British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas and Responsible for Housing
News | The Premier Online | Ministries & Organizations | Job Opportunities | Main Index

MINFILE Home page  ARIS Home page  MINFILE Search page  Property File Search
Help Help
File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  02-Nov-1994 by Garry J. Payie (GJP)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name STEAMBOAT MOUNTAIN Mining Division New Westminster
BCGS Map 092H005
Status Showing NTS Map 092H03E
Latitude 049º 05' 58'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 121º 04' 30'' Northing 5440295
Easting 640515
Commodities Copper Deposit Types I01 : Au-quartz veins
Tectonic Belt Coast Crystalline Terrane Bridge River
Capsule Geology

The hostrocks of the Steamboat Mountain occurrence are reported to consist of a series of interbedded quartzites and argillites of the Permian to Jurassic Hozameen Complex. These are cut by a diorite porphyry dike from 1.4 to 2.4 metres wide that is exposed along strike for 107 metres. It is sparingly mineralized with pyrite and chalcopyrite. A quartz lens exposed in a crosscut is 2 metres (at its greatest width) by 7 metres long and hosts, along with the surrounding hostrock, pyrite and chalcopyrite.

Two tunnels were driven in, or shortly before, 1911; the upper is 19 metres long and the lower is 37 metres long, not including a 5.5-metre crosscut on the quartz lens.

In 1910, reports that gold occurred in a free state in the dike set off a rush of several hundred prospectors to the area. Charles Camsell of the Geological Survey of Canada visited the property in 1911 and samples taken at that time proved barren in gold (GSC Summary Report 1911, page 121). When the claims of this significant gold discovery proved to be fraudulent, the resulting "evil effects of the Steamboat Mountain fiasco" shook the confidence of prospectors in this region for years after. Three new townsites were apparently quickly abandoned.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1910-131; 1911-181; 1912-187; 1915-267; 1916-265; 1938-F8
GSC MAP 56A; 737A; 1069A; 12-1969; 41-1989
GSC P 69-47
GSC SUM RPT *1911, pp. 115,121

COPYRIGHT | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY | ACCESSIBILITY