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.
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 |