A history of mining in the Bathurst area, northern New Brunswick, Canada

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 88, No. 994, 1995

William M. Luff, Brunswick Mining and Smelting Corporation Limited, Bathurst, New Brunswick

The Bathurst area has recorded mining production as early as 1837, although the bulk of the production has come in recent years. Production has been mainly from the well-known massive sulphide deposits, but vein, gossan, and a variety of other deposits have also been mined. This paper summarizes the history of the mined deposits, along with tonnages and grades produced. A number of "firsts" have been noted in the Bathurst area. The A Zone deposit, located in the Heath Steele area, was the first in the world discovered using airborne electromagnetic methods. Heap leaching of gold from the gossan zone at Caribou was the first operation of its kind in Canada. The Keymet mine was the first base metal (lead-zinc) mine in New Brunswick. For the past few years, the Brunswick No. 12 mine has been one of the largest zinc mines in the world.

Keywords: Bathurst area, History, Massive sulphide deposits, New Brunswick, Production.