Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

Nisikkatch Lake

stripes

Occurrence number: 
031-00-041
Country: 
Canada
Region: 
Saskatchewan
Location: 
Longitude: -109.17, Latitude: 69.83
Carbonatite: 
Yes

A series of apatite and carbonate-rich veins occurs in an area of about 1x10 km extending from Nisikkatch Lake northeastwards to Lane Lake (Hogarth, 1957, Fig. 1). (Some 50 km further along the strike to the northeast lies the Thomas Lake occurrence - 031-00-008). The veins are up to 3 m thick and the longest observed is about 30 m. They are zoned with variable inner zones of carbonate, apatite, feldspar and pegmatite, and an invariable marginal zone of amphibolite. All the occurrences are radioactive due to the presence of thorium minerals in the apatite zone. The apatite is also particularly rich in REE. The carbonate zone consists essentially of calcite, with about 30% quartz, 9.6% baryte, 5.9% apatite, chlorite and allanite; analcime, gypsum, pyrite, siderite, zircon and sphene were also identified. The feldspar zone consists essentially of hyalophane with a little microcline and albite, and in two veins a late arfvedsonitic amphibole occurs forming a third of the rock in one of them. The pegmatitic zone is only found in the northeastern part of the area and consists of perthite, albite, scapolite, quartz and amphibole. The vein system may have carbonatitic affinities, as suggested by Currie (1976a, p. 171).

References: 

CURRIE, K.L. 1976a. The alkaline rocks of Canada. Bulletin, Geological Survey of Canada, 239: 1-228.
HOGARTH, D.D. 1957. The apatite-bearing veins of Nisikkatch Lake, Saskatchewan. Canadian Mineralogist, 6: 140-50.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith