Chapter 2

Architectural Stone,Industrial Minerals,

Industrial Stone and Peat

48

Architectural Stone, Yves Bellemare ............................................................................................... 49Production ....................................................................................................................................................................49Exploration ...................................................................................................................................................................49

Industrial Minerals, Industrial Stone, and Peat, N’golo Togola, Charles Gosselin, Pierre Buteau ..... 49Production ....................................................................................................................................................................49Exploration ...................................................................................................................................................................50

2

49

Architectural StoneYves Bellemare, P. Eng.

ProductionFigure II (in Appendix I) shows the location of architectural

stone quarries active in Québec in 2006. Table II, in Appendix I, provides a brief description of each operation.

In the fi eld of architectural stone, 101 active quarries were inventoried in 54 different locations. With 17 quarries in operation, the Rivière-à-Pierre area (NTS 31I/16 and 31P/01) remains the most important mining camp for the dimension stone industry. The Saint-Nazaire (NTS 22D/12) and Saint-Alexis-des-Monts−Saint-Didace (NTS 31I/06) areas were also quite active, with six and fi ve quarries respectively.

During the year, A. Lacroix et Fils Granit Ltée acquired the mining rights for three of the six quarries held by Granit Aurélien Tremblay Inc., who permanently ceased explora-tion and extraction operations. North of Kingsbury, Maurice

Houle started operations in a past-producing quarry of green slate known as Mongeon (La Tribune newspaper, November 24, 2006, p.3). The stone is used to manufacture fl oor tiles, cobblestone and curbstone (site 46). Following an agreement with Omya St-Armand Ltée, Polycor Inc. obtained the mining rights for the renowned Missisquoi Marble and Stone Quarry; rehabilitation work consisting of dewatering the main excava-tion was undertaken (site 42). The interior stone decorations in many of Canada’s prestigious buildings was originally made with some of the marble varieties from this quarry.

ExplorationFigure 2 shows the location of the 26 projects where

exploration and development work took place in 2006. Project descriptions are listed in Table 2.1. The number of projects was signifi cantly lower in 2006 relative to previous years.

In the vicinity of renowned quarries in Saint-Marc-des-Carrières, Granicor Inc. drilled and stripped limestone outcrops of the Deschambault Formation (project 6). The company succeeded in locating a minable limestone bed of 5 metres in thickness, located 4 metres below surface. East of Havre-Saint-Pierre, Marbre Dolostone Minganie Inc. sampled dimension stone blocks and began polishing tests on a brown marbly limestone of the Mingan Formation (project 22). This stone variety is apparently similar to the Eramosa variety from Keppel Township in Ontario. Granit C. Rouleau Inc. obtained encouraging results from a sampling program on a

brown gabbroic anorthosite located north of Saint-Ludger-de-Milot (project 13). The stone is similar to the Nordic Café and Kodiak varieties quarried in the same area. The Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF) added to its website a sub-menu with information on architectural stone, monument stone, and ornamental stone.

Industrial Minerals, Industrial Stone, and PeatN’golo Togola, Charles Gosselin, Pierre Buteau

ProductionFigure III (in Appendix I) shows the location of active

industrial minerals and stone quarries and mines, as well as producing peatlands. Table III in Appendix I provides a brief description of each operation.

Industrial minerals and stones produced in Québec in 2006 include: chrysotile asbestos, ilmenite and titanium slag, graph-ite, mica, rock salt and brine, clay minerals, peat, silica, as well as limestone, dolomite, and marble.

Chrysotile asbestos is extracted in three mines in the Estrie region. Ilmenite and titanium slag are produced at the Lac Tio mine, north of Havre-Saint-Pierre. Flaky graphite is mined at the Stratmin mine in Lac-des-Îles, south of Mont-Laurier, and mica at the Bédard mine in Suzor Township in the Mauricie region. Rock salt is extracted at the Seleine mine in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, whereas brines are produced from fi ve wells in the Bécancour area. Shales are quarried in the Montréal area and used to manufacture bricks.

The main sources of silica are: quartzite (5 quarries), sand-stone (4 quarries), and natural sand (2 operations). Limestone, dolomite, and marble are mined for industrial purposes in more than 15 quarries. Depending on their chemical or physical characteristics, they are used to produce quick lime (3 opera-tions), various aggregate products (amendments, mineral fi llers, granules), or cement (3 producers).

In 2006, 16 peat producers were active in Québec, in 35 peatlands located for the most part in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Côte-Nord, and Saguenay−Lac-Saint-Jean regions. The peat-harvesting season was exceptionally late in starting for the fi fth year in a row. The fi rst harvesting operations were recorded in mid-July. By mid-September, many producers had barely reached 60% of their production objectives. Weather conditions prevailing from that time on prevented most producers from reaching–by far–their annual production targets.

2

50

ExplorationIn 2006, 10 mineral exploration projects targeting different

commodities were carried out (Figure 2 and Table 2.2)

Junex Inc. completed the drilling of a new brine well in Bécancour (project 34). The Bécancour no. 8 well has a total depth of 1,048 metres. The brine output capacity of the well is currently being tested in a production run.

Near the Daniel-Johnson dam in the Côte-Nord region, drill-ing by Quinto Technology Inc. on the Lac Guéret property

(project 31) intersected a series of high-grade graphite zones. Best assay results from samples of the high-grade graphitic horizon yielded grades on the order of 45.9% graphitic carbon over 61.7 m (drillhole LG-12), 37.7% over 32 m (drillhole LG-13), 40.3% over 26.9 m (drillhole LG-13), and 38.3% over 44.5 m (drillhole LG-34).

Northeast of Murdochville in the Gaspésie region, Exploration Orbite V.S.P.A. Inc. launched characterization studies on red clay samples from its Grande-Vallée property (project 29). An exploration program is currently underway to determine the volume and tonnage of the deposit.

2

51

4

5

24

25

6

7

1113

1215

1617

1920

18 21

26

14

22

9

8

2

3

1

10

23

34

58

36

31

33

27

35

32

30 29

28

Figure 2. Exploration work for architectural stone, industrial minerals and stones in Québec in 2006.

2

52

TABL

E 2.

1 - E

xplo

ratio

n w

ork

in Q

uébe

c fo

r ar

chite

ctur

al s

tone

for

2006

(see

figu

re 2

).

Nos

.N

TSM

ININ

G T

ITLE

SH

OLD

ERS

USE

(1)

WO

RKS

(1)

DET

AILS

131

M/0

710

CD

C in

McG

illva

ry

lake

sec

tor

Ress

ourc

es C

oved

ex In

c.D

SB,

G, P

r, Pt

, TN

ero

Can

aden

sis A

ssol

uto

proj

ect,

blac

k di

abas

e, fi

ne g

rain

231

G/1

4C

DC

843

00 to

843

0837

2107

8 C

anad

a In

c. (M

ount

ain

Gra

nite

)D

S, M

OB,

Pt

In o

ld s

ecto

r of F

ranç

ois

Bour

geoi

s qu

arry

, bla

ck

diab

ase

331

J/07

BEX

337

Les

Pier

res

Mitc

hell

Inc.

BSD

Labe

lle o

uest

pro

ject

, par

agne

iss

431

J/07

BEX

330

Les

Pier

res

Mitc

hell

Inc.

BSD

Labe

lle e

st p

roje

ct, p

arag

neiss

531

I/12

CD

C 1

0807

88 to

108

0791

, 10

9656

3Ex

plor

atio

n G

éote

ch E

nr.

DS

PtLa

c Th

omas

pro

ject

, cha

rnoc

kitic

rock

s

631

I/09

No

Gra

nico

r In

c.D

SD

, TSa

int-

Cas

imir

pro

ject

, lim

esto

ne,

Des

cham

baul

t For

mat

ion

722

D/0

4C

DC

973

1828

43 0

007

Qué

bec

Inc.

DS

B, P

tLa

c de

la N

iche

pro

ject

, gre

en fa

rsun

dite

, bl

ue q

uartz

822

D/0

4C

DC

972

97 to

972

9828

43 0

007

Qué

bec

Inc.

DS

B, P

tLa

c M

orin

pro

ject

, gre

en m

angé

rite

922

D/0

6N

o28

43 0

007

Qué

bec

Inc.

DS

B, P

tJo

nqui

ère

proj

ect,

grey

ish b

lack

ano

rthos

ite

1022

E/0

4U

nkno

wG

rani

t C. R

oule

au In

c.D

SBs

, Pt

Gra

nit V

ert p

roje

ct

1122

E/0

4C

DC

202

9818

to 2

0298

21Pr

ospe

ctio

n O

livie

r Per

ron

Enr.

DS

DRe

flet d

’am

azon

ite p

roje

ct, a

north

osite

m

auve

and

gre

en

1222

E/0

6BE

X 40

2Po

lyco

r Inc

.D

ST

Kodi

ak p

roje

ct, g

abbr

oic

anor

thos

ite, b

row

nish

bla

ck

1322

E/0

6C

DC

793

46 to

793

50G

rani

t C. R

oule

au in

c.

DS

Bs, P

tG

rani

t Bru

n pr

ojec

t, br

own

gabb

roic

ano

rthos

ite

1422

C/1

1C

DC

202

4459

to 2

0244

60As

soci

atio

n de

s Pr

ospe

cteu

rs a

mat

eurs

de

la

Hau

te-C

ôte-

Nor

dD

SB,

Pr,

PtC

olom

bier

pro

ject

, bro

wn

gran

ocla

stic

man

gerit

e

1522

C -

22 F

No

Asso

ciat

ion

des

Pros

pect

eurs

am

ateu

rs d

e la

H

aute

-Côt

e-N

ord

DS

B, P

r, Pt

Tado

ussa

c-C

olom

bier

-For

estv

ille

proj

ect,

pegm

atite

, aug

en g

neiss

, mig

mat

ized

par

agne

iss

1622

F/1

0C

DC

993

90 to

994

06G

rani

jem

Inc.

DS

TM

anic

Bru

n pr

ojec

t, fra

ctur

ed ro

ck

1722

F/1

6C

DC

111

6911

Gem

me

Man

icou

agan

DeS

, DS

FMM

arbr

e M

anic

ouag

an p

roje

ct, f

ault

goug

e, e

pi-

dotiz

ed, c

hlor

itize

d an

d he

mat

ized

1822

G/1

3C

DC

266

45R.

Pop

eD

SPr

1922

G/1

4C

DC

636

31R.

Lan

dry,

J.-C

. Roc

hette

DS

PrPa

gne

proj

ect,

mig

mat

ized

par

agne

iss, b

lack

ish g

rey

and

oran

ge p

ink,

fine

gra

in

2022

G/1

4C

DC

636

28 to

636

29, 6

3634

to

636

35, 6

3638

to 6

3639

R. L

andr

y, J.

-C. R

oche

tteD

SPr

Mal

ipha

ndi p

roje

ct, q

uartz

man

gerit

e,

porp

hyrit

ic, g

reen

, coa

rse

grai

n

2122

J/03

CD

C 1

0496

9 to

104

970

E. P

icar

d La

ndry

, R. L

andr

y,J.

C. R

oche

tteD

ST

Paor

a pr

ojec

t, m

igm

atiz

ed p

arag

neiss

, or

ange

pin

k, m

ediu

m g

rain

2212

L/0

3C

DC

158

38, 1

6429

Mar

bre

Dol

osto

ne M

inga

nie

Inc.

DS

Bs, F

M, P

t, TE

Brow

n m

arbl

e (li

mes

tone

), M

inga

n Fo

rmat

ion

2

53

TABL

E 2.

1 - E

xplo

ratio

n w

ork

in Q

uébe

c fo

r ar

chite

ctur

al s

tone

for

2006

(see

figu

re 2

).

Nos

.N

TSM

ININ

G T

ITLE

SH

OLD

ERS

USE

(1)

WO

RKS

(1)

DET

AILS

2312

M/0

3C

DC

109

5438

,11

0588

9 to

110

5913

, 11

0634

3 to

110

6364

,16

362,

175

88 to

175

91

Qué

bec

Labr

ador

iteD

eSB,

Pr

Sche

rrer

-Pic

ard

2 pr

ojec

t, bl

ue la

brad

orite

2431

H/0

3N

oPo

lyco

r Inc

.D

eS, D

SM

Miss

isquo

i pro

ject

, cal

cilu

tite,

Str

ites

Pond

For

mat

ion

2531

H/0

9N

oM

. Hou

leBS

TEM

elbo

urne

pro

ject

, gre

en s

late

,Sa

int-

Dan

iel M

élan

ge

2622

A/1

4C

DC

935

97 to

935

98FR

APM

GIM

BSTE

Flet

cher

pro

ject

, sili

ceou

s lim

esto

ne,

York

Lak

e Fo

rmat

ion

1 =

See the legend o

f a

bbre

via

tions a

nd the s

ignifi c

arion o

f italic

and b

old

type in a

ppendix

II.

2

54

TABL

E 2.

2 - E

xplo

ratio

n w

ork

in Q

uébe

c fo

r In

dust

rial

min

eral

s an

d st

ones

for

2006

(see

figu

re 2

).

SITE

TOW

NSH

IPS

(SEI

GN

IORI

ES)

NTS

CO

MPA

NIE

S / P

ROSP

ECTO

RSPR

OJE

CTS

SUBS

TAN

CES

WO

RKS

(1)

27Be

auss

ier,

Cou

rtem

anch

e12

L/0

3, 1

2 L/

06G

eote

ch E

xplo

ratio

nD

olob

ec (B

aie

Puffi

n)D

olom

iteFM

28Pe

rcé

22 A

/09

Lafa

rge

Can

ada

Inc.

Val d

’esp

oir

Lim

esto

neD

(2:2

50)

29Le

Fra

nçoi

s22

H/0

3Ex

plor

atio

n O

rbite

VSP

A In

c.G

rand

e Va

llée

Alu

min

a cl

ayst

one

Ct,

Re

30M

anic

ouag

an22

F/0

1Ar

gile

Eau

Mer

Inc.

Argi

le m

arin

e se

nsib

leC

lay

Ct,

S

3115

4822

N/0

3Q

uint

o Te

chno

logy

Inc.

Lac

Gue

ret

Gra

phite

D (3

4:24

00),

Gs(

r), T

32C

harle

voix

21 M

/15

Site

x In

c.M

alba

ieSi

lica

S, T

33M

RC M

ékin

ac31

P/0

1 F.

Béda

rdPe

tit L

ac R

ond

Silic

aPr

34Bé

canc

our

31 I/

08Ju

nex

Inc.

Béca

ncou

rN

atur

al B

rine

D (1

:104

8)

35D

udsw

ell

21 E

/11,

21

E/12

Gra

ymon

t (Q

c) In

c.C

arriè

re 2

Lim

esto

neD

(6:6

10),

Tc

36W

akef

ield

31 G

/12

A. D

unke

lSt

Pie

rre

de W

akef

ield

Feld

spar

, Zin

nwal

dite

S

1 =

See a

bbre

via

tion lis

t in

appendix

II