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Occurrence Details


Occurrence Number
105D 221
Occurrence Name
War Eagle
Occurrence Type
Hard-rock
Status
Past Producer


General Information

Primary Commodities: copper, gold, silver, molybdenum
Aliases: Whitehorse Copper
Deposit Type(s): Skarn
Location(s): 60.7430 N, -135.1770 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. By 1900, most of the important deposits had been discovered and the first small ore shipment was made that year. 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 skarn at War Eagle occurs at the within the Lewes River limestone, not far from the contact with the Whitehorse granite batholith. The skarn is banded, with alternating bands of tremolite-garnet and dark feldspar augite rock (10-25 feet wide). The tremolite bands carry bornite and chalcopyrite in grains and small masses and constitute the principal ores. Locally there is also wollastonite, magnetite and molybdenite. Occasionally, the wollastonite and magnetite are replaced by bornite and chalcopyrite. Drilling determined that the ore body extends to a length of 1600 feet and 500 feet in width.

The deposit was mined intermittently beginning in 1900 and ending in 1971 with the majority of production occurring between 1969 and 1971. In total, 1 903 863 tonnes of ore was mined from War Eagle with the average grade being 1.29% Cu with minor Au and Ag.

Location Map

Last Updated: Apr 25, 2019

Work History

Year Work Type Comment
1998 Geochemistry: Rock
1998 Trenching: Mechanical
1980 Drilling: Diamond
1980 Geochemistry: Drill Core
1974 Other: Property Evaluation
1973 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1973 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Petrographic
1971 Ground Geophysics: IP
1970 Geochemistry: Soil
1967 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1967 Ground Geophysics: EM
1967 Ground Geophysics: Magnetics
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 (1997) - YGS GM 1997-5
Geological Unit (1M): uTrAK
Geological Unit (250K): uTrAK2

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence

Report Number Year Title Worktypes Holes Drilled Meters Drilled
094022 1998 Assessment Report Describing Trenching and Sampling on the Hat 1-40 Claims Diamond - Drilling, Rock - Geochemistry, Mechanical - Trenching 333 3333
090823 1980 [Diamond Drill Log - Whitehorse Copper Belt] Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry 7 1208.83
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
060896 1971 Geophysical Report, We 18 Claims IP - Ground Geophysics
018884 1967 Geological Mapping, Magnetometer and Electro Magnetic Survey Detailed Bedrock Mapping - Geology, EM - Ground Geophysics, Magnetics - Ground Geophysics, Line Cutting - Other
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
ARMC004875 Report - War Eagle and progressing to the southernmost Carcross bad claims Report
ARMC004885 Magnetic survey map - Detail IP (chargeability) 100' separation - Anomaly 'A' - War Eagle grid Geophysical Map
ARMC004787 Maps of War Eagle area Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC004906 Re: Data on War Eagle to the North Star occurrences Miscellaneous Company Documents
ARMC004868 Correspondence Re: War Eagle deposit Miscellaneous Company Documents
ARMC004789 Maps of War Eagle area Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock)
1984-1 The Whitehorse Copper Belt - A Compilation Open File (Geological - Bedrock)
ARMC004879 Magnetic survey map - I.P. chargeability - War Eagle grid Geophysical Map
ARMC004805 Map of Valerie, Arctic Chief, and War Eagle Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC004878 Magnetic survey map - I.P. mag & geology - Line 128N - War Eagle and North Star Geophysical Map
Citations
Carriere, J J, et al. “Copper Deposits and Occurrences in Yukon Territory.” Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada, 1982., 1981, doi:10.4095/109350.
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)

Drill Core at YGS Core Library

Number Property Year Drilled Core Size Photos Data
WE-81 War Eagle 1985 NQ 8 1
WE-82 War Eagle 1985 NQ 18 1
WE-6 War Eagle BTW 0 0

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