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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  22-Jun-1995 by George Owsiacki (GO)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name SCOTCH CREEK, SHUSWAP Mining Division Kamloops
BCGS Map 082L093
Status Prospect NTS Map 082L14W
Latitude 050º 58' 15'' UTM 11 (NAD 83)
Longitude 119º 26' 09'' Northing 5649406
Easting 328982
Commodities Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper Deposit Types G06 : Noranda/Kuroko massive sulphide Cu-Pb-Zn
I05 : Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Kootenay
Capsule Geology

The Scotch Creek property is underlain by the Lower Cambrian Johnson Lake unit of the Eagle Bay assemblage. The dominant rock type on the property is a pyritic, mafic to intermediate volcanic unit which has undergone greenschist facies metamorphism. Typically, exposures are weakly to well foliated, dark green to grey, calcareous and spotted with calcite and/or iron carbonate rhombs. Overprinting the greenschist metamorphism is locally intense quartz-carbonate- sericite alteration, probably associated with hydrothermal activity along shear zones and fracture systems. Although exposures showing primary textures, specifically fragments and amygdules, are very rare, original lithologies ranging from mudstones, possibly of volcanic origin, to thin-bedded tuff and agglomerate to flows are observed. A quartz vein, 15 centimetres wide, cuts variably calcareous chlorite-sericite schist and is mineralized with pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and malachite.

Two distinct and apparently unrelated limestone or meta-limestone/marble units have been mapped. The first is massive, white to beige, fine to coarse-grained limestone. Stockwork quartz veins, up to 20 centimetres wide, cut the limestone with northwest strikes and steep southwest dips. An old shaft explores chalcopyrite-pyrite-galena mineralization in stockwork quartz veins. This shaft may be the shaft referred to as the Shuswap showing in Minister of Mines Annual Report 1934. The Shuswap group of claims was described as being situated 1.6 kilometres south of Sturdy's ranch. Several opencuts and two adits have been driven on a 1.8-metre wide quartz vein containing segregations of galena and pyrite in schistose rocks (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1934, page D29).

The second limestone is grey to black, translucent and cryptocrystalline to medium grained. Exposure is relatively scarce, but the limestone is typically cut by quartz and/or calcite veins which may carry trace pyrite.

A pyritic, ferruginous chert horizon (siliceous oxide facies iron formation) has been traced and tested by diamond drilling over a strike length of at least 1300 metres. Typical exposures are mottled grey and black to mottled grey and purple. Generally, it is aphanitic to fine grained with locally intense quartz-carbonate veining. Banding is visible locally. Iron mineralization includes local jasper to 10 per cent, magnetite to 50 per cent and hematite to 30 per cent. Pyrite content ranges from trace amounts to 15 per cent and occurs as disseminated cubes between 0.5 and 8 millimetres. Traces of chalcopyrite are present locally. The unit is somewhat discontinuous, ranges in apparent thickness between 1 and 5 metres, and resembles an overturned "V" in plan view.

Samples of iron formation taken from drill core analysed up to 9.05 grams per tonne gold and 29.0 grams per tonne silver over 0.22 metre, and 1.21 grams per tonne gold and 1.1 grams per tonne silver over 5.46 metres (Assessment Report 16191, page i). The iron formation has been folded and re-folded into an overturned anticline which plunges to the northwest. Gold grades increase towards the hinge zone.

Bibliography
EM FIELDWORK 1998, pp. 297-306
EMPR AR 1934-D29
EMPR ASS RPT 12879, *16191
EMPR OF 1999-2
EMPR PF (General File - Dawson, G.M. (1898): Geology map of Shuswap Sheet)
GSC MAP 1059A
GSC MEM 296, p. 149
GSC OF 481; 637 (Occurrence 137)
GSC P 48-4; 74-1A, pp. 25-30; 86-1A, pp. 81-88; 89-1E, pp. 51-60
CJES Vol.21 (Oct.1984), pp. 1171-1193

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