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Pellaire occurrence, Taseko Lake Area, Clinton Mining Division, British Columbia, Canadai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Pellaire occurrence | Occurrence |
| Taseko Lake Area | Area |
| Clinton Mining Division | Division |
| British Columbia | Province |
| Canada | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
51° 5' 48'' North , 123° 36' 21'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
The following quote is from Minfile:
"The Pellaire occurrence is located on a ridge east of Falls River, approximately 3 kilometres west of the north end of the lower Taseko Lake.
In the Upper Taseko Lakes area, south of the Tchaikazan fault, strata are comprised of intimately interbedded volcanic, volcaniclastic and clastic sedimentary rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Taylor Creek Group. Intrusive rocks of the Jurassic to Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex truncate the stratified rocks to the south and southwest.
The Pellaire occurrence area covers a contact zone between Coast Plutonic Complex biotite-hornblende granodiorite and volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Taylor Creek Group. Auriferous quartz veins are primarily within a lobe of granodiorite extending northwards into both flows and pyroclastics that are well- altered to a siliceous hornfels over a distance of approximately 800 metres. Sedimentary lithologies are similarly hornfelsed but are not as extensive. The quartz veins extend beyond the volcanic/ intrusive contact for only a short distance in the volcanics but their associated fault/shear structures extend a considerable distance.
A total of at least 10 veins (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, A, B, South, South East and Zero) have been discovered in the area. Veins 1 through 5 and the A and B veins are located with in the main mine area and extend for a distance of approximately 1000 metres south to the Zero vein. Two other veins, the East and South East, have been identified on a ridge to the east. The No. 3 vein (750 metres long by 3 metres wide) is the main structure; the No. 4 and No. 5 veins are splays off it. The main veins strike east or northeast with 30 to 60 degree dips to the north or northwest toward the volcanic/intrusive contact. On surface, vein widths vary from 0.3 to 7.7 metres and are exposed for up to 225 metres strike length. Drilling has indicated that some veins extend at least 182 metres down-dip.
The quartz veins are found along steeply dipping, southeast- verging reverse faults that juxtapose rocks of the Taylor Creek Group against the granodiorite. Extreme sericitic alteration of both the Taylor Group and the adjacent granodiorite occurs around the veins and is likely related to vein formation rather than to intrusion. Quartz veins are hosted by granodiorite. Basic dikes cut, and are cut by, veins. Grade increases where veins or dikes intersect veins or dikes.
The veins are composed of limonite and occasionally malachite-stained friable quartz with voids of weathered-out sulphides, dominantly pyrite with lesser chalcopyrite. Fault gouge selvages are common as is gouge within the veins. Gouge most often appears to have been granodiorite but occasionally appears to have been quartz. As reported by Warren (1947[b]), the veins carry less than 3 per cent metallic minerals, which include in approximate order of abundance: pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite, hessite, altaite, pyrrhotite, magnetite, bornite, gold, tetradymite, cosalite, antimony and wehrlite. The hessite, which carries the bulk of the precious metal, occurs veining quartz, pyrite and chalcopyrite, and as disseminations in these minerals and in galena, tetradymite and wehrlite. Some of the gold is residual and has been left behind in veins and pockets after hessite.
Associated with each vein is a wide sericite alteration zone. Pervasive sericitization is very strong near veins with a decrease to weak sericite development in feldspars in the outer fringes of the zone. In places wallrocks are intensely silicified and carry pyrite. Carbonate is common in minor quartz veins but weathering has obscured whether it was present in the main veins.”
Unfortunately, the Minfile compiler does not seem to have read Warren’s 1947b paper carefully. In fact, tetradymite, cosalite and wehrlite (now known as pilsenite) are not reported by him as occurring at Pellaire. Warren’s cosalite was X-ray confirmed at the Harrison (Deer Horn) property (See Mindat “Harrison Group (Deer Horn), Lindquist Lake”); tetradymite was also noted at Harrison; wehrlite (pilsenite) was noted and X-ray confirmed at the Charlie deposit (Minfile No. 092O 043), about 10 kilometres north-northwest of Pellaire. Both hessite and altaite at Pellaire were X-ray confirmed (Thompson, 1949).
One last point of interest. O’Grady (1938) describes the discovery of the occurrence – as he called it the “Hi Do” deposit. In this report, he describes “a 28-inch band of oxidized quartz containing sulphide casts, disseminated garnet crystals, and rare specks of pyrite and molybdenite.” Warren (1947) does not mention molybdenite, and it is hard indeed to believe that Harry Warren would not know molybdenite if he saw it! Was this in fact altaite?
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Altaite Formula: PbTe |
| ⓘ Arsenopyrite Formula: FeAsS |
| ⓘ Azurite Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Bornite Formula: Cu5FeS4 |
| ⓘ Chalcocite Formula: Cu2S |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ Covellite Formula: CuS |
| ⓘ Galena Formula: PbS |
| ⓘ Hessite Formula: Ag2Te |
| ⓘ 'Limonite' |
| ⓘ Magnetite Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| ⓘ Malachite Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Native Antimony Formula: Sb |
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Pyrrhotite Formula: Fe1-xS |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Sphalerite Formula: ZnS |
| ⓘ 'Tetrahedrite Subgroup' Formula: Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| ⓘ | Native Antimony | 1.CA.05 | Sb |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Chalcocite | 2.BA.05 | Cu2S |
| ⓘ | Bornite | 2.BA.15 | Cu5FeS4 |
| ⓘ | Hessite | 2.BA.60 | Ag2Te |
| ⓘ | Covellite | 2.CA.05a | CuS |
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrrhotite | 2.CC.10 | Fe1-xS |
| ⓘ | Altaite | 2.CD.10 | PbTe |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| ⓘ | Arsenopyrite | 2.EB.20 | FeAsS |
| ⓘ | 'Tetrahedrite Subgroup' | 2.GB.05 | Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Azurite | 5.BA.05 | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Malachite | 5.BA.10 | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| C | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| O | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| S | ⓘ Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Chalcocite | Cu2S |
| S | ⓘ Covellite | CuS |
| S | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
| S | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| S | ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup | Cu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Fe | ⓘ Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcocite | Cu2S |
| Cu | ⓘ Covellite | CuS |
| Cu | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup | Cu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S |
| Zn | Zinc | |
| Zn | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| As | Arsenic | |
| As | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Ag | Silver | |
| Ag | ⓘ Hessite | Ag2Te |
| Sb | Antimony | |
| Sb | ⓘ Native Antimony | Sb |
| Sb | ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup | Cu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S |
| Te | Tellurium | |
| Te | ⓘ Altaite | PbTe |
| Te | ⓘ Hessite | Ag2Te |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Altaite | PbTe |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
Other Databases
| Link to British Columbia Minfile: | 092O 045 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
- Coast MountainsMountain Range
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Coast plutonic complexVolcanic Arc
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