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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  12-Apr-2008 by Mandy N. Desautels (MND)

Summary Help Help

NMI 082M9 Cu2
Name GOLDSTREAM, GOLDSTREAM MINE Mining Division Revelstoke
BCGS Map 082M068
Status Past Producer NTS Map 082M09W
Latitude 051º 37' 30'' UTM 11 (NAD 83)
Longitude 118º 25' 44'' Northing 5720298
Easting 401091
Commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Zinc, Cadmium, Antimony Deposit Types G04 : Besshi massive sulphide Cu-Zn
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Kootenay
Capsule Geology

The Goldstream property is underlain by Lower Cambrian and younger metasediments and metavolcanics of the Lardeau Group. It is flanked on the west by the Precambrian-Paleozoic(?) Shuswap Metamorphic Complex and on the east by Hadrynian Horsethief Creek Group rocks.

The metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks comprise five major lithologic packages. The lowest unit consists of dominantly pelitic and calcareous schists and marble and lies to the east of the property. This unit is overlain by a succession of rocks consisting of four main divisions (Bulletin 71).

The lower quartzite-schist division consists dominantly of pelitic schist and micaceous quartzite. The overlying calc-silicate gneiss division is comprised of calcareous phyllite and quartzite, marble and biotite gneiss. The metavolcanic-phyllite division, consisting of massive greenstone units, chloritic phyllite, ultramafic pods and dark calcareous to pelitic schists, is the host for the Goldstream deposit. The final carbonate-phyllite division consists of dolomite and limestone.

The dominant structure in the area are large, tight to isoclinal, east dipping to recumbent phase 2 folds. The average strike in the deposit area is 290 degrees with 35 degree northeast dips.

The Goldstream deposit is a thin, conformable sheet of massive sulphides in sericitic quartzite and calcareous and chloritic phyllite within the metavolcanic-phyllite division. Regional structures suggest the succession is inverted, with the oldest rocks in the hanging wall of the deposit.

The massive sulphide layer averages from 1 to 3 metres in thickness, has a strike length of 400 metres and continues down plunge for 1500 metres, dipping at 30-35 degrees. Near its western and eastern limits it splits into two layers separated by a narrow zone of quartzitic phyllite. The contacts of the sulphide zone with hanging wall and footwall rocks vary from sharp to gradational and from smooth to highly contorted and brecciated.

The sulphide layer consists mainly of intimately intermixed pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite with numerous subrounded inclusions of quartz, phyllite and carbonate. The layer has a pronounced lateral zonation with zinc (zinc + copper) increasing to the east. No vertical zonation is apparent within the layer.

The metal contents of hanging wall rocks are variable, with copper and zinc value ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 per cent and silver averaging 2 to 7 grams per tonne. Grades and thickness of mineralization is less in the footwall.

The Goldstream mine was reactivated and milling of ore began on May 2, 1991 with commercial production beginning June 1, 1991. To the end of November 1991, 237,532 tonnes of ore had been milled and 8,380,527 kilograms of copper recovered. Although zinc was not yet being recovered, a smelting contract was signed with Cominco Ltd., and zinc recovery was expected to begin by March 31, 1992. Preproduction mineable reserves were calculated to be 1,859,555 tonnes averaging 4.81 per cent copper and 3.06 per cent zinc, sufficient for a 5 year mine life. Drilling early in 1991 traced the deposit to further depths, adding reserves (George Cross News Letter No.5 (January 8), 1992).

Since mine start-up in May 1991, to the end of September 1992, some 571,496 tonnes of ore had been milled and 19,051,200 kilograms of copper in concentrates shipped to Nippon Mining Co. in Japan. Copper recovery continues to average 91 per cent with the production of a copper concentrate containing about 24 per cent copper. The zinc circuit started in April 1992 and is producing a zinc concentrate which is being sold to Cominco Ltd.'s smelter at Trail, B.C. Zinc recovery is 22 per cent producing a concentrate with an average grade of 47 per cent zinc. To the end of September 1992, 816,480 kilograms of zinc has been sold (George Cross News Letter No. 202 (October 20), 1992)).

The proven reserves at the mine were recalculated as of April 1993 and stand at 1.436 million tonnes grading 4.48 per cent copper, 3.03 per cent zinc and 8.2 grams per tonne silver. There are 840,000 tonnes above the 350-metre interval, with the remainder within the 350-100 metre interval (George Cross News Letter No.93 (May 14), 1993; Information Circular 1994-1, page 7).

Reserves as of January 1, 1994 were repoted to be approximately 1 million tonnes grading 4.31 per cent copper, 2.94 per cent zinc and 12 grams per tonne silver (Information Circular 1994-19, page 7).

Reserves estimated by the company were approximately 600,000 tonnes grading 4.2 per cent copper, 2.3 per cent zinc and 18.0 grams per tonne silver as of January 1, 1995. In mid-July 1995, milling operations were temporarily shut down following slow ramp development and poorer than expected ore recovery in the 250-metre panel. Milling resumed in September and is scheduled to continue until January 31, 1996 when the economic limits of the existing orebody will have been reached (Information Circular 1995-9, page 7).

In 1995, partly with Explore B.C. Program support, Bethlehem Resources Corporation, a subsidiary of Imperial Metals Corporation, completed a surface and underground diamond drilling program with a threefold objective: deep drilling east of the orebody, test the western extension of the Goldstream stratigraphy, and test the stratigraphy below the ore horizon. The program consisted of 2 surface and 4 underground holes totalling 1611.77 metres. None of the holes intersected economic mineralization. The two surface holes intersected the mine stratigraphy east and west of the orebody but no massive sulphides. Deep drilling by the four underground holes intersected a garnet- bearing sulphide horizon at the lower contact of the greenstone unit. This zone contains up to 50 per cent pyrrhotite and has a skarn-like mineralogy with garnets, epidote and tremolite within the sulphide horizon but was found not to be of economic grade (Explore B.C. Program 95/96 - A105). The mine was closed in January, 1996.

Reserves stand at 22,000 tonnes grading 3.5 per cent copper and 2.15 per cent zinc (Information Circular 1997-1, page 10).

Production from 1983 to 1996 totalled 2,224,387 tonnes yielding 26,228,450 grams of silver, 42,363 grams of gold, 78,269,389 kilograms of copper and 7,988,112 kilograms of zinc.

In 2001, Orphan Boy Resources established two east-west grid lines totaling 1.4 kilometres and collected 53 soil samples. A magnetometer and VLF-EM survey was conducted. Core drilling investigations covering selected targets east and west of the Goldstream mine totalled 663.4 metres in 4 holes. The purpose of the eastern holes was to test the projection of the Goldstream Mine horizon based on coincident conductive zones and anomalous copper in soils. The two holes drilled on the western side of the Goldstream deposit were drilled to test the upplunge projection of the Spire horizon. No significant mineralization was encountered in the 4 holes.

In 2002, Orphan Boy Resources signed a share purchase agreement with Imperial Metals, whereby Orphan Boy would purchase all shares of Imperial's wholly owned Bethlehem Resources Corp. Bethlehem's principal asset is the 1,000-metric-tonne-per-day Goldstream mill and related infrastructure.

In 2003 Orphan Boy company studied the feasibility of using the 1000 tonne per day Goldstream mill to process copper-gold ore from the Willa property.

In 2004, exploration near the Goldstream mine by Orphan Boy included the Spire (082M 278)and Boutwell (082M 263) besshi-type massive sulphide copper-zinc targets.

Bibliography
EMPR EXPL 2001-33-43; 2003-53; 2004-54
EXPL MER 2004-14
EMPR ASS RPT *5161, 5310, *5566, 5899, *5918, 6196, 6205, 6290
6300, 6347, 6696, 9358, 12509, 15484, 18980, 22212, 22712, 23419,
*23725, *26812
EMPR BULL *71, pp. 28,33-45
EMPR ENG INSP Annual Report 1989, 1990
EMPR EXPL 1975-E57,E58; 1976-E69; 1978-E111; 1979-11; 1996-D6
EMPR Explore B.C. Program 95/96 - A105
EMPR FIELDWORK *1976, pp. 23-29; *1976, pp. 17-22
EMPR GEOL *1976, pp. 18-36
EMPR INF CIRC 1993-13; 1994-19, p. 7; 1997-1, p. 10
EMPR MAP *25; 65 (1989)
EMPR MINING 1981-1985
EMPR OF 1992-1; 1994-1; 1998-10; 1999-2
EMPR P 1991-4, pp. 107,108
EMPR PF (*Gibson, G. (1980): A Mineralographic Study of the
Goldstream Massive Cu-Zn Sulfide Deposit; Letter to T. Hoy from
Prime Explorations dated Dec.14 1992; *R.B. Humphrey, Mining at
Goldstream, Prepared for presentation at the District 6 Meeting
of the CIM)
EMR MP CORPFILE (Noranda Mines Limited; Noranda Exploration
Company, Limited)
GSC MAP 12-1964
GSC OF 637
BC MINING NEWS March 2, 1976
CMH 1983-84, p. 256; 1984-85, pp. 279,281
CMJ *Vol.99, No.4, pp. 39-42 (Reinertson, L.C. (1978)); Oct. 1981,
p. 53; April 1992
ECON GEOL *Vol.79, No.5, pp. 789-814 (Hoy, T., Gibson, G. and Berg,
N.W. (1984))
GCNL Mar.2, May 12, June 14,24, 1976; Oct.11, 1978; Mar.20, 1979;
Mar.12, 1980; #70(Apr.12),#127(Jul.4),#145(Jul.28),#162(Aug.23),
#237(Dec.11),#240(Dec.14), 1989; #93(May 14),#112(Jun.11),
#135(Jul.13),#222(Nov.16),#232(Nov.30),#246(Dec.20), 1990;
#8(Jan.11),#33(Feb.15),#34(Feb.18),#59(Mar.25),#78(Apr.23),
#110(June 7),#114(June 13),#129(Jul.5),#135(Jul.15), 1991;
#3(Jan.6),#5(Jan.8),#115(June 15),#202(Oct.20),#245(Dec.21),
1992; #62(Mar.30),#93(May 14), 1993
N MINER Mar.4,18, 1976; June 9,16, 1983; March 8, 1984; Jul.31,
Dec.18, 1989; Jul.23, 1990; May 13, July 15,22, 1991; Jan.20,
June 15,22, Oct.19, Dec.28, 1992; May 24, 1993; Feb. 23, 1998
W MINER Apr. 1980, p.110; July 1983, pp.9-15; April 1984
PR REL Orphan Boy Resources Inc., Jun.5, 2002; Jan.24, Aug.26,
Sept.9,15, 2004; Jan.19,May5, 2005
*Hoy, T. and Berg, N. (1983): Goldstream Deposit in Stratabound
Base Metal Deposits in Southeast B.C.- GAC MAC CGU 1983, pp. 11-1
to 11-9
*Hoy, T. and Nelson, W.I. (1977): Goldstream: a massive sulphide
Cu-Zn deposit in Eocambrian metasediments, southeastern B.C. -
Abstract, GAC 1977 Annual Meeting, p. 25
Imperial Metals Corporation, 1995 Annual Report
*Lane, L.S. (1977): Structure and stratigraphy, Goldstream River-
Downie Creek area, Selkirk Mountains, B.C.; Unpublished M.Sc.
Thesis, Ottawa, Carleton University
Placer Dome File

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