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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  31-Mar-1993 by Discovery Consultants (DISC)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name OKANAGAN SUNSET Mining Division Vernon
BCGS Map 082L023
Status Past Producer NTS Map 082L03W
Latitude 050º 12' 12'' UTM 11 (NAD 83)
Longitude 119º 24' 08'' Northing 5564000
Easting 328576
Commodities Granite, Dimension Stone, Building Stone, Aggregate Deposit Types R03 : Dimension stone - granite
R15 : Crushed rock
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Plutonic Rocks, Harper Ranch
Capsule Geology

The Okanagan Sunset deposit is located 11 kilometres southwest of Vernon, near the east shore of Okanagan Lake.

In this area, Devonian to Triassic sediments of the Harper Ranch Group are intruded by Middle Jurassic granitic rocks. These are intruded by Eocene granites and hypabyssal equivalents of the Coryell Intrusions. Patches of Eocene Penticton Group volcanic rocks overlie the older rocks.

The Eocene Coryell granite has been quarried for industrial use. It has an attractive fresh pale pink tone, is medium to coarse-grained and contains pink orthoclase feldspar crystals up to 8 millimetres in length. Weathered surfaces are light to dark grey with occasional yellow iron staining. Potential reserves exist in a well-defined ridge of granite, northeast of the abandoned face. This ridge is 80 metres long, 25 metres wide with a face up to 20 metres high. Spacing between joints and fractures is irregular although 48 per cent are spaced greater than 50 centimetres apart.

In 1969, Columbia Marble Company opened the quarry and operated for some time afterwards. Stone was shipped to the company's processing plant in Burnaby where it was cut into slabs to be used as facing stone. The stone has also been crushed and used as aggregate for decorative slabs. Similar stone, from the Vernon Granite quarry (082LSW087), was used in the Vernon courthouse.

Bibliography
EMPR EXPL *1985-B27,28,29
EMPR FIELDWORK 1982, pp. 33-36; *1986, pp. 309-342; 1987, pp. 55-58; 1988, pp. 355-363
EMPR INF CIRC *1988-6, p. 10; 1994-15
EMPR INSP RPT Sept. 1975
EMPR MAP 7216G, 8512G
EMPR OF 1989-5, 1990-30
EMPR PF (In 082LSW General - Claim Map, 1966; Inspection Report, Sept. 1975)
EMPR RGS 1976
GSC MAP 46-7, 48-4A, 1712A
GSC MEM 296
GSC OF 637 (Map C), 736, 2167
GSC P 89-1E pp. 51-60
EMPR PFD 4574

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