General Information
Secondary Commodities: copper
Aliases: Whitehorse Copper
Deposit Type(s): Skarn
Location(s): 60.5775 N, -134.928940 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 105D10
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 magnetite rich skarn occurs at the contact between the Lewes River limestone and the Whitehorse batholith hornblende rich granite. The contact zone is marked by irregular zones of coarsely (up to 6 inches) crystalline black actinolite and grey clinopyroxene. Magnetite, epidote and chalcopyrite are also present. Assays returned 0.15% Cu, and 49.86% Fe.
The magnetite rich skarn occurs at the contact between the Lewes River limestone and the Whitehorse batholith hornblende rich granite. The contact zone is marked by irregular zones of coarsely (up to 6 inches) crystalline black actinolite and grey clinopyroxene. Magnetite, epidote and chalcopyrite are also present. Assays returned 0.15% Cu, and 49.86% Fe.
Location Map
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: quartz monzonite/granite/monzonite/syenite/granodiorite/quartz diorite
Rock Minor: ash
Reference: Wheeler (1961) - GSC Map 1093A
Geological Unit (1M): mKW
Geological Unit (250K): mKqW
Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence
Report Number | Year | Title | Worktypes | Holes Drilled | Meters Drilled |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
092025 | 1974 | [Proposed 1974 Exploration of the Cowley Park and War Eagle Properties] | Property Evaluation - Other | ||
061172 | 1974 | [Proposed 1974 Exploration of the Cowley Park and War Eagle Properties] | Property Evaluation - Other | ||
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 |
Related References
Number | Title | Page(s) | Document Type |
---|---|---|---|
1984-1 | The Whitehorse Copper Belt - A Compilation | Open File (Geological - Bedrock) |
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) |