Copper Queen Mine, Texada Island, Nanaimo Mining Division, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Copper Queen Mine	Mine
Texada Island	Island
Nanaimo Mining Division	Division
Vancouver Island	Island
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

Northern Texada Island is underlain by Karmutsen Formation pillowed and massive basaltic flows with thick units of pillowed breccias conformably overlain by massive limestone of the Quatsino Formation, both formations of the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group. Various stocks and minor intrusions (Middle Jurassic) ranging in composition from gabbro through diorite to quartz monzonite, intrude the volcanics and limestones, and are locally associated with iron and copper-gold skarn mineralization. A major episode of folding (F1) has resulted in the limestones and, to a lesser extent, the underlying volcanics, being deformed into a series of broad, northwest trending open folds that plunge northwards. Three subparallel northwest striking lineaments are also recognized and coincide with the Ideal, Holly and Marble Bay faults. These faults cut a set of northeast striking faults. The Marble Bay fault, and to a lesser extent the Ideal fault, have apparently controlled the emplacement of some of the Jurassic intrusions and their associated skarn mineralization.
The Copper Queen occurrence area is underlain by massive, recrystallized limestone of the Quatsino Formation intruded by several porphyritic diorite dykes and an occasional quartz diorite dyke. The Marble Bay fault occurs nearby to the southwest.
Mineralization at the Copper Queen mine consists of irregular pipe-like skarn bodies that plunge moderately, subparallel to the contacts between limestone and intrusive rocks. Two orebodies have been historically exploited by underground development and occur along the contacts of porphyritic diorite dykes and limestone. Mineralization consisting predominantly of bornite and chalcopyrite occurs in a gangue of garnet-diopside-calcite-epidote skarn and within cavities in limestone. The mineralized skarn is also observed to extend into the dykes. Less common minerals include tetrahedrite, molybdenite, native silver and native gold (Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 58, page 61).
The property produced intermittently between 1907 and 1917 during which 749 tonnes of ore yielded 32,417 kilograms of copper, 75,238 grams of silver and 9,891 grams of gold (Mineral Policy Data).
Production from 1902 to 1904 is included with Cornell (092F 112).

Other Databases

Link to British Columbia Minfile:	092F 271

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References