Mar 19660004: Southwestern Alberta
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MAR 19660004: SOUTHWESTERN ALBERTA Received date: Dec 31, 1966 Public release date: Jan 01, 1968 DISCLAIMER By accessing and using the Alberta Energy website to download or otherwise obtain a scanned mineral assessment report, you (“User”) agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions: a) Each scanned mineral assessment report that is downloaded or otherwise obtained from Alberta Energy is provided “AS IS”, with no warranties or representations of any kind whatsoever from Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Energy (“Minister”), expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, no warranties or other representations from the Minister, regarding the content, accuracy, reliability, use or results from the use of or the integrity, completeness, quality or legibility of each such scanned mineral assessment report; b) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable laws, the Minister hereby expressly disclaims, and is released from, liability and responsibility for all warranties and conditions, expressed or implied, in relation to each scanned mineral assessment report shown or displayed on the Alberta Energy website including but not limited to warranties as to the satisfactory quality of or the fitness of the scanned mineral assessment report for a particular purpose and warranties as to the non-infringement or other non-violation of the proprietary rights held by any third party in respect of the scanned mineral assessment report; c) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Minister, and the Minister’s employees and agents, exclude and disclaim liability to the User for losses and damages of whatsoever nature and howsoever arising including, without limitation, any direct, indirect, special, consequential, punitive or incidental damages, loss of use, loss of data, loss caused by a virus, loss of income or profit, claims of third parties, even if Alberta Energy have been advised of the possibility of such damages or losses, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Alberta Energy website, including the accessing or downloading of the scanned mineral assessment report and the use for any purpose of the scanned mineral assessment report so downloaded or retrieved. d) User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Minister, and the Minister’s employees and agents against and from any and all third party claims, losses, liabilities, demands, actions or proceedings related to the downloading, distribution, transmissions, storage, redistribution, reproduction or exploitation of each scanned mineral assessment report obtained by the User from Alberta Energy. Alberta Mineral Assessment Reporting System I I I OWC IULdPLS I I I I PRELIMINARY GEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION I OF I PHOSPHATE HOLDINGS I FOR U WESTERN WARNER OILS LTD. U CALGARY, ALBERTA I I I I I Prepared By F. A. Peel, P. Geol. I I I 000q I I I I WESTERN WARNER OILS LTD.. I CALGARY, ALBERTA I I I I PHOSPHATE PROJECT I PRELIMINARY GEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION I I • 1 I I Prepared by: I August, 1966 F. A. Peel, P. Geol. I I 70o2$'9 IA/DZ4/ d)oe,,,iJT #ViJ fl)O22 I I INDEX I Page No. I I 1. INTRODUCTION 1-2 Plate I - Index Map 3 I 2. DISCUSSION 4-11 I (a) Location and Accessibility I (b) Methods of Field Investigation (c) Geology I Plate II - Table of Formations I 3. CONCLUSIONS 12-13 I 4. RECOMMENDATIONS 14 I I APPENDIX I Summary of Traverses Assays I Plate III - Outcrop of Exshaw in Deadman's Pass I Plate IV - Fernie Outcrop in Area of Proposed Staking Bibliography I I I I I 1. INTRODUCTION I I In the past five years Canada has experienced a tremen- dous growth in the phosphate fertilizer industry. Existing I fertilizer producers are expanding their plants and new ones are I being built. In Western Canada the existing sulphur and natural gas needed in the production of phosphate fertilizer as well as a I demand by prairie farmers has been a great stimuli. To date no I significant production of phosphate rock is carried out in Canada and the increased quantities demanded by the fertilizer industry I are supplied by phosphate mines of Montana and Florida. A I commercial rock phosphate deposit in Western Canada would have no difficulty in finding a market. I In the summer of 1965, Western Warner Oils Limited I acquired two phosphate permits in'the vicinity of the Crowsnest I Pass, consisting of 89,779 acres, In the spring of 1966, I was I contacted by Mr. George Evans and asked to: (a) carry out a preliminary geological examination I of the permits and locate any occurrences of I phosphate on these permits, I (b) determine if further work, such as detailed geo- I logical mapping, trenching, sampling and drilling I - 1 - I I should be carried out to further evaluate the property, I (c) determine if othr areas may be of interest in that I they could yield an economic phosphate deposit. I The area investigated is shpwn on Plate I, and Map 1 I shows the location of each traverse. I' I I I I I I I I I I I I -2- -3-- I I 2. DISCUSSION U I (a) Location and Accessibility U Western Warner's phosphate permits are located near the Crowsnest Pass in southern Alberta. Permit No. 20, I extends north of the Crowsnest Pass from Twp. 8 to Twp. 11, I W5M.,, while Permit No. 21, extends south from Twp 6, W5M., to Twp. 3, W5M. (Map lj Alberta No 3, a paved all- U weather highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway both pass U through the Crowsnest area. Except for the more rugged areas along the Alberta-B.C. border, numerous forestry roads U and seismic trails yield fair access into the area of the U two permits. I Transportation, water, sulphur and natural gas may be readily acquired in this area and therefore make it I more economically. suitable. U (b) Methods of Field Investigation U Three weeks were spent in the field carrying out I the geological examination. During the first week a heli- copter was employed to speed up reconnaissance and to examine I the less accessible areas. The final two weeks were spent I I - 4 - I I examining the remainder: of the area by four-wheel drive jeep. I Sections were chosen on the basis of exposure and wherever possible phosphate units were traced laterally I noting any changes of thickness and grade. An attempt was I made to keep traverses within 3 or 4-miles of each other. I Phosphate rock was located by visual examination and the ammonium molybdate test was used as a check. I Occurrences of phosphate were described and thicker units I sampled. These samples were sent to Atlas Testing Labor- atones in Edmonton and assayed for P205 content,. I Traverses are shown on the accompanying map and I a summary of the phosphate occurrences' are included in I this report. I (c) Geology I Although phosphate was known to exist in Western Canada as.early as 1916 (Telfer, 1933) no deposit of I commercial size has been located. Since the original dis- I covery of phosphate in the Rocky Mountain Formation, near the town of Banff, many geological papers dealing with the I Front Ranges of the Canadian Rockies have noted minor occurr- I ences of phosphate. The most comprehensive report to date I is that of Telfer (1933), in which he recognizes four I -5-- I I phosphate horizons: - I 1. Near the base of the Mississippian (Tipper Exshaw) 2. Near the top of the Rocky Mountain Formation (Permian) I 3. At the base of the Fernie formation (Jurasaic) I 4. Near the Middle of the Fernie formation (Jurasaic) Phosphate has also been noted to occur in the Spray River Formation (Triassic). I The area under examination is composed of a series I of northerly trending fault-blocks exposing beds from I Cambrian to Cretaceous in age. Plate II, is a table show- ing the formations and their relationship to one another. I In the area of Western Warner's Alberta permits rocks of Miss, I issippian age are the most likely to contain deposits of phosphate and therefore the geological examination centered I around the Exshaw formation. In British Columbia the Fernie I formation is the most potential. I During the investigation of the Exshaw formation on Western Warner's Phosphate Permits it was found that I in the vicinity of Deadthan's Pass, two phosphate units I were present. These two phosphatic units are separated by 11-feet of thin bedded cherty shales. At this point the I lower less phosphatic unit is 1.5-feet thick, dark gray to I I - 6 - I I PLATE II I TABLE OF FORMATIONS I ERA PERIOD FORMATION I Cenozoic Eoccne and/or Oligocene Kishenehn I Paleocene Porcupine Hills Mesozoic Paleocene and I Upper Cretaceous Willow Creek Upper Cretacepus St. Mary River I earpaw I Belly River Wapiab i I Cardium Black Stone I Disconformity (?) Upper Cretaceous (?) Crowsnest I Intrusive Contact I Lower Cretaceous Blairmore Lower Cretaceous I and Jurassic Kootenay Jurassic Fernie I Disconformity Triassic Spray River I Unconformity Palaeozoic Penn and Permian Rocky Mountain I Mississippian Etherington Mount Head Livingstone I Banff Exshaw I Disconformity I - 7 - I I PLATE II (cont'd) I TABLE OF FORMATION I ERA PERIOD FORMATION I Devonian Palliser Alexo Unconformity I Fairholme Unconformity I Cambrian Elko F1athea I I I I I I I I I I I -8- I I black, cherty and massive. Assays of samples were 8.7% and I 6.9% P205 .