REGIONAL STREAM SEDIMENT AND WATER GEOCHEMICAL DATA GOLDEN, BRAZEAU LAKE, CANOE RIVER AND MOUNT ROBSON, SOUTHEASTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA (NTS 82N, 83C, 83D and 83E) Geoscience BC Contribution Number GBC018 Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Mining and Minerals Division Report 2006-5 GeoFile 2006-12 July 2006 Regional Stream Sediment and Water Geochemical Data REGIONAL STREAM SEDIMENT AND WATER GEOCHEMICAL DATA GOLDEN, BRAZEAU LAKE, CANOE RIVER AND MOUNT ROBSON, SOUTHEASTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA (NTS 82N, 83C, 83D and 83E) Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 3 2.0 SURVEY AREA ...................................................... 2 3.0 REGIONAL SETTING ............................................... 3 3.1 Physiography ............................................. 3 3.2 Geology ..................................................... 3 3.3 Mineralization ............................................ 7 4.0 2005 RGS PROGRAM ........................................... 7 4.1 Field Operations ........................................ 7 4.2 Analytical Procedures .............................. 10 5.0 DATA PRESENTATION .......................................... 11 6.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................... 12 7.0 REFERENCES ...................................................... 12 DATA LISTINGS ............................................ APPENDIX A SUMMARY STATISTICS.................................. APPENDIX B MAPS ........................................................ APPENDIX C Geoscience BC Report 2006-5 Page 2 Regional Stream Sediment and Water Geochemical Data 1.0 INTRODUCTION north to south consist of the Cariboo, This report summarizes the results Monashee, Selkirk and Purcell of the 2005 regional geochemical survey Mountains. (“RGS”) conducted by CME Managing Both the Rocky and Columbia Consultants Inc. (“CME”) in southeastern Mountains are glaciated and consist of British Columbia, Canada at the request extremely rugged terrain. Massive and of Geoscience BC. bold sharp peaks are separated by deep The 2005 RGS program was carried and narrow valleys. Peaks and ridges are out between August 26 and October 25, predominantly exposed bedrock and 2005. Samples were collected from a typically range between 2,500 to 3,000 total of 1,409 sites from a survey area of metres in elevation. The steeply sloping approximately 21,560 square kilometers. valley sides are covered with talus and colluvium and the valley bottoms with Included within this report are alluvium and till. sample collection, preparation and 3.2 GEOLOGY analysis protocols, presentation of results in digital and hardcopy format. The survey area includes parts of two of the five structurally and 2.0 SURVEY AREA physiographically distinct belts that The area surveyed covers southeastern constitute the Canadian segment of the British Columbia from 51° to 53° north North American Cordillera. These are the latitude and 116° to 120° west longitude Foreland Belt to the east and the (Figure 1). Sampling was not undertaken Omineca Belt to the west. in National or Provincial Parks. Several gneissic bodies crop out The stream sediment and water survey adjacent to and along the Rocky was undertaken within map sheets 82N Mountain Trench. To the east of the (Golden), 83C (Brazeau Lake), 83D Rocky Mountain Trench, lithologies of (Canoe River) and 83E (Mount Robson). the Main Ranges form an imbricate thrust Base camps were established in package of Hadrynian to Triassic Valemount, Golden, Mica Creek, Blue metasediments and sediments of the River and Revelstoke. The sample Ancestral North American Craton preparation laboratory was established in (Mountjoy, 1993). Valemount for the entire survey. To the west of the Rocky Mountain Trench in the Canoe River and Mount 3.0 REGIONAL SETTING Robson map-areas are the Kootenay and 3.1 PHYSIOGRAPHY Cassiar/Cariboo terranes of the Omineca From east to west, the study area Belt (Figure 2). Lithologies of the consists of the Rocky Mountains, the Kootenay Terrane include Hadrynian Rocky Mountain Trench, Columbia Horsethief Creek Group and the Mountains and the Quesnel and Shuswap overlying Kaza and Cariboo groups Highlands (Holland, 1976). The Quesnel (Mountjoy, 1993). The Cassiar/Cariboo and Shuswap Highlands make up a small Terranes include Upper Proterozoic to portion of the study area as they occur in Upper Triassic passive continental the southwestern corner of map sheet margin sediments displaced along the 83D. The Columbia Mountains, from Rocky Mountain Trench transcurrent Geoscience BC Report 2006-5 Page 3 Regional Stream Sediment and Water Geochemical Data Geoscience BC Report 2006-5 Page 4 Regional Stream Sediment and Water Geochemical Data Geoscience BC Report 2006-5 Page 5 Regional Stream Sediment and Water Geochemical Data Geoscience BC Report 2006-5 Page 6 Regional Stream Sediment and Water Geochemical Data faults (Wheeler et al, 1988). East of the Horsethief Creek Group (Mountjoy, Rocky Mountain Trench is the Foreland 1993). Belt represented by the Rocky Several small alkaline ultramafic Mountains. In this area the Foreland Belt diatremes, intruding Upper Cambrian consists primarily of a sequence of carbonate strata, have been discovered quartzites, carbonates and pelites from and explored in the Bush River area for the Hadrynian Miette Group through the microdiamonds (Mountjoy, 1993). A Lower Cambrian Gog Group to the number of carbonatite and nepheline Middle Cambrian Chancellor Group syenite layers occur within the (MINFILE 083D001). Semipelite- Amphibolite unit of the Hadrynian rocks on both sides of Horsethief Creek Group in the Monashee the Rocky Mountain Trench have been Mountains. These have been examined intensely deformed by at least three for their vermiculite, uranium, niobium folding events and have been affected by and tantalum potential. Barrovian metamorphism (~160 Ma-60 The documented occurrences in the Ma, Crowley et al, 2000) ranging in Golden map-area are evenly distributed grade from biotite to sillimanite zones on both sides of the Rocky Mountain (Mountjoy, 1993). Trench. Approximately two-thirds of the In the Golden area, west of the total occurrences are comprised of lead- trench is the Purcell Anticlinorium. silver-zinc-(copper-gold) replacement- Within the Purcell Anticlinorium, a thick type deposits hosted primarily in succession of Proterozoic (i.e. Horsethief carbonate rocks, and lead-silver-zinc- Creek and Miette groups) and Paleozoic (gold-copper-tungsten) quartz veins in (Hamill, Lardeau and Gog groups; Eager, metasediments, chiefly slates, graphitic Badshot, Mohican, Donald, Reno, Laib, slates, schists and argillites Industrial Quartzite Range formations) mineral occurrences comprise the miogeoclinal rocks has been deformed by remaining one-third of the total imbricate thrust faults, normal faults, occurrences in the Golden map-area. complex folds, and widespread (Owsiacki, 1993). penetrative deformation (Owsiacki, 1993). 4.0 2005 RGS PROGRAM 3.3 MINERALIZATION 4.1 FIELD OPERATIONS In the Canoe River and Brazeau 4.1.1 Sample Collection Lake map-areas, the majority of known Field operations were conducted mineral occurrences are located adjacent from base camps established in to or west of the Rocky Mountain Trench Valemount, Golden, Mica Creek, Blue and consist primarily of industrial River and Revelstoke. Sample collection, mineral occurrences (Figure 3). Precious data recording, drying, packing and and base metal occurrences are not shipping were in accordance with abundant throughout the area. Industrial standards set by Geoscience BC. mineral occurrences of mica and kyanite In general, sample sites were with lesser garnet and beryllium are restricted to primary and secondary generally hosted in the Semipelite- drainages having catchment basins of less Amphibolite unit of the Hadrynian than 10 square kilometres. Contaminated Geoscience BC Report 2006-5 Page 7 Regional Stream Sediment and Water Geochemical Data or poor-quality sample sites were avoided • 152 sites within the Mount Robson by choosing an alternative stream or map-area - 83E (Figure 7). sampling a minimum of 50 metres A total of 33 sites had no flowing upstream from the identified problem. water so only stream sediment material Sediment samples were placed in was collected. labelled 8” x 14” 6 mil polyethylene The surveys covered approximately (“PE”) bags. Sample tags were place in 21,560 square kilometres at an average each PE bag prior to tie-locking the bag density of approximately one sample site for security. In areas of low silt, two bags per 15 square kilometres. Sampling was of sediment were collected. Water not undertaken in National or Provincial samples were collected in labelled 250 ml parks. Approximately 7% of the survey HDPE bottles provided by Eco Tech area is covered by glaciers and icefields. Laboratory Ltd. (“Eco Tech Labs”) of Kamloops, BC. Field observations 4.1.2 Sample Preparation regarding sample media, sample site and The sample preparation facility location were recorded on waterproof (“preplab”) was established in sheets in the field and later entered into a Valemount. During the sampling of 83D master database back in the office. GPS and 83E area, water and sediment readings were also taken at each sample samples were delivered daily at the site whenever possible using a Garmin preplab. When the sampling crew stayed GPS 60 handheld receiver. in Golden, BC to sample the 82N and Sample collection commenced on 83C areas, sample