IN 1912-1918 THE CANADIAN NORTHERN RAILWAY TUNNEL WAS DRIVEN THROUGH MOUNT ROYAL. THIS PROVIDED A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR McGILL GEOLOGISTS TO EXAMINE THE INNER STRUCTURE OF THE MOUNTAIN. SHOWN HERE ARE SOME OF THE MINERALS COLLECTED IN THE TUNNEL.

AROUND THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY, NEPHELINE SYENITE WAS QUARRIED ON THE NORTHWEST FLANK OF MOUNT ROYAL IN THE NOW EXTINCT CORPORATION QUARRY. LIMESTONE IN CONTACT WITH THE NEPHELINE SYENITE HAS BEEN RECRYSTALLIZED INTO MARBLE, AND BOTH THE MARBLE AND NEPHELINE SYENITE ARE CUT BY NUMEROUS DIKES. METASOMATIC PROCESSES HAVE PRODUCED A LARGE SUITE OF MINERALS. THE MOST UNUSUAL OF THESE IS NATIVE ARSENIC.

MONT SAINT-HILAIRE IS THE TYPE LOCALITY - MEANING THAT A MINERAL NEW TO SCIENCE WAS FIRST DISCOVERED THERE - FOR SOME 45 MINERAL SPECIES. SEVERAL OF THESE HAVE NOT YET BEEN FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.

THE JEFFREY MINE, ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST ASBESTOS DEPOSITS, IS RENOWNED FOR ITS SPECIMENS OF GROSSULAR GARNET, DIOPSIDE AND PREHNITE.

THE LAC NICOLET ANTIMONY MINE WAS DISCOVERED IN 1863 AND INTERMITTENTLY OPERATED UNTIL 1889. IT HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF SPECIMENS OF KERMESITE AND OTHER ANTIMONY MINERALS FOR WELL OVER A CENTURY.

THE ORFORD NICKEL MINE WAS BRIEFLY OPERATED FROM 1877 TO 1879. IT IS BETTER KNOWN AS A CLASSIC LOCALITY FOR SPECIMENS OF CHROMIAN GROSSULAR, DIOPSIDE AND MILLERITE. THE MINE REMAINS A POPULAR MINERAL COLLECTING SITE TO THIS DAY.

THE MINERALS AGRELLITE AND GITTINSITE WERE NEW TO SCIENCE WHEN THEY WERE FIRST DISCOVERED IN THE KIPAWA COMPLEX. AGRELLITE IS A SODIUM CALCIUM FLUOROSILICATE. GITTINSITE IS A CALCIUM ZIRCONIUM SILICATE.

WELOGANITE WAS DISCOVERED IN THE FRANCON QUARRY IN 1966 BY ANN P. SABINA OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. THE MINERAL IS NAMED IN HONOUR

OF SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN (1798-1873). A MONTREALER, LOGAN WAS THE SURVEY'S FOUNDER AND FIRST DIRECTOR.

NANISIVIK MINE/MINE NANISIVIK

THE NANISIVIK LEAD-ZINC MINE IS CANADA'S MOST NORTHERLY MINE. LOCATED ON BAFFIN ISLAND IN NUNAVUT, IT IS 700 KILOMETERS NORTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. THE MINE HAS PRODUCED MANY FINE SPECIMENS OF PYRITE SHOWING A WIDE VARIETYOF CRYSTAL HABITS AND FORMS.

LABRADORITE, A VARIETY OF PLAGIOCLASE FELDSPAR, WAS NAMED AFTER LABRADOR IN 1780. IT WAS THE FIRST NEW MINERAL SPECIES TO BE DESCRIBED FROM CANADA. IT DISPLAYS A VIVID PLAY OF COLOR CALLED LABRADORESCENCE.

THE OKA CARBONATITE COMPLEX, 32 KM WEST OF MONTREAL, IS AT THE WESTERN

END OF THE MONTEREGIAN HILLS PETROGRAPHIC PROVINCE. ITS RING STRUCTURE AND ITS UNUSUAL ROCKS DIFFERENTIATE IT FROM ALL THE OTHER MONTEREGIAN INTRUSIONS. PYROCHLORE, AN ORE OF THE IMPORTANT METAL NIOBIUM, WAS FORMERLY MINED AT OKA.

PEGMATITE VEIN IN NEPHELINE SYENITE

THE MINERAL ASSEMBLAGE IN THIS NARROW-VEIN PEGMATITE - AEGIRINE, MICROCLINE, ALBITE, KUPLETSKITE AND CATAPLEIITE - IS THE SAME AS FOUND IN MANY OF THE LARGE PEGMATITE BODIES IN THE POUDRETTE QUARRY.

CALCITE VEIN-DYKES

CALCITE-CORED PODS AND VEINS LINED WITH CRYSTALS ARE COMMON IN THE GRENVILLE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. IN THE LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES THEY WERE EXTENSIVELY MINED FOR PHOSPHATE (APATITE) AND MICA. BESIDES APATITE AND MICA, THESE SO-CALLED VEIN-DYKES CONTAIN MANY OTHER MINERALS, OFTEN AS WELL-FORMED CRYSTALS.

MONT SAINT-HILAIRE IS FAMOUS FOR THE WORLD'S FINEST SPECIMENS OF SÉRANDITE. IT IS THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER MINERAL FROM THIS LOCALITY.

LA FAMEUSE SÉRANDITE DU MONT SAINT-HILAIRE EST LE MINÉRAL LE PLUS RECHERCHÉ PAR LES COLLECTIONNEURS.