Northern Ontario Ring of Fire
Encyclopedia
The Ring of Fire is the name given to an area of muskeg
swamps in the James Bay Lowlands
located in Northern Ontario
, Canada
, which is currently home to a major mining
exploration project. The region is centred on McFaulds Lake
in the Kenora District
, approximately 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay
, about 70 km east of Webequie
and due west of the Victor Diamond Mine
which is near the Attawapiskat River
west of James Bay
.
mineralization and the other hole with similar results. A few months later, Noront announced that it had found nickel
, copper
, platinum
, and palladium
a few meters below the surface.
The Freewest Black Thor chromite
prospect has an estimated 2 km strike length, a depth of 200 m and a 40 m width containing an estimated 72 megatonnes of chromite ore (42% Cr2O3).
In April 2010 the government of Ontario announced that they would be opening up a large chromite deposit in the area to development.
and Marten Falls
First Nations
set up a blockade on the landing strips at Koper Lake and McFaulds Lake. Angry over a lack of consultation, the group prevented planes from landing in the area until the mining corporations agree to address community concerns such as the construction of an airport and ending the use of the frozen Koper Lake and McFaulds Lake as landing strips.
The native groups ended their blockade on March 19, 2010, with the admonition that they will resume the action if their concerns are not addressed by the mining companies within six months.
Although the protest ended, aircraft continued to use the frozen lakes as landing strips until break-up that year.
Muskeg
Muskeg is an acidic soil type common in Arctic and boreal areas, although it is found in other northern climates as well. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bogland but muskeg is the standard term in Western Canada and Alaska, while 'bog' is common elsewhere. The term is of Cree origin, maskek...
swamps in the James Bay Lowlands
Hudson Bay Lowlands
The Hudson Bay Lowlands is a large, poorly drained piece of wetlands wedged between the Canadian Shield and southern shores of Hudson Bay and James Bay. Many wide and slow-moving rivers flow through this area toward the salt water of Hudson Bay. Mosquitoes and black flies thrive here. This is a...
located in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
, 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...
, which is currently home to a major 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...
exploration project. The region is centred on McFaulds Lake
McFaulds Lake
McFaulds Lake is a lake located in the Unorganized Part of Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the James Bay drainage basin and is in the Hudson Bay Lowlands area...
in the Kenora District
Kenora District, Ontario
Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1907 from parts of Rainy River District. It is, geographically, the largest division in that province; at 407,192.66 km2 it comprises almost 38 percent of the province's land area...
, approximately 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, about 70 km east of Webequie
Webequie First Nation
Webequie First Nation is located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island on Winisk Lake, 540 km north of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Webequie is a fly-in community with no summer road access. The primary way into the community is by air to Webequie Airport or winter road, which...
and due west of the Victor Diamond Mine
Victor Diamond Mine
The Victor Diamond Mine is the first Canadian diamond mine located in Ontario, and De Beers' second diamond mine in Canada . It is located in the James Bay lowlands west of Attawapiskat in the remote northern part of the province...
which is near the Attawapiskat River
Attawapiskat River
The Attawapiskat River is a river in Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada that flows east from Attawapiskat Lake to James Bay.-Course:The Attawapiskat River travels a distance of , and has a drainage area of ....
west of James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
.
History
Noront Resources Ltd., a mining company, was in the area in 2007. On August 28 of that year the company announced that it had found a "large find". The company had drilled two holes in the ground, with one having copper sulfideCopper sulfide
Copper sulfides describe a family of chemical compounds and minerals with the formula CuxSy. Both minerals and synthetic materials comprise these compounds. Some copper sulfides are economically important ores....
mineralization and the other hole with similar results. A few months later, Noront announced that it had found nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
, and palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
a few meters below the surface.
The Freewest Black Thor chromite
Chromite
Chromite is an iron chromium oxide: FeCr2O4. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. Magnesium can substitute for iron in variable amounts as it forms a solid solution with magnesiochromite ; substitution of aluminium occurs leading to hercynite .-Occurrence:Chromite is found in...
prospect has an estimated 2 km strike length, a depth of 200 m and a 40 m width containing an estimated 72 megatonnes of chromite ore (42% Cr2O3).
In April 2010 the government of Ontario announced that they would be opening up a large chromite deposit in the area to development.
First Nations
In January 2010, a group of activists from the nearby WebequieWebequie First Nation
Webequie First Nation is located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island on Winisk Lake, 540 km north of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Webequie is a fly-in community with no summer road access. The primary way into the community is by air to Webequie Airport or winter road, which...
and Marten Falls
Marten Falls First Nation
Marten Falls First Nation is an Anishinaabe First Nation located in northern Ontario. The First Nation occupies communities on both sides of the Albany River in Northern Ontario, including Ogoki Post in the Cochrane District and Marten Falls in the Kenora District...
First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
set up a blockade on the landing strips at Koper Lake and McFaulds Lake. Angry over a lack of consultation, the group prevented planes from landing in the area until the mining corporations agree to address community concerns such as the construction of an airport and ending the use of the frozen Koper Lake and McFaulds Lake as landing strips.
The native groups ended their blockade on March 19, 2010, with the admonition that they will resume the action if their concerns are not addressed by the mining companies within six months.
Although the protest ended, aircraft continued to use the frozen lakes as landing strips until break-up that year.