General Information
Primary Commodities: copper, gold
Aliases: Whitehorse Copper
Deposit Type(s): Skarn
Location(s): 60.659570 N, -135.113660 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 Suburban occurrence is 250m southeast of the Artic chief deposit and occurs within the same pendant of Lewes River limestone as the Artic chief. Therefore it is likely that both deposits share similar geology and mineralization. The description for the Artic Chief is provided below:
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.
Between 1900 and 1907 it was determined that the grades ran 0.89% Cu and 1.03 g/t Au. The deposit was not mined.
The Suburban occurrence is 250m southeast of the Artic chief deposit and occurs within the same pendant of Lewes River limestone as the Artic chief. Therefore it is likely that both deposits share similar geology and mineralization. The description for the Artic Chief is provided below:
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.
Between 1900 and 1907 it was determined that the grades ran 0.89% Cu and 1.03 g/t Au. The deposit was not mined.
Location Map
Last Updated: Mar 25, 2019
Work History
| Year | Work Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Drilling: Diamond | 2 holes completed |
| 2002 | Geochemistry: Drill Core | |
| 1980 | Drilling: Diamond | 7 holes completed |
| 1980 | Geochemistry: Drill Core | |
| 1976 | Drilling: Diamond | |
| 1976 | Geochemistry: Drill Core | |
| 1973 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
| 1966 | Studies: Feasibility | |
| 1964 | Drilling: Diamond |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 094325 | 2002 | Diamond Drilling on Heather 3 Claim | Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry | 2 | 118.26 |
| 090823 | 1980 | [Diamond Drill Log - Whitehorse Copper Belt] | Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry | 7 | 1208.83 |
| 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 |
|---|
| Citations |
|---|
| Kindle, E.D., “Summary of Research: Field, 1962”; Geological Survey of Canada, Paper no. 63-1, 1963, https://doi.org/10.4095/121464 (Open Access) |
