General Information
Secondary Commodities: copper, gold
Aliases: Whitehorse Copper
Deposit Type(s): Skarn
Location(s): 60.615750 N, -135.075490 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 zone is 2 to 5 feet (0.61 – 1.5 m) wide and 100 feet (30 m) long and is composed largely of garnet, calcite, epidote and magnetite. This zone contains minor amounts of chalcopyrite and bornite. Assays contain traces of gold, 0.4% Cu, and 56.65% Fe.
The skarn zone is 2 to 5 feet (0.61 – 1.5 m) wide and 100 feet (30 m) long and is composed largely of garnet, calcite, epidote and magnetite. This zone contains minor amounts of chalcopyrite and bornite. Assays contain traces of gold, 0.4% Cu, and 56.65% Fe.
Location Map
Last Updated: Apr 15, 2019
Work History
Year | Work Type | Comment |
---|---|---|
1968 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
1968 | Ground Geophysics: EM | |
1968 | Ground Geophysics: Magnetics |
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
Rock Minor:
Reference: Hart & Radloff (1990) - YGS OF 1990-4
Geological Unit (1M): mKW
Geological Unit (250K): mKqW
Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence
Report Number | Year | Title | Worktypes | Holes Drilled | Meters Drilled |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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) |
The mineral industry of Yukon Territory and southwestern District of Mackenzie, 1968; Findlay, D C. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 69-55, 1969, 71 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/106435 (Open Access) |