With the exception of the area of iron-bearing rocks on the islands along the east coast of Hudson bay, no systematic prospecting has been done for minerals in the wide region covered by this report. Active mining at the present is confined to a mine of mica, situated at Lake harbour, on the north side of Hudson strait, a few miles east of Big island. Earlier mining consisted of the extraction of small quantities of coal from the outcrops of that mineral on Melville and Ellesmere islands by expeditions wintering there. Our knowledge of the minerals extends only to the chance observations of the earlier explorers, and to the hurried examinations made by members of the staff of the Geological Survey in the southern parts of the region under consideration.
The occurrence of Laurentian and Huronian rocks over large portions of the area, both on the islands and mainland, leads to the belief that important mineral deposits exist there in the same manner as in more southern regions of similar rocks; in fact, specimens of the more important minerals are reported from the north.
Gold.—The occurrence of gold is reported only from the head of Wager inlet, where specimens of free gold were found in the dark rocks of that locality by Dr. Rae.
The presence of large areas of undisturbed Tertiary sands and clays in the northern part of Baffin island and elsewhere are favourable to the accumulation of placer gold deposits, if the precious metal occurs in the underlying Laurentian and Huronian rocks. It would be well to test the beds of the streams flowing through these deposits when they are again visited.
Silver.—A small quantity of silver is found in the galena, which occurs in pockets in the limestone along the Whale river coast on the east side of Hudson bay. The amount of galena is small, and so widely scattered that it would probably be unprofitable to mine even in favourable circumstances.
Copper.—Tyrrell discovered large masses of Huronian rocks along the western shores of Hudson bay, to the south of Marble island. In these were many bands and masses of dark schists, all carrying quantities of iron and copper sulphides. Of these deposits he reports as follows:
‘At a point northeast of Rabbit island the character of the shore changes, and dark-green Huronian schists crop out from beneath the boulders.’
‘North of Rabbit island is a high point, on which the Eskimos are accustomed to camp while waiting for the traders from Churchill. The point is composed of green calcareous, chloritic schist, striking S. 55° W., and dipping N. 35° W. at an angle of 60°. The schist is cut by a dike seventy-five feet wide, of massive green, highly altered diabase, containing a large amount of mispickel. This diabase also outcrops along the shore, where it incloses many bands of schists.’
‘The rock at the point south of Corbett inlet is a massive green, fine or medium-grained diabase, which is now almost entirely altered into a mass of chlorite, epidote, zoisite and calcite.————This diabase is cut by many small veins of quartz and calcite, which contain large quantities of pyrite, arseno-pyrite and chalcopyrite.’
‘From Term point westward the shore is rocky, and the steep rocky cliffs descend into rather deep water. The rock is a dark-green diabase almost entirely altered to sausserite, and is cut by many veins of quartz and calcite, holding copper-pyrites.’