COLUMBH Ministry of Employment and Lnvestnlent Energy and Minerals Division Geological Survey Branch
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BFUTISH .. COLUMBH Ministry of Employment and lnvestnlent Energy and Minerals Division Geological Survey Branch PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA By S. Butrenchuk, P.Geo BULLETIN 98 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Buuenchuk, S.B. Phosphate deposits in British Columbia (Bulletin ;98) Issued by Geological Survey Branch. Includes bibliographical refeerences :p. ISBN 0-7726-2895-5 VICTORIA BRITISH COLUMBIA 1. Phosphate rock - British Columbia. 2. Geology, CANADA Economic - British Columbia. 1. British Columbia. Ministry of Employment and Investment. 11. British AUGUST 1996 Columbia. Geological Survey Branch. 111. Title. IV. Series: Bulletin (British Columbia. Minislryof Employment and Investment) ;98. Field research for lhispublication was camicd out during the period1986 to 1987. TN914.C32B74 1996 553.6'4'09711 C96-.960152-2 ABSTRACT Phosphate is an abundant commodity worldwide and is This study discusses in detail the petrographical and produced in over 29 countries. While there is currently an chemical makeup of the sedimentary phosphate deposits, oversupply analysts believe that international bade patterns especially how they relate to beneficiation. A comprehen- will change. Canada’s traditional sources of importedphos- sive classification based on chemical and mineralogical pa- phate rock are predicted to decline and new sources may rameters is proposed for British Columbia phosphate have to be found. Thisstudy assesses the resource potential deposits. The trace element content of these deposits is also of phosphate deposits in British Columbia and comments described. Uranium, fluorine, yttrium and rare-earth metals on their economic viability. may be recoverable. Sedimentary phosphate deposits occur in 14 strati- Sedimentary phosphate was deposited in a shdf to bas- graphic units in rocks ranging in age from Cambrian to inal environment. Nodular phosphates are common and Lower Jurassic. Deposits of Triassic and Jurassic age offer characterize deposition in shallow waters while thepelletal the best potential for future development. Beneficiation varieties were deposited in a deeper water, more reducing problems and high cost mining must be overcome before environment. Many of the deposits occur above unconfor- these deposits are considered economic. A large resource is mities; better grade deposits are associated, transgressive present at the Aley carbonatite where phosphate could con- events where upwelling currents allowed phosphate depo- ceivably be produced as a byproduct from its niobium pro- sition to take place. duction. Bulletin 98 iii - ." ~~ ~ British Columbia __ _- iv Geological Survey Branch Ministry of Employment and h vestment TABLE OF CONTIENTS CHAPTER 1 Sulphur Mountain Formation ............34 INTRODUCTION ....................... I Toad Formation ...................36 2 Fcmic Formation 38 OverviewFormation ofPhosphateSupply Fcmic andDemand ...... 2 ................... Scope of Work ....................... 3 Acknowledgments ..................... 5 CHAPTER 5 GEOCHEMISTRY ...................... 41 C HAPT ER 2 Major Element Geochcmislty Element Major 2 CHAPTER ..............41 PHOSPHATE DEPOSITSOF THENORTH AMERICANGeochemistry Element Trace ..............41 CORDILLERA ......................... 7 CHAPTER 6 FormationPhosphateof Deposits ............ 8 OF PHOSPHATE LOCALITIES ......45 Classification of Sedimentary Phosphate Deposits ... 9 Weathering of PhosphateDeposits ........... 9 PhosphateLocalities in the FernicBasin ........45 Forsyth CreekForsyth - LakesConnor ............45 CHAPTER 3 Macdonald Thrust Fault ............... 47 STRATIGRAPHYOF SEDIMENTARYPHOSPHATE Ski-HillFemic ...................48 D EPOSITS INBRITISH COLUMBIAINBRITISHDEPOSITS ............13 Weigert Crcck .................... 48 Nordstrum Crcek 51 RegionalStratigraphy 13 ................... .................. LineCreck ..................... 51 PhosphateDeposition ..................16 crow ........................ 52 Cambro-OrdovicianPhosphate .............16 Alexander Creek - Highway 3 ...........53 UpperCambrian 16 ................... Marten ....................... 54 KechikaFormation .................16 SummitLakc ...................54 Road River Formation ................17 Lizard ........................ 54 Devon-MississippianPhosphate .............17 Mutz Creek and Uooer.. Mutz Creek .......55 Exshaw Formation ..................17 Fairy Crcek .................... 55 PennsylvanianPhosphate ................ 18 Island Lake .................... 55 Tunnel Mountain Formation 18 ............. Harllcy Lake .................... 55 Xananaskis Formation Xananaskis 18 ................ LladncrCrcck ...................56 Permian Phosphatc: The Ishbcl Group and Correlative Abby ....................... 56 RocksinNortheaslemBritishColumbia ...... 18 BingayCrcck ...................56 Johnston Canyon Formation 19 Formation Canyon Johnston ............. ElkfordSki-Hill 56 Formation 21 Telford Formation .................. .................. FordingRiver 57 Ross Creek Formation 21 ................... ................ BarncsLake ..................... 58 RangerCanyon Formation 21 ............. Lodgepole ...................... 58 Belcourt Formation 23 Formation Belcourt ................. Lodge 58 M owitch Formation 23 Formation Mowitch ........................ ................. Zip 58 KindleFormation 23 ......................... .................. CabinCreek 58 FanlasqueFormation 23 ..................... ................ SheepMountain 60 Belloy Formation 23 .................. .................. Norlh SulphurCreek ................ 61 TriassicPhosphate 23 .................... Todhunter ...................... 61 SulphurMountain Formation ............27 AlexandcrCreek North 61 Vega-PhrosoMember 27 ............... ............. Phosphate Localitiesin Northeastern WhistlerMcmber 27 ................ British Columbia ..................61 Llama Member 28 Member Llama ................. McosinMountain 61 GraylingFormation 28 .................. ................. Wapiti Lake 62 Toad Formation 28 ..................... ................... MountPalsson ................... Whitehorse Formation 32 64 ................ BakerCrcck ..................... 65 TriassicSubsurface Deposits 32 ............ Lcmoray 65 JurassicPhosphate 32 ....................... ....................65 Ludington Mount .................. FemieFormation ..................North 32 Pass Lauricr ..................65 R ichards Creek 67 Creek Richards ................... CHAPTER 4 Tetsa Rivcr .Alaska PETROGRAPHY AND MINERALOGY OFSEDIMENTARY Highway .................... 69 PHOSPHATEBRITISHCOLUMBIA IN ..........33 SummitLake .................... 69 Kechika FormationKechika69 .................... Peak 33 Grey ...................... Road River Formation 33 Formation River Road ................ Carbonatites ....................... 69 Exshaw Formation 33 Aley 33 Formation Exshaw .................. ......................... 71 Ishbel Group 33 Group Ishbel ..................... Verity ........................ 71 Bulletin 98 V British Columbia __ Ren(Ratchford Creek) ............... 71 14. Rcsampling resultsof the Abby and Highway3 Gap 72 Three Valley Gap .................. localities .......................... 122 MiscellaneousOccurrencesPhosphate74 ......... Quesnel Area 74 Area Quesnel .................... 15. Major and trace element analyses.AIcy G randuc Tailings Granduc ..................74 carbonatite ....................... 123 Iron Mask Batholith .................14 16 .Analytical results forcarbonatites sampled .......123 FrancoisLake Asphaltum ............. 74 17. Sample locations and results for the Quesnel area.... 124 CHAPTER 7 18. Major elemcnt analyses. Quesnel area.......... 124 BENEFICIATION AND PROCESSINGOF PHOSPHATEROCK ............ 75 19. Minor element analyses. Quesnel area.......... 125 Beneficiation of British Columbia 20 .Mineralogical cornposition of phosphate. Whistler PhosphoriteRock ..... 77 member of the Sulphur Mountain Formation ...... 125 21 .Mineralogical composition ofphosphate. Fernie CHAPTER 8 Formation 126 RESOURCE POTENTIAL OF ........................ SEDIMENTARY PHOSPHATE DEPOSITSIN TABLES BRITISH COLUMBIA .................... 85 1. Canada. phosphate fertilizcr plants (from Barry. 1986) . 4 CambrianOccurrences ................. 85 ExshawFormation ...................86 2. Stratigraphy of phosphate-hearing formationsin PermianDeposits .................... 86 southeasternBritish Columbia ............. 14 Johnston Canyon Formation 86 ............ 3. Stratigraphy of phosphate-bearing formationsin Ross Creek Formation ............... 87 Ranger Canyon Formation ............. 87 northeasternBritish Columbia ............. 15 Triassic Deposits .................... 88 4 . Qualitative mineral abundanccs in the Permian Subsurface Triassic Deposits............ 89 phosphatcs ........................ 36 Fernie Formalion .................... 89 5. Qualitative abundancesof minerals in the Whistler CHAPTER 9 mcmber of the Sulphur Mountain Formation....... 36 SUMMARYAND CONCLUSIONS ............ 93 6. Qualitativc mineralabunrlances in the Toad Formation Cambrian ........................ 93 phosphatc rocks ...................... 38 Mississippian ...................... 93 7 . Qualitativc abundanceof minerals presentin the basal Permian 93 ......................... Ferniephosphatc 40 Triassic ......................... 93 ..................... Jurassic ......................... 93 8. Averagc trace elcmcnt contentin phosphate rocks sampled in this study and average values obtainedby REFERENCES