Little Cornwallis Island, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Little Cornwallis Island	Island
Qikiqtaaluk Region	Region
Nunavut	Territory
Canada	Country

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 sq mi). It is uninhabited.

Little Cornwallis Island was the home to the 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 orebody 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 orebody. 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.

Fossils

There are 1 fossil localities from the PaleoBioDB database within this region.

BETA TEST - These data are provided on an experimental basis and are taken from external databases. Mindat.org has no control currently over the accuracy of these data.

Occurrences	14
Youngest Fossil Listed	444 Ma (Silurian)
Oldest Fossil Listed	461 Ma (Middle Ordovician)
Stratigraphic Units	Unit No. Occurrences Age Cornwallis - Irene Bay 6 449.5 - 443.7 Ma (Paleozoic) Cornwallis - Thumb Mountain 8 460.9 - 449.5 Ma (Ordovician)
Fossils from Region	Click here to show the list.
Accepted Name Hierarchy Age Maclurites genus Animalia : Mollusca : Gastropoda : Maclureadae : Maclurites 449.5 - 443.7 Ma Paleozoic Metaspyroceras genus Animalia : Mollusca : Cephalopoda : Dawsonoceratidae : Metaspyroceras 449.5 - 443.7 Ma Paleozoic Spyroceras genus Animalia : Mollusca : Cephalopoda : Pseudorthoceratidae : Spyroceras 449.5 - 443.7 Ma Paleozoic Calyptaulax genus Animalia : Arthropoda : Trilobita : Phacopida : Pterygometopidae : Calyptaulax 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Hesperorthis genus Animalia : Brachiopoda : Rhynchonellata : Orthida : Hesperorthidae : Hesperorthis 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Plectorthis genus Animalia : Brachiopoda : Rhynchonellata : Orthida : Plectorthidae : Plectorthis 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Resserella genus Animalia : Brachiopoda : Rhynchonellata : Orthida : Dalmanellidae : Resserella 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Sowerbyella genus Animalia : Brachiopoda : Strophomenata : Strophomenida : Sowerbyellidae : Sowerbyella 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Strophomena genus Animalia : Brachiopoda : Strophomenata : Strophomenida : Strophomenidae : Strophomena 449.5 - 443.7 Ma Paleozoic Cyclospira genus Animalia : Brachiopoda : Rhynchonellata : Atrypida : Cyclospiridae : Cyclospira 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Receptaculites genus Chlorophyta : Chlorophyceae : Receptaculitidae : Receptaculites 449.5 - 443.7 Ma Paleozoic Rhinidictya genus Animalia : Bryozoa : Stenolaemata : Cryptostomida : Rhinidictyidae : Rhinidictya 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Parastrophina hemiplicata species Animalia : Brachiopoda : Rhynchonellata : Pentamerida : Parastrophinidae : Parastrophina : Parastrophina hemiplicata 460.9 - 449.5 Ma Ordovician Batostoma winchelli species Animalia : Bryozoa : Stenolaemata : Trepostomatida : Trematoporidae : Batostoma : Batostoma winchelli 449.5 - 443.7 Ma Paleozoic
Fossil Localities	Click to show 1 fossil locality

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Cornwallis_Island
Wikidata ID:	Q177560
GeoNames ID:	6055317

Localities in this Region