Little Cornwallis Island
Encyclopedia
Little Cornwallis Island is one of the Canadian Arctic islands in Nunavut
, Canada
. It is located at 75°30'N 96°30'W, between Cornwallis Island and Bathurst Island
in McDougall Sound
, and measures 412 km² (159.1 sq mi). It is uninhabited.
Little Cornwallis Island was the home to Polaris Mine
, the most poleward base-metal mine
in the world. In 1960 a vast concentration of zinc
and lead
was discovered on the island during mapping for oil permits. Cominco acquired land in the area and a gravity survey
in 1970 detected a large anomaly. By 1973 surface drilling and underground development had outlined the Polaris ore body and defined reserves of about 25 million tons grading approximately 14% zinc and 4% lead. A mining
facility was constructed on a barge at Trois-Rivières, Quebec
and towed to the island; arriving in mid August 1981. Production commenced in 1982. The mile-long gravel runway allowed aircraft as large as the Boeing 727
and Boeing 737
to service the mine. The mine was closed in August 2002 as forecast due to depletion of the ore body. From 1982-2002 the mine processed 21 million tons of ore grading 3.72% lead and 15.81% zinc, producing 733,800 tons of lead metal and 2.8 million tons of zinc metal in concentrate. A two-year, $53 million decommissioning and reclamation program was completed in September 2004.
During the operating lifetime of the mine, there was a company-owned camp to provide lodgings to miners, and the community and mine was serviced by Bell Canada
and then by Northwestel
.
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located at 75°30'N 96°30'W, between Cornwallis Island and Bathurst Island
Bathurst Island
A member of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Bathurst Island is one of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in Nunavut Territory, Canada. The area of the island is estimated at , making it the 54th largest island in the world and Canada's 13th largest island. It is uninhabited.The island is low-lying with...
in McDougall Sound
McDougall Sound
McDougall Sound is an Arctic waterway in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It's located between southeastern Bathurst Island and western Cornwallis island. The sound's southern mouth opens to the Parry Channel, and beyond that, to the Barrow Strait. The sound's northern mouth opens to Crozier Strait...
, and measures 412 km² (159.1 sq mi). It is uninhabited.
Little Cornwallis Island was the home to Polaris Mine
Polaris mine
Polaris zinc mine was an underground zinc mine on Little Cornwallis Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut . The Polaris mine was located north of the Arctic Circle, and north of the community of Resolute...
, the most poleward base-metal mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the world. In 1960 a vast concentration of zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
was discovered on the island during mapping for oil permits. Cominco acquired land in the area and a gravity survey
Gravity anomaly
A gravity anomaly is the difference between the observed acceleration of Earth's gravity and a value predicted from a model.-Geodesy and geophysics:...
in 1970 detected a large anomaly. By 1973 surface drilling and underground development had outlined the Polaris ore body and defined reserves of about 25 million tons grading approximately 14% zinc and 4% lead. A mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
facility was constructed on a barge at Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Trois-Rivières is a city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada, located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence Rivers. It is situated in the Mauricie administrative region, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of Bécancour...
and towed to the island; arriving in mid August 1981. Production commenced in 1982. The mile-long gravel runway allowed aircraft as large as the Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
and Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
to service the mine. The mine was closed in August 2002 as forecast due to depletion of the ore body. From 1982-2002 the mine processed 21 million tons of ore grading 3.72% lead and 15.81% zinc, producing 733,800 tons of lead metal and 2.8 million tons of zinc metal in concentrate. A two-year, $53 million decommissioning and reclamation program was completed in September 2004.
During the operating lifetime of the mine, there was a company-owned camp to provide lodgings to miners, and the community and mine was serviced by Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
and then by Northwestel
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. is the incumbent local exchange carrier and long distance carrier in Northern Canada. The company name is a portmanteau, sometimes spelled NorthwesTel, for Northwest Telecommunications.-Modern corporate history:...
.
External links
- Exploration history and mineral potential of the central Arctic Zn-Pb District, Nunavut
- http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map?mapsize=428%20380&lat=75.5000000025&long=-96.4999999976&mapxy=-40316.2940765+2890752.04261&scale=5000000&feature_na=Little+Cornwallis+Island&location1=62&unique_key=ea429fc0d05211d892e2080020a0f4c9&searchstring=Little%20Cornwallis%20Island&entity=ISL&layers=fapfeature+fapfeature%20north_arrow%20other_features%20million_grid%20t50k_grid%20grid_50k_3%20roads%20hydrography%20boundary%20builtup%20vegetation%20populated_places%20railway%20power_network%20manmade_features%20designated_areas%20water_features%20water_saturated_soils%20relief%20contours%20toponymy%20contour%20nodata_ntdb_50k&urlappend=%26unique_key%3Dea429fc0d05211d892e2080020a0f4c9%26map.layer%5Btextzoom03%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-41611.2184654+2890016.40844+END+TEXT+%22Little%2BCornwallis%2BIsland%22+END%26map.layer%5Btextzoom46%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-41611.2184654+2890016.40844+END+TEXT+%22Little%2BCornwallis%2BIsland%22+END%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom0%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom1%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom2%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom0outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom1outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom2outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Barrowzoom03%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-41611.2184654+2890016.40844+END+ENDLittle Cornwallis Island] at the Atlas of CanadaAtlas of CanadaThe Atlas of Canada is an Internet atlas published by Natural Resources Canada that has information on every city, town, village, and hamlet in Canada...