Epidote Pyrite Quartz Scheelite

Specimen Summary

Glo and Troy (Glow Group)

Manson Creek, British Columbia

Orange-coloured scheelite, or calcium tungstate, is an important source of tungsten. Some scheelite also contains molybdenum, although it is not a main ore mineral for that metal. Well-formed dipyramidal crystals are prized by collectors and are sometimes used to make jewellery. Scheelite can be identified by its heaviness and greasy lustre, as well as its fluorescent properties. Under UV light it glows a bright blue! It forms in high temperature igneous and metamorphic environments and is often found in veins with tin.

Epidote is a fairly common mineral that is usually pistachio green in colour. It occurs in metamorphic and igneous rocks and forms in many different geological environments. Although epidote can form long, slender, glassy prismatic crystals, it usually has a dull appearance where many very fine crystals grow together in a massive form, for example in veins or replacing other minerals. Epidote does not have any specific industrial uses and is not a source of particular elements or metals.

This sample comes from the Glo and Troy claims just north of the small settlement of Manson Creek, about 60 km northwest of Mackenzie in central BC. The area has been explored mainly for gold, and a few quartz-gold veins have been found and sampled since prospectors first came to the area in the 1870s. Scheelite is found in lenticular (discontinuous) quartz veins around 15 cm wide that also contain galena and pyrite, as well as quartz. Dull green epidote is also commonly found in veins.

Specimen Data

 

The information listed below relates to the current holding location or collection that the sample is from, and whether the item is viewable at that location or is part of a private collection. Coordinates are given as guides, and we remind you that collecting specimens from these locations is not allowed. Caution is advised visiting such sites and Below BC assumes no responsibility for any injuries or trespassing charges that may occur as a result of the viewer entering these sites.

Collection Details

Original Collection:

Association for Mineral Exploration (AME)

Sub Collection:

-

Collection ID:

AME-421

Virtual Museum ID:

19-AME421

Accessibility:

Date Added to VM:

2018-02-08

Location Information

Sample Origin:

Manson Creek, BC

Specific Site:

Glo and Troy (Glow Group)

UTM Easting:

407113

UTM Northing:

6168980

Datum:

10 (NAD 83)

Coordinate Accuracy:

Approximate

Specimen Details

VM Category:

Mineral

Primary Features:

Epidote Pyrite Quartz Scheelite

Primary Mineral Formula:

FeS2, SiO2, CaWO4

Primary Category:

silicate sulphide oxide sulphate

Secondary Features:

Advanced Geological Information

 

The following section provides geological data relating to the specimen or the site it was collected from, when available. Information has been obtained from various sources including private and government datasets but may not be up to date. Any geological time periods or ages listed often relate to the primary geology of the area, and may not be the actual date of an event such as mineral formation.

Geological Formation:

Boulder Creek

Geological Period:

Proterozoic to Paleozoic

Stratigraphic Age:

Geological Belt:

Intermontane

Geological Terrane:

Slide Mountain

Minfile ID:

093N 030

Minfile Link:

https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/Summary.aspx?minfilno=093N%20%20030

Site Details:

The Kathy occurrence is located approximately 2 kilometres southeast of the settlement of Manson Creek, just north of Lost Creek.

Regionally, this showing occurs within the Proterozoic to Paleozoic Boulder Creek Group. Here, the Boulder Creek Group lies as a fault-bounded sliver within the Manson fault zone. The Boulder Creek Group consists of a series of sandstones, impure quartzites, siltstones, argillites, marbles and minor amphibolite. Immediately to the southwest, lies the Cretaceous Germansen batholith. To the north of this occurrence lie rocks belonging to the Upper Paleozoic or younger Wolf Ridge Gabbro, the Pennsylvanian to Permian Nina Creek Group and pericratonic rocks of North American affinity.

Mineralization is contained within a number of lenticular quartz veins that range from 15 to 17 centimetres wide and consists of galena, scheelite and pyrite. The quartz veins occur in hydrothermally altered phyllites and arenaceous limestones. The veins are controlled by a fault that is related to the Manson fault zone. The occurrence of scheelite within these veins possibly indicates that they may be genetically related to the Germansen batholith. A rock sample taken in 1981 assayed 0.1068 per cent lead, 0.0258 per cent zinc, 4.6 grams per tonne silver and 0.0222 per cent copper (Assessment Report 9572).

WORK HISTORY

The mineralized veins have been intermittently prospected and sampled since ahout 1875. Several claims were located prior to 1903. Development work was limited to open cutting and stripping.

Previous exploration in the Boulder Creek area dates back to 1940 when the Berthold lode gold prospect located about 1 kilometre south of Boulder Creek was examined A three meter wide silicified fracture zone containing pyrite galena gold and silver was trenched. This area is just west of the mouth of Boulder Creek in Manson Lakes.

In 1968, the area that was later (in the 2000s) held by Skygold as the Manson Creek property was held as the Asp claim group by Omineca Base Metals Ltd. During the 1968 field season, geological mapping and geochemical surveying was done on the property. Several quartz veins along Boulder Creek were trenched and sampled. Northern Tungsten Mines Ltd., incorporated in 1970, acquired some 60 claims in the Stroh, Reynolds, Don and other groups. During 1972, the company carried out a trenching proem and a geochemical soil survey (343 samples). This exploration work exposed mineralization within a. large lead anomaly. Work during 1973 included geological mapping, an induced potential survey over 3.2 kilometers, an electromagnetic survey, a geochemical soil survey (62 samples) trenching, and 862 metres of diamond drilling in 8 holes on Stroh 7 and 8 and Don 1.

In 1978, Esso Minerals Canada conducted an extensive evaluation program on their BOLD claims consisting of line-cutting totalling 27 line kilometres, geological mapping at a scale of 1:2500 covering 240 hectares, geophysical surveys including magnetometer and horizontal loop electromagnetic, both surveys covering 25 line kilometers. Geochemical sampling consisted of collecting 958 soil samples and analysing these for lead, zinc, copper, silver and molybdenum. The work was confined to the area northwest of Boulder Lake between Boulder and Little Slate Creeks

In 1979, Noranda Mines conducted a geochemical stream silt survey, collecting 20 samples on the Kathy claims about 10 kilometres northwest of the Asp/Bold showing area (Assessment Report 7519). During the 1980 field season Mattagami Lake Exploration Ltd collected 821 soil samples and 220 moss samples (Assessment Report 8814). During the 1981 field season a total of 1245 soil samples were collected by Mattagami on the Kathy claims. Trenching by D-8 Cat was conducted. A magnetometer survey and a VLF-EM survey were conducted.

In 1982, ESSO Minerals Canada conducted work a follow-up and to further evaluate soil geochemical data obtained in 1978. Work completed by Esso Resources Canada Limited on the BOLD 2 and 4 mineral claims in 1982 consisted of trenching geological mapping and sampling of the Boulder Creek showing. Bulldozer trenching attempted to discover the source of high grade mineralization in the main showing area.

In 2006, the Manson Creek Project was acquired by Skygold Ventures Ltd. Additional claims staked later in 2006 and in 2007, as part of a massive regional land-staking program. The Manson Creek claim group consisted of 125 contiguous claims covering an area of 55,812.04 hectares at the start of the 2008 field season (Assessment Report 30701). The claims included the MC 1-34 and 50-84 and the DMC 4-5 and 14-50.

In 2006 Skygold Ventures Ltd conducted heavy mineral sampling throughout their large Manson Creek (MC) Property.

Work completed by the Company in 2007 included 1:50,000 scale geological mapping, grid preparation and the collection of 1236 soil samples, 173 silt samples, 99 rock samples and 11 heavy mineral stream sediment samples. The heavy mineral stream sediment and silt sampling surveys identified strong gold anomalies along at least 20 separate drainages within the Project area. An apparent correlation between many of the anomalies and the trace of the Dunne Creek Fault and associated Dunne Creek listwanite unit was identified The soil survey grid was located south of Manson Creek, along the north slope of Blackjack Mountain and covered the inferred source area of a number of strong stream sediment gold anomalies identified in the 2006 field program.

The 2007 soil sampling area consisted of a grid area extending south from Manson Creek covering Skelton and Lost creeks and extending further south over the upper reaches of a tributary of Boulder Creek (just west of the Blackjack Mountain occurrence (093N 148)). The soil grid extended to the west over an unnamed north flowing tributary creek of Manson River, just east of the Black Hawk prospect (093N 022) (Assessment Report 298898). More detailed soil sampling was done in the Kathy area.

In 2008, work completed by Skygold included a diamond drilling program of eight holes for 1584.94 metres, regional reconnaissance rock sampling (160 samples), geological mapping and a geophysical airborne magnetic survey. The drilling occurred in the area of the Kathy showing (093N 030). The drilling program targeted the source of significant gold soil anomalies collected in 2007 as part of a detailed (200 metres line-spacing) soil sampling program. The soil anomaly includes values of up to 663 parts per billion gold and covers an area approximately 1500 metres by 700 metres of outcropping phyllite and listwanite altered ultramafic. No significant gold anomalies were reported from drilling.

In 2008, Canadian Mining Geophysics Ltd. (CMG) flew a helicopter-borne magnetic gradiometer and VLF-EM survey for Skygold over their Manson Creek property. The survey consisting of a 1580 line-kilometers was flown in September, 2008. This airborne survey covered the following MINFILE occurrences: Blackhawk (093N 022), Asp (093N 027), Berthold, (093N 028), Kathy (093N 0230), Kildare Gulch (093N 057) Lost Creek (093N 060), Manson River (093N 061), Boulder Creek (093N 088), AJM (093N 136), Bold 1(093N 137), Blackjack Mountain (093N 148), Bold 2 (093N 197), Of these Kildare Gulch, Manson River and Boulder Creek are placer deposits. Of these Lost Creek, Kildare Gulch, Manson River and Boulder Creek are placer deposits. See Assessment Report 30701 for a full report on the aeromagnetic survey.

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