The Coleman Mine includes the original Coleman deposits, consisting of the Upper and Lower Coleman, and the High Shaft Copper deposit. No mining is currently conducted in these areas. It also includes the McCreedy East deposits, including the Main, West, 153 and 170 deposits where active mining is occurring. Other deposits include the inactive East and 7386/6166 Footwall Zone areas.
Structure
There are three major structural features encountered at the Coleman Mine:
- Fraser #2 Fault: also known as the #2 East Fault, strikes approximately north to south and is steeply dipping (60–80°). A splay of the Fraser #2 Fault has intersected the upper Main Orebody and has caused some localized difficult mining conditions;
- Lunchroom Fault: strikes roughly north to south, with a variable dip of 50–70° to the northeast along its length. Encountered on nearly every cut on the Main Orebody; locally associated with bad ground;
- Bob’s Lake Fault: strikes roughly northwest, and dips to the east at approximately 70–90°; locally associated with bad ground.
Mineralization
Contact-style mineralization forms high-grade nickel-rich pods or sulphide concentrations, that are surrounded by a low-grade halo in the host sublayer norite or footwall/granite breccia. The sulphide mineral assemblage consists of pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite and minor pyrite. Variations in style and orientation of mineralization occur abruptly over small distances, ........