Barton Mine, also known as Net Lake Mine, is an abandoned

surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is ...

and underground mine in

Northeastern Ontario Northeastern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, which lies north of Lake Huron and east of Lake Superior. Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timisk ...

, Canada. It is located about north of the Temagami Arena in Temagami North and just east of the

Ontario Northland Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency (Ontario), provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario. Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming ...

in northwestern

Strathy Township Strathy Township is a square-shaped geographic township comprising a portion of the municipality of Temagami in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is used for geographic purposes, such as land surveying and natural resource explorations. At least fou ...

. Dating back to the early 1900s, it is one of the oldest mines in

Temagami Temagami, formerly spelled Timagami, is a municipality in northeastern Ontario, Canada, in the Nipissing District with Lake Temagami at its heart. The Temagami region is known as ''n'Daki Menan'', the homeland of the area's First Nations com ...

. Barton was the site of a fire in the early 1900s, after which it never had active mining again.

Molybdenum Molybdenum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mo (from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'') and atomic number 42. The name derived from Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lead ores. Molybdenum minerals hav ...

was the primary commodity mined at Barton. Secondary commodities included

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

and

bismuth Bismuth is a chemical element; it has symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth occurs nat ...

. They were mined in a geological feature forming the surrounding landscape, which hosts several other mines in the area. Although Barton has been shut down since the early 1900s, it is still an active mineral field. However, the mine has not had any

mineral exploration Mining engineering is the extraction of minerals from the ground. It is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer m ...

activity since the 1960s. It is named after J.W. Barton, who was a miner at Barton.

History

Background

Barton is one of the 308 molybdenum occurrences in Ontario, as well as one of the several molybdenum mines in Ontario that had minor production during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Practically all of Ontario's molybdenum production occurred during this period, mostly from hand-cobbing operations.

Molybdenite Molybdenite is a mineral of molybdenum disulfide, Mo S2. Similar in appearance and feel to graphite, molybdenite has a lubricating effect that is a consequence of its layered structure. The atomic structure consists of a sheet of molybdenum at ...

, a soft metallic mineral resembling

graphite Graphite () is a Crystallinity, crystalline allotrope (form) of the element carbon. It consists of many stacked Layered materials, layers of graphene, typically in excess of hundreds of layers. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable ...

, is the most common

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

of molybdenum and is the only one of economic significance found in Ontario.

Development and exploration

Development was carried out from 1906 to 1918. In 1906, J.W. Barton of Gold Reef Company Limited discovered molybdenum and copper ore with gold and silver values. This led to the formation of a

shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

with

headframe A headframe (gallows frame, winding tower, hoist frame,Ernst, Dr.-Ing. Richard (1989). ''Wörterbuch der Industriellen Technik'' (5th ed.). Wiesbaden: Oscar Brandstetter, 1989. pit frame, shafthead frame, headgear, headstock, poppethead) is t ...

, hoist and

pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes Slurry, slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic or pneumatic energy. Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of application ...

, several test pits and rock trenches in molybdenite showings, as well as a

mining camp A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historical mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendig ...

and boiler house. About of material was removed during this period. The discovery of gold is what started the original work at Barton. However, gold values proved to be low, resulting in the change to molybdenum mining. This operation was referred to as the Net Lake Molybdenite claims. By 1911, the world had learned the commercial importance of molybdenum in strengthening steel. However, it was not widely used until World War I when molybdenum was urgently needed to manufacture guns, as well as

armour plating Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fightin ...

for military machines. In 1918, near the end of World War I, J.W. Barton shipped of hand-cobbed ore to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

for recovery of of

molybdenum disulfide Molybdenum disulfide (or moly) is an inorganic chemistry, inorganic compound composed of molybdenum and sulfur. Its chemical formula is . The compound is classified as a transition metal dichalcogenide. It is a silvery black solid that occurs as ...

. This was followed by a fire that destroyed the camp and boiler house. Mining operations were not renewed after the disaster occurred. However, the demand for molybdenum fell drastically at the end of World War I and other molybdenum mines in Ontario were shut down. The total Ontario molybdenum production in 1918 was , totaling C$59,067. In 1956, Aumo Porcupine Mines Limited did a self-potential survey for copper and nickel mineralization at Barton. This was followed by a diamond drill program in 1958 performed by S. Ciglen. In 1965–1966, Myteque Mines Limited carried out

geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

, electromagnetic and geomagnetic surveys, as well as extensive surface work. The mine site was withdrawn from staking in 1968 under the Mining Act.

Geology

Regional terrain

Barton is situated in the

Temagami Greenstone Belt The Temagami Greenstone Belt (TGB) is a small 2.7 billion year old greenstone belt in the Temagami region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It represents a feature of the Superior craton, an ancient and stable part of the Earth's lithosphere t ...

. This is a 2.7 billion year old sequence of

metamorphosed Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causi ...

igneous Igneous rock ( ), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. The magma can be derived from partial ...

and

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...

s that forms part of the much larger

Superior craton The Superior Craton is a stable fault block, crustal block covering Quebec, Ontario, and southeast Manitoba in Canada, and northern Minnesota in the United States. It is the biggest craton among those formed during the Archean period. A craton is a ...

. The belt is exposed through the

Huronian Supergroup The Huronian Supergroup is a Proterozoic assemblage of geologic groups of the Superior Craton of the Canadian Shield in Ontario and Quebec. It extends from west of the city of Sault Ste. Marie in the west to the Ontario-Quebec border to the east ...

and it might be an isolated southern exposure of the Abitibi Subprovince. Volcanic activity in the Temagami Greenstone Belt spanned from 2,736 to 2,687 million years ago, indicating that it was a zone of active

volcanism Volcanism, vulcanism, volcanicity, or volcanic activity is the phenomenon where solids, liquids, gases, and their mixtures erupt to the surface of a solid-surface astronomical body such as a planet or a moon. It is caused by the presence of a he ...

for at least 49 million years. The Younger Volcanic Complex, a unit of the Temagami Greenstone Belt made of mostly

mafic A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include ...

volcanic rock Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and me ...

s, is the main volcanic complex at Barton. A series of

intrusion In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...

s penetrate the complex and three major zones of deformation have been identified, namely the Northeast Arm Deformation Zone, the

Link Lake Deformation Zone The Link Lake Deformation Zone, also known as the Link Lake Zone of Deformation and the Link Lake Shear Zone, is a zone of deformation in Strathy Township of Temagami, Ontario, Canada. It is at least wide and over long, extending from Link Lake ...

and the

Net Lake-Vermilion Lake Deformation Zone The Net Lake-Vermilion Lake Deformation Zone, also known as the Net Lake-Vermilion Lake Zone of Deformation, is a zone of deformation in Temagami, Ontario, Canada, extending from Vermilion Lake to Net Lake in a northeasterly direction. See also *L ...

. The Arsenic Lake Formation, a series of mostly dark green, iron-rich, massive and pillowed

tholeiitic basalt The tholeiitic magma series () is one of two main magma series in subalkaline igneous rocks, the other being the calc-alkaline series. A magma series is a chemically distinct range of magma compositions that describes the evolution of a mafic ...

lava flows, is the principal

geologic formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

at Barton Mine.

Feldspar Feldspar ( ; sometimes spelled felspar) is a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagiocl ...

-phyric basalt lava flows contain tabular feldspar

phenocryst image:montblanc granite phenocrysts.JPG, 300px, Granites often have large feldspar, feldspathic phenocrysts. This granite, from the Switzerland, Swiss side of the Mont Blanc massif, has large white phenocrysts of plagioclase (that have trapezoid sh ...

s that range up to in cross section. Sills and

dikes Dyke or dike may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), formations of magma or sediment that cut through and across the layering of adjacent rocks * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess ...

are widespread throughout the Arsenic Lake Formation and range in composition from

ultramafic Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are usua ...

felsic In geology, felsic is a grammatical modifier, modifier describing igneous rocks that are relatively rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz.Marshak, Stephen, 2009, ''Essentials of Geology,'' W. W. Norton & Company, 3rd ed. It is contrasted ...

References

External links

* *{{cite web, url=http://www.mindat.org/loc-44423.html, title=Net Lake (Barton) Mine, Net Lake, North Temagami, Temagami Township, Nipissing District, Ontario, Canada, publisher=Mindat.org, accessdate=2012-02-19 Mines in Temagami Strathy Township Surface mines in Canada Underground mines in Canada Molybdenum mines in Canada Gold mines in Ontario Copper mines in Ontario Silver mines in Canada Disasters in Ontario Canadian home front during World War I