and granite gneisses especially of those which have been crushed and granulated. It is usually quite fresh and glassy and paler ia colour than either the orthoclase or plagioclase. The evi- dence seems to point strongly to the conclusion that microcline represents a re-arrangement of the orthoclase molecule induced br pressure.' In cases where areas of feldspar occur with the typical cross hatched structure of microcline, included in tmaltered ' Jour, of Geol., Vol. I, No. 2, pp. 176-179. ^ Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., Vol. X, Part I, pp. 80-81. 1=1 m ^ OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGFON 151 axid uncraslied orthoclase, individuals may be regarded as analo- gous to intergrowtbs of the ordinary trielinic and monoclinic feld- spar. PLAGiocLASE. — ^In the granites and granite gneisses the trielinic feldspar is surprisingly abundant, but in diorites it usually con- stitutes the only feldspar. No direct chemical determinations have been made, but consideration of the angles of extinction and the indices of refraction show that the species present varies in com- position from albite to an acid labradorite. In the more acid phases, albite, and especially oligoelase prevail, while labradorite is characteristic of the dioritic types. It is usually well twinned, this twinning being sometimes due to pressure. Alteration to calcite was observed in some of the more basic specimens, also typical saussuritization with the formation of serieite, zoisite and epidote. Poikilitic and micropoikilitic struc- tures are sometimes seen. HORNBLENDE. — This is by far the most abundant ferromag- nesian constituent, especially of the diorite and diorite-gneisses, but also of the granitic varieties where it sometimes altogether replaces the biotite. Both the compact and actinolitic habits are observed, although actinolite is comparatively rare. It forms, as a general rule, rather irregular or frayed individuals, aggregated together in nuclear areas or bands, although occasional individuals have well defined crystallographic boundaries. It possesses good cleavage and is very strongly pleochroic. The absoriDtion is usually C > b > 3 generally a = greenish yellow, t) = dark yellowish green C = dark bluish green. Twinning is sometimes present, but not com- mon. The hornblende is nearly always intimately associated with biotite and epidote, when these latter minerals are present in the rock. Inclusions of feldspar, quartz, zircon, apatite, sphene, etc., are very common and are frequently so arranged as to give a true micropoikilitic structure to the rock. BIOTITE. — This mineral is usually abundant and enters largely into the composition, especially of the more acid varieties. Crys- tals with perfect crystallographic boundaries were not observed. Deformed plates of this mineral, showing the effects of pressure, are common in those rocks which have been subjected to dynamic action. In most cases it is remarkably fresh, and is strongly pleochroic, from pale straw yellow to a deep reddish brown; 152 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES when more or less altered to chlorite it assumes various tints of green. In those varieties which contain both micas, the biotite and muscovite often occur intergrown with one another, the plates of each mineral being sharply defined. Frequently, however, the iron has been so far removed from the biotite as to cause it to assume a very pale colour, and, in some of the thin sections, it is difficult to determine between the bleached biotite and the muscovite. EPiDOTE. — In addition to the ordinary occurrence of epidote as a secondary mineral, due to processes of alteration there is the strongest evidence that it exists in a large number of cases as an original and important constituent of these granites and dior- ites.^ The mineral is usually of a bright yellow colour, very strongly pleochroic, and possesses the usual high relief and brilliant polarization colours, except in sections parallel to the orthopinacoid, which exhibit bluish and yellowish tints between crossed nicols. The crystals occasionally contain a pleochroic brownish mineral, which is, no doubt, allanite. Secondary epidote frequently occurs in the groundmass of the more altered rocks associated with chlorite, as the result of reaction between the feldspars and bisilicates. It also often forms small crystals and granules in the decomposing feldspars as one of the products of their saussuritization. MUSCOVITE. — Both primary and secondary muscovite occur in these rocks, and it is very difficult, if not impossible, to determine to which of these two classes the mica is to be referred. Broad laminae of muscovite are sometimes intimately intergrown with fresh brown biotite and in such cases is undoubtedly of primary origin. CHLORITE. — This is the common alteration product of the bio- tite and hornblende. It usually polarizes in the characteristic bluish tints. PTRiTE. — This mineral is not of very common occurrence but in occasional outcrops it is quite abundant. It is, as a rule, in small cubes and grains, often partially altered to limonite. Hematite was noticed as occurring in one instance surrounding an individual of pyrite, while in another case a rim of magnetite surrounded a grain of pyrite. ^Anii. Rep. Geo. Surv. Can., Vol. X, Part I, p. 83. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION' 153 1 CALCITE. — This is of rare occurrence, and when present results from the decomposition of the soda lime feldspar in the more basic rocks, and also occasionally of the hornblende. SERiciTE. — This is an abundant product of the saussuritization of th« feldspars, forming small brilliantly polarizing scales, in- timately associated with zoisite and epidote. APATITE. — This mineral is of frequent occurrence, both in the acidic and basic groups of these rocks. The individuals are usually in long slender needle-like prisms, but occasionally they are in shorter and stouter forms. They are often rounded, as a result of magmatic corrosion or resorption. Sometimes the individuals are faulted or pulled apart, as a result of stretching processes. TiTANiTE (sphbne). — This mineral is present in individuals of microscopic dimensions, and often with typical wedge-shaped forms. It also occurs in irregular grains and aggregates. Some of the darker coloured fragments are strongly pleoehroie. It is very constantly present and sometimes abundant. ZIRCON. — This mineral is of widespread occurrence, but, a^ a rule, is not at all abundant. The crystals are usually short, rather stout prisms, and often rounded, as a result of magmatic corrosion. MAGNETITE, — This mineral is not abundant and occurs for the most part in irregular grains and aggregates. HEMATITE. — This mineral is not abundant. When present it occurs filling irregular cracks and staining the feldspars. ILMENITE. — This mineral is not very common, and when present is usually considerably altered to leucoxene. The grains of ihnenite are then replaced by a greyish or yellowish white opaque mass of this mineral. ZOISITE. — This mineral, distinguished from epidote by its less brilliant chromatic polarization, is of very common occurrence as a product of the decomposition of the more basic plagioclase. ALiiANiTE. — While not abundant is oeeasionially noticed sur- rounded by a rim of epidote. This is very characteristic of its development, as described by Hobbs, in the Maryland granites. 154 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES RUTiLE. — Occurs in a few instances in minute slender hair-like crystals as inclusions in quartz and occasionally in the chlorite. KAOLIN. — Is believed to give the turbidity seen in orthoclase when this mineral has undergone incipient decomposition. F. — Anorthosite. The earlier geologists, who first examined the southern fringe of the great Archean protaxis, met with enormous areas underlaid by a rock differing entirely from the ordinary granite and diorite gneisses which made up the greater part of the Laurentian system. This rock was composed principally, and sometimes exclusively, of plagioclase feldspar, occurring both massive and also in foliated schistose forms, and varying in texture from very coarse to fine grained. To these rocks Dr. T. Sterry Hunt applied the name "anorthosite," explaining its use in the following words': "Since all these varying triclinic feldspars are anorthic in crystal- lization and approach more or less to anorthite in composition, Delesse thus proposed to designate them by the common name of "anorthose," as distinguished from orthose or orthoclase, and the rocks characterized by their presence as anorthosite. In accord- ance with this we have adopted the generic name of anorthosite for these rocks." This term "anorthosite," as Dr. Adams explains,'' has often been misunderstood having been confused with anorthite, a feldspar which rarely occurs in these rocks. The word "anor- those" is synonymous with "plagioclase," the commoner desig- nation for the triclinic feldspars, and anorthosite means simply "plagioclase rock," or "plagioclasite," which latter name is also sometimes applied to similar or very closely related rocks. Anor- thosite is in reality a family belonging to the gabbros, where it occupies a position at one end of the series, (acidic) corresponding. to that of the pyroxenites at the other (basic) extremity. A gabbro becoming progressively richer in plagioclase passes gradually into an anorthosite, while, on the other hand, if the feldspar is decreased a pyroxenite and ultimately ilmenite (titanic iron ore) results, Hunt has estimated that three-quarters of the anorthosites of Canada do not contain more than five per cent, of minerals other than 1 Geology of Canada, 1863, p. 22. = Ann. Rep. Geo. Surv., Canada, Vol. VIII, 1895, Part J, p. 91. OP THE CHIBOUGAMATJ REGION 155 plagioclase/ Logan, and other good observers, regarded these anorthosites, which occur so extensively developed on the southerly and easterly limits of the great Archean shield, as a distinct over- lying unconformable series. Dr. Adams later concluded that^ the "Upper Lauren tian or anorthosite group of Sir "William Logan does not exist as an independent geological series, the anorthosite which was considered to be its principal constituent being an in- trusive rock, and its remaining members belonging to the Grenville series. ' ' This anorthosite, as originally described, has as its chief mineral constituent plagioclase or a triclinic feldspar varying in composition in general from andesine to bytownite. In general it weathers to an opaque or chalky white, which colour is especially conspicuous and characteristic when the hypersthene and ilmenite are scarce or altogether absent. The Chibougamau anorthosite possesses certain of the character- istics which have just been described, for, in the greater part of its development, plagioclase is present to the almost total exclusion of any other mineral. As a consequence, outcrops of this rock are distinguished almost at once by the conspicuous and characteristic ehalkiness of the weathered surface. With the exception of certain dykes outcropping on McKenzie bay, all the occurrences of anor- thosite in the Chibougamau region are found in a belt of country varying from two to five miles in width, and extending from Denis bay, in a west-south-west direction nearly to the western shores of Lake Simon, a distance of about 28 miles. This rock thus under- lies an area of nearly 100 square miles. The northern contact is with the Keewatin, while to the south it is limited by the batho- lith of the Laurentian formation. The eastern boundary of the anorthosite batholith was not determined, as it extends beyond the region under description. The western limit is reached in the western part of Lake Simon, where it is replaced or interrupted by Laurentian granite and a breccia made up of fragments of green- stone detached by stoping processes during the intrusion both of the anorthosite and granite batholiths into the neighbouring and original overlying Keewatin formation. ' Am. Jour. Sc, Nov. 1869. ' Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., Vol. VIII, 1895, Part J, p. 165. 156 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES No attempt will be made at correlating this anorthosite with others, which have been described in areas to the south, for too great a distance intervenes, which is unknown geologically to make such a correlation valuable, if at all possible. A careful examination of the lines of junction between the anorthosite and the neighbouring rocks shows clearly that it is younger than the Keewatin green- stones, while it is invaded in turn by the Laurentian batholith. The northern ^ide of this elongated oval-shaped anorthosite batholith is in direct connection with the Keewatin schists, and the different contact phenomena along this line of junction may be closely exam- ined, especially in the vicinity of Block A, on Lac Dore, the Me- Kenzie Gold Mine, and the south side of the Sorcerer mountains. It is quite apparent at all these places that the anorthosite is the younger and intruding rock, as it sends dykes and irregular apophyses into the green schistose rocks, while angular fragments of the latter, some of them of large size, have been detached and floated off during the intrusion of the anorthosite. This unmis- takably foreign material is not only characteristic of the line of junction where these fragments are especially abundant, but they are of frequent occurrence, even towards the centre of the intrusion. In addition, there is abundant evidence of absorption and digestion of many of the smaller of these Keewatin blocks, while portions of the larger pieces have become rounded, owing to corrosion by the invading magma. In this way the anorthosite is rendered more basic in the vicinity of this foreign material. This bisilieate en- richment is altogether apart, and can, for the most part, be dis- tinguished from that, due to undoubted processes of differenti- ation, which also prevailed, the resultant rock being quite dis- tinctive and characteristic. The southern contact with the anor- thosite and the granites, and their gneissic equivalents of the Laurentian formation is also irruptive in character, the Laurentian formation being the younger. In the vicinity of this line of junction, both anorthosite and granite are very plainly and evenly foliated, the foliation in the case of the anorthosite, being due to a parallel alignment and elongation of its constituent minerals, while inclusions of Keewatin green schists and anorthosite drawn out in a direction at right angles to the direction of pressure produced an alternating sequence of bands of varying basicity, which is quite marked in the case of the Laurentian formation. The intrusive relation between the Laurentian and anorthosite is very beautifully Plate LII. Dyke of anorthosite, Intruding chloritlc and hornblendic schists of Keewatin formation, Copper point, Ijake Chibougamau. Plate LIII. -'v^^ Quartz veins, (pegmatltic) cutting anortliosite. Contact point, Lake Chibougamau. i"- OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU. KBGION 157 and intricately shown at a number of localities, as, for example, on the southeast shore of Lake Chibougamau, near Contact point ; also on a small island north of Granite island, near the centre of Lake Chibougamau. At the first mentioned place irregular,- veins of quartz pierce and traverse the altered anorthosite in an exposure which rises directly in a glaciated hummock from the surface of the lake. These veins are evidently extremely differentiated in- trusions, directly connected with the Laurentian granite batholith. These Veins are well-shown in the accompanying illustration (Plate LIII). At the small island, which was named Junction island, just north of the middle part of Granite island, a beautiful, smooth, and in places, polished (glaciated) exposure, rising directly from the lake, shows characteristic penetration of the anorthosite by dykes and irregular offshoots of the Laurentian granite (Plate LIV). It would exceed the scope of the present report to attempt an exhaustive treatment of this anorthosite, furnishing detailed de- scriptions of the separate occurrences, and the intention in this case is to supply only the principal facts regarding its general character and mode of occurrence. The petrographieal determin- ations undertaken by Mr. Merrill were of specimens specially selected as representative of the different varieties of rocks making up this batholith. The chemical and mineralogical composition of these rock types is very variable from place to place, owing mainly to processes of differentiation and absorption, so that it is quite possible, therefore, to obtain hand specimens which are so diversp in general appearance and character as to be classed as separate and distinct types of rock. All of these, are, however, differentiated products of a highly feldspathic magma, belonging to one petro- graphieal province, representing one phase of plutonic activity, and thus constituting a separate and distinct geological unit. All of these rock types have undergone such profound and widespread decomposition, and, in places, deformation that their petrographieal study is attended with much difficulty, while the results are far from satisfactory. In most cases this alteration is so extreme that the plagioclase is completely saussuritized, some of the highly feldspathic specimens being converted almost wholly into zoisite. In other cases only very occasional fragments show traces of the twinning lamellae, while the pyroxene, if originally present, is converted into uralite or decomposed to chlorite and 168 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES serpentine. It is regarded as the most reasonable explanation that this very advanced decomposition has been occasioned by the magmatic waters which accompanied, and to a very large extent, immediately followed the granite intrusion. It would seem essen- tial, moreover, to the accomplishment of such profound alteration, that these superheated waters and vapours must have traversed the anorthosite batholith in every direction, in this way permeating the whole mass, breaking down the unstable products, and convert- ing these to the condition of stability at present witnessed. For purposes of convenience of description, these various rock types met with may be divided into several groups, although it must be understood that no arbitrary line exists in nature between these respective sub-divisions : 1. Anorthosite. 2. Gabbro. 3. Hypersthene gabbro or Norite. 4. Pyroxenite? (with iron ore). 1. ANORTHOSITE. — The anorthosltc, properly so called, is the predominant type and covers over ninety per cent, of the total area. It is very largely and sometimes almost ex- clusively made up of plagioclase, which a consideration of the refractive index and the angles of extinction indi- cates sometimes oligoelase (AbjAui), and sometimes andesine (Aba ^Hi)- The rock varies in colour from a pale greyish white, or very pale pinkish to a pale violet colour, and most exposures weather to a chalky white. Violet coloured specimens are the least altered. There are usually small and infrequent irregular patches of a yellowish green substance (saussurite), which, on examination with the microscope, proves to be aggregates of zoisite, epidote, sericite, serpentine, and sometimes a little chlorite. The rock is usually greatly decomposed, and along certain narrow zones has undergone considerable deformation, resulting in a gneiss or a sericite schist. There is, as a rule, very little bisilicate material, and this, when present, has been converted into uralite, chlorite, and occasionally serpentine. One specimen, from a small island in Lac Dore, near Block A, showed a pale coloured augite in fairly large amount, but most of it has undergone decomposition to chlorite. Another specimen, from an island near the entrance to Denis bay, contains } . t^^^^ < .^ h OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 159 a pale coloured faintly pleochroie fibrous hornblende, partly uralite. As a rule, the plagioclase is very highly altered, the re- sulting saussurite being made up almost wholly of zoisite with, as usual, a much smaller quantity of epidote and caleite. It is dif- ficult, on account of the 'advanced decomposition, to obtain satis- factory determination of the plagioclase. The specific gravity of this rock, in the specimens examined, varied from 2.929 to 3.193, the higher values being due to the large development of secondary zoisite. The rock is very often porphyritic, with abundantly dis- seminated white phenocrysts, in a darker coloured groimdmass (Plate LV). Quartz, both primary and secondary, occurs in the more acid varieties, and is thus especially plentiful towards the centre of the intrusion. Under the microscope, the rock is a medium to coarse grained admixture, made up essentially of plagioclase and augite, the latter mineral being usually altogether decomposed to hornblende and chlorite. Quartz and pyrite are accessory constituents, while zoisite, epidote, chlorite, caleite, muscovite, sericite, serpentine, leucoxene and hematite are the principal secondary products of decomposition. 2. — GABBRO: This rock type is of somewhat limited and spor- adic occurrence, the localities from which the specimens were col- lected being near the northern line of junction between the anor- thosite and the Keewatin formation. Most of the specimens are now gabbro-diorites, owing to the replacing of the pyroxene by a secondary hornblende (uralite). The hand specimens show a medium to coarse grained rock, varying in colour from greyish green to very dark green, the darker colour being characteristic of those containing a larger amount of the ferromagnesian minerals. The specific gravity of this rock ranged from 2.910 to 2.983. Under the microscope the principal constituents are plagioclase and horn- blende with quartz, magnetite, pyrite, and very occasionally zircon as accessory constituents. The products of decomposition, which are usually abundantly represented, are uralite, zoisite, epidote, caleite, and chlorite. No determination of the feldspar was made, owing to its advanced saussuritization. Most of the hornblende is, as a rule, converted into chlorite, the latter mineral usually simply replacing the hornblende individuals, and retaining its outward shape. The quartz present, which is both of primary and secondary origin, is often graphically intergrown with the plagioclase. 160 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES 3. — NOKiTE: In the hand specimens, collected near McKenzie Mine and at the entrance to Denis bay, the rock is of a medinm grain with a dark grey mottled appearance. The specific gravity of one specimen examined was 3.123. There are lighter and darker coloured areas in the rock which produces its mottled character. The lighter coloured areas are dull and oily, while the darker patches are frequently bright and fresh. The microscopic deter- mination shows the rock to be made up essentially of plagioclase, diallage and hypersthene, with quartz, ilmenite and apatite as accessory constituents. Uralitic hornblende, epidote, zoisite, chlorite, leucoxene and biotite are the principal secondary products of decomposition, which were noticed in the examination. The plagio- clase was found to be an a«id labradorite (Abj An^) and by means of a separation with Thoulet's heavy solution, a specific gravity of 2.67 was ascertained. This determination was also in agreement with the measured angles of extinction and the refractive index. In spite of the usual advanced decomposition of the plagioclase occasional individuals show twinning lamellae, which could be measured. The products of alteration are epidote, zoisite and caleite. The diallage, while not abundant, occurs in fairly large sized crystals, sometimes twinned and with ffiirly well developed herring-bone structure. Some if it is intergrown with hornblende, while crystals were seen being decomposed to serpen- tine. Occasional ophitic structure shows that the diallage crystal- lized later than the plagioclase. The hypersthene is almost completely altered to bastite, and only occasional irregular cores of the hypersthene remain in the midst of the brilliantly polarizing serpentine (bastite). Quartz occurs as a granophyric intergrowth with the plagioclase. Long needle like forms of apatite are distributed through the rock. The iron ore, which is a highly titaniferous magnetite, shows the very characteristic gridiron alteration to leucoxene. Uralitic hornblende is abundant, with faint though marked pleochroism. The serpen- tine, to which the name bastite is usually applied, is plentiful in the thin sections, with characteristic fibrous structure and brilliant chromatic polarization. 4. — PYROXENiTE? (with magnetite) : This rock, which is re- garded as the most basic facies of the anorthosite intrusion, is impossible of determination, owing to its profound decomposition. tLATE LVI. Jk ^^Si:^'- :^^i 'J" «s;-3 Foliated anorthosite, Block A, Lake Dorfi. OF THE GHIBOUGAMAU REGION 161 It is now jnade up of veins and irregular veinlets, as well as of irregular patches and grains of magnetite in a deep greenish matrix, made up chiefly of serpentine and chlorite, together with a little epidote. The rock may have been a pyroxenite, or possibly a perido- tite, which has undergone extensive alteration, the coloured minerals "being decomposed to serpentine and chlorite, while the iron ore has been dissolved out and redeposited in veins and patches which weather out from the surrounding lighter coloured matrix, giving to weathered exposures a mottled appearance. This magnetite occurs sometimes in extended outcrops, and in such abundance as to consti- tute a low grade iron ore, probably less than 20 per cent, of metallic iron. Some of these secondary veins of nearly pure magnetite were about four inches in width. The magnetite is titaniferous, assays showing 0.86 of Ti Oj in a specimen which contained 35.8 per cent. •of metallic iron. This magnetite is probably a differentiation pro- duct from the anorthosite magma, which has undergone rearrange- ment and secondary enrichment as a result of eruptive after actions. In the vicinity of the southern line of contact between the anor- thosite and the Laurentian granite, the anorthosite is very plainly foli- ated, the parallel structure probably resulting from deforming influ- ences due to the intrusion of the Laurentian batholith. The specimens examined were green in colour, and gabbroic in appearance and composition. The feldspar, hornblende and quartz show evidence of pressure in fracturing, dislocation and granulation. The horn- blende is frequently fractured and decomposed to chlorite. The rocks are essentially identical with the ordinary gabbro type of the anorthosite, the difference beiag almost altogether in the develop- ment of the gneissoid structure. A rather remarkable type of this anorthosite occurs in extended outcrops, mainly in the neighbourhood of the southern Itae of con- tact. It is a curious "blotched" type, produced by the develop- ment of irregular patches of almost pure feldspathic material em- bedded in a greyish green finer grained groundmass. This type of rock is intermediate between the gabbro type and the more acid anorthosite. It is regarded as a facies of anorthosite resulting from the influence of the granitic intrusion, which has produced these larger areas and patches of feldspar. Besides these ordinary products of the differentiation of the anorthosite intrusion there are certaia finer grained, sometimes porphyritic dykes, which not only cut and often ramify through 11 162 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL BESOUEOEG the main mass of the anorthosite batholith, but cut some of the green schists and serpentines of the Keewatin formation, as on the south shore of McKenzie bay land Asbestos island. These are essentially similar (except that they are finer grained) to the more acid type of the anorthosite, and display the same advanced alter- ation. At Asbestos island garnet is present, in addition to the other minerals. Some of these dykes weather a rusty colour, on account of the abundance of pyrite and chalcopyrite, and at one place, near Lac Dore, at least one of these dykes has undergone prelitninarj' mining development work, because of the abundance of these sul- phides. In certain places, noticeably at the McKenzie Gold mine, but also on Lake Dore, the anorthosite intrusion has sent out irre- gular apophyses, in the form of quartz veins, into the green schists of the Keewatin formation. These carry the usual sulphides, chiefly chalcopyrite and pyrite, together with ferrodolomite, and occasion- ally calcite, dolomite and siderite. G. — Keewatin. The first direct and positive testimony in regard to events in the past geological history of the Chibougamau Region is afforded by the rocks included in the Keewatin formation. These, resulting from the consolidation of successive and widespread extravasations of lava, point to an era of volcanic activity, which has not been exceeded, if equalled, in any subsequent geological period. Then followed a time more or less prolonged, or recurrent, of diastro- phism and metamorphism, produced by the intrusion of the immense batholiths of anorthosite and granite, which have already been described. It is quite possible, and even probable, that no great interval elapsed between the processes of extrusion of the lavas and the irruption of the batholiths, but sufficient time was allowed for the almost, if not quite, complete cooling and solidifi- cation of these lavas, which, in their present decomposed and dis- torted condition, are now recognized under the name of Keewatin. It is worthy of mention also in this connection that the examination of this territory has shown a remarkable and not satisfactorily explicable condition of affairs in this earliest geological time, there being no positive evidence preserved of any floor or basement upon which the few sedimentaries present in the oldest formation were laid down, but instead the whole of this ancient series seems to OF THE CHIBOUQAMAU REGION 163 have been in a state of very unstable equilibrium, apparently float- ing upon enormous masses of granite and anortbosite, which were constantly breaking through them in every direction. This anoma- lous association has already been explained as due primarily to the weakness of the first formed crust of the earth, and its conse- quent liability to fracture and movement, especially in a vertical direction, causing portions of it to sink below the line of fusion, and which subsequent upheaval and denudation have revealed at the present surface. This curious phenomenon is not confined to this region, but has been found to obtain throughout the whole of the northern part of Canada, and also in all parts of the world wherever these oldest formations have been studied and described. The name "Keewatin" was proposed, in the first place, by Dr. Andrew C. Lawson^ in 1885, to designate the schistose belts of rocks which run through the granitoid gneissies in the northern part of the Lake of the Woods, as he deemed them to be essentially different from the typical Huronian with which they had been correlated before his examination. The name suggested itself to him as the most appropriate designation, because of the very exten- sive development of these rocks in the district to which this name was then officially applied. Since that time the use of this name, ^'Keewatin," has gradually been extended, especially in Canada, to embrace similar foliated and schistose rocks, which are of very wide- spread occurrence in northern Quebec and Ontario. The Keewatin formation, in the Chibougamau region, is by far the most important of all the geological series, from the point of view of area, as it covers a superficies of 411 square miles. The main belt of these rocks includes a stretch of country extending from near the north- east corner of the map nearly to its southwestern corner. The greatest width of this band is a little over twelve miles.. Its exten- sion near the eastern border of the map is broken into two bands by the intrusion of the granite batholith of the region, in the vicin- ity of the headwaters of the Rapid river. A rudely triangular area of Keewatiti rocks extends across the southwest corner of the map. This area is probably coextensive with the Keewatin formation ex- posed in the western part of Lake Obatogamau. The Keewatin formation of the Chibougamau Region is made up principally of consolidated lavas, ranging in the prevailing 'Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv., Can., 1885, Part CC, p. 10-15. 164 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES species from rocks of very basic types to others of intermediate composition. Between these two extremes, moreover, there are representatives which evidence a complete transition. These reeks are, for the most part, hardened surface flows, with characteristie structures still recognizable, and in part very well preserved, iq spite of the great age and changes to which this formation has been subjected. Rocks of hypabyssal types, of laccolithic or dyke-like origin are also rather well developed, while plutonic rocks, indicative of deep'Seated intrusive processes, are only sparingly included. In- timately associated with these are certain quartzites and bituminous black shales, occupying comparatively smaller areas. These may point to conditions of ordinary sedimentation, but on the other hand, they may be of pyroelastic origin, either mashed and granulated tuffs. As has already been mentioned and emphasized, these rocks have been subjected to very pronounced metamorphism, in extreme cases, resulting in the complete re-arrangement and re-crystal- lization of the component minerals, the obliteration of all of the original structures, and the development of a parallel and schistose structure, as often seen in the very evenly laminated and fissile ehloritie and micaceous schists. This metamorphism is of two distinct kinds, which are to a large extent interdependent, so that, as a consequence, evidence of both species of alteration are usually present in the same rock mass. The forces producing this metamorphism have, moreover, been in operation about the same time to bring about the extreme of dis- tortion and decomposition in this formation. The change most in evidence is that produced by dynamic metamorphism, whereby the originally massive beds or flows of trap have been squeezed, twisted, pulled apart, and re-cemented until in some cases little or no evidence remains of their original character. This mechanical deformation and dislocation of these rocks, so characteristic and widespread, has assisted in the second kind of alteration known as paramorphism or metasomatism, by the creation of certain openings and passages along which the heated waters and vapours (magmatic), which were the chief agents of decomposition, flowed. This change, distinguished under the name of paramor- phism, consists mainly in the breaking down of the molecularly unstable mineral compounds, such as olivine, pyroxene, and even plagioclase, and the development in their place of the more stable, OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EBGION 165 and, in some cases, ultimate products such as serpentine, horn- blende, chlorite and saussurite. These magmatie waters and eman- ations were not only an accompaniment of the extrusion of the Keewatin lavas themselves, but were present in especial abundance, and unusually active during the succeeding batholithic intrusions of anorthosite, granite and diorite. It is, therefore, entirely reasonable to assume that both species of metamorphism were begun in Kee- watin times, and were the result of agencies already in operation, as a result of oft repeated cycles of volcanic activity, whereby the earlier, and possibly more basic lavas were invaded, metamorphosed, and, to a certain extent, deformed by succeeding extrusions of lava of intermediate and even acid type. The climax of this meta- morphism was, however, not reached until toward the close of and immediately succeeding the intrusion of the anorthosite and granite batholiths. This paramorphism is, therefore, regarded as essentially a deep-seated phenomenon, operating for the most part at least, at con- siderable depths' below the surface, which subsequent uplift and truncation has revealed at the present surface. The serpentiniza- tion of the olivine and the diallage, the uralitization and chloriti- zation of the augite, and the saussuritization of the feldspars are not to any appreciable extent attributable to action of surface or meteoric waters, but were directly caused by heated magmatie waters and vapours which traversed even the most remote and minute fissures, in the already partially consolidated rock masses, and their various constituent minerals. These very evident and ex- tensive molecular changes are hot at present very easy of clear and satisfactory explanation. The agency and efficacy of magmatie waters must, however, be admitted in the light of all modern research work in connection with the genesis and development of these old crystallines, and the burden of proof must rest with those who are inclined to think otherwise. Most of these lavas are com- paratively, flat lying, or have a somewhat gentle inclination gener- ally in a direction of west-north-west. The secondarily developed structures of foliation and sehistosity, which are most in evidence, and sometimes the only structure discernible, have a prevailing strike of east-north-east and west-south-west, while the angles of dip vary from 70° to nearly if not quite vertical. In places, noticeably on the north side of [Asbestos island, the more basic lavas show a very pronounced ellipsoidal, or the so called pillow structure. This structure is also sometimes referred to as a 166 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES "concretionary structure" by some writers. It is characteristic of both ancient and some modern basic lavas, and its development has been explained by some observers as due to the influence of water and mud upon the molten rock invading either the sea or lake. A rock thus characterized by the presence of this structure consists of an aggregation of ellipsoidal or irregular pillow-shaped masses, varying in size from a few inches to as many feet in diameter. These ovoid forms are more markedly cellular towards the centre, and finer grained towards the margins. They were evidently formed when the lava was in movement, either flowing into water or over a muddy sediment. The larger diameters of these rudely oval masses correspond rather closely to the direction of the prevailing foliation or schistosity. They are not usually in contact with one another, but separated by interspaces which are of a darker green colour, while the ellipsoids themselves weather with a rough or porous surface of a pale greyish green colour. (See plates LVII, LVIII.) In certain places there is distinct evidence of an approach to the basaltic habit in these lava flows, which is quite apparent in spite of the deforming influences which have been at work. Such a structure was seen on the east side of Portage island, between Copper and Northeast points, also on some rocky islets and reefs near the east shore of Lake Chibougamau, between Bear bay and Valiquette narrows. (See plate LIX.) A somewhat related type of structure is also developed in the Keewatin schists, on the east side of Dore lake, at Block "A." Plow structures of a ropey character are very beautifully developed and preserved in the Keewatin greenstones, at the south- west end of Lake Asinitehibastat. As a rule, these Keewatin rocks are of a deep green colour, owing to their prevailing basicity and frequent development of chlorite. The more acid types are of a greyish or yellowish green colour, as a result of the replacement of chlorite by sericite. Some of the schists weather a deep brown colour, as a result mainly of the presence of ferrodolomite and pyrite. The rocks vary in texture from coarse to fine grained, the latter prevailing, and are sometimes porphyritic and occasionally amygdaloidal. It is not intended in the present report to give detailed petrographical descriptions of all the thin sections examined, but simply to furnish a generalized statement of the predominant types. 3 B Ml 3 O a ni •a 3 OF THE CHIBOtTGAMAU. REGION 167 Study of the thin slices, prepared from the specimens collected as typical and representative of the Keewatin formation has shown- that the following principal rock types are the most prevalent and extensive. This diagnosis was only made possible by an examination of those specimens which had suffered least from the metamorphic processes, as well as by a careful comparative study of these types with others which showed the more advanced stages of alteration. Some of the simpler paramorphic changes consisted in the replace- ment almost "in situ" of the more unstable products by more stable compounds, without any appreciable destruction of existing struc- tures. 1. Peridotite and serpentine (Dunite in part?). 2. Pyroxenite. 3. Hornblendite. 4. Gabbro. 5. Diabase. 6. Porphyrite. 7. Chlorite schist. 8. Quartz Porphyry and Quartz Porphyrite. 9. Dolomite. 10. Quartzite. 11. Black Shale or Slate. 12. Breccia and tuffs. These rather distinct and separable rock types are, in part at Isast, due to processes of differentiation, although some of them are products of different periods or cycles of extrusion. They frequently show a distinct passage from one group to another, although as typically developed they are thus capable of subdivision for pur- poses of comparison and description. Their exact geological rela- tions to one another are obscured by their decomposition and deformation, although it may be in general stated that the basic types are older than those of acidic composition. 1. ^PEEIDOTITE AND SERPENTINE. These rocks are of very basic composition, showing in some cases a little less than 35 per cent, of silica. They are of a dark greyish green to very dark green, almost black colour, with a dis- 168 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES tinctly granular structure, the rock being made up usually of rounded grains. In certain situations, as on the south side of Asbestos island, it breaks down into a coarse dark greyish sand, made up mostly of these grains which appear to have very little coherence under ordinary conditions of atmospheric decay. In many cases, as at the JMagnetic Cone, opposite Asbestos island, it contains small masses and veins of secondary magnetite. Of the thin sections examined under the microscope only two showed any of the origLaal mineral constituents still remaining. One of these specimens was collected from the southwest side of Asbestos island, near Pit No. 4, while the other was from the east side of Asinit- chibastat lake, near Beaver mountain. Some of the serpentine appears to have resulted from the decomposition of olivine, but most of it is derived from the alteration of pyroxene (diallage), much of which still remains in the freshest types examined. Very little satisfaction was derived from the microscopical study of the remaining thin sections. As thus examined, the rock usually con- sists of rounded or at most subangular grains of pale green serpen- tine, with sometimes considerable interstitial magnesite and chlorite, while grains and dust-like particles of black opaque iron ore (magnetite) are scattered throughout the thin section. Much of the serpentine exhibits well-developed mesh structure in some places, and the arrangement of the black grains of magnetite seems to mark out somewhat distinctly original grains of olivine in the midst of pyroxene. In the vicinity of certain dykes of anorthosite, the serpentine has been made much lighter in colour, omng to the removal of most of the iron. These portions of the rock are much purer serpentine with a distinctly soft and unctious feel in contradis- tinction to the rest of the serpentine, which is decidedly harsh to the touch. Peridotite and its derivative serpentine do not cover any very large area in the Chibougamau Region, and most of it is of some- what impure and imperfect character. It occurs apparently iu lenticular bands and masses, interf oliated with pyroxenites and fine grained decomposed diabases and chlorite schists, in a belt of coun- try extending from Rapid river to Asinitchibastat lake, and prob- ably beyond. Associated with the serpentine of Asbestos island are certain very dark, almost black, shaly areas of somewhat indefinite outline. On the accompanying map of Asbestos island, they are separated 3 a O J a OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 169 and coloured under the designation of shaly serpentine. They appear to be integral portions of the serpentine mass, possibly tuffs which quite evidently contain a very considerable proportion of carbonaceous or bituminous material. An examination of the thin section shows the rock to be a carboiiaceous serpentine, the black carbonaceous material being arranged for the most part parallel to the foliation or schistosity. The remaining interspaces are occupied by granules of serpentine. A specimen submitted to Mr. R. P. D. Graham, of McGill University, was examined by him, who reported as follows: Specimen nearly black with greenish tinge. I. A weighed quantity was digested with hydrochloric acid for a few hours, to remove any carbonates ; but there was no perceptible effervescence on adding the acid. On allowing to stand, a slime of black graphitic material separated on the surface of the liquid. The solution was filtered through asbestos, and the residue ignited in a quartz tube in a current of oxygen. The result gave 1.86%, by weight, of carbon. The material, after ignition, was of a cream brick colour. II. A second portion was ignited direct, without previous treat- ment with hydrochloric acid. In this case the resulting material was brownish red (brick colour). The amoimt of carbon found was essentially the same as in the first determination, showing that the specimen contains little or no carbonate. The result gave 1.89% of carbon by weight. The serpentine thus contains about 1.9% carbon by weight, or between 2 and 2.5% carbon by volume. It is apparently present largely, if not altogether, in the form of graphite. In certain favourable locations, especially on Asbestos island, the north and south shores of McKenzie bay, the south shore of Gunn bay, and also on Lakes Bourbeau and Asinitchibastat, small veins of silky asbestos, and much wider veins of picrolite have been developed. Some of these harder and more brittle forms of asbestos (picrolite) occur in irregular masses, as well as veins, and in some of the exposures stripped on the south side of McKenzie bay, some of these so called asbestos veins measured from 8 to 12 inches, or even more in- length. (See Plate LXI.) It is quite evident that the development of these fibrous forms of serpentine is intimately con- 170 GEOLOGY AND MINEEAL EBSOUECis n€cted with the intrusion of certain anorthosite dykes. Their economic importance has already been fully discussed and explained. Various explanations and theories have been advanced by dif- ferent writers to account for the formation of serpentine, and the presence in it of asbestos, but most of these hypotheses have failed to take into proper consideration the evidence furnished by the micro- scopic examination of the thin sections of the rock. Asbestos or chrysotile is really a fibrous serpentine, a rock or mineral which, in its purest form, results from the decomposition of olivine. The fresh rock is called dunite, and much of it is made up ahriost wholly of the mineral olivine, with sometimes a little chromite and pyro- xene as accessory or accidental constituents. The Chibougamau serpentine has resulted from the alteration of a peridotite, in which pyroxene is the important constituent, while olivine, probably pre- sent, is comparatively unimportant. Olivine is very alterable, especially by so called secondary action, in which heated water is the chief agent employed to bring about the results witnessed. It is, therefore, seldom that a perfectly fresh dunite is found, although areas of these rocks in the southern Appalachians supply fresh and unaltered representatives of these and related rocks. Thin sections, when examined under the microscope, show the various stages of this alteration, as a result of this secondary action. The various grains of olivine are converted into fibrous ser- pentine (chrysotile), usually around the edges of each separate grain, as also along certain lines of fracture which traverse each individual in different directions. This alteration proceeds until the whole individual is replaced by the secondary serpentine. Some of these small fractures filled with fibrous serpentine (veinlets) are very irregular in their development, while others follow certain weU- defined cracks, usually the cleavage planes of the olivine. Photomicrographs of some of these thin sections reproduce in minute form what is often actually seen on a giant scale irt the working face of many of the asbestos quarries or openings. It is, therefore, quite plain that there is no necessity of a fissure as ordinarily defined and understood, for the development of asbestos, the minute structural planes of the whole rock mass, and the com- ponent minerals being all that is essential. These minute lines of fracture may be, and usually are, in the initial stages of the develop- ment of the asbestos of only microscopic dimensions, sometimes barely sufficient to act as planes of solution to carry the magmatic 3 a Ml 3 Si o J Hi CD OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 171 waters for the hydration and serpentinization of the dunite in their immediate vicinity. It is in this particular that the word "line" is used in its almost geometrical strictness. The evidence of the original presence of these lines or planes of solution is usually disguised by the development (crystallization) of the asbestos (chrysotile) fibres. This characteristic and usual fibrous structure is now often regarded as a crystalline phenomenon, the individual fibres being considered as distinct, though imperfect, and exagger- ated prismatic forms. The existence of these minute solution planes is now abundantly attested by the examination of the microscopic thin sections. A photomicrograph of a thin section by N. B. Car- michael, of the School of Mining, Kingston, well illustrates this phenomenon.^ In this illustration the asbestos fibres begin to develop along a line extending outwards from this as a centre. The growth of the crystals is, therefore, outward not inward, as is often described or inferred. The asbestos has not been transported from a distance, and has, therefore, in this respect no relationship with the filling of ordinary fissure veins. "While, however, denying the necessity of pre-existing fissures of very large dimensions, it is obvious that there are certain fractures larger than those already mentioned, often of considerable dimensions, formed by the differ- ential stresses and movements set up in the rock mass during the processes of intrusion, differentiation and hydration. The presence of asbestos in such a situation is directly attributable to the alter- ation of the rock in the immediate vicinity. There was very little immigration of waters holding chrysotile in solution from any dis- tant source. The so called veins of asbestos are really made up of material developed "in situ," and growing in direct proportion to the amount of magmatic waters supplied. They owe their presence in such quality and abundance in the Eastern Townships of Quebec because of the great purity of the original rock mass, and also that the magmatic waters have acted in such a way that a maximum of chrysotile has been produced, with a corresponding minimum of the less valuable and massive serpentine. In the Quebec occurrences a large proportion of the rock is still unaltered and easily recognizable as dunite, except in the vicinity of the asbestos, so that in this way there has been a minimum of displacement and readjustment pro- duced by the increase in bulk of the resultant rock mass. ' Jour. Can. Min. Mo., Vol. XIII, 19W, p. 415. 172 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Serpentinization and the development of chrysotile are quite distinct from weathering processes, as may be shown by chemical analysis and the examination and comparison of surface outcrops, both in the profoundly glaciated district of Quebec, and in the unglaeiated areas of the southern Appalachians. It is, therefore, conceivable that with such an hypothesis, serpentine can only exist at or near the present surface after the removal of a considerable amount of the overlying rocks, as is evidenced by the Chibougamau occurrences. Serpentine, and especially asbestos, are much more stable and resistant products to ordinary atmospheric decay than the original dunite or peridotite from which they have been derived. Yv^eathering, or the action of meteoric waters chiefly tends to the mechanical disintegration of the peridotite and the subsequent formation of a considerable amount of magnesian carbonate, mag- nesium and nickel silicates, hydrous iron oxides and chalcedonic silica. The carbonates of magnesium, and probably very small quantities of carbonate of iron, as well as the silicates of magnesium and nickel are sometimes deposited in irregular veins and masses immediately below the heavier products of weathering, but they are often completely removed by the infiltrating waters, leaving a heavy soil or mantle of pisolitic iron ore (limonite and goethite) with occasional masses of so called "chert," or chalcedonic quartz, scattered about. The ore deposits resulting from the weathering of dunite and allied peridotite rocks consist of residual deposits of iron, nickel and magnesite. The nickel deposits of New Caledonia; Web- ster, North Carolina and Riddles, Oregon, and the iron ores of Cuba are well-known examples of residual deposits resulting from the action of meteoric waters on peridotite. The weathering of perido- tite tends, therefore, to the formation of the simpler mineral sub- stances just mentioned, rather than to the development of the more complex hydrous orthosilicate serpentine. Asbestos and picrolite are, therefore, products of a deep seated process so that these minerals can only reach perfection of development at some distance below the active influence of surface weathering. The following analyses will serve to show the change in chemical composition in the alteration of olivine and dunite to serpentine and chrysotile asbestos. No fresh peridotite was obtained from Chibougamau, and the included analyses by Professor N. N. Evans, of McGill University, are of two types of serpentine from Asbestos OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION J 73 island. I. Analysis of olivine (chrysolite from the Corundum Hill Mine, Macon County, North Carolina ; II. Dunite from the same locality ; III. Massive serpentine from the same locality ; IV. Ser- pentine from Asbestos island, Lake Ghibougamau; V. Serpentine altered in contact with dyke or anorthosite near No. 3 pit, Asbestos island, Lake Ghibougamau; VI. Serpentine from Lake Abitibi, Ontario; VII. Serpentine from Pigeon lake, Montreal river, Ontario; VIII. Chrysotile, Thetford, Quebec. I 11 III IV V VI VII VIII SiO, 41.58 40.11 41.90 34.81 36.93 35.05 34.591 39.05 Al^O, 0.14 0.88 0.71 1.05 8.18 0.73 2.391 3.67 Fe,03 FeO 7.49 1.20 6.09 0.91 10.23 3.17 2.28 0.38 9.05 5.08 8.660 ■2.41 MgO 49.28 48.58 40.16 37.74 38.24 33.09 32.253 40.07 CaO 0.11 0.18 0.44 0.54 3.625 Na,0 0.48 0.36 K,0 0.02 0.07 H,0, at 110° 1.72 2.74 16.16 0.15 21 8.47 17.574 14.14 H,0, above 110° 12.16 12.21 TiO„ 0.12 0.26 0.50 P.O. trace 0.09 Cr,0, 0.18 0.10 none 6.72 0.382 NiO 0.34 0.10 0.18 0.23 little CoO trace none none little MnO trace 0.14 0.48 0.244 SrO none none CO, none none SO3 trace trace 100.66 99.78 99.94 100.53 100.36 100.77 99.720 99.68 174 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES As shown by the above analyses, the decomposition or alteration of dunite or olivine into serpentine involves a considerable loss of magnesia, and a large proportion of the iron. In the Chibougamau occurrences there is a considerable loss of silica, and a large loss of of lime and iron, with a corresponding increase mainly in magnesia and water. The chemical reaction which takes place in the development of serpentine from olivine or dunite may be expressed by the following equation : 2 (MgFe)^ Si O^ — (Fe Mg) O + 2 H^O = H, Mgg Si^ O/ Olivine Iron and Magnesia Water Serpentine It is, perhaps, worthy of remark in this connection, and per- tinent to the ideas, perhaps, too forcibly expressed, that the best examples of serpentine and chrysotile asbestos are in the Province of Quebec, where most of the products of weathering have been removed by profound glaciation. It is, on the other hand, regarded as very significant that practically unaltered and fresh types of dunite may be secured in the near vicinity of the surface of the hill sides of North Carolina, which is unglaciated and where weathering processes, or the action of meteoric waters have been operative for untold ages.. 2. PYROXENITE. Intimately associated with the serpentines and apparently a differentiate from the same magma, are certain very fresh looking, brightly glistening, almost black, rocks. Their comparative fresh- ness and brilliancy on freshly broken surfaces are characteristic. Under the microscope they are seen to be made up priucipally of diallage, most of which is often quite fresh and unaltered. Occa- sionally, however, some of the grains are partially or wholly con- verted into chlorite. A little iron ore is present. Some inclusions noticed in the anorthosite batholith, on an island southeast of Port- age island, in Lake Chibougamau, were of a very dark green, some- times porphyritic rock. An inspection of a thin section shows these inclusions to be of a closely related type of rock, the pheno- crysts being the partially decomposed hornblende (uralite) and also diallage. Specimens of this rock were collected on the north shore of Gunn bay, the west side of Lac Bourbeau, and also on the east shore of Gwillim lake. ' Jour. Can. Min. Inst., Vol. XIV, p. 125. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 17^ 3. HOBNBLENDITE. A type closely related to the preceding, and very similar to it in iand specimen, shows in thin section a rock made up almost wholly of paje coloured brownish hornblende fading gradually around the edges of the individual grains into a pale greenish hornblende, and then, in turn, to actinolite and chlorite. A little iron ore is dis- seminated through the slide. Some of the amphibolites or horn- blende schists, and even the chlorite schists, are very evidently derived from massive types closely related to this species. The freshest or type specimen was collected between Gumming mountain and the Juggler House. 4. — GABBRO. Many of the more prominent elevations, especially Gumming and Beavei* mountains, and Spy hill have a central core of gabbro which, probably on account of the greater resistance to erosion, have caused these unusual elevations. Specimens brought from near the summit of Gumming mountain show a comparatively coarse grained grey massive rock. Under the microscope the plagioelase is seen to be completely saussuritized. Of the resulting decom- position products,- zoisite is the most conspicuous and plentiful. The hornblende, which is the most abundant constituent, is both greenish and pale brown in colour. As' a rule, it is very intimately intergrown with the diallage. Some of the diallage has been decom- posed along the edges to pale green hornblende, and this in turn to chlorite. In places actinolite has resulted from the alteration of the diallage, and this also is decomposed into chlorite. The small amount of iron ore present has been almost wholly converted into leucoxene. It is quite evident that this rock is also a differentiate of the same magma from which the peridotite (and serpentine) and homblendite have solidified. Another type of gabbro, perhaps somewhat more decomposed in respect of the bisilicates, is represented by the specimen collected from near the summit of Beaver mountain, on the east side of Lake Gwillim. It showed principally decomposed oligoclase associated with secondary hornblende. There was no trace, however, of the original augite. 176 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCJES 5. DIABASE. This is, perhaps, one of the most abundant rock types, although its certain diagnosis is not always possible. In some of the fresher specimens traces of the original ophitic structure are visible,but iot the most part very little of the original minerals or structure remains. It passes by insensible gradations into gabbro, on the one hand, and into the more basic facies of the porphyrites, on the other. A specimen of actinolite-diorite schist, from the main or southwest discharge of Lake Chibougamau, showed an aggregation of saussuritized plagioclase and actinolitic hornblende, arranged in irregularly distributed sheaf-like bundles. Comparatively large in^ dividuals of ilmenite are almost all decomposed to leucoxene. A deformed diabase, from about a quarter of a mile north of Copper point, Portage island, on Lake Chibougamau, is now a typical horn- blende schist or amphibolite. There are still traces of the original ophitic structure, but the plagioclase has been almost completely saussuritized, the augite converted into hornblende and chlorite with comparatively large individuals of epidote. The iron ore is altered to leucoxene. Another specimen, from the north end of the third portage between Lae Oreille and Lac Vert, on the route between Chibougamau and Wakonichi lakes, shows a comparatively massive dark green decomposed rock, which is very evidently a deformed diabase. The augite is altogether replaced by pale coloured, faintly pleochroie hornblende and chlorite. There is an abundance of epidote, some of it in sharp crystals. The ihnenite has been almost wholly converted into leucoxene. 6 . PORPHTEITE. A specimen representative of a basic variety of this rock was collected on the Chibougamau river, about two miles below the line between Blaiklock and McKenzie townships. It is a dark green schistose porphyritic rock, the ground mass being of a paler colour than the abundantly disseminated phenoerysts. Under the miero^ scope the ground mass is made up chiefly of a saussuritized plagiO' clase and chlorite, in which are embedded dark green porphyritic individuals of hornblende. Some of the hornblende has assumed the actinolitic habit, and much of it is decomposed to chlorite. OF THE CHIBOUQAMAU EEQION 177 Traces of an ophitic structure are apparent in places. There is caueh epidote present, while the original ilmenite is largely con- verted into leucoxene. A little quartz occurs, much of which at least is probably secondary. A very much altered mdca andesite was collected from a sheared dyke cutting light green sericite schists, on the north side of Osprey bay, on Wakonichi lake, about three-quarters of a mile from the western extremity. The brownish biotite phenocrysts are all "bleached" and chloritized. although preserving in some cases their original form and approximate position. The iron ore has all been recrystallized as sphene. Some of the rocks usually referred to as quartz porphyry are in reality quartz porphyrite, as they contain plagioclase (oligoclase to labra- dorite) as the predominant feldspar, in addition to a little horn- blende. 7. CHLORITE SCHIST. Rocks of this type and species are abundantly represented in the Keewatin formation of Chibougamau. They are decomposed and deformed pyroxenites, diabases, amygdaloids and the more basic variety of the porphyrites. A chlorite schist occurring in association with the gold quartz vein at the McKenzie Gold Mine, on Lake Chibougamau, was probably a hornblende or augite porphy- rite which has been decomposed and deformed. The chlorite occurs in large sweeping and curving areas, marking the foliation and schistosity. The. effect of pressure is seen in the very advanced grapulation of the plagioclase, and in the pulling apart of the ilmenite, which is now wholly replaced by leucoxene. Another specimen, collected from the west shore of Chibougamau lake, was an actinolite schist, the actinolite being now almost altogether decomposed to chlorite. 8. QUARTZ PORPHYRY AND QUARTZ PORPHYRITE. These are apparently the youngest members of these Keewatin greenstones. Some of them, exposed on Asinitchibastat lake, just north of the granite, have not been subjected to any great mechani- cal deformation, although they are considerably decomposed. Other exposures of the massive forms of these rocks are also present on Rush lake. In these situations the rock is of a dark colour, and very decidedly porphyritie, conspicuous rounded and occasionally 12 178 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EBSOUROES angular phenocrysts, chiefly of bluish or purplish quartz, being characteristically scattered irregularly through the darker coloured ground mass. The extreme of deformation of these rock types produce, for the most part, the very prevalent sericite schists, which reveal little or no trace of their original structure, and are consequently often mis- taken for true epiclastic rocks. In most places, however, both the hand specimens and the thin sections, prepared from them for examination under the microscope, show clearly that these schists have resulted from the shearing and decomposition of quartz por- phyries and quartz porphyrites. In colour they are generally pale yellowish green, pinkish or pale greyish colours. The least altered form of these quartz porphyries show the usual more or less rounded phenocrysts of quartz, together with orthoclase and plagioclase, embedded in a ground mass which varies considerably ih texture, but is usually a fine grained aggregate made up chiefly of feldspar, with a smaller proportion of quartz. Most of the feldspar of this ground mass is, as a rule, converted into sericite, occurring in small disseminated scales and plates, and the phenocrysts of feldspar are often very badly defined from their surrounding matrix. The quartz phenocrysts, and also occasionally the feldspar, show char- acteristic invasions and inclusions of the finer grained groundmass in the more massive and unaltered varieties. By progressive steps this massive and porphyritic structure is gradually effaced by pressure and shearing until, in many of the schistose representatives, nothing remains but an interlocking mosaic of quartz, sericite and calcite or ferro dolomite. Some of the specimens from Chibou- gamau, which have undergone the extreme of alteration and Re- formation, are now almost wholly made up of a granular admix- ture, chiefly of an iron-bearing carbonate, between dolomite and ankente in composition (ferrodolomite) with a little quartz. 9. DOLOMITE. The so called dolomites, which are sometimes interfoliated with the green schists, and conspicuous by their rusty weathering, are not of a bedded or sedimentary character, but in common with quartz with which they are usually intimately associated, they are vein- stones or gangue material. They are usually in lenticular masses or bands disposed parallel to the foliation of the associated sericitic and chloritic schists with which they commonly occur. They are OP THE CmBOUGAMAU REGION 179 generially of a pale green colour on fresh surfaces and very silicious,. the quartzose material being usually arranged in narrow and very evident vein-like forms which reticulate in all direetibjis through the mass, so that, when subjected to prolonged weathering processes, these stand out in strong relief, leaving irregular pitted interspaces. These bands of dolomite usually weather to a very conspicuous deep orange yellow colour. These bands generally vary in width from a few inches to bands many feet in thickness. One of these larger bands is well exposed, just north of the Valiquette Narrows, in Lake Chibougamau. In origin they represent an emigration and redeposition of the iron, lime and magnesia, which have been leached or removed fr^m the basic magnesian rocks with which they are always associated by infiltrating magmatie waters. Similar rocks have been examined and described from the Lake of the Woods, Porcupine and Larder lake and Temagami districts in Northern Ontario, and also from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Specimens of a very simila,r ferruginous carbonate or ferro- dolomite, from the Foster Claim in Tisdale Township, in Porcu- pine district, according to Dr. W. G. Miller, showed CaO 28.68% ; MgO 14.20%; PeO 8.66%; CO^ 43.14%, while according to the same authority the ferrodolomite on the Gray claims, in Ogden Township, showed CaO 23.97%; MgO 9.46%; PeO 10.36%; CO 3 34.94%. 10. QUARTZITE. Some specimens of a pale greenish quartzite, which were col- lected near the contact with the Laurentian, on the southwest arm of Lake Chibougamau, and also in the southern part of Lac Dore, and the western part of Lake Simon, look like altered and indurated feldspathic sandstone. Under the microscope there is a mosaic of larger grains of plagioclase (oligoclase) in a mosaic of quartz and sericite. No typical clastic structure remains, and the rock may be of tufaeeous or pyroclastie origin. 11. BLACK SHALE OE SLATE. Black bituminous slates were noticed in some places intimately associated with the Keewatin. One locality, where they were especially well-developed, was on the south side of the small south bay or arm of Spawning bay, on Lake 'Wakonichi. These slates are 180 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES associated wth soft greenish fissile sericite schists into which they seem to pass by a diminution in the quantity of carbonaceous matter present. They are made up of a finely granulated mosaic of quartz separated by bands more or less continuous of the car- bonaceous mineral. 12. — BRECCIAS AND TUEFS. Many of the finer grained granular greenish rocks, and some of the hornblende schists are evidently of the nature of tuffs. A rather coarse pale greenish volcanic breccia occurs on Beaver moun- tain, on the east side of Gwillim lake. It contains angular and rounded grains of some partially devitrified acid volcanic rocks em- bedded in a matrix which is now largely calcite. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU BEGION 181 CHAPTER VII. DESCRIPTION OP MINES AND PROSPECTS. The Chibougamau district came into public notice as a prob- able mining field soon after the two expeditions of Peter McKenzie, of the McKenzie Trading Company, in the summer of 1903. The discoveries of asbestos, copper and iron created such an interest in the district that the Quebec Government were importuned repeat- edly to either build a railway to Chibougamau or to assist in such an undertaking. To furnish information necessary before the expenditure of much money on a railway, the Quebec Grovernment appointed the present Commission to examine this district, Professor Gwillim's duties being the examination and sampling of whatever mineral occur- rences could be found, and to make a report on them. To avoid a duplication of statements concerning the geology and field con- ditions of this district. Professor GwiUim's report, as follows, will be confined as closely as possible to the actual mineral discoveries themselves, and their economic relations. It will thus be supple- mental to the more general and geological report by Doctor Barlow. The data for arriving at a conclusion as to the value of this district is assembled in this report in the form of assays, sketches, and photographs. Bearing in mind the minimum values which make mining pos- sible after railway communication is established, there does not appear to be anything of great merit, so far demonstrated. Ashestos of the milling variety should be at least seven per cent, of the rock mined and milled. Gold and Copper, as silicious smelting ores, could hardly be pro- ductive if under $10.00 in value per ton. . Lead ores, as galena, should run at least 10 per cent, lead in large quantities, or carry higher silver values than those which have already been found. 182 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL BESOURCES Iron is at present doubtfully valuable, if it has to be concen- trated before going to the furnace. Such ores must either be in large quantities, or else of much higher grade than the minimum given in each case. ASBESTOS. This mineral has been found in the serpentinized rocks of Mc- Ivenzie bay, Rapid river (Paribault)^Lake Bourbeau and Lake Asinitchibastat. These serpentinized rocks are less pure than those of Thetford and Black lake. Their asbestos-carrying properties appear to be somewhat localized by the presence of later intrusions, such as the grey dykes of Asbestos island and the western arm of McKenzie bay. Like the other mineral occurrences of this district only a small area is uncovered, and the possibilities of these serpentine belts are not yet exhausted. Considering, however, the prospects already discovered, the asbestos occurs in sinall veins. Sometimes of normal silky fibre up to, in one case, an inch long, while a little slip fibre as long as one and a half inches was seen ; also there is a variety of picrolite, which weathers into tufts of harsh strong fibre. This, in depth, is so cemented with rock matter as to be of little value. The silky fibre often occurs as short filaments or veinlets which have a reticulating or anastomising form not unlike varicose veins ; the fibre varies in length from 1/10 to 1/4 inch, in such cases. Besides this, there are larger veins of 1/3 to 2/3 inches fibre of several feet long. These are comparatively rare. Slip fibre is not very common; the rocks, unless completely sheared to a shale-like consistency, do not show much slickensiding. . At no exposure in this district, which we examined, is there an appreciable quantity of No. 1 fibre. The maximum good fibre is 2/3 inch long ; this is comparatively rare, and the whole product as mill fibre seems unlikely to run as high as five per cent, of the rocJi mass when mined in large quantities. This statement does not exclude the possibility of better fibre and higher percentages in other places, as yet obscured by moss and trees, for the purest serpentine, which seems most favourable, may occur at other points than those already developed. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 183 Under the present market conditions, mill fibre running less than five per cent, of the rock is not a profitable undertaking, unless accompanied by some higher grades of crude asbestos. GOLD, SILVER, COPPER DEPOSITS. These metals are grouped because they occur together in this district, and must be treated as smelting ores, unless it can be shown that there is a sufficiency of free milling gold to encourage stamp milling or amalgamation. There are four principal types of ore occurrences, three of which are silicious, and the other one fairly high in sulphur and iron. All of these appear to be related to the Gabbro-Keewatin contact; some are in the gabbro, some in the adjacent Keewatin. If railway transportation were provided, also a steady supply of such ores as these deposits will produce, the minimum value of the ore would need to be at least $10 per ton, unless other ores more suitable for fluxes are found. The four chief types of ore deposits are: (a) Irregular, sometimes vein-like quartz lodes, which appear to occupy broken areas in the Keewatin rocks adjacent to the more recent gabbro mass, which has disturbed and altered the rocks along its contact. The lodes are not confined to one plane nor to parallel planes ; the greatest development of quartz is in two directions, nearly at right angles, as pointed out by Mr. Dulieux ; one follows the schis- tose cleavage, the other joint planes ; besides these there are narrow fractures filled with quartz, in every direction. In such a con- dition the quartz forms local enlargements and narrows abruptly; large masses of country rock are included, or partly included, in the quartz. These and the wall rock carry much crystallized iron pyrites and some gold value; the ore body itself carries some siderite, chalcopyrite, and iron pyrites scattered through quartz. Example — the McKenzie gold mine, Portage island; Machin's block H, near the eastern discharge of Lake Chibougamau; see assays 1 to 31, and 58-59-60-61. (&) Banded or zone-like mineralization of the schists or gab- bro ; copper pyrites occurs in strips from two to three inches up to 184 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOURCES a foot wide J there is not much quartz or gangue other than the country rock, which is itself much altered and often impregnated with dolomitic and chloritic material. These deposits appear to he an impregnation of the country rock without much sign of frac- ture. Examples— Capt. Maehin's Block A, also Kokko's claims on the north shore of Lake Dore. See assays numbers 50-57, also 80-81. (c) Irregular, sometimes quite large patches of a milky or bluish quartz, apparently barren, but sometimes carrying a little sulphides and some gold values. From surface appearances, they are likely to be acid segrega- tions in the gabbro and Keewatin country rocks; they have no recognized form or outline ; no work beyond stripping and a shallow blasting has been done on them. Examples of this type occur on island I and island II, Lake Dore, also on the southern shore of Lake Bourbeau. See assays numbers 62-64, also 78 and 79. (d) Irregular bodies of sulphides, mixed with country rock found near the contact of the gabbro and Keewatia, and in the gabbro. These appear to be sulphide segregations of a type some- what similar to the Sudbury deposits, they have not yet been found in large masses. The chief constituent minerals are chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and a small amount of iron pyrite. There is no gangue mineral other than country rock, thus they are the converse of type "c" which is the quartz or acid segregation, while this, from a smelting point of view is basic. Example — Copper point. Portage island, assays Nos. 65-66- 67-78. IRON PTEITES. Deposits of iron pyrites have been mentioned in former reports ; these have been assayed for gold and silver with negative results. The chief occurrences are on Portage island, at Paint moun- tain. Hematite point, and on the western summit of Sorcerer mountain; none of these appear to be sufficiently pure in iron pyrites to furnish the standard for making sulphur, (over 40 per cent, sulphur). These deposits are sometimes in small patches. Plate LXV. ■^ ••^\: ^\^,f' Replacement of foliated anorthosite by bands of chalcopyrite, siderite. quartz, calclte and dolomite, Lake Dore. OF THE CHIB0XJ6AMAU EEGION 185 sometimes in wide impure belts, and sometimes in definite veins, as at Hematite point, in the Keewatin rooks. Examples — Portage island and Sorcerer mountain. Assays Nos. 69 and 76. GALENA AND BLENDE. Neither of these were seen in the Chibougamau district itself. An occurrence on Lake Mistassini, two miles northeast of the Hud- son's Bay Company 's post, was examined, and another more distant indefinite locality was reported to us as carrying similar minerals. The Mistassini galena and blende occurs in a rather flat-lying limestone, which has received some flexures and shearing ; the galena and blende are found in small spots and splashes in these flexures. The existence of these minerals, associated with limestone, indicates a possibility of larger deposits elsewhere, in the Mistassini basin. We saw nothing of commercial value in the vicinity of the occurrence, which we inspected. The assay, No. 71, was made upon the best material we could pick out, after blasting the outcrop. IRON. Iron, in the form of disseminated magnetite, is very common in the northeastern portion of the district; it occurs as grains in the impure serpentine and other altered rocks, also as splashes and segregations in the gabbro and Keewatin. These occurrences are usually very low in iron, less than 20 per cent.; the best deposits examined are upon the southern flank of Sorcerer mountain. Here a large expanse of dark rock saturated with magnetite was sampled, and as carefully traced out as possible by outcrops on the hill side. The adjacent, rather light coloured gabbro, carries the magne- tite in little patches of nearly pure mineral, and would make good concentrating material if workable : it does not run over 10 per cent, magnetite. The main deposit on Sorcerer mountain appears to be more finely disseminated and less easy for concentration. No other occurrences of as much merit as this one of Sorcerer mountain were seen. Assays Nos. 70 and 77 represent the exposures across several hundred feet of the hillside. Concerning the concentration of magnetite ores much informa- tion may be obtained from the report of Mr. G. C. Mackenzie upon 186 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES ' ' The Iron Industry of Ontario, ' ' Bureau of Mines Report for 1908. The minimum charges against such an ore as this one of Sorcerer mountain, would be approximately as follows: A 35 per cent, iron ore would need 2.3 tons of crude ore to make one ton of 65% concentrate, which, when briquetted, would be worth about $5.90 per ton. Mining 2.3 taiQS of ore at $1.25 = $2.87 Milling " " " " " .50= 1.15 Briqueting 1 ton at 65 ^ .65 $4.67 This briquetted ore could not be brought to the market for the difference between $4.67 and $5.90 — ^whieh is $1.23 — ^by any rail or lake trasportation. Such ores, however, will become commercial possibilities at some uncertain time in the future. OTHER MINERALS. No indication of the cobalt or cobalt-silver conditions were seen; the conglomerates of Lake Wakonichi have some veins or segregations of a barren looking quartz; also some thin stringers of quartz and hematite at Specular point, as mentioned by Mr. Low, in his report of 1905. Of the commercially valuable non- metallic minerals excepting asbestos, we found no promising indi- cations. ASBESTOS ISLAND. Three and a half days were spent on this island, which is the principal asbestos-bearing locality in the district. The island has been burnt over, its rocky surface is well ex- posed for examination ; the southern half consists of serpentinized rocks, for the most part. "The Chibougamau Gold and Asbestos Mining Company," which owns this ground, has made seven excavations, all of them being cuts into the hillsides. In describing these cuts I have retained the numbers as given by Mr. Hardman, in his 1905 report, as published in the prospectus of the company. (See Pig. 1, page 187.) H 3 CS S cS to 3 O o s». o :5 ■I 2 CS 'ai 3 +J 03 ai oj -u iV/% < lo' >• Fig. 3.— Asbestos Island. Cut No. 2. Face. Fig. 4.— Asbestos Island. Cut No. 6. Gui No. 6;— Is up the hiUside, 250 feet northeast of Cut No. 1; it is an excavation 16 feet long by 12 feet broad, about 4 feet deep. 190 GEOLOGY AND MINEBAL EESOUEOES The rock here is a decomposed granular serpentine jointed and slickensided ; one seam of slip fibre crosses the face of this opening; the fibre is one and a half inches long and not continuous along the slip; there are also some seams of picrolite, which on weathering show a little coarse strong fibre ; a very small occurrence of normal silky fibre one-quarter inch wide was seen on the dump. I do not think there is, or was, as much as one per cent, of fibre at this excavation. The adjacent surface is covered, but serpentine in this vicinity is not far from the contact with other rock. Pig. 5. — ^Asbestos Island. Elevation Sketches of No. 5 Cut. Cut No. 5. — This excavation and other workings not yet described, lie 1,000 to 1,500 feet east of Cut No. 1, and so form a separate group. Between this group and the No. 1 group there is little rock exposure, excepting a talus of serpentinized rocks and peridotite. H OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 191 Cut No. 5 is 52 feet long : is crosses loose ground for 30 feet, then passes into a shaly and sheared rock for a few feet, thence into a hard fresh eerpentinized rock, which shows many seams of picro- lite and some caleite. The face or heading of this cut is over 20 feet high ; some of the hard picrolite seams, which pass up to the sur- face, weather into a long coarse fibre somewhat tough and brown. A little slip fibre, one and a half inches long and rather harsh, is found at this excavation. No silky fibre was seen on the walls of the cut, or in the dump. I do not think there is three per cent, of fibre of any kind at this place, and the exposed adjacent rock surface shows no promise. ^0 ."•"'\M\\ '•';♦ ---HI ) 6f lit It Fig. 6. — Asbestos Island, No. 4 exposure and cuts 3 and 4. Cuts Nos. 3 and 4.— These excavations are 200 to 300 feet north- east of Cut 5, and are along the course of a grey feldspar and pyro- xene dyke. 192 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUKCES Within a few feet — ^not more than 6 feet — of this dyke, the serpentine has been altered to a greener, purer state, and it carries along this narrow zone some normal silky asbestos. At Cut No. 4, which is the most western one on the dyke, is a vein of sUky asbestos eight feet long, which is from half an inch to one inch wide. This is the best and longest fibi^e seen in the district. This vein traverses a green serpentine parallel to the dyke and within one foot of it. Seventy feet southeast of Cut No. 4 is a small cut "a," showing two veins of the tufted picrolite. "We blasted downward on one of these veins and found it to become quite hard and rock-like, with coarse fibres through it ; at the surface this weathers into a tough, mop-like, dark brown fibre. (See Plate LXX.) One of these weathered picrolite veins can be traced 15 feet on the surface, it then ceases abruptly. There does not appear to be any silky fibre at this place. Thirty feet further southeast are some more shallow cuts, "b," and "c," into the grey dyke and across its contact into foliated green serpentine. Here, quite close to the contact, are many curly little seams of bright silky asbestos ; the fibre is up to seven-tenths of an inch wide ; these little veins are close together and parallel ; they form a width of two or three inches altogether, but no asbestos is seen in the exposed surface, a few feet away from the dyke. Thirty feet beyond this cut is another excavation "d," entirely in the feldspathic dyke ; there is no asbestos. In all or any of these cuts along the contact of this dyke, there is no workable quantity of serpentine which carries over five per cent of fibre ; the fibre is in a narrow strip, which is not continuous. Cut No. 7 is at the shore, a few hundred feet east of Oats 3 and 4 ; it also is on the contact between serpentine and grey dyke. The excavation is 12 feet long, 4 feet wide, with a heading 12 feet high. There are two seams of slip fibre; these slips or seams cease to show fibre after about 4 feet in length. This fibre is six-tenths of an inch long. GUNN BAT ASBESTOS. Serpentine, very largely covered by moss and tree growth, appears to occupy the hillsides west of Gunn bay, and south of McKenzie narrows. Three small openings have been made at the OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 193 lake shore, they are about 50 feet apart, and expose a very small portion of this moss covered rock. There is enough slip fibre of good quality here to indicate the asbestos-bearing nature of this serpentine, and that is all. Mr. Dulieux cites other v?orkings back from the shore line, on v. 6 Roy, as being in impure serpentine, with "a little milling asbestos. ' ' I was unable to find this place. WORKINGS ON THE WEST ARM OP MCKENZIE BAY. Mr. A. p. Low has marked a portion of the south side of this bay as serpentine. It is a hillside heavily moss covered, with some cliffs of exposed rock. There are several shallow cuts along the shore, four of them, and two or three were seen on the hillside. At none of these is there commercial asbestos, the workings have been made upon narrow bands of serpentinized rock; some- times with much hard picrolite and calcite. Some grey dykes traverse this shore and appear to have locall> increased the serpentinization. Better looking serpentine with normal silky fibre, up to one-third inch wide, was seen on the southern flank of a hill between the end of this arm and Juggler mountain. OTHER OCCURRENCES OP ASBESTOS. Small short veinlets of asbestos occur in serpentine at the south- western bays of Lake Bourbeau. Nothing of commercial importance was observed here. Similar conditions exist at the northeast end of Lake Asinitchibastat. THE MCKENZIE GOLD MINE. This property of ' ' The Chibougamau Gold and Asbestos Mining Company" is on a southern hillside of Portage island, 125 feet above Lake Chibougamau. More work has been done at this place than anywhere else in the district ; this work consists of a clearance of the surface and many cross-cutting trenches in earth and rock, at short intervals. There ifs about 1,000 feet of trenching altogether. This is dis- tributed over 25 cuts and pits : also there is one shaft 35 feet deep ; 194 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUECES the cuts are up to 12 feet deep. The greatest apparent dimensions of the mineralized area are 700 feet long by 100 feet wide. Neither workings nor rock exposures indicate further extensions. Within this area are large masses of quartz, as shown on the plan of this property. This quartz is somewhat mixed with masses of green schist, patches of oxides and a scattering of copper and iron pyrites. The oxidized portions show very minute colours of free gold in some cases when panned. These quartz occurrences are most irregular ; they are in masses, slabs, spurs, and veins, intermixed with the schistose country rock, a Keewatin diabase near its contact with gabbro. The quartz shows a disposition to trend with the schists or across them on joint planes ; the schists dip steeply southwards, the joint planes lie nearly flat, slightly inclined towards the north; this condition is illustrated by the cuts and by the shaft sections. Surface erosion wearing down to one of these flat lying masses of quartz would be arrested by its resistance, and so, large outcrops, such as the one at the shaft, would be formed. Other similar masses may recur at depth. Under such conditions no great dependence can be placed upon the surface section. I estimate the total outcrop of quartz, as it exists in workable sizes as veins, spurs, and segregations, through the schist, at an average total width of 35 feet by 300 feet long. This would give about 800 tons of quartz for each foot of depth. The largest continuous outcrop of quartz occurs in, and is cross-cut by, Cuts V and VI and VII, as numbered by Mr. Dulieux. Th^e are the same cuts as B, C, A, of ilr. Hardman 's report. In Cut V quartz is almost continuous across 50 feet; in Cut VI, 21 feet ; in Out VII, 32 feet. This band appears to be continuous from a little west of Out V to a little east of Out VII, a distance of at least 300 feet. This then is the heart of the deposit, as far as surface appearances go ; the quartz outcrops on the west, northeast, and southeast extensions are comparatively of little size or im- portance. (See Fig. 7, page 195.) Nine days were spent in the sampling and examination of this property. Thirty-four samples of average and particular char- acter were taken, to find the values of measured exposures and of the various classes of ore. (See Fig. 8, page 196.) A duplicate final sample of these assays marked (*) was taken and placed in a common lot, which was reserved for a free- OF THE CHIBOUGAMATT REGION ^. m I ». Ma ^. north /f^W^y'- .-.M:/ ■3ta / / / / '•'w; '"■#> :i;; PfobmbU Out-crop • » lit «0«t« Tfte Lnne I AftO « STttl' ROCnr MiLc MDuoirtA ,r on Turn NamTM . Fig. T.^Sketch of Survey, 1910, McKenzie Gold Mine, Portage island. Scale: 200 feet equals 1 inch. 196 GEOLOGY ANP MINEBAL RESOURCES • ( j a t- : N' Stt.'^eR.oz Copperryo Nona Nanp Djajl^ Jlr^^ None jua- O O" TrArp. Tr^rp. Trar.p. Trscn Tr^np. Tr^r.p. O 37 Trunin O.ZS Trfinp Trace Tr^rp Tr^r.n Nnnp. Honp Tnir-p Trsce Trars iFM'-' ilfi P,49 6. 40 j^^ 0,tarJ7 7' !,rh,.tt 19 Qunrlx. Sulphides OxirJpK /3' ^jrl. Dump 2/ Qutirt, nuiHPA /' 4>//j/-fr Pump S' ShKfl Oici'lf--^ Sulohidnj; Chslropurits Irnn Pyrila Gr^nuhrP/frifn rf Ouarli Shpfltc/ltm Chilcopi/rifs /iyp.r/igp. of (X) Nlaq. Ncfth ^ ^^. Fig. 8.— Assay Chart. McKenzle Gold Mine. Scale: 80 feet equais 1 inch. Plate LXXVII. Cut No. V. showing trenching, McKenzie Gold Mine, Portage Island, Lake Chibougamau. OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 197 milling assay, and control average. This general sample assays gold 0.07 oz., and is 47% free milling. The McKenzie Cuts in detail : Cut Al, on a wooded flat, is 44 feet long by 5 feet deep in earth and a little rock. Gut I, 325 feet further east, on a hillside, shows a little rusty Keewatin rock, it is 89 feet long, 3 to 6 feet deep. Cut II, 162 feet west of 1 is 26 feet long, 6 to 8 feet deep, it shows 2i feet of quartz, Sample No. 1, assays per ton : gold, none ; silver, none. Cut III, 102 feet east of II, is 52 feet long, 3 feet deep, it is apparently in earth and boulders, some quartz is on the dump. Cut IV, 86 feet east of III, in two portions, is 85 feet long, 5 to 8 feet deep. Two bands of quartz 2^ and 4 feet across this trench at its upper, northern end. Sample No. 2 -. gold, trace ; silver, trace ; copper, none. Sample No. 3 : gold, none ; silver, none. Cut V, 117 feet east of 4, is one of the most important cuts ; it is 102 feet long and from 1 to 12 feet deep, crosses in all 49 feet of quartz, which was sampled in sections ; also dump and special samples were taken. Sample 4, is from 17 feet of the most pyritized central por- tion; it assays: gold, $2.80; silver, 33 cents; copper, 1.19^1 . ■ Sample 5, is from 7 feet of pyritized schist, which lies between masses of quartz; it assays: gold, $3.80; silver, 25 cents; copper, 0.47%. V'S Samp/t Fig 9. — Side View No. V Cut, looliing Eastward. Sam/pie 6, is from 19 feet of rusty quartz adjacent to No. 5 sample; it assays: gold, 80 cents; silver, trace; copper, 0.18%. 198 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL BBSOURCES Sample 7, selected sulphides, mostly copper pyrites from this cut, assays : gold, $3.20 ; silver, 11 cents ; copper, 14.68%, Sample 8, selected oxides of iron, from Cut V ; it assays : gold, $2.80 ; silver, 11 cents. Sample 9, 13 feet of quartz and oxides from the lower portion of Cut V« gold, $1.40; silver, 25 cents; copper, 1,16%. Sample 10, a general sample from the dump ; gold, $2.40 ; silver, 11 cents ; copper, 1.15%. Samples 4, 5, 6 and 9, if combined, cover a distance of 56 feet in this trench, all is one continuous mass, the aver- age of these four assays is : gold and silver, $2.10 ; copper, 0.75% ; which compares very reasonably with the grab sample from the dump No. 10. Cut VI, 96 feet east of V is 21 feet long, it gains a depth of 10 feet at the face, and is entirely in quartz and pyritized schists. The quartz lies in slabs with oxides between them, it dips steeply to the south. We stripped the ground for 40 feet further north to the rock, finding one band of quartz 6 feet wide. Sample 31, gold, $1.40 ; silver, trace. Fine colours of free gold were found in panning oxides and cellular quartz from this cut. Several samples were taken. Sample 11, a general sample across 21 feet of Cut VI ; mixed quartz and oxides; it assays: gold, 80 cents; silver, trace; copper, 0.18%. Sample 12, selected oxides from Cut VI ; assays : gold, $3,00 ; silver, 11 cents. Sample 13, from 1 foot band of cellular quartz and oxides which panned free gold. G-old, $13.20 ; silver, 17 cents. Cut Via. This cut lies 46 feet east of VI, it is 40 feet long, 4 to 6 feet deep, is in a blocky rather barren looking quartz, some- what rusty; it appears to be the direct continuation of V and VI easterly. Sample 14, is from 30 feet of mixed quartz, a little oxides and rusty schist ; it assays : gold, $2.00 ; silver, trace ; copper, 0.22%, Cut VII. This is one of the chief developments, it is 96 feet long, and up to 10 feet deep. It also has a shaft sunk 35 feet deep, there are three main developments of quartz, as follows : 32 feet at upper end ; then 24 feet of schist, 9 feet of quartz, 12 feet of schist, 2 to 10 feet of quartz, and wash to the end. (See Figs. 10, 11, 12: pages 199-200.) OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION o ^ -S: Ml a a ,M iH n nj t; c 01 ^ 1 , C/J <\) Tl d in tH .^ 3 111 u f^ CI m Pi o o C3 & -M m aj a cl M.5 g rt ■rH tH Tj ,!»! O CD o o n^ o 3 (D -1-? a !W OJ 'n C8 P! •Q -S O X) a c3 tH 1 +-» . . o 3 0) rH t^le by gS E ■ a o 200 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EESOUHCES Sample 15, is from 15 feet of oxides and quartz immediately south of the shaft; it assays: gold, $1.40; silver, 17 cents. Scumple 16, from 12 feet of quartz with some cellular cavities and sulphides, directly adjacent to the shaft on the north; it assays: gold, $6.40; silver, 14 cents; copper, 0.10%. Sample 17, is a general sample from the dump of ore vsrhich came out of the shaft. Gold, $1.80 ; silver, trace; copper, 0.38%. Sample 18, is from 5 feet across the vs^est side of the shaft, half way down. Gold, trace; silver, trace; copper, 0.36%. Sample 19. Selected oxides from this large surface cropping round the shaft. Gold, $35.40 ; silver, 43 cents. Pig. 12.— Cut No. VII and Shaft. Sample 20. Selected general sulphides from surface cuts and dump, near the shaft. Gold, $7.40 ; silver, 28 cents. Sample 21. Selected ehalcopyrite ; gold, trace; silver, 66 cents; copper, 31.10%. Sample 22. Selected massive iron sulphide. Gold, $5.00; silver, 28 cents; copper, 6.40%. Sample 23. Selected granular iron pyrites from cells in the quartz. Gold, $40.00 ; silver, 36 cents ; copper, 0.94%. Sample 24, from a 9 foot outcrop of blocky quartz, 38 feet south of the shaft. Gold, 80 cents ; silver, 9 cents. > CI ^1 Q .a OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 201 Sample 75, a general sample from all the quartz faces at the bottom of the shaft — there is only one veinlet of chalcopyrite here, the rest is barren looking. Gold, $1.20; silver, trace; copper, 0.20%. Specimen 75a, a piece of chalcopyrite from the bottom of the shaft.. Gold, trace; silver, 82 cents. Cut VIII lies 86 feet east of VII, is 72 feet long; its deepest excavation is 6 feet. The rest is shallow, but exposes the rock: there is little or no quartz exposed, although the trenching crosses the course of the strong outcrops of Nos. V, VI and VII. A few fe,et west of Cut VIII, between it and the shaft, quartz outcrops over a width of many feet, but appears to be in the ^'orm of bunches, flat lying slabs, and smaller segregations along the dip of the schist. Sample 29 is a chip sample from 29 feet of this scattered quartz; it assays: gold, $1.80; silver, 18 cents; copper 0.29%. Cut 1 is a very long trench 83 feet east of No. VIII ; it is 132 feet long, and exposes rock most of the way ; the only mineralization of consequence is an irregular patch of 6 feet of quartz, spathic iron, and chalcopyrite, at the upper or northern end. This is a little off the course of the main deposit, which should have been crossed lower down by this cut, if it had existed. (Plate LXXVI.) Sample 30 is from 6 feet of this last occurrence ; it assays : gold, 40 cents; silver, 8 cents; copper, 2.24%. Cut 2, 25 feet beyond or east of Cut 1, shows a similar ore to Sample 30, this is 3 feet wide and passes out to nothing towards the east. Cuts 2a and 3, east about 60 feet; they show nothing better than a little rusty schist. Eastwards from the southern end of Cut VII are several other short, shallow trenches named Z, Y, X, W, all within about 135 feet ; they show bands of quartz of from 2 feet wide up to 6 feet. Samples were taken from some of them to see if values occur along this spur from the main mass of quartz. Sample 25, from Cut Z, 2 feet of quartz dipping in a solid slab steeply southwards : gold, 60 cents ; silver, trace. Sample 26, from Cut Y ; 5 feet of very rusty quartz in decom- posed schist : gold, $1.00 ; silver, trace. Sample 27, from Cut X, 6 feet of quartz (continuation of Cut Y) -. gold, trace ; silver, trace. 202 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Six other pits are sunk, between the south end of Cut 1 east, in a southeasterly direction across a little depression of the gabbro contact ; only one of them, 20 feet from the end of No. 1 east carried quartz, and this is a 1 foot slab which dips at a low angle north- wards ; it is sample 28 : gold, none ; silver, none. SUMMARY. It can be seen that this quartz ore body begins on the west, in Cuts 11 and IV, as small occurrences of v€ry low grade quartz, it swells out to a great mass of greater value about Cuts V, VI and VII then fades into two divergent, lesser bodies, of very low grade, one which passes northeasterly across the north ends of Cuts 1 and 2, east ; and one which passes eastwards from the southern end of No. VII trench. ^ ■ j^"? Alorfh Fig. 13. — Capper Point, Lalce Cliibougamau. Scale: 125 feet equals 1 inch. Samples numbered 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, are general samples which cover most of the chief Plate LXXVI. '^■' ^s- -'-r^-iTC'".;.^ *> "Tunnel Cut," (Cut I), McKenzie Gold Mine, Portage island, Lake Chibougamau. > X OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU EEGION 203 exposures ; they represent 217 lineal feet of quartz when added to- gether, only one of them assays more than $3.00 in gold, the greater mass of this quartz goes between $1.00 and $2.00, gold value. The assay of the general sample of 1 lb. duplicates from these 17 cases, assays : gold, 0.07 ozs. or $1.70. A computed average of the same individual assays gives gold $2.12; copper, 0.524%. Copper point workings. There are two excavations at a point on the lake one-quarter mile east of McKenzie Gold Mine. (See Fig. 13, page 202.) Pit No. 1, the most westerly one, is about 25' x 8' x 5' deep. Pit No. 2 is 150 feet east of Pit No. 1, it is 20' x 5' x 3' deep. " These two excavations are in mixed gabbro and Keewatin rock, with a large percentage of sulphides, of copper and iron, in the form of chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and iron pyrites. These sulphides are irregular concentrations in the country rock, there is little else than sulphides and country rock. The segregation at Pit No. 1 has a total superficial area of about 400 square feet in the form of two spurs. Sample No. 65 was a general sample taken from the dump, it assays: gold, $2.20; silver, 38 cents; copper, 4.05%. A narrow connection or band of ore seems to lead over to the occurrence at Pit No. 2, 150 feet distant. Pit No. 2 is in surface showing of about the same area as that at Pit No. 1 ; like it the ore passes under the water, and its further extent is concealed. Sample No. 66 is from the dump, a general sample ; it assays : gold, $1.20 ; silver, 33 cents ; copper, 3.29%. Other samples were taken in order to trace the gold relation- ship to the minerals. Sample or Specimen No. 67 is selected chalcopyrite from these pits ; it assays : gold, $2.40 ; silver, 74 cents. Sample or Specimen No. 68 is selected pyrrhotite; it assays: gold, $1.20; silver, 18 cents; nickel, 0.48%. These assays, like those of similar minerals from Kokko's Lake Dore property, show the best values to run with the copper. This occurrence at Copper Point is one of the most promising of the copper-gold properties of the district. 204 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES BLOCK LAKE DORE. This surveyed block of 178 acres lies north of the eastern dis- charge of Lake Chibougamau. A trail leads to the workings, which are about one-third of a mile north of the discharge and camp. The development at this place consists of two pits, each about 10 feet deep and 150 feet apart. Some surface stripping has also been made, and a lin« cut for nearly 2,000 feet along the strike or course of the ore body, but without disclosing other outcrops, except some scattered quartz 100 feet northeast. Vein ^ ^Shisl- £& Qu^riz. 7 mil Chalcopyrite 70°/' Quartz \3%Hornble.nds tS.Feld-ip3r Z7%Schish Sampfe 6o Fig. 14.— Pit No. 1, Block H. (side elevation). Pit No. 2, Block H. (side elevation). Pit No. 1, 12' X 12' X 10' deep, is made on a vein-like develop- ment of quartz and pyrites, with some chalcopyrite. The vein OF THE CHIBOUGAMA.U REGION 205 proper is well defined, 3 feet thick dipping northwestwards: on a schist footwall overlying this 3 feet of vein matter is another 3 feet of schist containing stringers of a barren quartz. (Pig. 14.) Three samples were taken from this working. No. 59, from across the three feet of quartz and sulphides; gold, trace; silver, trace; copper, 2.05%. No. 58, from the dump, a general sample; gold, trace; silver, trace; copper, 8.29%. No. 61, selected sulphides, chiefly chalcopyrite ; gold, 40 cents ; silver, $1.59; copper, 14.84%. Pit No. 2 is 12' X 10' x 10' deep ; here the vein has lost its regular walls, the quartz, almost barren of sulphides, is mixed through a fractured schist ; some streaks of red feldspar and some spicules of hornblende are found here. Sample No. 60 is a favourable sample of the dump material. It assays : gold, 60 cents ; silver, trace. A stripping 100 feet N.E. of. No. 1 pit shows a scattered quartz segregation without apparent value. BLOCK "a/ lake DOBE. This surveyed block of 137.78 acres is on the S.E. shore of Lake Dore, on a point about three miles southwest of Block H. At this place the lake shore exposes a wide belt of schists, which carry much dolomitic material, also little bands of chalcopyrite and quartz. There are two principal occurrences of interbanded chalcopyrite 400 feet apart ; between them, such exposures as occur on the shore line, do not show other parallel bands. The chal- copyrite at this place is intermixed with iron pyrites. At the most eastern outcrop, which appears to be point "A" of Mr. Dulieux's report, there are several small cuttings which show a little copper pyrites and siderite ; at one place the copper and iron pyrites is six inches wide. (See Fig. 15, page 206.) Sample No. 53 is taken from this place, it is picked ore, it assays: gold, $5.20; silver, 31 cents; copper, 4.54%. 400 feet west of this occurrence is another band of copper and iron pyrites which can be traced southwestwards for several hun- dred feet, intermittently. Two pits have been sunk on it, and several shallow cuts; No. 1 pit is 9'x5'x5' deep; it follows the 206 GEOLOGY ANI> MINERAL RESOUEOES Lake aux Dores Block A . S 8m pie =63 etc. Cut /I. 57 Fig. 15.— Township McKenzie. Scale: 175 feet equals 1 inch. vertical dip of the schist and copper. A band two feet wide carries kidneys and stringers of ehaleopyrite. Sample 54 is picked ore from this place. It assays: gold, $2.40; silver, 10 cents; copper, 4.59%. OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 207 Pit No. 2 is 10' X 7' X 8' deep ; it is sunk in a more blocky massive roek ; liere a vein of chaleopyrite two or three inches wide passes down the sides of the excavation. Some rusty quartz and dolomite accompany this vein. Sample No. 55 is picked ore from this vein. It assays: gold, $1.40; silver, 33 cents; copper, 7.64%. The best surface exposures are at points 90 feet south of Pit No. 1, and 40 feet north of Pit No. 2 ; at these points there is as much as a total of 15 inches of chaleopyrite ore interbanded with the schists. Sample No. 56 is from these best occurrences. It assays: gold, $1.80; silver 42 cents; copper, 11.81%. Pit No. 3 is a little cut 30 feet east of Pit No. 2, it shows a little , rusty rock with few signs of copper. A shot was also put in at a place 270 feet south of No. 2 pit, on the general line of this band of mineralization, it shows a little copper pyrites scattered in the country roek. Sample No. 57 is a grab sample from this most southern ex- posure. It assays : gold, 40 cents ; silver, 11 cents. NORTHWEST SHORE OP LAKE DOEE. The northwest side of Lake Dore appears to have been prospected by Mr. John Kokko ; the chief developments are at a point midway on this shore, near the Kokko camp, opposite Island I. At this place, quite close to the water, a stripping 30 feet long has been made through two feet of moss ; this crosses a banded gabbro which shows some interbanded quartz and sulphides. There are two principal bands of mineralized roek, one is a foot wide of rusty schist, the other three feet of quartz-caleite and pyritous material. A shallow pit has been cut on the former and a 12 foot pit sunk on the latter. This pit was full of water, so the dump, containing two or three tons of ore or picked vein matter, was sampled. Sample No. 50 is a general sample of the dump ; it assays : gold, $6.20; silver, $2.20; copper, 6.72%. Sample No. 51 is selected chaleopyrite. It assays : gold, $7.80 ; silver, $4.10. Sample No. 52 is selected pyrrhotite. It assays: gold, $5.40; silver, 31 cents; nickel, 0.58%. 208 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES 98 feet east of these workings is a small pit in moss and loose ground. 160 feet still further east are two more pits, one in loose soil, the other with a five foot band of sheared rusty rock in gabbro ; traces of ehalcopyrite and pyrrhotite were seen on the dump. Another development has been carried on at a place a few hundred feet inland from the little bay east of the last mentioned workings. This was examined and sampled by Mr. Bateman. Here four cuts have been made across a sheared sericitic gabbro, which is mineralized with ehalcopyrite and quartz veinlets. These cuts occur at intervals over a space of 200 feet. The main cut, 6 Fig. 16. — N.W. Shore Lac aux Dor6s (Kokko's prospect). feet wide and 18^ feet long, shows veinlets of ehalcopyrite and quartz, especially developed near the surface. These follow the banding of the rock, becoming poorer in length. Sample No. 80 is a general sample from the dump. It assays : gold, 80 cents; silver, $1.15; copper, 4.82%. Sample No. 81 is selected pyritous material. It assays: gold, 60 cents; silver, $2.84; copper, 10.44%. The other three pits show nothing as good as this main pit ; in some places arc small areas of :| to 2 per cent, copper, but not in commercial quantities. j\Ir. Bateman also examined other small occurrences of ehalco- pyrite on the shore of Lake Dore,northeastwards from the Kokko camp towards Block H, at the eastern end of the lake. He found only small veins of ehalcopyrite, from 1 to 4| inches wide, in the OF THE CHIBOUCfAMAU REGION 209 schistose rocks and gabbro ; none of these were sampled because they are very similar to others of the type "b," and unless of high value in gold or silver would not be commercial deposits. CACHE BAY. There are some workings in a bay, approximately in lot 10, range X, of the township of Obalski, N."W. shore of Lake Dore. These appear to be the workings described by Mr. Dulieux, on page 68 of his report. (They were not inspected by us.) lie reports the excavations as being made in taleose schist, which is slightly mineralized with iron and copper pyrites. His samples, when assayed, went nothing in gold; 20 cents in silver. There are three small pits at this place. MERRILL ISLAND (ISLAND I,) LAKE DORE. This largest island is situated about midway in Lake Dore. On the southeastern side of the island, a few hundred feet in from the lake, are five outcrops of a barren looking quartz. These are scattered over a distance of 350 feet in such a way that they appear to b^ portions of one large area ; the exposed surfaces show practically no sulphides. Although a very short inspection was made and no boundaries or walls were seen, this appears to be a great segregation of quartz in the gabbro. A grab sample No. 64, was taken from the principal exposures ; although it appeared to be quite barren, it assayed : gold, 60 cents ; silver, 13 cents. ISLAND n. Is a small island one-quarter mile west of the western end of Island I. On the western side of this little island, almost covered by high water, is an irregular patch of quartz, about 50 feet long by 12 feet wide ; a few spurs run into the surrounding rock, and a narrow continuation passes under the water at each end. There is also some cubical pyrite and a very little chalcopyrite present in this deposit. Mr. Dulieux 's assay shows a value of $14.40 in gold, and 20 cents in silver, hence this occurrence was more carefully examined than its appearance called for; two samples were taken. 14 210 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES Xo. 62 was selected pyritous material, chiefly iron pyrites and quartz. It assayed : gold, $46.20 ; silver, 87 cents. No. 63 was a general sample, chiefly quartz. It assayed : gold, $15.00 ; silver, 41 cents. LAKE BOUBBEAtJ. On the southern side of this lake, near its eastern end, there are several exposures of a milky white and bluish quartz, which \Ma.g./for/-h ■■■■: ...,•' Island II / Quariz ivith a rery small amount of iron and Copper Pyrites Samp/» 62 . Gold 2 3/ oc/nc&s Sample 63 ■ Gold 0.7S ounc-&t Fig. 17. — Island II, Lac aux Dores. Scale: 60 feet equals 1 inch. assayed, according to Mr. Dulieux, from 80 cents to $1.80 in gold, and 25 to 15 cents in silver; two of these exposures were examined and sampled. One of these is 500 feet southwards from the lake shore, at a slight elevation on the hillside ; a stripping and slight blasting has exposed an area of about 12 feet by 12 feet; across this is a solid bank of milky and bluish quartz with a little pyritous matter. In one place it is about 8 feet wide, and can be traced westerlj' here and there for several hundred feet; but when opened up shows small outcroppings of quartz and a little pyrites. The country OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 211 rock is sheared gabbro. The chief exposure, 8 feet by 12 feet, was sampled. Sample No. 78 ; it assayed : gold, trace ; silver, trace. About 1,500 feet southeast of this place, and at 150 feet elevation above the lake, is another exposure of milky quartz in light coloured gabbro. The principal band of quartz, from 3 to 6 feet wide, has been traced for 45 feet in a northwesterly direction, other patches or segregations of quartz occur plentifully over an area of 40 by 50 feet, which has been stripped in places of its mossy covering. rxisland II. Fig. 18. — Some Lac aux Dorgs workings. Scale: | mile equals 1 inch. No pyritous matter was seen. This occurrence resembles the larg^ exposure of quartz on Merrill island, and is probably of a similar character — type "c." Nothing was seen of other workings on this lake, which appears to have been visited by several parties of prospectors; as men- tioned under Asbestos, there are serpentines along the southwestern bays, which carry a very small quantity of milling asbestos. 212 GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES LAKE DAVID. This lake is on the route from Lake Dore to Lake Asinitchibastat. On its southern shore, half a mile west of the entry of Chibou- gamau river, there is a contact between gabbro and Keewatin rocks, the latter are much altered to green schists, in which are stringers of quartz and ehalcopyrite. At one place on the shore and beneath the water is an irregular vein or segregation band, from one to six feet wide. This carries at one place six or eight inches of copper ore very similar to that of Machin's Block A. This was sampled. Sample No. 74 — it assayed: gold, $1.60; silver, 41 cents; copper, 4.56%. The mineralization strikes westerly and can be traced for 200 feet. LAKE SIMON. On the south side of the first bay (Dulieux bay), entering Lake Simon from the south, there is an outcrop of quartz which slopes westwards off the shore. It appears to be a thin slab or shell, from which the overlying rock has been removed. It can be traced for about 80 feet along the shore. The quartz is mixed with a little schistose gabbro and dolomite. The adjacent rock carries some cubical pyrite. Sample No. 73, taken from here, assays: gold, trace; silver, trace. LAKE ASINITCHIBASTAT. Nothing of apparent m'agnitude or value sufficiently worth sampling was seen on this lake; there are many small occurrences of ehalcopyrite, quartz and caleite; no sign of cobalt, nickel or silver was seen. A piece of promising float highly pyritized was taken from the southwestern end. Sample No. 72 ; it assays : gold, trace; silver, 27 cents; copper, none. PORTAGE TO MISTASSINI. At the eastern end of the second rapid, passing from Lake Wakonichi to Mistassini, is an occurrence of ehalcopyrite in red arkose, mentioned by Mr. Low, in his report of 1905. This has been blasted ; it shows a little streak of ehalcopyrite, and is interest- OP THE CHIBOUGAMAU EE6I0N 213 ing, as he says, because it shows the arkose to carry such minerals ; it has no commercial value at this place. MISTASSINI GALENA AND BLENDE. Two miks north of the Hudson 's Bay Post, on the eastern shore of the narrows, the limestone shows a few little splashes of galena and blende; none of these were seen larger than an inch across. This light mineralization occurs at intervals along the shore for 500 feet. It is probably associated with some flexures and shearing of the rather flat lying limestones. The opposite shores were also inspected, across the narrows, but no galena or blende was seen there ; nor does the topography inland from the shore offer much chance for prospecting, as it is low, and covered with moss and trees. This occurrence is interesting, as showing a possibility of larger deposits of such minerals in these Mistassini limestones at some favourable points; none of the ground seen carried over one per cent, of lead in any area of workable size. Sample No. 71 is from the best material that could be collected in little pieces ; it assays : silver, 0.99 ; lead, 8.9%. Another occurrence of galena is indefinitely reported at a day's journey from the Hudson's bay post, but we could gather no information which led us to believe there are promising deposits as yet discovered. lEON PYEITES. On the shore, at the foot of the southern slope of Paint moun- tain, is a belt of Keewatin rock impregnated with pyrites, but not sufficiently pure for making sulphur. Other patches of pyrite occur on this end of Portage island, none of which are of value, as pyrites, or known to carry precious metals sufficient for working. At Hematite point, a few hundred feet along the shore west of the point, itself , in Portage bay, there are two veins 25 feet apart, not parallel. These are 22 and 24 inches wide, carrying from 10 to 50 per cent, pyrite, a little specular iron, and a quartz gangue; these veins can be seen for about six feet, from the water's edge to where they pass under the thick mantle of moss. Sample No. 69 is from these two veins — it assays: gold, $2.00; silver, trace. 214 GEOLOGY AND MIKEEAL EESODECES GetSi^o corarcif Fig 19. — Sorcerer mountain magnetite. Scale: 2,000 feet equals 1 inch. A similar deposit of less promise occurs one-quarter of a mile north of Lake Dore, on the township line between Eoy and Mc- Kenzie. aOECEKER MOt^N'TATN- PTKITES. On the western brow or summit of this mountain, at about 500 feet above Iiake Chibougamau, there is a band or bands of pyrites in the Keewatin rocks adjacent to the gabbro contact, at one place this belt is 30 feet wide, over 50 per cent, of this belt is pyrite. Sample Xo. 76 was taken from 15 feet across this place; it assays: gold, trace ; silver, trace : copper, none. MAGXETITE, SORCERER JIOUXTAIN". The southern point of Sorcerer mountain is principally a light coloured gabbro. The contact of this with Keewatin rocks is near the summit of the mountain ; the gabbro near the contact, that is on the upper slopes of the mountain, contains little patches of pure OF THE CHIBOUGAMAU REGION 215 magnetite, wMeh may constitute as much as 10 per cent, of the mass in some places. At a place about one-quarter mile from the bay at the foot of the southern slope (Magnetite bay), and 330 feet above it, is a great mass of darker coloured rock, which carries disseminated magnetite. Unlike the spotted occurrences of the lighter gabbro, this more heavily mineralized rock has magnetite diffused all through it; it appears to be saturated with magnetite. From the face of a prominent outcrop, on this hillside Sample No. 70 was taken ; this is a chip sample carefully taken from every foot across 80 feet of the exposure; it assays: iron, 35.7%, insol. residue, 23.3% ; sulphur, 0.25% ; titanium, 0.86% ; phos- phorus, 0.017%,. Directly northeast of it another sample. No. 77, was taken across 500 feet; in this case some of the ground was covered, but the ribs of rock and ore, which appeared to cross this direction, occupied most of the distance. This Sample No. 77 assayed : iron, 23.8% ; insol. residue, 33.54% ; sulphur, 0.18% ; titanium, 0.69%, ; phosphorus, 0.022%,. These two samples, Nos. 70 and 77, cover a distance of about 600 feet, following a bluff or exposed rocky outcrop which angles eastwards by northeastwards down the southern front of Sorcerer mountain. While the iron formation was of greatest apparent length in this direction, the bands of light and heavy mineralization appeared to cross this direction. While the deposit does not appear to have definite bands of high grade ore, there seems to be a general diffusion throughout the rock, with minor segregations of higher grade here and there, such as the bands mentioned, which cross the general trend of the ore body. Kingston, Ont., October 7th, 1910 To the CHIBOUGAMAU COMMISSION, The samples of ore received by the School of Mining from Mr. J. C. Gwillim, and assayed by me, gave the following results: Xiimber of Gold ounces Silver ounces* Copper per cent. Number of Gold ounces Silver ounces Copper ' per cent sample per ton per ton sample per ton per ton 1 none none 2 trace trace 1 none 3 none none * 4 0.14 0.60 1.19 5 0.19 0.46 0A7 ♦ 6 0.04 trace 0.18 7 0.16 0.20 . 14.68 8 0.14 0.21 * 9 0.07 0.45 1.16 *10 0.12 0.20 i.'is *)1 0.04 trace 0.18 12 0.15 ; 0.21 1 13 0.66 0.32 , . . . *14 0.10 ■ trace 0.22 ♦15 0.07 0.31 *16 0.32 i 0.25 I 0.10 *17 0.09 trace 6.38 *18 trace trace i 0.36 19 1.77 G.79 .... 20 0.37 0.51 21 trace 1.20 31.10 ' 22 0.25 0.51 6;46 23 2.00 0.66 0.94 1 *24 0.04 0.16 *25 0.03 trace *26 0.05 trace I .... *27 trace trace 28 none i none *29 0.09 0.32 0.29 1 *30 0.02 0.15 2^24 *31 0.07 , trace 50 0.31 4.03 6.72 51 0.39 ! 7.46 52 0.27 1.98 (XiO.58) 53 0.26 0.56 4.. 54 54 0.12 0.19 4.59 55 0.07 J 0.61 7.64 56 0.09 0.77 11.81 57 0.02 0.21 ' 58 trace trace 8.29 59 trace , trace 2.05 60 0.03 trace 61 0.02 2.89 14.84 62 2.31 1 1.58 0.23 63 0.75 0.75 .... 64 0.03 0.23 65 0.11 0.70 4.06 ! 66 0.06 0.60 3.29 67 0.12 1.34 68 0.06 i 0.33 (Ni 0.48) 69 o.ie trace .... 70 (Insol. 23.3 Ti.0.86) - Fe 35. 8-S.0.25- 71 .... i 0.89 {Pb.8.9 : 72 trace 0.49 none 73 trace trace .... 1 74 0.84 : 0.75 4.56 75 0.06 trace 0.20 ji 75a trace | 1.50 76 trace trace none 77 (Insol. 33.54-Fe. 23 Ti.0.69). 8-8.0.18- 78 trace trace 79 none none 80 0.04 2.10 4.'82 ! 1 81 1 0.03 5.16 l6!44 McKenzie gold mine general sample 0.07 oz. Gold. Signed, G. J. McKAY, Assay er. Note. — The sample numbers marked * contributed towards the "General sample " which assays 0.07 oz. in gold. Of this gold 47% or 70 cents is free milling. It must be remembered that most of the assays which carry over two per cent, copper were selected material, presumably the best ore, in order to find the highest values in gold and silver, and their relation to the copper content. Excepting the McKenzie Gold Mine and Island II Lake Dor^ I do not think the gold is likely to be free milling and only moderately so in the cases which are excepted — perhaps 50 per cent. J. C. GWILLIM. October 24th, 1910. INDEX Page Abatagush bay, L. Mistassini 48 Abies balsamea. see Fir, Balsam. Abitibi district. Asbestos deposits, character 54 Acipenser rubicundus . 113 Acknowledgments 16, 17 Adams, Dr. F. D 154, 155 Agricultural land. Chamuchuan valley 76 Chibougamau region ■. 59 Mistassini lake 37 Notes 102-104 Value of, commission's views 71, 104 Albanel, Father Charles 30-32, 111 Alee americanus Ill AUanite 153 Altitudes. Bouleau mt 93 Branch lake 87 Chigobiche lake 82 Gumming mt 92, 93 Dur portage 83 Jourdain lake 86 Juggler House mt 93 Lake St. John, variation in 74, 130 Lakes of region 94 Little Nikabau lake 87 Method of taking 21 Obatogamau lake 88, 89 Sorcerer mt. and Spy hill 93 Wako mt 93, 135 Whitefish lake 87 Analysis. Dolomite, Tisdale tp 179 Anas obscura 112 Anorthofiite. Chibougamau lake 54 photos 41, 66 Dor§ lake, photo 184 Economic value of 6G Extent of, in region 64, 125 Notes and photos 154-162 iSee also Gabbro-anorthosite. Anthraxolite 132 Apatite 153 Archean 119 Area of mining district 24, 91 Argenson, Sieur d' 29, 30 Arpenteurs du Roi 31 Asbestos. Asbestos island, discovery 44 " length of 45 " "" report on 186-193 Eastern Townships 47, 54, 67 Economic value of, commission's views. 54-56, 67, 70 " " Dulieux's views 60, 61 " " Gwillim's views 182, 183 " " Hardman's views 47 " *' Low's views 53 Percentage of, required for mining 181 Asbestos island. Anorthosite on 66, 162 Photo , 66 Asbestos on. See Asbestos. Chrysotile on, photo 188 Cuts and pits on 188-191 Photos 186, 188, 190 Mining on, report by Gwillim 186-193 " photos 186, 188, 190 Picrolite on, photos 182, 190, 192 Pillow structure on Tl65, 166 Prospecting on 12, 48 Serpentine on, photo 164 Ash. Chamuchuan river 75 Ashuapmuchuan lake. See Chamuchuan. Ashuapniuchuan tp 76 Asinitchiba£tat lake. Altitude 94 Asbestos 182 Breccia 64 Climatic notes 95 Erythrite 60 Page Asinitchibastat ' lake. — continued. Forest fires HO Hills near, character 92 Pillow structure 166 Quartz 177 Serpentine, character 55, 66 Surveyed 20, 49 Workings on, notes by Gwillim 212, 213 Askitichi lake 31, 33, 43 Aspen. See Poplar. Assays 60, 195-216 Astronomical observations 22-24 Atchicach lake 86 A'tmosphere, clearness of 101 Aux Jones (Bullrush) lake 86 , Avaugour, Sieur d' 30 Bale des lies. See Denis bay. Balsam fir. See Fir, balsam. Bancroft, Dr. J. A 22 Banksian pine, fiee Jackpine. Barlow, Dr. Alfred E. Appointment of li, 17 Departure of 19 Report by . • • 9-180 Work by 15, 21, 22 Barlow river. Forest fires 110 Surveys 20, 21, 43 Basaltic structure. Chibougamau lake, photo 166 Bass, absence of 114 Bateman, A. M 14, 18, 19 Photo 20 Work by 21, 208, 209 Bauer, Dr. L. A 16, 23, 24 Bay of Islands. See Denis bay. Beans 103 Bear Ill Beaver , 112 Beaver dam 35 Beaver mt. Altitude 93 Breccia 180 Gabbro 175 Bell, Dr. Robert 43 Belle pt., Little Lake Nikabau 85 Bellin, N 32 Betula papyrifera. See Birch, white. Big Bear falls 75 Big Opatook, L. Mistassini 23 Bignell, P. H 40 Bignell, John 39 Biotite 151, 152 Birch, white, canoe or paper. Chibougamau lake 58 Nikabau river 85, 86 Notes 107 Obatogamau lake 89 Birds 112, 113 Black Lake 54 67 Blaiklock, F. W 33 Blaiklock tp no Blende. See Zinc blende. Block A, Lake Dor6. Anorthosite 156 Photo 160 Development 59 Basaltic structure on 166 Pyroxenite . : 153 Report by Gwillim 205-207 Value of deposit on 60 Block H, Lake DorS. Development 57 Ore deposits, character 133 Report by Gwillim 204, 205 Blizzard 5g Blondeau, M 62 Bonasa umbellus tog'ata ' ' 113 Bottomless rapid [ 77 Boulder escarpments 33 Boulder island '. 130 Bouleau pt. and mt. See White Birch pt." and mt. INDEX — Continued. Bourbeau lake. Page Altitude S4 Asbestos 182 Cedar 108 Forest fires 110 Mining on . 210 Ore deposits, character 184 Pulpwood •- 61, 106, 110 Serpentine 55, 61,66 Slate 135 Surveyed 21 Topogrrapbical outline 129 Branch lake 86, 87 Breccias 180 Bninet, 32 Brochet lake 43 Brocii, Reginald W 16, 43 Brown, Dr. T. C 22, 62 Brule portage 81 Buckell, Charles 16 BuUnieh lake 86, 90 Burgess, G 37 Bush fires. See Forest fires. Cabistachuan bay 38 Cache bay 209 Cache creek 36 Cache lake 64. 94 Calcite ■ ■ 153 Portage island 60 CaUiSres, M. de 29 Cambrian 120 Camps. Headquarters. See Headquarter'e camp. Indian. See Indians. Canada grouse 113 Canoemen, list of 16 Canoes, description of 19 Carbonneau bridge 24, 26 Caribou, woodland or rangifer Ill Castor fiber 112 Cedar. Ghigobiche river 82 Notes 108 Nikabau river and lake 85, 86 Obatogamau lake 89 Cedar lake 86 Cenozoic. See Quaternary formation. Ceryle alcyon 113 Chalcopyrite. See also copper. Copper pt. 65 David lake ■ 212 Dor6 lake 206-210 Paint and Sorcerer mts 36 Cbamuchuan lake. Description 83 Soil near 37 Cbamuchuan river. Age 131 Camp on, photo Frontispiece Canoeing on 51, 73 Chaudidre on, photo 68 Description of 74-78 Explorations on, early 29-33 later 42 Glacial deposits 130 Name, meaning of 74 Navigable 25 Rocks on 34 Sand bars on (photo) Chaudieres (Kettles or Pot holes). Chaudi^re falls 68, 78 Vermilion falls 52, 80 C!haudiGre falls. Character of river near 77 Description 77, 78 Distances from 26 Kettle hole at 68 Meaning of name 79 Photos 62, 144 Rocks at and near 34, 78 View of river from 82 Waterpower 61 Chebistuanonekau river 21 Chekoutimy. See C!hicoutimi. Chibugamoo Gold and Asbestos Mining Co 46 Formation 12, 48 See aho Asbestos island and McEenzie gold mine. Pagi Chibougamau hotel, photo 24 Chibougamau lake. Altitude 90, 94 Asbestos, economic value 67 Canoe route from, to Lake St. John 72-90 Climatic notes 95 Distances from 26 Explorations on, early 33, 57 later 43 Fish lis Gulls 113 Ice 58 Indians 115 Magnetite 67 Photos 35, 74 Rocks, anorthoBite 64, 155, 166 basaltic structure 166 boulders 120, 130, 136 chlorMc schist 36. 177 conglomerate 68 dolomite 179 diabase 176 dnimlin formation 40, 130 dykes, photo 41 granite 150 Lower Huronian 140 Survey of, methods 20 Topographical outline 129 CThibougamau Mining Commission. Composition 1 Introductory letter by 7 Object 14 Personnel 14 Photo of, in canoes 51 Chibougamau Mining Region. General character 91-117 Mining in, report by Gwillim 181-216 Value of, commission's views 70, 71 Chibougamau river. Asbestos 61 Delta deposits 59 Forest fires 109, 110 Granite 52 Granodiorite 147 Porphyrite 176 Chickaree 112 Ohicoutimi. Early trading at 32 Sxmimer temperature , 06 Chief river. Explorations on, early 33 " later 38 Forest fires 109 C3higobiche lake. Altitude 82 Cedar near 108 Distances from 26 Mapping of, early 31 later 42 Notes 82 CiHiigobiche mt 82 CJhigobiche river. Canoeing on, difficult 73 Description of 79 Explorations on, earlr 29, 31 " later 42, 43 Mouth of, altitude 82 Photo of part 52, 84 Trout in • • 113 Chipmunk \ .. . 112 Christianity 117 Cladonia 108 Cleary, Patrick 87 Cleary Brothers I6 Cliff bay 134, 135 CJhlorite schist. Mistassini region 34^ 35 Petrographical notes 177 Clirome. Chibougamau lake 35 Chrysotile. Asbestos island, photos 182, 188 Climate. Dore lake 58 Notes and statistics 94-1 OS Cobalt bloom. See Erythrite. Cobalt dist. Compare07 Tamias striatus 112 Temperatures 95-100 Thetford 47, 64, 67 Thuya occidentalis. See Cedar. Titanite ". 153 Tide levels. L. St. John 74,130 Timber. See Trees. Topography 92 Affecting rocks 129 Toquoco river 41 Townships, area of 91, 92 Trading posts. Chamuchuan lake 84 List of early • 31, 32 Traite de Tadoussac 28, 31 Trees. Chigobiche river 81 Hudson Bay region, early report 32 Mistassini lake, thickness 63 INDEX — Continued. Page Trees. — continued. Nikabau lake and river 85, 86 Notes 104-109 Obatogamau lake 89 Pulpwood 45, 61 Trout. Chigobiche river 82, 113 Notes --. 113 Tuffs 180 Turnips 103 Two Portage rapids, Nikabau river 84 "Tunnel Cut," McKenzie g. m 202 Urinator imber 113 Ursus americanus , ■ ■ Ill Valiquette, J. H 15, 19, 22 Valiquette, Stanislas 16 Valiquette narrows 179 Valli^re, Sieur de la 29 Vegetables 103, 104 Vermilion falls, Chigobiche river. Description 80 Photo ■ 52 Water power 61 Vermilion river 80 Wako mt. Altitude 135 Conglomerates 36, 122, 137 Pbotos 34, 134 Wakonichi lake. Altitude 94 Earlj' explorations on 33 Fish 113^ 114 Page Wakonichi lake. — continued. Indian camp 114 Photos 34, 48 Position 23 Rocks ■ ■ 49 Conglomerates 36, 68, 186 Drumlin formation 126, 128, 130 Granite 52 Lower Huronian ^ 134-137 Photo T 136 Mistassini limestone, photo 132 Sericite schists, and slate 177, 179 Surveys on 20, 43 Washemeski river 42 Water power .", 61 Weymontachi ■ ■ 33 White, James 74 White Birch (Bouleaux) mt 34, 140 White Birch pt. (Pointe aux Bouleaux), Camp on 18 Mill at 20 Photo 14 Distances from 26 White Birch rapid, Chamuchuan river 77 White partridge lis Whitefish 84, 89, 113 Whitef ish lake 61, 87 Williams, Dr. George H 150 Willow ....75, 81, 109 Winnipeg - - loi Witouche river 86 Work, methods of " 20 Zinc blende 68, 132, 185, 215 Zircon 153 Zoisite 153 Geological Map of p art of LAKE CHIBOUGAMATT Sc ale: 100 feet to 1 ixich. lOO Con.toT€:r irvtcr^ (tZ- 35 /c^t> H X^ O tr > jvi > t; SERPENTINE Peridotite Prroxenite Shaly Peridotite Feldspathic dikes Blork 'I Portaae Bay/ Mistassini f„fWJ.ime5tones ■A^pproximate) ■■■" 1 i •■ .r •■■■ \- i <;r ; Lake. ^S^-a/Mj "{J:] ECONOMIC CljUAHiY . From an tconomic Mam^intin! thr junrlion betvuTn Ihc uriorthosUe and Keewatin .^cfU'sfx is prrhafjn the most imporiani yeuloyinil feature in the district, fur if is at or in the inuimlUilc vicinily oj thin line of .strmUural weaaneifs that the copper-hniring quarlz veins, in which gold /ia,v been discovered, occur. Both in the yatibro itself and in the Kec- watirt f/reen »tone.i and schists, veins and patches of qiuirtz with smaller i]urirililii:s of calritr, dolomite and ankerite often occur, either with or occasionally uiUuiul s)iliiludrs of copper and iivn. It has been esta- blishciJ^airnost b-yond a 'ImM that the intrusion of the anorthosdie has been the direct cause of (he formaton of these quartz veins in which gold as well as copper has been found. Such quartz veins as well as certain dikes containing these same sulphides are deposits which owe their -presence to the differentiation of the same uiagma front which the anorthosite has solidijied. In aiUiitiori to these veins, other deposits ofchalcupyrite and phrrho- fife with low values in gold ami nickel occur al Copper point on l^ortage island. Theseappvar to be similarin oHgin thoxigh muck mailer in vol- ume than the nickel and copper deposits of the Sudburi/ distriet. Thiy are thus a direct differentiate of Ike anorthosite, and occur close to the tine of junction between this rock and the Keewatin green schists. These primary segregations of sulphide material, occurring at this place and under suck conditions seem to have puzded some of the mining engineers who first examined them, but as they apparently lacked any aimloity to veins received but scant attention. They were worthy of more serious development. As already metxtioned the rocks underlyittg the whole area examined by the Com mission are of Archean or P re-Cambrian Age. The presence of these rocks as in other similar areas of the Quelicc hinterland is very promising from a milling standpoint. The large areas of Keewatin schists in the Chibougamau district present precisely simitar rock types as have been found associated with the gold of the Porcupine and Larder Lake districts in Ontario, while tke geological relations are not alto- gether dissimilar . In addition the almost invai'iablc presence of gold in tke quartz and its occurrence over such a wide area a'tkougk usnally in small amount is distinctly encouraging and shouUl stimulate pros- pecting. Most of the outcrops, however, are deeply covert d with peat and moss, while the region is remote ana only accesnbh with mutk ex- pense and difficulty. None of the discoveries of copper and gold as already developed are in deposits of such magnitude or promise as would enable your Cotnmission to state without a considerable degree of hesita- tion that they would with fartlier development become "mines" in the strict meaning of this term. T}\e anorthosite is also ati ecomymically valuable rock formation because it ia to the intrusion of cei-tain feUlspaihic dykes, which cut the serpentines on the shores of McKenzie bay and Asbestos island, and which are believed to be tke surface expression or upward extension of the anorthosite-batholith, that has contributed to the fornuition of the silky asbestos at Pits, S, 4 and 7, while the presence at the surface of a small dike of similar material a short distance northeast of No. Pit, may be an indication that tke main body of the anorthosite is not very deeply buried iti the vicinity of Pits 1 , 2 and 6. The serpentines of Rapid nver, McKenzie bay, lakes Bourbeau and Asinitchibastat result from tke alteration or decomposition of peridotites ami prot)ably dunitcs which are integral portions of Ifie Keewatin greenstone complex. These serpentines are very dark grcer, in color, sometimes almost bUick, and have a distinctly harsh rather than an wictuaus feeling characteristic of pure serpentine except in tke viciniti^ of the feldspathic dykes already mentioned and other favored localities where most of tke iron has been leacked out and removed to other places, leaving a comparatively small band (3-0 inches in width on cither side of the dyke) of very pure pate qreen serpentine. In certain places usitally in Ike immediate (3 to 6 inches) vicinity of the feUlspathrc dykes small veins of silky asbestos have been formed, many of which are of high grade material but these do not constitute a. large percentage of any considerable bulk of the rock nor are they continuous for any great distance, as the^i are subject to frequent dislocation and faulting and very often thin out altogether in every direction. Most of these veins vary from the thickness of a. knife blade up to a quarter of an inch and the widest are not more than thr€e-qu.urtcrs of an inch. Although the possibilities of tke Chilyougamau .serpentine ns an asbestos producer has not been exhausted by the mining development work, so far undertaken, the residts so far are decidedly disappomtihy. The amount of asbe-ftos noticed in the working faces of tke variousopen- cuts and workings as well as in the dumps, is insignificatit ami alto- gether in8uifu:ient for their successful exploitation as mines. The previous reports on the occurrences of this inineral are, to say the hast, unduly optimistic and misleading. Not only does the serpentine of Chibougamau cover a much less area than was describeil and outlined in previous reports and }naps, but the .serpentine itself is much less pure except in very restricted outcrops, and as a consequence is very much less in area than that of Tlietford and Black lake in the Eastern Town- ships with which it has been compared. In addition the geological relations are essentially different from Thetford and Black Lake, for wlif.reas at these places the differentiation in the magna as shown by the various rock types e,rtetids to tke mo.tt acid pha.ses and is fkerefore very complete, the mo.'it acid rock type noticed at lake Chibougamau is only at most of intermediate composition as exemplified by the felds- pathic dukes alre-adu mentioned as cuttinn the scrnentine. These groups are {E .) Granites anti gneisses usually classilicd as Laurentiart, (,F.) Anorthosite, and (G.) Kecuatin greenstones and .schists. The Posl-iilacinl ^/^p()s^^^■ 0/ stratified sand and gravels with some alluvium found in crlnin of tlir valleys and jlat.i between the mountains and in the vicinity of the rarious lakes and rivers are the eomplementary or modified portions of the underlying boulder clay or till from which they have been mainly derived. These areas of drift as well as others made up of the bare glaciated rocks are u.-^udlly covered with a thick carpet of sphaomtm ?}iass pas.sing beneath by progressive stages of decay into peat. The Pleistocene deposits in the Chibougamau Region proper are made up of the unmodified boulder clay with a large proportion of in- termixed sand and gravel, and accumvlations of boulders of morninic and drumlin formation. Most of this loo.se material i.s of local origin. being due to the degradation of the underlying rock formations, but a considerable proportion of the erratics have travelled comparatively long distances from their source to the northeast. Boulders of Mislassini limestone, outcropping over 40 miles distant are .found on certain of the shores and islands of lake Chibougamau. The movement of the ice during the Glacial Period has been in a general direction of South- aouthwest, there being a gradual shifting from a southerly to a more westerly direction as exemplified by the divergence in the two sets of striae (S. 30° W . to S. 40° W .) impressed and preserved upon some of the. rock surfaces. Very narrow and comtmrnfivelu long points running in the directionof the earlier set of striae (jS. 30° H .) and made up prin- cipally if not altogether of coarse gravel and boulders are Joxibthss of drumlin formation. The Mislassini limestones were first, inclutled as Cambrian by Low beeauseofthcirresemblaneelotheCambrianrocksof the cast side of James Bay (IJ. Later in I'.IOO he considered them as resembling the Upper Huronian limestones about Lake Superi^n and so classilied them (2). Richardson who examined them first made no attemvi to fir their geolo- gical position being content to refer to them as " .f]r,m,li(llu,n n, Ih m.Him, ,y sluun, t>l, ",,/ ,,»,„.(.(.•, thrL.I ,u-i,l n..-A> /,„"• ri„(„v,/ ../ ;..;,v ( hihouu.,,,.,,,, . „„;,' „( ,mi«( ../■ w,(,.rM., /»>(.■ ,„,H,...,,0,iH .IX ex,;u,,hl«d by III,' jrUU- p.ithif ./«*'•.■.■ alir,i,lll ,nn,i,',l us .ulhiuj Ihv .s, n""""-'- . o„ IWl„i,r iHl.nul ,H>ilho,fr.,in''-r ,m,«l ..n./ ../m. ,)» M,' ..-Ms M..,r III, m„l,c .nluin, ,in.ln.:ur „l ,ir -m /;,.• ,„nn.;u,lr „n„l,hourl,.mlo Ih In,, ,;,„„„(,> IS ,„rh„rs mon- h-whi "'>'! tlil'""!li! ,lr<;h>,!, ,;:rml, ,i ,„nl,„i,nli,,,i ../ II,, x bill hul l,,rr lihni'Ur n,. m»«.sliv ,l,,,„x,l iin.v y.iiiil.^ .Siimi/«, ...vur- .riHV.-. s.iM-' riVftiT ,imi mm,' I.hm.t .in /.u ..,. m.iirs; i.'i.-..Hi|i.»iri; ni,l uiili 111 II,,' Sn'„'„liu /miii.i/i.iii ../ iV.'r'/i.n; lhil,i,;i"„„,l Vinl,,;- ii, J,„'l ll„it fmiM-'iry acm.i '" '"• " .■/iiii.iW.ii-'/ii- „.l lln-i lonii"li,;i. 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