How the Labrador Trough became the epicentre of Canadian iron ore mining in the 1950s
The first reference to iron in the Labrador Trough, a geologic belt hosting world-class iron deposits that extends for approximately 1,100 kilometres through Labrador and Quebec, was made by Father Louis Babel, who travelled in the area from 1866 to 1870, according to H.E. Neal (Explor. Mining Geol., Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 113-121, 2000). A.P. Low was the first geologist to recognize iron mineralization that was similar to that found in the northern United States while he was on a preliminary reconnaissance survey in 1893 to 1894.
“However, it was not until 1929 that the first iron ore discoveries were made by J.E. Gill and W. F. James in the Burnt Creek (Knob Lake) area,” wrote R.D. Westervelt (CIM Bulletin, November 1957). These iron ore discoveries led to the formation of the Labrador Mining and Exploration Company (LME) in 1936 to explore a 20,000-square-mile concession in Labrador, and of the Hollinger North Shore Exploration Company in 1941 to explore an adjoining 3,900-square-mile concession in Quebec.
The Iron Ore Company of Canada
In the 1940s, demand for iron ore was rising. “The severe drain on high-grade iron ore reserves of the Lake Superior district caused by World War II has brought home to the iron and steel industry in the United States the necessity of seeking replacements,” wrote Grover J. Holt (CIM Bulletin, November 1950). “[The] deposits in Labrador and Quebec offer great promise for the future production of high-grade iron ore in Canada.”
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