Folded schist beds Quartz Vein
Virtual Museum ID: 19-BCGS-AGM1
Specimen Summary
Schist is a medium-grade strongly foliated metamorphic rock formed from mudstone or shale. Must have more than 50% platy and elongated minerals(micas/talc) to be considered a schist according to Cambridge Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils.
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral on Earth, occurring in many different types of rocks. Although usually clear or milky white in colour, quartz can be found in a variety of colours because of impurities in the crystal structure. Pure quartz is made up of silicon and oxygen only, but atoms of other elements, like iron or titanium, often make their way into the quartz crystal structure. Some varieties of quartz, like purple amethyst, are considered to be semi-precious gemstones and have been used since ancient times to make jewellery and decorative objects.
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:
British Columbia Geological Survey (BCGS)Sub Collection:
-Collection ID:
AGM1Virtual Museum ID:
19-BCGS-AGM1Accessibility:
Date Added to VM:
2019-05-07Location Information
Sample Origin:
N side of Cayoosh Creek, B.C.Specific Site:
Ample ProspectUTM Easting:
567363UTM Northing:
5610875Datum:
10 (NAD 83)Coordinate Accuracy:
Specimen Details
VM Category:
RockPrimary Features:
Folded schist beds Quartz VeinPrimary Mineral Formula:
-Primary Category:
oxideSecondary 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:
Bridge River Complex (Group)Geological Period:
Mississippian to JurassicStratigraphic Age:
358.9 - 145.0 MaGeological Belt:
Coast CrystallineGeological Terrane:
Bridge RiverMinfile ID:
092JNE069Site Details:
The Ample (Lot 335) prospect is located on the north side of Cayoosh Creek, immediately west of the confluence of Phair Creek. The town of Lillooet, British Columbia, lies 9 kilometres to the northeast.
Regionally, the area is underlain by sedimentary rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Brew Group and Jurassic to Cretaceous Cayoosh Assemblage, and marine sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Mississippian to Jurassic Bridge River Complex. A shear zone, thought to be related to a regional thrust fault, separates argillite and sandstone of the Lower Cretaceous Brew Group and Jurassic to Cretaceous Cayoosh Assemblage from overlying Mississippian to Jurassic Bridge River Complex metasediments and schists.
At the Ample adits, bedrock consists of phyllites, quartz-biotite-hornblende schists and quartzites, with the adits being driven along a zone of faulting in the schistose-phyllitic unit overlain by a more competent quartzite. The zone is 10 metres wide and has been traced for approximately 300 metres. Randomly orientated quartz veins, up to 0.3 metres wide, are hosted in the zone along with rotated and folded schists beds. Mineralization consists of pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite occurring within the quartz and schistose material. Graphite, calcite, siderite and epsomite are also reported. Another zone of mineralization is reported on the Dave claims, located at a similar elevation on the south side of Cayoosh Creek.
In 1974, samples from adits and talus reportedly assayed up to 9.6 grams per tonne gold, whereas select samples of sulphide material assayed greater than 34.2 grams per tonne gold (Property File - G.P.E. White [1975-02-19]: Letters Re: Ample Group).
In 1995, a sample of ore material (mostly arsenopyrite) taken from the old mill site is reported to have yielded 25.03 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 23945).
In 1999, a 2.7-metre chip sample (141013) from the Ample mine area assayed 16.1 grams per tonne gold, whereas a 1.0-metre chip sample (141045 and 141046) from the no.3 adit assayed 9.2 grams per tonne gold (Property File - Gold-Ore Resources Ltd. [1999-12-23]: Report on the 1998 and 1999 Mineral Exploration Programs - Geology, Soil Geochemistry, Prospecting and Diamond Drilling - Ample/Goldmax Property).
The Ample (L.335) occurrence was explored by three tunnels and an incline, now water filled, for approximately 80 metres on the Gem claim (Lot 525 - forfeited February 6, 1991) between 1897 and 1905. The main portals are at an elevation of approximately 1132 metres. The work was done by either the Alpha-Bell Company or the Toronto-Lillooet Gold Reef Company. In 1905, the property was consolidated and one of the tunnels extended to 77 metres. In 1932, the showing was held by Lillooet and Cariboo Gold Fields Syndicate.
In 1994 and 1995, a program of prospecting and soil sampling was completed. In 1996, nine diamond drill holes, totalling approximately 1800 metres, tested a 600 by 100 metre gold-in-soil anomaly. In 1997, Homestake Canada Inc. drilled 14 holes, totalling 2728 metres, on the Cougar zone. Drilling in 1998 brought total drilling to 21 holes totalling 4200 metres. Gold-Ore Resources Limited optioned the property in 1998 and completed a nine-hole, 907-metre drill program in 1999. This work was primarily on the Ample-Goldmax zone to the east. In 2002, Quartz Mountain Resources optioned the Ample-Goldmax property. In 2004, Canadian Resources House acquired the property.
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