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: 25-Aug-1986 by Larry Jones (LDJ)
Last Edit:  13-Aug-1999 by Janet M. Riddell (JMR)

Summary Help Help

NMI 103H7 Cu1
Name OX, EMPRESS, GRIBBLE ISLAND, GRIBBELL ISLAND Mining Division Skeena
BCGS Map 103H036
Status Past Producer NTS Map 103H07W
Latitude 053º 19' 29'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 128º 57' 16'' Northing 5908395
Easting 503034
Commodities Copper, Silver, Gold Deposit Types K01 : Cu skarn
Tectonic Belt Coast Crystalline Terrane Undivided Metamorphic Assembl., Plutonic Rocks
Capsule Geology

The property is located on the southeastern tip of Gribbell Island, approximately 2.4 kilometres inland from Pilot Point.

An east dipping (60 degrees), 6 to 9 metre wide bed of marble, intercalated with schist is cut by hornblende-biotite quartz diorite of the Coast Plutonic Complex. The main showing is a bedded sequence of red garnet and white quartz, marble-epidote skarn, and diopside skarn, irregularly mineralized with bornite, chalcocite, and minor covellite as disseminations, streaks, and splotches. The showing occurs in a northeast plunging anticline and averages 5 metres in width. A 5.2-metre sample assayed 1.02 per cent copper, 13.7 grams per tonne silver and trace gold (Sevensma, 1971).

The occurrence was staked in 1900 as the Empress Group by Canadian-American Mining Company of Bellingham, Washington (previously known as the New Whatcom Mining Company). During that year development included trail-making, and four short adits. In 1901 the company drove a 91-metre adit at 366 metres elevation to tap the main ledge. In 1903 a wharf and tramway were built. A 58-metre adit was driven in 1904. During 1905 and 1906, the 1901 adit was continued to a length of 220 metres, and 35 tonnes of ore were removed, from which 31 grams of gold, 1306 grams of silver, and 372 kilograms of copper were recovered. The company was issued 6 Crown Grants (Lots 580R4-585R4) in 1911.

Phelps Dodge did some further work in 1964. The property was restaked under the Ox name by Balfour Mining Limited in 1970. They conducted geochemical surveying, trenching, and drilling of three diamond drill holes between 1970 and 1973.

Smaller showings occur in an easterly direction over a 152 metre length and 84 metre vertical depth.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1899-656; 1900-787; 1901-992; 1902-47; 1903-51; 1904-102; *1905-85-88; 1910-246; 1911-287
EMPR ASS RPT 3347
EMPR GEM 1971-112
EMPR INDEX 3-195
EMPR PF (Reports by W.M. Brewer, 1905; *P.H. Sevensma, 1971)
EMR MP CORPFILE (Balfour Mining Ltd. (N.P.L.))
GSC MAP 23-1970; 1385A
GSC P 70-41, p. 52
GSC SUM RPT 1921A, p. 39
EMPR PFD 17921, 17922, 17923, 17924, 17925

COPYRIGHT | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY | ACCESSIBILITY