Lode-Gold Deposits
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BRITISHCOLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF MINES HON. R. C. MacDONALD, Minister JOHN F. WALKER, Deputy Minister BULLETIN No. 20-PART V. (Revised November, 1946) LODE-GOLDDEPOSITS VANCOUVER ISLAND by J. S. STEVENSON PREFACE. Bulletin 20, designed for the use of thoseinterested in the discovery of gold- bearing lode deposits, is being published as a series of separate parts. Part I. is to contain information about lode-gold production in British Columbia as a wh.ole, and will be accompanied by a map on which the generalized geology of the Province is rep- resented. The approximate total production of each lode-gold mining centre, exclusive of by-product gold, is also indicated on the map. Each of the other parts deals with a major subdivision of the Province, giving information about the geology, gold-bearing lode deposits, and lode-gold production of areas within the particular subdivision. In all, seven parts areproposed:"- PARTI.-General re Lode-gold Production in British Columbia. PART11.-South-eastern British Columbia. PART111.-Central Southern British Columbia. PART1V.-South-western British Columbia, exclusive of Vancouver Island. PARTV.-Vancouver Island. PARTVI.-North-eastern British Columbia, including the Cariboo and Hobson Creek Areas. PARTVIL-North-western British Columbia. By kindpermission of Professor H. C. Gunning,Department of Geology, Uni- versity of British Columbia, his compilation of the geology of British Columbia has been followed in the generalized geology represented on the map accompanying Part I. Professor Gunning's map was published in " The Miner," Vancouver, B.C., Ju:ne-July, 1943, and in " The Northern Miner," Toronto, Ont., December 16th, 1943. 3 PAW.. Description of Mineralized Areas4ontinned. Kennedy (Elk) River Area-Continued . Gold-quartz Veins.................................................................................................... 31 Suggestions for Prospecting .............................................. 1................................... 32 References ................................................................................................................. 32 Alberni Canal- Access ......................................................................................................................... 32 History ....................................................................................................................... 33 Production ................................................................................................................ 33 Geology.................................. .................................... 33 Gold Veins ................................................................................................................. 33 Suppestions for Prospecting ................................................................................ 34 References ............................ 34 Nanaimo area^^.. ............................................................................................................. 34 Prospecting Possibilities elsewhere on Vancouver Island ........................................ 35 LODE-GOLDDEPOSITS, VANCOUVER ISLAND. BY J. S. STEVENSON. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. The general geology and features of the known gold prospects on Vancouve:r Island will be discussed at some length, and, based on this discussion, areas for further pros- pecting will be suggested. Although the geology is discussed in detail, only those features that are readily distinguishable in €he field and are likely to be of use in determining favourable and unfavourablerocks or rock associations will be described. By goingthus into the geology the writer hopes to answer some of the questions of interpretation that may confront the prospector or scout in the field. MAPS. Lithographed Maps.-The maps listed in the following table, showing the geogra- phy of Vancouver Island, may be obtained from the Chief Geographer, Department of Lands and Forests, Victoria, B.C.:- M~D1 Year of Titieof Map. NO. ISSUe. I I G~~RAPHIOSWIES. 1x 1926 South-western Districts of British Columbia, Commercial and 1.89 m. 50.60 1 1 Visitors to in. LAND SEmES. Southerly Vancouver ISlBnd ........................................................................ 4 rn. .KO to 1in. Northerly Vancouver Island ....................................................................... 4 m. .KO to 1 in. MISOELLANP009. PWD 1946 Highway and Travel Map of British Columbia ....................................... 20 m. ,116 to 1 in. Contoured maps of parts of the Island ...................................................... Various ........ SCdW Departmental Reference Maps.-These maps, with a few exceptions, are on a scale of 1 mile to 1 inchand show, amongother features, surveyed lands, crown-)?ranted lands, timber licenccs and timber sales. The maps covering the areas described in this bulletin have been referred to under appropriate geographic headings in the text by the abbreviation Ref. Map, followed by the number of the map. Blue-prints or Ozalid prints maybe obtained for $1 each. Mapsshould be ordered by numberfrom the Surveys Division, Department of Lands and Forests, Victoria, B.C. Departmental Mineral ReferenceMaps.-These maps are on a scale of 1,500 feet to 1 inch and show surveyed mineral claims. As with the reference maps, they have been referred to in the text under appropriate geographic headings but by the abbreviation Min. Ref. Map, followed by the number of the map. Blue-prints or Ozalid prints may be also obtained for $1 each from the Surveys Division, Victoria. 9 Maps showing Mineral Claimsheld by Location.-Maps that show the approximate position of mineral claims held by location are kept up to date by the BritishColumbia Department of Mines. Copies of these maps may be seen at the offices of the Depart- ment in Victoria or in the Federal Building, Vancouver. GENERALTOPOGRAPHY AND MEANS OF ACCESS. A backbone of high mountains with much permanent snow extends from Quatsino Soundsouth-easterly toAlberni Canal. North-westerlyfrom the sound and south- easterly from thecanal, the hills are lower and towards both ends of the island become gently rolling.Along the eastern side the islahd is plain-like for distances of from 1 to 10 miles back from the coast. Because climate and topography are more favour- able, the eastern side and southern end of the island are more thickly populated and better served by roads than the western coast and northern end. The western side of the island is rugged and has a typical fjord coast-line. Two limited parts are served by roads, one from Victoria to Jordan River and one from Nanaimo to Port Alberni on Alberni Canal. The several ports are served by Canadian Pacific Steamship service on an eight-day schedule from Victoria.and Port Alberni. Places on Alherni Canal have a tri-weekly mail-boat service from Port Alberni,' and a stage running to Tofino connects with mail-boat at Ucluelet. Several points on the westerncoast also have regular airplane service from Vancouver.Because of the rugged fjord-like nature of the coast-line, no trunk roads have been built along it. Short isolated sections of road have been built from Ucluelet to Tofino, up Tranquil and Bulson Creeks, up the Bedwell and Zeballos Rivers, and from Port Hardy to Quat- sino Sound. CLIMATE. Theclimate of the islandin general is mild. Theannual precipitation ranges from about 30 inches on the eastern coast to more than 110 inches on the western coast. The snowfall is light on the southern and eastern coast and on the immediate western coast, but becomes more abundant as the mountains, a few miles inland from the western coast, are approached. HISTORY OF MINING. Although lode gold had beendiscovered in 1851 on the Queen Charlotte Islands and small amounts were found around Nanaimo, it was not until the '60's that com- mercialquantities of gold, as placer,were recoveredon Vancouver Island. ' In the '60's the placer deposits on the Leech, Jordan, and Bedwell Rivers, and China Creek were worked. Copper showings were found and worked as early as 1874 on the Sooke peninsula, and silver ores carrying some gold had been produced as early as 1880 from the Sterling claim on the Koksilah River, but it was not until 1892 that gold-quartz veins were found on the island. The first discovery was on China Creek, followed in 1898 by discoveries on Kennedy (Elk) River and on the Bedwell River. Activity in prospecting for gold and gold-mining in the western part of the island had subsided by 1900 and little was done until 1933 and 1934, when the first discoveries were made and ore was shipped from rich gold-quartz veins in the. Zeballos River area on the west coast. At practically the same time, finds were made at Herbert Arm and up Bedwell River. Since 1934 the western coast, represented chiefly by the mines in the Zeballos area, has produced about 270,000 02. of gold to the end of 1945. In the period from 1893 to 1909, and again in 1943, copper and later copper-zinc mining at Mount Sicker, near Duncan, yielded gold as an important by-product. The total gold recovery from this camp has exceeded 36,000 oz. 10 CHAPTER 11. GEOLOGY. INTRODUCTORYSTATEMENT. The discussion of the geology which follows represents an abstract of information containedin several Geological Survey of Canada reports by Gunning and Bancroft and in Department of Mines of British Columbia reports by Sargent on areas in the northern part of the island, and of information in Geological Survey of Canada reports by Clapp and Cooke on the southern