PORCUPINE

GEOLOGY

The Porcupine mines are situated in the Porcupine Camp in Archean rocks of the western Abitibi Greenstone belt of the Superior Province in the Canadian Shield. These consist of ultramafic and mafic volcanic rocks of the Keewatin subgroup overlain by sedimentary rocks of the Timiskaming group. The lands lie adjacent and to the north of the regionally significant Porcupine Destor Fault.

The Dome mine lies on the south limb of the Porcupine syncline where the Tisdale group volcanic rocks are overlain unconformably by the Timiskaming metasedimentary slates and conglomerates. Porphyry bodies, namely the Preston Porphyry are seen in the mine and can host gold mineralization, in addition to the volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Gold mineralization is found in a number of different structural settings and mineralization consists of continuous quartz carbonate veins, quartz tourmaline veins, quartz stockworks and gold associated with disseminated sulphides.

Hoyle Pond is situated in a similar environment but the mineralization is predominantly hosted in two packages of mafic volcanic rocks flanking an ultramafic core with small units of porphyritic rocks. Mineralization is mainly high-grade, and found in narrow quartz veins, which are generally sub- vertical but can be flat as in the case of the 7 vein structures. Gold is most frequently in the native state or with pyrite, but can sometimes be found associated with arsenopyrite.

Pamour is located along the Keewatin-Timiskaming unconformity where older Keewatin mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks overlie younger Timiskaming sedimentary rocks. Mineralization occurs as higher-grade narrow quartz veins in the volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and as lower-grade extension vein sets in and around a Timiskaming conglomerate unit.