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THOMPSON BELT – Magmatic Ni

Manitoba, Canada

General Characteristics
• On margin of the Trans-Hudson Orogen
• Peridotitic lenses in sulphidic meta-pelites
• Extreme deformation to form sulphide matrix breccias
• Ni, Cu, (Co) (Pt, Pd)
• 16 deposits including Thompson, Pipe, Birchtree, Soab, Manibridge, Bucko and
Bowden.

General Geology
The Thompson Ni Belt (TNB) is a 10 to 35 km wide belt located on the margin of the
1850 Ma Trans-Hudson Orogen, adjacent to the NW margin of the Archean Superior
Province. The deposits extend over a distance of 150 km (from Manibridge in the south
to Moak in the north). Typically, deposits are associated with peridotitic lenses that
occur in sulphidic meta-pelites, now biotite schists of the Ospwagan Gp. (a
sedimentary-volcanic shelf sequence. Rocks have been deformed and a pronounced
linearity produced. They have been juxtaposed against highly metamorphosed rocks to
the NW. Folding and metamorphism have pervasively reworked the original ore-host
relationships, causing extreme deformation. Deposits have been stretched and
dismembered into a zone of ultramafic blocks and boudins enclosed in the sulphide-rich
schist that hosts the ore. Sulphide-matrix breccias enclose clasts of wall rocks.
Lithological relationships at Thompson are shown below
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From Wolf, 1981

Relationship between pyritic metasediment, host ultramafic rocks and mineralization, Thompson Mine
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300 m

From Galley et al., 1991

Cross section through the Thompson structure, looking NE

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Surface Geochemical Criteria

Very little has been published on surface geochemical studies conducted over the TNB.
Anglo Exploration has recently conducted a number of orientation surveys at William
Lake and the Harmin property using soils, humus and vegetation, and data will soon be
available.

An enzyme leach study at Birchtree was interpreted by ActLabs to generate an

anomaly of at least 2 km wide, and possibly 4 km (personal communication, Greg Hill,
Dec. 2002). The plot shows the sum of Cl, Br, Rb and Zr by a procedure that gives the
approximate equivalent of a Z score.

1 km

Lithogeochemistry and Elemental Zoning

Peredery (1982) summarized some of the geochemical parameters for bodies within
each of the 16 recognized deposits of the Thompson Belt. This Table (below)
summarizes element ratios, the nature of the mineralization and host rocks. The sizes
of these bodies are:
• 5 deposits from 1-10 m wide
• 7 deposits from 10-250 m wide
• 7 deposits from 250-1000 m wide
• 1 deposit (Ospwagan) >1km wide
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Plots of MgO/FeO v. Cr2O3/TiO2 indicate that many of the Thompson Belt
ultramafic rocks fall into the layered gabbro-peridotite field (LGP).

Plots in Peredery (1982) show variations in Ni content and MgO/(MgO+FeO) with

distance across several serpentinite bodies. The following figure is typical of several
deposits.

Profiles across Pipe 2 indicating a progressive depletion in magnesia from W to E

across the serpentinite, and corresponding Ni variation (Peredery et al., 1982)

Alteration
Serpentinization – principal hosts to the NiS deposits.

Isotopes and Fluid Inclusions

No information

Gaps in Knowledge
Very little published data on surface samples.
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Extensive surveys have been undertaken by the Manitoba Geol Survey (including
lithogeochemistry). Details are currently confidential, but should be released soon.

Geochemical Footprint
At least 16 deposits occur over 150 km of the TNB
Widths of TNB range from 10 – 35 km
Individual deposits range from 1m – 1km in width (with 1
over 1 km)
Exploration medium Yes/No Details
Soils – conventional Y New data from Anglo Exploration at Harmin
and William Lake
Soils – selective extraction Y Birchtree – Enzyme Leach indicates
signature of 2-4km diameter
Regolith N
Drainage sediments N
Glacial sediments N
Surface waters N
Formation waters N
Organic samples Y New data on spruce tops and bark and
humus obtained by Anglo Exploration at
Harmin and William Lake; treetop chemistry
survey at Rock Lake April 2003
Gases Y SGH (?) – Anglo Exploration
Hydrocarbons N
Lithogeochemistry N Mg/Fe oxide ratios. Ni, Co, Co, Pt, Pd ratios
Alteration halo Y Serpentinization
Fluid inclusions N
Isotopes N
Other N

References
Galley, A.G., Bailes, A.H., Syme, E.C., Bleeker, W., Macek, J.J. & Gordon, T.M., 1991.
Geology and mineral deposits of the Flin Flon and Thompson Belts, Manitoba
(Field Trip 10, 8th IAGOD Symposium) GSC Open File 2165.

Peredery, W.V. and Geological Staff (Inco), 1982. Geology and nickel sulphide
deposits of the Thompson Belt, Manitoba. In: Precambrian Sulphide Deposits,
H.S. Robinson Memorial Volume (Eds. R.W. Hutchinson, C.D. Spence, and J.M.
Franklin). Geol. Assoc. Canada, Special Paper 25, 165-

Wolf, K.H. (Ed), 1981. Handbook of strata-bound and stratiform ore deposits – Part III,
Vol. 9 Regional and Specific Studies. Elsevier, Amsterdam.