General Information
Primary Commodities: copper, gold
Aliases: Whitehorse Copper
Deposit Type(s): Skarn
Location(s): 60.672810 N, -135.120530 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 Best Chance deposit is exposed as a large outcrop of magnetite and skarn over a maximum length of 420 ft (128 m) to the north and widths up to 80 ft (24 m). The deposit is bounded by limestone on the west and granite on the east. The ore within the garnet-magnetite skarn consists of chalcopyrite, bornite and sections of massive magnetite. The major part of the copper mineralization is concentrated near the roof or around a large unreplaced lens of limestone within the skarn and the copper values are often found in massive magnetite.
Reserves in the Best chance deposit were estimated between 1954 and 1957 to be at 447 000 tonnes at 0.71% Cu and 0.03 g/t Au.
The Best Chance deposit is exposed as a large outcrop of magnetite and skarn over a maximum length of 420 ft (128 m) to the north and widths up to 80 ft (24 m). The deposit is bounded by limestone on the west and granite on the east. The ore within the garnet-magnetite skarn consists of chalcopyrite, bornite and sections of massive magnetite. The major part of the copper mineralization is concentrated near the roof or around a large unreplaced lens of limestone within the skarn and the copper values are often found in massive magnetite.
Reserves in the Best chance deposit were estimated between 1954 and 1957 to be at 447 000 tonnes at 0.71% Cu and 0.03 g/t Au.
Location Map
Last Updated: Apr 15, 2019
Work History
| Year | Work Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Drilling: Reverse Circulation | |
| 1990 | Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings | |
| 1990 | Ground Geophysics: Magnetics | |
| 1990 | Lab Work/Physical Studies: Petrographic | |
| 1984 | Drilling: Diamond | 3 holes completed |
| 1973 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
| 1973 | Lab Work/Physical Studies: Petrographic | |
| 1968 | Drilling: Diamond | |
| 1968 | Geology | |
| 1968 | Ground Geophysics | |
| 1966 | Studies: Feasibility | |
| 1965 | Studies: Feasibility | |
| 1963 | Drilling: Diamond | |
| 1956 | Drilling: Diamond | 11 holes completed |
Regional Geology - Terrane
Group: Intermontane
Affinity: W Laurentia
Name: Stikinia
Realm: peri-Laurentian
Regional Geology - Bedrock
Supergroup:
Group/Suite: Whitehorse
Formation:
Member:
Terrane:
Period Max: Cretaceous
Age Max: 112 MA
Period Min: Cretaceous
Age Min: 105 MA
Rock Major: granodiorite/quartz diorite
Rock Minor:
Reference: Hart & Radloff (1990) - YGS OF 1990-4
Geological Unit (1M): mKW
Geological Unit (250K): mKgW
Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence
| Report Number | Year | Title | Worktypes | Holes Drilled | Meters Drilled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 092887 | 1990 | Report on the 1990 Drill Program. Aurora Gold Ltd. Property, Whitehorse Copper Belt | Reverse Circulation - Drilling, Drill Cuttings - Geochemistry, Magnetics - Ground Geophysics, Petrographic - Lab Work/Physical Studies | 7 | 849.78 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARMC004880 | Report on magnetic data - Compilation, analysis and interpretation - Best Chance grid | Report | |
| 1984-1 | The Whitehorse Copper Belt - A Compilation | Open File (Geological - Bedrock) | |
| YEG1984 | Yukon Exploration 1984 | Annual Report | |
| ARMC004823 | Map - North grid - Best Chance | Geoscience Map (General) | |
| ARMC004883 | Magnetic survey map - I.P. chargeability - Best Chance | Geophysical Map | |
| ARMC004827 | General geology map - Arctic Chief and Best Chance | Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock) | |
| ARMC004821 | Map of Best Chance/Grafter | Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock) | |
| ARMC005266 | Geophysics map of Best Chance claims | Geophysical Map | |
| ARMC004884 | Magnetic survey map - IP survey chargeability - 400' separation - Best Chance | Geophysical Map | |
| ARMC004894 | Induced polarization survey map - Best Chance | Geophysical Map | |
| ARMC004892 | Induced polarisation report on the Grafter and Best Chance deposit - Whitehorse Copper Belt | Report | |
| ARMC004882 | Resistivity map - 200' spacing - Best Chance | Geophysical Map | |
| ARMC004830 | General geology map - Arctic Chief and Best Chance | Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock) |
| Citations |
|---|
| Findlay, D. C., Mineral industry of Yukon Territory and southwestern District of Mackenzie, Geological Society of Canada, 1965; http://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/gsc/papers/66-31.pdf |
| Findlay, D. C., Mineral industry of Yukon Territory and southwestern District of Mackenzie, Geological Society of Canada, 1968; http://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/gsc/papers/69-55.pdf |
| L. H. Green and C.I. Godwin, The mineral industry of Yukon Territory and southwestern District of Mackenzie, Northwest Territories, Geological Society of Canada, 1963; http://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/gsc/papers/64-36.pdf |
Drill Core at YGS Core Library
| Number | Property | Year Drilled | Core Size | Photos | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDH-88-BC-49 | Best Chance | 1988 | NQ | 12 | 3 |
| B10 | Best Chance | 1985 | BTW | 10 | 0 |
| B11 | Best Chance | 1985 | 0 | 0 | |
| B12 | Best Chance | 1985 | 0 | 0 | |
| B13 | Best Chance | 1985 | BTW | 18 | 0 |
| B14 | Best Chance | 1985 | BTW | 10 | 0 |
| B15 | Best Chance | 1985 | BTW | 6 | 0 |
| 84-2-BC-38 | Best Chance | 1984 | NQ | 6 | 1 |
| 84-3-BC-39 | Best Chance | 1984 | NQ | 14 | 1 |
