General Information
Primary Commodities: copper, gold, silver
Secondary Commodities: gallium
Aliases: Whitehorse Copper
Deposit Type(s): Skarn
Location(s): 60.661390 N, -135.116990 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 105D11
Hand Samples Available at YGS: No
Capsule
The Whitehorse Copper Belt is located west of Whitehorse and contains 30+ mines, deposits and showings. Many of the occurrences in the Copper Belt are skarns. The skarns form on or near the contact between the Whitehorse batholith and the Lewes River group. The Whitehorse batholith is commonly a grey coarse-grained hornblende granite and ranges from quartz monzonite to granodiorite to diorite. The Lewes River group contains numerous different rock types, most importantly of which is the limestone group, which is essential in the formation of skarns in the area. A small number of occurrences within the Copper Belt are vein and/or replacement and occur within the Whitehorse batholith granite.
The Arctic Chief pendent is characterized by copper rich skarn mineralization along the contact of the Lewes River limestone and the Laberge group greywacke/quartzite. The skarn mineralization consists of born mineralization, chalcopyrite, magnetite, valleriite, chalcocite, tetrahedrite, cuprite and pyrite. The calc-silicate minerals include serpentinite, phlogopite, red garnet, and rare wollastonite.
Production from both the East and West pits totals 230 000 tonnes of ore grading 1.44% copper, 1.03 g/t gold and 17.14 g/t silver. The Arctic Chief deposit contained the highest grades in the Whitehorse Copper Belt.
The Arctic Chief pendent is characterized by copper rich skarn mineralization along the contact of the Lewes River limestone and the Laberge group greywacke/quartzite. The skarn mineralization consists of born mineralization, chalcopyrite, magnetite, valleriite, chalcocite, tetrahedrite, cuprite and pyrite. The calc-silicate minerals include serpentinite, phlogopite, red garnet, and rare wollastonite.
Production from both the East and West pits totals 230 000 tonnes of ore grading 1.44% copper, 1.03 g/t gold and 17.14 g/t silver. The Arctic Chief deposit contained the highest grades in the Whitehorse Copper Belt.
Location Map
Last Updated: Apr 15, 2019
Work History
| Year | Work Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Drilling: Diamond | 1 hole completed |
| 2010 | Geochemistry: Drill Core | |
| 1977 | Drilling: Diamond | 7 holes completed |
| 1976 | Drilling: Diamond | 1 hole completed |
| 1976 | Geochemistry: Drill Core | |
| 1973 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
| 1973 | Lab Work/Physical Studies: Petrographic | |
| 1967 | Drilling: Diamond | |
| 1966 | Studies: Feasibility | |
| 1964 | Drilling: Diamond | |
| 1963 | Drilling: Diamond | |
| 1963 | Ground Geophysics: Magnetics |
Regional Geology - Terrane
Group: Intermontane
Affinity: W Laurentia
Name: Stikinia
Realm: peri-Laurentian
Regional Geology - Bedrock
Supergroup:
Group/Suite: Lewes River
Formation: Aksala
Member: Hancock
Terrane: Stikinia
Period Max: Triassic
Age Max: 217 MA
Period Min: Triassic
Age Min: 204 MA
Rock Major: conglo/limestone/dolostone
Rock Minor: chert
Reference: Hart & Radloff (1990) - YGS OF 1990-4
Geological Unit (1M): uTrAK
Geological Unit (250K): uTrAK2
Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence
| Report Number | Year | Title | Worktypes | Holes Drilled | Meters Drilled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 091229 | 1976 | [Diamond Drilling on the Arctic Chief Property] | Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry | 1 | 212.44 |
| 062018 | 1973 | Preliminary Report on Geological Control to Ore Distribution in the Whitehorse Copper Belt | Reverse Circulation - Drilling, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Petrographic - Lab Work/Physical Studies | 665 | 5555 |
| 062227 | 1966 | An Evaluation of the New imperial Mines Ltd. | Feasibility - Studies | ||
| 091123 | 1964 | Summary of assessment work for 316 claims | Diamond - Drilling | 46 | 3652.57 |
Related References
| Number | Title | Page(s) | Document Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-1 | The Whitehorse Copper Belt - A Compilation | Open File (Geological - Bedrock) | |
| ARMC004831 | Map sections - 9850 N looking north and 9250 looking north of Arctic Chief and Little Chief | Geoscience Map (General) | |
| ARMC004828 | Map sections - 9850 and 9250 - Arctic Chief and Little Chief | Geoscience Map (General) | |
| ARMC004829 | Map of mineral claims - Arctic Chief | Geoscience Map (General) | |
| ARMC004825 | Correspondence Re: Arctic Chief exploration | Miscellaneous Company Documents | |
| ARMC004827 | General geology map - Arctic Chief and Best Chance | Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock) | |
| ARMC004869 | Correspondence Re: Sulphur isotope analyses on the Arctic Chief samples | Miscellaneous Company Documents | |
| ARMC004805 | Map of Valerie, Arctic Chief, and War Eagle | Geoscience Map (General) | |
| ARMC014221 | Claim map - North Star-Arctic Chief | Geoscience Map (General) | |
| ARMC004830 | General geology map - Arctic Chief and Best Chance | Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock) | |
| ARMC004826 | Properties in the central part of the belt - Arctic Chief | Report | |
| ARMC004833 | Outcrop geology map - Arctic Chief | Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock) | |
| ARMC004832 | Vertical longitudinal section map - looking east - Arctic Chief | Geoscience Map (General) |
| Citations |
|---|
| The mineral industry of Yukon Territory and southwestern district of Mackenzie 1967; Findlay, D C. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper no. 68-68, 1969, 140 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/102253 (Open Access) |
| The mineral industry of Yukon Territory and southwestern District of Mackenzie, Northwest Territories, 1963; Godwin, C I; Green, L H. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 64-36, 1964, 94 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/101004 (Open Access) |
| YMEP 2010-054, R. Stroshein, Technical Report on the Diamond Drilling Target Evaluation on the Arctic Chief Pendant |
Drill Core at YGS Core Library
| Number | Property | Year Drilled | Core Size | Photos | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC-10 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-11 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-12 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 10 | 0 |
| AC-13 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-14 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-15 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 4 | 0 |
| AC-16 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-17 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-18 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 10 | 0 |
| AC-19 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-2 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-20 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-21 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 12 | 0 |
| AC-22 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-23 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 8 | 0 |
| AC-24 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-25 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 8 | 0 |
| AC-26 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-27 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-28 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-29 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 10 | 0 |
| AC-3 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-30 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-31 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-32 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-33 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 12 | 0 |
| AC-34 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 12 | 0 |
| AC-35 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-36 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-37 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-39 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 18 | 0 |
| AC-4 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-40 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 12 | 0 |
| AC-5 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 10 | 0 |
| AC-6 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 4 | 0 |
| AC-7 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 10 | 0 |
| AC-8 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 4 | 0 |
| AC-9 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 6 | 0 |
| AC-IH1 | Arctic Chief | 1976 | BQ | 8 | 0 |
