Summary Report of the Geological Survey Department of Mines, for The
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9 6 GEORGE V. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 26 A. 1916 SUMMARY REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DEPARTMENT OF MINES FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 1915 PRINTED BY ORDER OF PARLIAMENT. OTTAWA PRINTED BY J. de L. TACHE, PRINTER TO THE KING’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY ' 1916 [No. 26—1916] [No. 1616.) • I f-'/t , % ( I I i w \ \ I \ . \ s I V-<, / \ .V f' \ I V I \ I I V 7-^ « « 4 r ¥ ;v •' 'V i f / 0 ‘'I /. • I--; \ i \ U% A / I 1 \ i I / \ . \ I I \ I k I . ' 1 > ,, ^ ^ \ s' * ;v? <\\ A S f ?> I* I 6 GEORGE V. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 26 A. 1916 To the Hon. P. E. Blondix, M.P., Minister of Mines, Ottawa. Sir,— have the honour to transmit, herewith, the summary report of the operations of the Geological Survey for the calendar year 1915. I have the honour to be, sir. Your obedient serv^ant. R. G. McConnell, Deputy Minister, Department of Mines. — 6 GEORGE V SESSIONAL PAPER No. 26 A 1915 To Field Marshal His Royal Highness Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught and of Strathearn, K.G., K.T., K.P., etc., etc., etc.. Governor General a?id Commander in Chief of the Dominion of Canada. May it Please Your Royal Highness, The undersigned has the honour to lay before Your Royal Highness—in com- pliance with 6-7 Edward VII, chapter 29, section 18—the Summary Report of the operations of the Geological Survey during the calendar year 1915. P. E. BLOXDIN, Minister of Mines. W A # ' 1 A * \ . y •\ \ * i 4 f:' • 1 \ I ; / • ^ 1 / / - ; 4 1 I . -I •r. 1 I • t t i . N 1 6 GEORGE V. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 26 A. 1916 SUMMARY REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DEPARTMENT OF MINES FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR, 1915. INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT. The operations of the Geological Survey during the year 1915, as in past years, covered a very wide field. Summary reports on the work of all the divisions are given in the following pages, in which the economic side is given prominence, in order to bring before the public in preliminary form information that will be included in more extended reports to be issued at a later date. Although geological investigations and topographical mapping naturally occupied the first place in the work of the Survey, attention was also given to investigations in other branches of science coming within the sphere of its oper- ations. These branches included Botany, Zoology, Anthropology, Archaeology, and their various subdivisions. The publication of memoirs and bulletins containing the results of the various investigations was continued, and the work of the Victoria Memorial Museum was broadened by increasing the number of lectures and lecturers avail- able for the educational courses established last year. The necessary draught- ing and photographic divisions were maintained, and staffs of prepara tors were continuously employed in Museum work in mineralogy, palaeontology, biology, anthropology, and archaeolc^y. A description of the work of the various divisions follows. DISTRIBUTION DIVISION. The Geological Survey, in addition to the Annual Summary Report of the year’s operations, publishes more extended reports from time to time as the work is completed, on particular areas and subjects. These reports include memoirs and bulletins relating to geology, biology, and anthropology, and are distributed to the principal libraries, universities, and educational institutions in Canada, and to many institutions outside Canada. Notices are also sent of all reports published to a large number of individuals, at intervals of about a month, and to these the reports are mailed on request. Wyatt Malcolm, chief of the distribution division, furnishes the following statement of the number of reports distributed during the year; During the year 1915, 51,405 publications of the Geological Survey were distributed in compliance with written and personal requests, and 66,365 were sent to addresses on the regular mailing lists, making a total distribution of 117,770 publications. This is exclusive of French editions. 2 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 6 GEORGE V, A. 1916 STAFF. The following changes have taken place in the staff of the Geological Survey during the year 1915. Appointments: Jean Charles Dessaint, clerk; Everend Lester Bruce, junior geologist; Joseph Edouard Paquet, draughtsman; Katherine Frances MacGibbon, stenographer; and Leslie Yorke Clarke,, assistant wet plate photographer. William Mclnnes, to be “Directing Geologist” from April 1, 1915; W. H. Collins, from subdivision B to subdivision A of the first division; C. W. Drysdale, J. J. O’Neill, R. M. Anderson, H. C. Cooke, and M. Y. Williams, from subdivision A of the second division to subdivision B of the first division. F. W. Waugh and James Hill, from subdivision B to subdivision A of the second division; Catherine A. McDonald, from subdivision B to subdivision A of the third division. Resignations: Albert E. Willis, messenger. GEOLOGICAL DIVISION. The work of the staff, dealt with in the order of location from west to east of the fields of work, is briefly summarized below: D. D. Cairnes spent the early part of the season revising his previous geolo- gical mapping of Wheaton map-area in the southern portion of Yukon Territory and at the same time paid particular attention to the various occurrences of mineral deposits within the district, especially to those containing antimony- bearing ores which, under present conditions, are the subject of much interest. Later in the season Mr. Cairnes made a preliminary examination of the placer and lode deposits of a district in the vicinity of Mayo, on Stewart river, Yukon Territory. The same officer, towards the close of the season, investigated the placer mining possibilities of certain streams (Scroggie, Barker, Thistle, and Kirkman) heading south of Stewart river. G. A. Young examined certain deposits of hydromagnesite occurring in the vicinity of Atlin, northern British Columbia. J. D. Mackenzie devoted the field season to an examination of the areal geology and mineral resources of the basin of Telkwa river which is a tributary of Bulkley river and is adjacent to the Grand Trunk Pacific railway in British Columbia. Mr. Mackenzie also investigated a deposit of bog iron ore on a tributary of Zymoetz river and visited various coal-bearing basins situated in the general region. C. Camsell during the month of September made a rapid reconnaissance through a part of a region in northern British Columbia embracing the basins of Stuart, Trembleur, and Takla lakes, the headwaters of Omineca, Manson, arid Nations rivers and including the Omineca placer ’mining district. During the early part of the field season, Mr. Camsell made an examination of a district about the east end of Lake Athabaska, Saskatchewan, where discoveries of high grade silver ore were reported to have been made, but no evidence could be obtained of the occurrence of any such ore. C. W. Drysdale during the main part of the field season was engaged in geologically mapping the Bridge River area, Lillooet mining division, British Columbia; special attention was paid to the working mines of the district and other mineral occurrences of prospective value. At the close of the field season, Mr. Drysdale spent a short time examining a few of the main mining properties of the Highland Valley copper camp situated about 27 miles southeast of Ash- croft, British Columbia. Mr. Drysdale also spent a few days in an examination of a locality near Savona, British Columbia, where a human skeleton was dis- covered in 1911 in beds alleged to be of Glacial age. Mr. Drysdale is of the opinion that the remains are of modern origin. 6 GEORGE V. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 26 A. 1916 . CONTENTS. Page INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT 1 REPORTS FROM THE GEOLOGICAL DIVISION 10 Mayo area; and Scroggie, Barker, Thistle, andKirkman creeks; and Wheaton district; Yukon Territory: D. D. Cairnes 10 Hydromagnesite deposits of Atlin, B.C.: G. A. Young 50 Telkwa valley and vicinity, B.C.: J. D. MacKenzie 62 Exploration in the northern interior of British Columbia: C. Camsell 70 Bridge River map-area; and Highland Valley copper camp; and human skeleton from silt bed near Savona, B.C.: C. W. Drysdale 75 Iron industry; and Slocan area and Grenville mountain, B.C.: O. E. LeRoy 92 Kootenay district, B.C.: S. J. Schofield 9.3 District east of Kootenay lake, B.C: M. F. Bancroft 94 Notes on the stratigraphy of the Rocky mountains, Alberta and British Columbia: L. D. Burling 97 Simpson pass to Kananaskis, Rocky Mountains park, Alberta: John A. Allan 100 Water supply, southeastern Alberta: D. B. Dowling 102 Blairmore map-area, Alberta: Bruce Rose 110 Jurassic and Cretaceous, Crowsnest pass, Alberta: F. H. McLearn 110 The disturbed belt of southwestern Alberta: J. S. Stewart 112 Boring operations in southern Alberta: S. E. Slipper 116 Reported occurrence of silver in the neighbourhood of Fond du Lac, Lake Athabaska, Sask.: Chas. Camsell 120 Amisk-Athapapuskow Lake area, northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba: E. L. Bruce 126 Pembina mountain, southern Manitoba: A. MacLean 131 Lower Churchill River region, Manitoba: F. J. Alcock 133 North shore of Lake Huron, Ontario: W. H. Collins 136 Sutton, Barrie, and Ottawa areas, Ontario: W. A. Johnston 137 Formations adjacent to the Niagara escarpment of southwestern Ontario: M. Y. Williams 139 London area, Ontario: J. Stansfield 142 Road material surveys in Ontario and Quebec: L. Reinecke 147 Southwestern portion of the Buckingham map-area, Quebec: M. E. Wilson 156 Mineralogical exploration of East Templeton district, Quebec: A. Ledoux 162 Harricanaw basin north of the Grand Trunk Pacific railway, Quebec: T. L. Tanton. 168 Headwaters of the Broadback and Nottaway rivers, northwestern Quebec: H. C. Cooke 170 Thetford-Black Lake map-area, Quebec: Robert Harvie 172 The district southeast of and adjoining Lake St.