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File Created: 18-Aug-1986 by Gary R. Foye (GRF)
Last Edit:  19-Aug-2009 by George Owsiacki (GO)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name CALIFORNIA GULCH Mining Division Cariboo
BCGS Map 093H003
Status Past Producer NTS Map 093H03W
Latitude 053º 00' 19'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 121º 24' 23'' Northing 5874045
Easting 606931
Commodities Gold Deposit Types C01 : Surficial placers
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Barkerville
Capsule Geology

Placer gold deposits of the Quesnel Highland region, including the former rich producers of the Barkerville Camp, have accounted for a large proportion of British Columbia's alluvial gold production. With the exception of a few producers in the Wingdam area, which are underlain by Upper Triassic sediments correlative with the Nicola Group, almost all the deposits are underlain by the Upper Proterozoic to Lower Paleozoic Snowshoe Group. These predominantly metasedimentary rocks have been metamorphosed to greenschist facies.

Placer gold deposits in the region are generally found in relatively young Pleistocene gravels. The morphology and mineral associations of the gold suggests that it was derived locally, the most obvious sources are the numerous auriferous veins in the Downey succession (quartzite, phyllite) of the Snowshoe Group.

Placer gold mining operations have taken place on California Gulch. In the early days the main mining was near the mouth of the creek. Intermittent gold production from 1906-10, 1926-30 and 1931-35 totalled 4229 grams (136 ounces).

"Data from the Cariboo mining district indicate that supergene leaching of gold dispersed within massive sulphides by Tertiary deep weathering followed by Cenozoic erosion is the most likely explanation for the occurrence of coarse gold nuggets in Quaternary sediments" (Exploration in British Columbia 1989, page 147).

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1878,1883-1885,1890-tables; 1904-47; 1927-166; 1928-193; 1929-198; 1933-133; 1961-130; 1962-139; 1963-132; 1964-176; 1966-256
EMPR GEM 1970-484; 1973-526
EMPR EXPL 1989-147-169
EMPR BULL 28, pp. 21,24,30
EMPR FIELDWORK 1988, pp. 377-385; 1990, pp. 331-356; 1992, pp. 463-473
GSC MEM 149, pp. 64-66
GSC MAP 59-1959; 1424A; 1538G
GSC OF 574; 844

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