Gold in the Canadian Cordillera

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 73, No. 818, 1980

D.A. BARR, Du Pont of Canada Exploration Limited Vancouver, B.C.

Most of the lode and placer gold production in the Canadian Cordillera has been derived from mines and placers in the In-termontane and Omineca belts. Gold has been produced from rocks of Precambrian to Eocene age, but the preferred host environment contains Upper Paleozoic to Upper Jurassic eugeosynclinal or arc-type sedimentary and volcanic rocks adjacent to plutonic complexes which have a wide variety in both size and composition. Auriferous quartz lodes occur in fissures and shear zones which are commonly subsidiary to strong fault zones. In common with most vein-type deposits, structural complexities are an essential part of the mine environment.Gold production from the Canadian Cordillera to the end of 1978 totals 35.0 million ounces, of which 47 per cent has been produced from placer mining, principally in the Klondike and Cariboo districts. The balance has been derived from lode gold (80 per cent) and base metal (20 per cent) mines.Gold reserves in producing mines and deposits committed for production as of January 1, 1978 were 87.4 tons, or 21.6 per cent of total Canadian gold reserves contained in all types of deposits.

Mots Clés: Gold deposits, Cordillera, Placer gold, Lode gold, Pioneer Mine, Bralorne Mine, Rossland Camp, Silbak Mine, Premier Mine, Hedley Camp, Barkerville Camp, Sheep Creek, Ymir district, Surf Inlet Mine, Zeballos Camp, Brandywine Mine, Northair Mines Carolin Mines, Cinola deposit, Ore controls.