Sunrise Prospect, North Fork of the Sultan River, Sultan Mining District, Snohomish County, Washington, USAi

Regional Level Types
Sunrise Prospect	Prospect
North Fork of the Sultan River	Mountain
Sultan Mining District	Mining District
Snohomish County	County
Washington	State
USA	Country

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A copper prospect on the south side of Vesper Peak. The ore occurred as blebs of sulfides in a large breccia zone in metasediments. Pockets up to several feet in diameter occurred, occasionally with clear quartz crystals. It was developed by around 5000' of underground workings throughout several adits and 17,000' of core drilling. Most of the work was done by Bren Mac Mines.

Porphyry Cu-Mo deposit located along Vesper Creek.
Structure: Breccia Pipe

Alteration: Propylitic (In Wall Rock), Weak Potassic, Phyllic (In Pipe)

Tectonics: Cascade Volcanic Arc

Commodity: Analysis of a concentrate yielded bi. Deposit also possibly contains re

Deposit: MRDS RECORD D000692 HAS BEEN MERGED WITH THIS RECORD AND DELETED DEPOSIT HAS BEEN GIVEN THE INFORMAL NAME OF A BRECCIA PIPE CU DEPOSIT, FOR WHICH THERE IS NO PUBLISHED MODEL. MINERALIZATION IS PREDOMINANTLY FOUND IN THE BRECCIA PIPE, BUT EXTENDS OUTWARD FROM IT IN DISSEMINATIONS. A PORPHYRY COPPER IS PRESUMED AT DEPTH From Derkey and others (1990, p. 366) The property has been explored extensively and includes 17,338 ft of diamond drilling, 800 ft of percussion drilling, 3,728 ft of underground adits, 557 ft of drifts, and 1,256 ft of cross-cuts. Metallurgical testing of bulk samples was completed in 1971. The most recent evaluation was done by Brenmac. Companies that explore the pipe prior to Brenmac include Century Explorations Inc., Bear Creek Mining Co., and Malaspina Mining Co. The property consists of four lode claims and surrounding state leases. The four claims are the Elderado (sometimes called Eldorado), Oxdental (sometimes referred to as Oxedental, Occidental, or Oxidental), the Quaker City, the Wall Street, and the Sultan Basin Mining Co. mill site.

Deposit type: Porphyry Cu-Mo

Development: Breccia pipe explored to a depth of 3,300 ft

Geology: From Derkey and others (1990, p. 366) The Sunrise breccia pipe is genetically related to Oligocene intrusive rocks, which crop out north of the pipe. Quartz diorite fragments increase in abundance with depth. The elliptical pipe was delineated by drilling and underground exploration. The exposed vertical extent of the pipe extends from an elevation of 5,000 ft to 3,000 ft (the elevation of the exploration adit). At an elevation of 5,000 ft, the pipe is 200 ft by 700 ft; at 3,000 ft, the dimensions are 350 ft by 900 ft. The cross-sectional area of the pipe continues to increase with depth. The pipe plunges at an angle of minus 70 degrees to the south. From Derkey and others (1990, p. 366) Fragments in the Sunrise breccia pipe are 1 in. to several feet across; ore minerals line intersticies. Mineralization (mainly chalcopyrite and molybdenite) also occurs as disseminations in fragments and in fractured wall rocks adjacent to the pipe. The amount of disseminated chalcopyrite increases in quartz diorite with increasing depth. Fragments in breccia and country rock are hornfelsed. Two periods of brecciation are recognized; late east-northeast-trending high-angle faults offset breccia contacts. The Sunrise breccia pipe contains 71 million tons of measured, indicated, and inferred ore reserves averaging 0.319% Cu and 0.071% MoS2 (1972 data). Underground drilling (1,322 ft) indicated an average grade of 0.062% WO3; thirty chip samples ranged 0.04%-0.07% WO3. Assays ranged from 0.002 to 0.006 oz/ton Au and from 0.049 to 0.088 oz/ton Ag. A copper-molybdenite concentrate assayed 0.40% Pb, 0.80% Zn, and 0.18% Bi. From Derkey and others (1990, p. 366) The Sunrise breccia pipe is elliptical in plan and is elongate northwest. The pipe cuts Eastern Melange rocks (Tabor and others, 1988) consisting of Jurassic greenstone, greywacke, and argillite. The breccia pipe lies 1,000 ft south of the Vesper Peak stock and is thought to be genetically related to that stock. Emplacement of the breccia pipe is thought to have been controled by an east-northeast-trending system of fracturing and sheeting (Glacier Peak belt).

Rock formation(s): Vesper Peak Stock;Vesper Peak Stock
Eastern Melange Belt;Sunrise Breccia Pipe;Eastern Melange Belt;Eastern Melange Belt


Ore(s): Brecciation Of Country Rock

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

23 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded