General Meeting: History of Mining in NWO

Wed, Oct 10, 2018: Talk: History of Mining and Geological Discoveries in Northwestern Ontario by Mark Smyk

• Event Photos

Mark Smyk, Ontario Geological Survey gave a detailed talk about the history of mining and geological discoveries in Northwestern Ontario.

His presentation is available here: 

• Silver Threads and Golden Needles

His presentation ranged from local mining history, including a long list of local mines and key individuals, early mines inside city limits such as the Singleton Mine located at the Prospect  Avenue School yard,  Skull Rock now known as Silver Islet and mining advancements developed or used first in northwestern ontario. 

The talk progressed on to minerals, mineral formation and fossils and highlighted some of the key findings and mistaken identifications along the way.

The Sudbury Impact event was described as "Thunder Bay's Worst Day". Occurring  1.85 billion years ago and it would have razed our area from heat flash, shock wave and finally tsunamis. The TBGLC is interested in forming a trip to the Slate Islands launching from the Terrace Bay area in 2019. 

A discussion on Yooperlies, rocks found on beaches in Northern Michigan, hence the name "Yooper" or slang for "Upper" Michigan that actually come from the Marathon, Ontario area. 

We had a short rock show and tell and identification  period that everyone also enjoyed. We are going to have to make more or a separate time for this popular activity.

What are Minerals?

To meet the definition of "mineral" used by most geologists, a substance must meet five requirements:

• naturally occurring

• inorganic

• solid

• definite chemical composition

• ordered internal structure

"Naturally occurring" means that people did not make it. Steel is not a mineral because it is an alloy produced by people. "Inorganic" means that the substance is not made by an organism. Wood and pearls are made by organisms and thus are not minerals. "Solid" means that it is not a liquid or a gas at standard temperature and pressure.

"Definite chemical composition" means that all occurrences of that mineral have a chemical composition that varies within a specific limited range. For example: the mineral halite (known as "rock salt" when it is mined) has a chemical composition of NaCl. It is made up of an equal number of atoms of sodium and chlorine.

"Ordered internal structure" means that the atoms in a mineral are arranged in a systematic and repeating pattern. The structure of the mineral halite is composed of an equal ratio of sodium and chlorine atoms arranged in a cubic pattern.

So ice is a mineral if you think about it.

Attendance: 15