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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  12-Aug-2014 by Garry J. Payie (GJP)

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NMI 104G3 Cu12
Name GALORE CREEK - SOUTH BUTTE, SOUTH BUTTE, GALORE CREEK, STIKINE COPPER, GC, HAB, BUY Mining Division Liard
BCGS Map 104G003
Status Prospect NTS Map 104G03W
Latitude 057º 05' 51'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 131º 27' 26'' Northing 6330920
Easting 351138
Commodities Copper Deposit Types L03 : Alkalic porphyry Cu-Au
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Stikine, Plutonic Rocks
Capsule Geology

The Saddle zone of the Galore Creek deposit is located at the headwaters of Galore Creek, a northerly flowing tributary of the Scud River, some 85 kilometres south-southwest of Telegraph Creek.

At least twelve alkalic porphyry copper-gold deposits are known to occur within the Galore Creek syenite complex. This complex comprises a series of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic orthoclase-porphyry syenitic bodies which have intruded coeval Upper Triassic Stuhini Group volcanic rocks and related sediments. Faults which offset and segment the intrusive rocks and a sub-horizontal fracture cleavage are the two main structural elements in the syenite complex. The complex is roughly 5 by 2.5 kilometres in area.

The deposits are hosted primarily by highly altered potassium- enriched volcanic rocks and pipe-like breccias adjacent to syenite dikes and stocks. Typically, the deposits are manto-shaped and have a north to northeast trend related to the syenite contacts and zones of structural weakness.

The syenite complex is made up of four intrusive phases that are most closely associated with the copper deposits. Six other phases are recognized but are peripheral to the Central zone deposit. The copper-bearing rocks near the syenite intrusion are extensively metasomatized, recrystallized and locally brecciated. These may include pyroclastic and intrusive breccia, trachyte, phonolite, lithic tuff, crystal tuff, pyroxene basalt, pyroxene andesite and minor sediments. These rocks have been converted to skarns and fenitic porphyroids so that original rock types are unclear. The term "hornfels" was frequently applied to these meta-volcanic rocks in the early stages of exploration.

Alteration and mineralization are contemporaneous and spatially overlap. The hydrothermal system was extensive and the resultant alteration led to the formation of large gossans. Potassic alteration consisting of potassium feldspar, titanium biotite and magnetite have converted the syenites and volcanic rocks to pink, white and orange rocks composed mostly of orthoclase. Alteration of pyroxene, hornblende and biotite to assemblages of chlorite and calcite plus/minus albite and epidote characterizes the propylitic zone, best developed in the syenitic rocks. Calc-silicate alteration consisting of abundant garnet, diopside, epidote, albite and anhydrite is an unusual feature of the complex. Garnet replaces up to 50 per cent of the metavolcanic rocks and infills breccias near the northern end of the Central zone breccia pipe but is generally absent from the other deposits. However unusual this metasomatic overprint is the distribution of sulphides, precious metal and magnetite is considered consistent with the expected zoning pattern for alkalic porphyry deposits.

"The South Butte deposit is only partly accessible, as it lies on the flanks and summit of a nunatak which rises precipitously for 396 metres from its base at the head of West Fork glacier to a moraine-covered summit at an elevation of 1460 metres. The nunatak is composed of sheared metavolcanic rocks intruded by north trending dykes of epidotized syenite porphyry. Late sericitized basalt dykes strike northwest across the area. Chalcopyrite and pyrite occur as irregular replacements and fracture fillings in skarn and, to a lesser extent in north trending shear zones" (Barr, CIM Bulletin July 1966).

In 2011, the Junction zone was described in a technical report (43-101) by AMEC Americas Limited on behalf of NovaGold (Galore Creek Project by AMEC, July 17, 2011) as follows in the next 2 paragraphs:

"The South Butte deposit crops out on a nunatak in the West Fork Glacier, 4 kilometres south of the Central Zone. North-trending dikes and mineralized shear zones cut the altered host volcanics, but most of the chalcopyrite and pyrite mineralization is fracture controlled.

Copper mineralization occurs as disseminated, fine-grained bornite, subordinate chalcopyrite and minor chalcocite in three northeast oriented bands. Mineralization is sometimes difficult to see due to its fine-grained nature in a mottled, dark, pseudoleucite-bearing tuff host."

Work done on the South Butte area is poorly documented but little if any seems to have been done in this area after the 1990s.

AMEC reports five zones as being modelled toward its 2011 Mineral Resource Estimate for the Galore Creek deposit: the Central zone (including the Bountiful deposit), Southwest Zone, Junction/North Junction Zone, Southwest Zone, and West Fork Zone. Refer to the Central Zone deposit (104G 090) for further details of the Galore Creek deposits. Further details of a common work history and 2011 reserves and resources are given.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1956-14; 1957-74; 1961-78; 1962-7; 1963-8; 1964-15; *1965-19; 1966-25; 1967-29
EMPR BULL 92
EMPR FIELDWORK *1975, p. 79; 1988, pp. 269-283
EMPR GEM *1972-520; 1973-501; 1974-336
EMPR GEOLOGY 1976, p. 122
EMPR MAP 65
EMPR OF 1989-8
EMR MIN BULL MR 166
EMR MP CORPFILE (Kennecott Copper Corp.; Kennco Exp. Canada Ltd.; Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd.; Stikine Copper Ltd.)
EMR MP RESFILE (Central Zone, Galore Creek)
GSC MAP 9-1957; 11-1971; 310A; 1418A
GSC MEM 246
GSC P 71-44, p. 24
CIM BULL *July 1966, pp. 841-853; Nov. 1968, p. 1329
CIM SPECIAL VOL. *15, pp. 402-414; *46, pp. 630-644
CIM TRANS VOL LXIX, p. 251
CMH 1976, p. 302
N MINER May 3, 1973
Allen, D. (1966) UBC Masters Thesis
2011 AMEC 43-101 TECHNICAL REPORT ON GALORE CREEK DEPOSIT: www.novagold.com/section.asp?pageid=22244
EMPR PFD 903626, 600148

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