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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  25-Jun-2013 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI 092B13 Cu1
Name RICHARD III (L.39G), TWIN J, MOUNT SICKER, LENORA, TYEE Mining Division Victoria
BCGS Map 092B082
Status Past Producer NTS Map 092B13W
Latitude 048º 51' 53'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 123º 46' 47'' Northing 5412711
Easting 442815
Commodities Copper, Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Cadmium, Barite Deposit Types G06 : Noranda/Kuroko massive sulphide Cu-Pb-Zn
Tectonic Belt Insular Terrane Wrangell
Capsule Geology

The Richard III past-producer is located on the western slopes of Mount Sicker, approximately 2.3 kilometres east of the Chemainus River.

Volcanogenic massive sulphides were discovered on Mount Sicker in the late 1800's with production from one main orebody issuing from three independent underground mines (Lenora - 092B 001, Tyee - 092B 002 and Richard III - 092B 003) for several years. These mines were later amalgamated and operated as the Twin J mine (1942-1952). The massive sulphides are hosted within rhyolitic tuffs and associated sediments of the McLaughlin Ridge Formation, Sicker Group. The rocks in the mine include cherty tuffs and graphitic schists which together form a band of folded and/or sheared sediments 30 to 45 metres wide that near the workings is at least 640 metres long. The trend of the band and the strike of the sediments are 110 degrees. The dip of the sediments is 50 degrees southwest. See the Lenora occurrence for further details of the geology.

Two types of ore are found in association with the cherty tuffs and graphitic schists: a barite ore consisting of a fine grained mixture of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and a little galena in a gangue of barite, quartz and calcite; and a quartz ore consisting of mainly quartz and chalcopyrite.

The two main orebodies, known as the North orebody and the South orebody, are long, lenticular bodies lying along two main dragfolds in the band of sediments. The North orebody measures about 500 metres along strike, 37 metres downdip and from 0.3 to 3 metres in thickness. The South orebody, which is 46 metres from the North, and has its upper limit 45 metres higher, measures 640 metres along the strike, 45 metres downdip and is about 6 metres in thickness. Two main faults, striking east and nearly vertical, displace the orebodies. A fracture zone is manifested by vertical silicified zones on the south sides of both the North and South orebodies.

The Richard III mine operated in three years between 1903 and 1907, producing 22,830 grams of gold, 522,714 grams of silver and 113,604 kilograms of copper from a total of 4903 tonnes of ore mined (Mineral Policy data). See Lenora (092B 001) for the combined production and reserve figures that were derived after the three mines were amalgamated as the Twin J mine. Zinc, lead and cadmium are also reported in the Twin J production records.

In 2010 and 2011, Rock-Con Resources completed a program of prospecting and rock sampling on the Mount Sicker property.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1897-567; 1898-809,852; 1900-928,929,944; 1901-1117,1112;
*1902-238-250; *1903-206-209; 1904-252; 1905-216; 1906-207;
1907-154; 1916-311; *1924-252,368; 1925-303; 1926-334; 1927-339;
1928-365; 1929-371; 1930-289; 1931-264; 1935-G46; 1936-F63;
1939-90; 1940-74; 1942-70; 1943-69; 1944-67; 1946-191; 1947-183;
1949-224; 1950-180; 1951-199; 1952-214; 1964-168; 1967-79;
1968-107
EMPR ASS RPT 1104, 1714, 3741, 3950, 3951, 5164, 8264, 12317, 14735
16716, 17834, 18859, 19754, 32278
EMPR BC METAL MM00055
EMPR EXPL 1978-E119; 1980-153
EMPR FIELDWORK 1982, p. 46; *1987, pp. 81-91
EMPR GEM 1969-224; 1970-291; 1972-240; 1974-163
EMPR INDEX 3-210
EMPR OF 1988-8; 1998-10; 1999-2
EMPR P 1991-4, pp. 102,105
EMPR PF (The Tyee Mines, Report by Pacific Tidewater Mines, April
1928; Nelson, N.E. (1940): Report on the Tyee Consolidated Gold
Mines; The Geology and Mineralizaton of the Lenora-Tyee Mine,
Preliminary notes by J.S. Stephenson, Feb.13, 1942; Tyee-Lenora,
Report by H. Sargent, June 26, 1942; Summary of Monthly Report,
Twin J Mines, April 1944; General Comments by R.B. Gayer, May and
April 1944; Twin J Mines, Report by V. Dolmage, April or May 1945;
Report on the Mount Sicker Mine, Feb.7, 1945; Suggestions on
Future Explorations by J.S. Stephenson, Aug.7, 1945; Various mine
plans, 1940'S; Sheppard, E.P. (1966): Geology - Mount Sicker
Mines)
EMR MP CORPFILE (Tyee Copper Company Limited; Ladysmith Smelting
Corporation Limited; Ladysmith Tidewater Smelters Limited; Pacific
Tidewater Mines Limited; Tyee Consolidated Mining Company Limited;
Tyee Mining and Milling Company Limited; The Twin J Mines Limited;
Jason Mines Limited; Vancouver Island Base Metals Limited; Base
Metals Mining Corporation Limited; Mount Sicker Mines Limited)
EMR MP Metal Controller File 167-Z1-2-17 C
GSC MAP 42A; 1386A; 1553A
GSC MEM *13, pp. 180-187; 36; *96, pp. 387-390
GSC OF 463
GSC P 1972-44; 1975-1A, p. 23; 1979-30
CIM Transactions *Vol. XLVIII, 1945, pp. 294-308
CIM *Vol.1, pp. 88-93
CMH 1972-1973, p. 232
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Carson, D.J.T. (1968): Metallogenic Study of Vancouver Island with
Emphasis on the Relationship of Plutonic Rocks and Mineral
Deposits, Ph.D. Thesis, Carleton University
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British Columbia, Vol. 1: Vancouver Island, pp. 92-93
Times Colonist, Feb.16, 1997, p. C8
Chevron File
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