Exploration in British Columbia Province of British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources VICTORIA BRITISH COLUMBIA CANADA DECEMBER 1978 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE .................... ............ v EXPLORATION .......................................... El General Statement ................................... E 1 METALS EXPLORATION ................................... E 3 Contents.. ........................................ E 3 Review of Metals Exploration and Prospecting ................. E 5 Reports on Metals Exploration ........................... E 12 STRUCTURAL MATERIALS AND INDUSTRIAL MINERALS EXPLORATION .................................... E 247 Contents .......................................... E 247 Review of Exploration on Non-Metallic Mineral Deposits .......... E 247 Reports on Exploration of Non-Metallic Commodities ............ E 248 COAL EXPLORATION ..................................... E 259 Contents .......................................... E 259 Review of Coal Exploration ............................. E 260 Reports on Coal Exploration ............................ E 261 l LLUSTRATIONS Figures E-1 Index map of properties showing NTS grid divisions and mining divisions .............................. In pocket E-4 British Columbia, areas underlain by major coal-bearingformations . In pocket (iii) PREFACE The first Minister of Mines of the Province of British Columbia was appointed in 1874. One of his responsibilities was "the duty of collecting information on the subject of the mining industries of the Province." This material, which consisted of reports by the Gold Commissioners and Mining Recorders of the Province, was published in the Annual Report of the Minister of Mines. A Bureau of Mines was established by Parliamentary authority in 1895 and in 1896 was staffed by a Provincial Mineralogist and an assayer and chemist. Technical reports on mines and mining activities were prepared by them and published in the Annual Report, together with reports contributed by the Mining Recorders and Gold Commissioners. Over the years, with the expansion of the mining industry, the staff of the Department of Mines grew, as did the number and size of the technical reports on geology and mining that were still published in the Annual Report of the Minister of Mines. Over a period of nearly 75 years the Annual Report became known as the authoritative record of mining in the Province. However, because of the size to which the Annual Report had grown, it was decided in 1969 to publish all geological and technical 'reports dealing with solid minerals in a separate volume entitled Geology, ~xploratikhand Mining in British Columbia. Thus a new annual publication was initiated with chapters on exploration and mining related to metals, placer, structural materials and industrial minerals, and coal. In 1975 a revised format was introduced for Geology, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia to allow the three main sections to be released as soon as prepared with the whole to be eventually bound together as a volume. The separate sections are: Mining in British Columbia - a record of mining in the Province plus the Chief Inspector's report (the parts which are of restricted interest will be omitted in the final bound volume); Exploration in British Columbia - a record of the performance of the industry in exploration; and Geology in British Columbia - a record of the mapping and research of the Geological Division of the Mineral Resources Branch. ORGANIZATION The reports that form the body of each section are arranged, where present, in the following order: lode metals, placer, structural materials and industrial minerals, and coal. Introductory statements precede the body of most parts of each section. These are not gathered together as a general review of the industry in the final bound volume. A map showing the distribution of currently explored properties is in the pocket of Exploration (Fig. E-I). Two maps (Figs. M-1 and M-2) are included in the pocket in Mining. Figure M-I shows the major producing mines (more than 1 000 tonnes); M-2 shows the locations for all property write-ups. All reports are arranged sequentially according to the National Topographic System (NTS) map designation. In the NTS designation, the whole of Canada is divided into primary quadrangles, each 4 degrees latitude by 8 degrees longitude. Each is described by a number, the last digit of which indicates latitude and the first one (or two) indicates longitude (for example, 104). British Columbia is covered by six of these primary quadrangles except for minor areas. Each primary quadrangle is subdivided into 16 map sheets, each 1 degree latitude by 2 degrees longitude, and described by letters A to P (for example, 104G) proceeding from the southeast corner to the west in the southern panel, then east to the next panel, and so on. Each lettered quadrangle is subdivided into 16 map sheets, each 15 minutes latitude by 30 minutes longitude and numbered 1 to 16 in an analogous manner to the lettering (for example, 104Gl7). Finally each sheet is halved east and west for maps of the 1:50 000 series and each is described, for example, 104Gl7E and 104Gl7W. The reports proceed by primary quadrangle from the southeastern part of the Province to the northwestern part. Within each primary quadrangle the order proceeds from All E to AIIW to A/2E, and sequentially to Pl16E. In some instances, exceptions are made so that adjacent prospects are not widely separated. An index to published base maps and air photographs may be obtained from the Lands Service, Ministry of the Environment. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A considerable amount of information in the following reports is supplied by mining and exploration companies. Partially completed forms are sent to explorers as a result of receipt of a completed Form 10-1 1, Notice of Work on a Mineral Property. The co-operation of explorers in completing the forms is gratefully acknowledged. This information is augmented by staff geologists and inspectors and edited and assembled by Mineral Inventory and Publication Sections. Other information is gathered by forms submitted jointly by Economics and Planning Division of the Ministry and Statistics Canada. Geological, geophysical, geochemical, drilling, and prospecting reports accepted for credit as assessment work contain a large amount of valuable information. The results of work presented in assessment reports that were accepted by April 1, 1977 are summarized and published herein. The last report summarized for the current publication is Assessment Report 6642. Assessment reports accepted after April I,concerning properties for which exploration questionnaires have already been submitted to the Ministry, are entered as references on the property write-ups until this manuscript is finalized for publication. Reports accepted in 1977 for work done in 1976 are not summarized if the work was previously reported on exploration questionnaires. Because of this policy, not all assessment reports appear as references. Assessment reports are available for study or for duplication at cost one year after the date of their submission. Geologists and engineers on the staff of the Mineral Resources Branch prepare reports on mineralized areas, deposits, and mines which, in particular, form the body of Geology in British Columbia and much of Mining in British Columbia. LOCATIONS In this report, a description of the property location is given as well as the latitude and longitude and NTS designation of the 1: 50 000 map sheet in which the property lies. The latitude and longitude given is either the centre of the property or the area of major work. NTS designation is that of the main showing(s) or for the majority of the claims. In cases where claims are located in more than one NTS sheet, several NTS designations are given. NAMES Most often the name or names given to a property are those used for the Mineral Inventory. This is often the name by which the property was originally or formerly known (for example, Glacier Gulch, Magnum). Sometimes the name or names are those of one or more of the claims that constitute the group; occasionally a name is used which is derived from the name of the company owning the property (for example, Bralorne, Granisle). Where established to a reasonable degree of confidence, the Mineral Inventory number, which appeared after the property name in 1975, has been included with the references (for example, Mineral lnventory 82ElSE-1). Where practicable, all names of claims comprising a property are given under the heading 'claims.' OWNERSHIP Where possible the owner (or owners) of the claims reported is stated. For located claims the owner is taken directly from Ministry records at the time the manuscript is being prepared. Unrecorded bills of sale and outstanding option agreements sometimes make it impossible to determine the owner at a given date. For Crown grants, unless an extensive search is made, it is sometimes impossible to be certain of their ownership. In instances when the operator (the company or individual for whom the work was done or who paid for it) is known but the owner is uncertain, then only the operator is recorded; when the owner is also the operator, then only the owner is recorded; and when the owner is not the operator and both are known, then both are recorded. EXPLORATION GENERAL STATEMENT Exploration for metals in 1977 decreased slightly from $27 183 927 in 1976 to $26 177 389. However, this decrease was associated