An Ontario government survey has identified new targets for diamond and base-metal exploration in the Coral Rapids area, about 100 kilometres north of Smooth Rock Falls.
The Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) study outlines a number of sites with numerous indicator minerals important for diamond exploration.
The recovery of indicator minerals, including G10 garnets and ilmenite, indicates that the area warrants further investigation for diamonds, according to an OGS geologist. The chemistry of the garnet and ilmenite indicator minerals suggests that they may have originated from more than one bedrock source.
The OGS also identified a significant base-metal anomaly. Highly anomalous numbers of chalcopyrite grains, an important ore mineral for copper, were recovered from samples collected on one of the major rivers in the Coral Rapids area. Because chalcopyrite grains do not survive well in streams and rivers, the bedrock source is likely to be close to the recovery site.
