Moose River Basin: geology and mineral potential - Geology Ontario

Lignite and Industrial Mineral Resources
of kaolin is most promising in the glass reinforced polyesters where it imparts
good flow characteristics. It is particularly well suited as a filler in latex paints
since the washed grades wet easily in water. It has good opacifying qualities
and is useful as an extender of pigments in paints.
In paper manufacture kaolin serves both as a filler, to fill interstices be
tween pulp fibres and as a coater, to produce a smooth glossy surface. It has
good affinity for printing ink, high gloss, and brightness and can be applied in
near-dry state, allowing fast production methods. Kaolin may constitute up to
20 percent by weight of a glossy magazine paper. Both air-floated and waterwashed
grades of kaolin are produced. Only the water-washed grades are suffi
ciently bright and pure for use in paper manufacture.
Previous Studies
Recognition of refractory clays in the Moose River Basin before the turn of
the century was followed by examination of the deposits by government geolo
gists after World War I (Keele 1920; Montgomery and Watson 1929; Dyer and
Crozier 1933). The principal results of these investigations have been compiled
in Appendix 5.1.
Moose River Basin Studies 1975
In drillhole 75-03, 65 km north of the Precambrian escarpment, 18.2 m of
quartz sand and green, red-brown, and grey clay were encountered at a depth of
116.3 m (Telford, this report). The clay in this location is primarily illite. Kao
linite does not occur in abundance until approximately 35 km to the south
where it is found in outcrops in the bed of the Missinaibi River and in drillhole
75-01. The distinction between illitic and kaolinitic clays correlates, at least in
part, with the distinction between Middle Jurassic Mistuskwia Beds and the
Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Mattagami Formation (Telford etal. 1975, p.19).
Sampling and analysis of clay in the 1975 drillholes was designed for the dual
purpose of acquiring geologic information and establishing economic potential.
Economic potential is limited to clay beds of a certain minimal thickness. For
this reason composite samples were arbitrarily selected as shown on Figures
5.5-5.8. Additional samples were obtained from quartz sand where the clay
fraction (-325 mesh) exceeded 5 weight percent. With one exception these sam
ples consisted of fine quartz silt without a clay mineral component. The excep
tion concerns a sample in drillhole 75-02 (sand 4). Clays in drillhole 75-02 are
characterized by the minerals chlorite, illite, and expanding clay minerals;
kaolinitic clay was not found.
The drilling process (reversed circulation chip drilling) caused loss of kao
linitic clay associated with quartz sand. An attempt at recovering this kaolini
tic clay was made in some instances by collecting samples of overflow water
where suspended clay turned this water excessively white. Analysis of these
samples showed an abundance of well crystallized kaolinitic clay with bright-
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