I BRITISH &! COLUMBLA Ministry of Employment and Investment ENERGY AND MINERALS DIVISION Hon. Dan Miller. Minister Geological Survey Branch THE STIKINE PROJECT GEOLOGY OF WESTERN TELEGRAPH CREEK MAP AREA, NORTHWESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA (NTS 104G/5,6, llW, 12 AND 13) By Derek A. Brown1 , Michael H. Gunning2 and Charles J. Greig3 Appendix 3 - Conodont identifications by "I. Orchard, Geological Survey of Canada 1. Geological Surve Branch, British Colunlhia Ministry of Employment andYlnvestment 2. Department of Geology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario 3. C.G. Greig and Associates Ltd., Penticton, B.C. BULLETIN 95 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Brawn. Derek Anlhony. 1959- The Stikine project : geology of western Telegraph Creek map area. nonhwenlem British Columbia (NTS.lMG15. 6, IIW. 12and 13) Issued by Geological Survey Branch. Includes bibliographical references: p ISBN 0-7726-2502-6 1, Geology -British Columbia -Telegraph Creek Region 2. Geochemistry - British Columbia - Telegraph Creek VICTORIA Region. 3. Geology. Economic - British Columbia - BRITISH COLUMBIA Telegraph Creek Region. 4. Mines and mineral resources - CANADA British Columbia - Telegraph Creek Region. 1. Gunning. Michael H. 11. Greig.Charles James, 1956- . 111. British Columbia. Ministry of Employment and Investmenl. IV. MAY 1996 BritishColumbia. Geological Survey Branch. V. Title. VI. Title: Geology of western Telegraph Creek maparea, nanhwertern British Columbia (NTS 1WG15.6. 1 IW. 12 and 13). V11. Series: Bulletin (British Columbia. Ministry of Employment and Investment) ;95. QE187.B76 1996 557.11’185 (395-960208-9 Frontispiece. View north along the Scud Glacier. Ambition Mountainis underlain by Permian limestone and metavolcanic rocks. Ministry of Emp/oyment and Inveshent TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Chemistry ...................... 45 INTRODUCTION ........................ 1 ContactRelationships ................ 45 Location. Access and Physiography ............Correlation and1 Age .................47 AboriginalFeatures .................... 2 EnvironmentDepositional ..............47 Previous Work ....................... 2 Eocene Sloko Group ...................47 ExplorationHistory .................... 4 Chemistry ...................... 48 Acknowledgments .....................Correlation and4 Age ................. 51 D epositional Environment 51 Environment Depositional .............. CHAFER 2 Miocene Or YounEer. (?) Flows .............51 I&GIONAL TECTONIC SETTING AND chemistry ...................... 51 STRATlGRAPHY ........................ 7 Age and Correlation ................. 51 Regional Tectonic Setting ................. 7 Quaternary ........................ 51 Stratigraphy of the Project Area .............. 7 CHAPTER 3 Paleozoic Stikine Assemblage ............... 7 INTRUSIVE ROCKS 53 UpperCarboniferous Strata .......... :.. 9 Devils Elbow Unit ................9 Regional Overview ................ 53 ButterflyUnit ................. I1 Middle(?).. to Late Triassic Plutons(228-220 Ma) 55 Chutine River Area ............... 13 Alaskan-type Ultramafites ..............55 Baninnton River andLink Tahltan Lake Mount Hickman Complex ...........57 I Areas .................. 13 Middle Scud Ultramafite ............ 57 U~wr.. Carboniferous to Lower Permian Strata ... 14 Yehiniko Ultramafite ..............57 Navo Formation ................ 14 Hickman Batholith .................. 57 Lower to Upper PermianStrata ........... 15 Hickman Pluton ................. 57 AmbitionFormation .............. 15 Nightout Pluton................. 58 ScudGlacier Formation ............ 17 Other Stikine Suite Plutons........... 58 RegionalCorrelations ................ 17 Late Triassic to Early Jurassic- Copper Paleoenvironmental Interpretation ......... 17 Mountain Plutonic Suite (210-195 Ma) ...... 59 Early Permianto Middle Triassic WimpsonUnit .... 18 ButterflyPluton ................... 59 Permo-Triassic Contact Relationships .......... 19 RuggedMountain Pluton .............. 59 Northeast of Devils Elbow Mountain ........ 20 ClinopyroxenitePhase ............. 61 Toe of Scud Glacier ................. 20 Syenite Phase ..................61 South of Scud Glacier ................ 20 Hybrid Phase .................. 61 North of the ChutineCulmination the of North .......... 20 Alkaline Dike Swarm.............. 61 Upper Triassic or Older Mafic Metavolcanic Rocks . 20 Latimer Lake and Damnation Plutons........ 61 Upper Triassic Stuhini Group ..............20 Early Jurassic Texas Creek Plutonic Camian to Lower Norian: Kitchener Unit ..... 21 Suite(189-195 Ma) .................62 Limestone Horiwns .............. 26 LimpokePluton ................... 62 Volcanic Facies Volcanic ................... 27 Pogue and Brewery Plutons............. 62 MaficVolcanic Rocks ............. 27 Pereleshin and Oksa Creek Plutons .........62 IntermediateVolcanic Rocks ......... 27 Early Jurassic(?) Diorite Intrusions ......... 63 TuffaceousWacke ............... 27 Late Eariy Jurassic Cone Mountain Intrusions Bladed-plagioclasePorphyry ......... 27 (187-180Ma) .............. 63 UpperNorian: Quattrin Unit ............ 28 Middle Jurassic Three Sisters Plutonic Chemistry and Tectonic Settingof the Stuhini Suite (177-170 Ma) ................. 64 Group. ..................... 30 YehinikoPluton ................... 64 Depsitional Environments ............. 33 NikoPluton ..................... 64 LowerMiddleto Jurassic Hazelton Group ....... 33 SaffronPluton .................... 64 Dacite Unit ...................... 34 ConoverPluton ................... 64 LimyWacke ..................... 35 Middle Jurassic Dike Swarms andDok Stocks ... 65 Andesite Flows andTuff .............. 35 Eocene Hyder Plutonic Suite (55-51 Ma) ........ 65 Rhyolite ....................... 37 ChristinaPluton ...................65 Basalt ........................ 37 SawbackPluton ................... 65 Chemistry ...................... 38 Hamper Pluton .................... 66 Contact Relationships between Jurassicand Oksa Creek Dike Swarm ............... 66 Triassic Units .................. 39 Tertiary(?) Granodiorite ............... 67 Age and Correlation ................. 39 Late Miocene (?)or Younger Dikes ........... 67 Depositional EnvironmentDepositional .............. 41 Geochemistry and Tectonic Discrimination of UpperCretaceous(?) to PaleoceneSustut Group .... 41 Intrusive Rocks ................... 68 ... Bullelin 95 Ill British Columbia Middle to Late Triassic ............... 68 Galore Creek ..................106 Alaskan-typeUltramafic Plutons ....... 68 RuggedMountain Pluton ...........106 StikineSuite .................. 70Pluton Limpoke ................ 106 Late Triassicto Early Jurassic Alkaline and MolybdenumDepositsPorphyry ..........106 U lnamafi~c Plutons Ulnamafi~c ...............70 AreaBenCreek .Deeker ...........106 Creek Suite Texas Creek .................. 70 MesothermalTransitionaland VeinDeposits ..... 106 ConeMountain Suite ................ 70 Early To Middle Jurassic ..............107 ThreeSisters Suite ................. 70 Yehiniko Fault Zone ..............107 HyderSuite ..................... 70 Northofthe StrataGlacierPluton ...... 107 Tectonic Discrimination. .............. 76 HelvekerCreek ................107 LateTriassic .................. 76 Conover Creek .................107 EarlyJurassic ................. 76 Scud Glacier Area ...............110 MiddleJurassic ................76 Area GlacierLimpoke .............110 Eocene ..................... 76 Eocene ....................... 110 Temporal Evolution of Plutons: the Orogenic Pendants in the Strata Glacier Pluton .... 110 Cycle .................. 76 North of the Strata Mountain Pluton ..... 110 Epithermal Vein Deposits ................111 CHAPTER 4 Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Deposits ....... 111 STRUCKIREAND METAMORPHISM .......... 77 Skam Deposits ...................... 111 Tahltan Lake ..................... 111 Pre-lateTriassic Deformation ................78 Devil's Elbow .................... 111 PhyllosilicateFoliation ............... 81 Scud River ...................... 111 Developmentof Structural Culminations ..... 81 Other Deposit Types ...................113 Little Tahltan Lake Culmination ........ 81 PlacerGold ..................... 113 Barrington River Culmination ......... 81 Stratabound Uranium ................113 ChutineRiver Culmination .......... 81 Cumulate Magnetite .................113 AgeConstraintsandTahltanianOrogeny ... 82 Zming of Regional Metallogenic Events ....... 113 Post-Norian and Pre-Toarcian Contraction of Stuhini Paleozoic: Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Group ....................... 84 Deposits .................... 113 AgeConstraints ................... 86 Late Triassic to Jurassic Porphyry Deposits and Structures near Scud Glacier Scud nearStructures ............86 Transitional to Epithermal Veins ........113 MiddleJurassicCretaceous or Contraction ....... 86 Early To Middle Jurassic: Volcanogenic Massive Folds .........................114 86Deposits Sulphide .............. ContractionalFaults ................. 88 Middle Jurassic: Calcalkaline Porphyry Deposits ConeMountain Fault .............114 88 VeinsTransitional and ............. Butterfly Lake and Related Faults ....... 89 Eocene: Epithermal to Transitional Veins. N avo Shear Zone Shear Navo ............... 89 Porphyry Molybdenum-copper Deposits ...114 A ge Constraints Age ................... 89 Galena-Lead Isotope Results ..............114 R egional Correlation Regional ................92 Exploration Activity ...................115 Faults .........................