Joburke Gold Mine

The first time I ever had went to the Joburke Mine was in 2009, which everything at the time was in good condition and the area into the mine had no gate to it. At that time, I did not take any photos of this mine as I was more interested in the mineral exploration side of finding natural resources in Ontario, Canada. Another re-visit to the mine was made in 2015, which resulted in a gate that had block the entrance to this location. Not much at the time had change besides more vegetation growth and the mine was still standing as it was in 2008. We visited other mine properties that were close proximity to the Joburke Gold Mine along Hwy 101, and the Foleyet Area. The beauty of our landscapes rather changes over time even if overburden and the land had become stripped, mother nature seems to play her roll in transforming areas to the way they were first place. Someone also resides in this area as the log cabin is in use for outdoor recreational activities it seems, and is locked up. The trailer rather has taken damage overtime and does not really allow for people to wonder into it as the wood floor is very week and capable of falling through it.

It had all started by 1945, when the Joburke Gold Mine was eventually discovered within the region of Keith Township by Joe Burke and Maynard Bromby. The property was later acquired by the newly incorporated Joburke Gold Mines, Limited, on August, 1946, with a capitalization of $3,500,000 shares at $1 par value, in which 2.670,005 had been issued. Within this time period the Joburke Gold Mines had been mainly directed by F.G. MacLeod as president, E. C. MacLeod as Vice President and management director, J. M. Macintosh as Secretary Treasurer, M. A. MacLeod, M. C. Mosher, and J. A. Taylor as directors of the company.

Work would not additionally commence till 1937, when a total of 176 claims were staked around Keith, Muskego, Sewell, Heenan, and Marion Townships, within the District of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Much of the work during this time period was aimed at exploring a group of claims in Keith Township. Much of the preparation in addition to mining was mainly carried out from July, 5 to December, 31, 1947. Development on the property would also take place when the company started sinking a 3-compartment, vertical shaft on historical claim S.43254, which was aimed at reaching a depth of 405 feet. Lateral development would also take place on the newly cut and station levels that were developed on 125, 250, and 375-foot levels. Not much was done at this time as only 130 feet of crosscutting was achieved within this time period of operating the mine. Diamond drilling at the time had also consisted of 60 surface holes, totalling 24,000 feet, and 5 underground holes, totalling 774 feet in length. Many different structures had also been constructed at this time that included hoist room, compressor house, machine shop, dry, cook house, assay office, and bunk house. A plant had also been erected as the mine was just coming into operation that consisted of 8 by 9-inch double drum Canadian Ingersoll Air Hoist, two 500 cubic foot Fairbanks Moore Lee Roi Compressors, a 20 KVA Canadian Fairbanks Moore Lighting Set, two E-Long Limited, Cages, and two 5,000 gallon storage tanks.
Mining operations at the Joburke Gold Mine Property would additionally be carried on from January, 1 to August, 31, 1948. It was during this time period when the vertical, three compartment shaft was sunk to a depth of 405 feet below the surface. With this development had also came the much need production levels that were cut on the 125, 250, and 375-foot horizons of the main shaft operation. Lateral development that was completed in 1948, resulted in 2,394 feet of drifting, and 190 feet of crosscutting. Diamond drilling at this time had also consisted of 60 underground drill holes, totalling 2,462 feet in length. In total development footage complete by the end of 1948, resulted in 2,394 feet of drifting, and 320 feet of crosscutting. Management at the time was also done by B. L. Alexander that resulted in the employment of 22 personnel at the mine site. Gold values within the mining operations were rather reported to have been erratic which resulted in the suspension of mining operations at the Joburke Gold Mine. Work which was performed on the Joburke Gold Mine had shown the existence of two gold bearing zones that became identified as the Main Zone and the North Zone. Almost all the underground development work within this time period of operating was mainly focus on the Main Zone area. The North Zone at the Joburke Gold Mine Property is rather situated at a distance of 400 feet northwest of the Main Zone previously worked. From this work there was also a possible and probably ore reserve indication that resulted in 136,464 tonnes of ore, averaging 0.268 ounces of gold with minor silver associations.

Some work was additionally done in 1956, on what became known as the Mackeith Lake Prospect Site. Most of the work that was done had been taken up by Kukatush Mining Corp which was aimed at exploring an iron formation west of westwards from Radio Hill. The program that was taken up on the BIF was mainly aimed at conducting a reconnaissance dip needle survey that was followed by a magnetic ground survey along an 8km strike to the west from Mackeith Lake. Base on this survey the potential for iron ore was additionally estimated at 15 million tonnes at 40 m. By 1962, this BIF was further evaluated on it potential by completing a small diamond drill program to follow up on the results. This band at the time had indicated numerous narrow bands of oxides and carbonated iron formation. Dome Exploration Canada, would additionally commence exploratory work on this BIF within 1972. A major series of BIF horizons are commonly known to extend some 15km from Keith Township in the west to Penhorwood Township. To the east this BIF has been rapidly investigated at the southern horizon to the Groundhog River, and at Radio Hill. This banded iron formation is also intercalated with mafic volcanic flows and fine grained Arenites in a sequence that tops to the north. in addition to this, this sequence is rather cut by a number of diorite dykes that are present in the area. The BIF had rather range between grade of 30 to 45% Iron from 4.5 to 10 feet.

During 1964, Denison Mines, Limited, had additionally drilled 6 surface diamond drill holes, totalling 5,000 feet in length. Most of the work at this time was mainly concentrated on searching for the down dip extension to the east and west parts of the Main Zone mineralization. Nothing encouraging was encountered from this and the option was drop on this property by the following year of 1965.

During 1973, Noranda Exploration Company, Limited had signed an option agreement on the New Joburke Gold Deposit. Another option on the Joburke Gold Mine was official by 1973, when Noranda Exploration Company, Limited had started exploring this area. The results of this exploration program had consisted of 13 surface holes, totalling 3,230 feet in length. Most of the mining done was mainly restricted to the east and west portions of the Main Zone Mineralization that was previously mined from 1947 to 1949. No production at the time was achieved on this zone due to the erratic gold values which were obtained from underground sampling and financing to conduct further work within the Main Zone Shaft. Most of the work at the time was focus on the Keith 1-73 property that comprised of 62 claims staked around the past producing Joburke and Garnet Properties. The property at this time was also considered to have been reached by a 4 mile gravel road leading from Provincial Hwy 616, which lead south from Hwy 101, at a point of 55 miles southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Surveying of the property had resulted in additionally cutting four base lines on what was known as the Keith 1-73 Property that surround the old working of the Joburke Gold Mine Site. Base line 118 N was cut 13,600 feet from a point of 250 feet E and 550 feet south of Post 1 of the mining claim number P371463. Base Line 88N was additionally cut 15,600 feet parallel to and 3,000 feet South of Base Line 118N between line 108E and 48W. Another Base Line known as 150N was cut at a distance of 14,,800 feet subparallel to and 3,200 feet north of Base Line 118N. A fourth Base Line was cut at the most extreme easterly portion of the property at much different angle in order to cover a change in strike of the rocks at the location as indicated by previous work in the 1940's. This base line was cut 400 feet grid north and 1,200 feet grid south. Traverse lines had laos been cut at right angles to the base line at 400-foot intervals. A magnetic survey was also establish on the property which resulted in background magnetic readings of 700 and 900 gammas. Much of this magnetic survey had also resulted in a high magnetic intensity that was recorded at 51,800 gammas. With the survey had also came a much lower intensity reading of 1,200 gammas that was 106+ OON on line 12W.

Mining operations at the time were mainly being confined to the west and east portions of the Joburke Gold Property also known as the Keith 1-73 property. The main zone at this location was being further explored when a decline ramp was driven to the 250-foot level. From 1973, to 1975, Noranda had additionally produce a total of 180,300 tonnes of ore that had an average grade of 0.105 ounces of gold per ton with minor silver values. A contract at the time would also be made when the ore was trucked to the Pamour Mill in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Noranda would additionally calculate the ore reserves within the workings which resulted in possible reserves 381,400 tonnes, grading 0.21 ounces of Au per ton. The lower grade ore which was extracted from this location may have possibly been caused by the erratic nature of the gold mineralization within a wide altercation zone of quartz-ankerite. During 1979, the decline ramp was further extended at this time to a depth of 489 feet below the surface. Production that was achieved from 1975 to 1981, resulted in 291,795 tonnes of ore with an average grade of 0.106 ounces of gold per ton. A large portion of this ore was derived from the Main Zone, and near surface mineralization was also mined at the North Zone and the Northwest Open Pit, which was a small zone situated 1,300 feet from the main shaft operation. Production from the North Zone had amounted to 21,374 tonnes with an average grade of 0.082 ounces of gold per ton, and a total of 1,209 tonnes was taken from the Northwest Pit that grade 0.063 ounces of Au per ton of ore mined.

A portion of the property was over taken by the Mining Corporation of Canada, Limited that had additionally drilled one hole in Keith Township alongside of it Joburke Gold Mine in 1980;

Noranda Exploration and Tarzan Gold had rather entered into an agreement which gave Tarzan Gold the right to earn 50% interest in the former Joburke Gold Property in north-central Keith Township, by spending $2,000,000 over three years. The project had rather underwent some down falls from 1973 to 1975, when not enough financing was done in order to further develop this property. It would later become re-opened from 1979 to 1981. Tarzan Gold had also made further statements on the property when it had reported a total of 440,117 tonnes of ore with an average grade of 0.10 ounces of gold per ton was produce. Mining was mainly concentrated on the Main East Zone above 375-foot level and the Main West Zone above the 500-foot level. Several additional gold zones were also outline on a total of 20 patented mining claim properties. Within the later part of 1988, a 40 Line-Kilometer metric grid was cut on the property and ground magnetometer and induce polarization (IP) survey were carried out. Soil along with geochemical surveys were also completed over selected areas, and geological mapping was initiated prior to freeze up. Extensive north-south trenches were dug across the property to aid in geological interpretation and to test shallow geophysical and geochemical anomalies.

Further plans in 1988, were aimed at conducting a 20 diamond drill holes from the surface, totalling 4,000 m in length. As of December, 15, 1988, the 17th hole was in progress of being drilled and five deep holes were drilled under the existing mine workings on the Main East and Main West Zone to test for a down-plunge extension at a vertical depth of 200 m. A total of three holes were also collared in order to test the geophysical targets and surface showings on other parts of the property. Another two holes were drilled between the 6 and 7 vein systems, and the North Vein Zone. In addition to this, the remaining holes in the program were collared to test the continuity of the 6 and 7 Vein Systems which are exposed in a small pit approximately 250 m west of the existing shaft. Only lower grade values were intersected in this diamond drilling program to warrant further work on this property.