CIM conference showcases Abitibi’s major ore deposits

A week-long symposium focusing on mineral exploration in the Abitibi region of Quebec attracted more than 400 delegates to this northern city. Hosts of the bilingual event, titled “Northwestern Quebec Polymetallic Belt: 60 years of Mineral Exploration,” were the Rouyn-Noranda geological discussion group and the Rouyn-Noranda branch of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, in collaboration with the geology division of the CIM.

Also in town were about 100 delegates attending the District No. 2 meeting of the CIM.

The symposium, with a large number of mining companies counted among its sponsors, was about two years in the making. These events, not organized on a regular basis, have been staged over the years in different parts of the country.

Thirty papers were presented here, the subject matter including descriptions of major ore deposits of the Abitibi region’s mining camps.

According to the authors of a paper on the Abitibi volcano- plutonic belt of northwestern Quebec, there are 145 former and current mines in the Quebec segment of the belt. More than 420 million tonnes of ore have been extracted to date, yielding 1,600 tonnes gold, more than 4,000 tonnes silver, 4.4 million tonnes copper and 5.3 million tonnes zinc.

In another paper dealing with a reappraisal of the area’s first mine, the authors reported production, between 1927 and 1989, from Noranda’s Horne mine of 53.7 million tonnes of ore grading 6.1 grams gold per tonne and 2.2% copper.

A poster session and a drill core display representing more than 50 of the region’s mines and prospects were staged at the nearby arena. One day of the symposium was set aside for short courses dealing with a variety of issues, including remote sensing, geophysics and computer applications.

Also made available to the delegates were three regional field trips (Rouyn-Noranda, Val d’Or and Cadillac) and 17 different mine visits.