Merry Widow Mine, Port McNeill, Nanaimo Mining Division, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Merry Widow Mine	Mine (Inactive)
Port McNeill	Town
Nanaimo Mining Division	Division
Vancouver Island	Island
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

The Merry Widow Mine, which Minfile lists as a past producer, is located on Merry Widow Mountain, about 28 kilometres south-southwest of the small settlement of Port McNeill and 277 kilometres north-west of Nanaimo, British Columbia, in the Nanaimo Mining Division. It is the principal deposit of several past producers which form part of a single complex. See also Minfile No. 092L 045 (Kingfisher), 092L 046 (Raven) and others.
There is an extensive description of the deposit on the British Columbia “Minfile” site, current to 2022, to which interested readers are referred. Relevant portions pertaining to the geology of the region and deposit are presented here:
“Regionally, the area is underlain by basaltic volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group), which are overlain sequentially by limestone of the Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group); limestone, mudstone and siltstone of the Upper Triassic Parson Bay Formation (Bonanza Group) and mixed volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Lower Jurassic LeMare Lake volcanic unit (Bonanza Group). The volcanic and sedimentary rocks have been intruded by gabbro to quartz diorite of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite.
The deposit occurs as 3 stacked lenses containing massive magnetite within Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group volcaniclastics and underlying Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Quatsino Formation limestone. The occurrence lies several hundred metres east of the diorite to gabbro Coast Copper or Benson Lake stock of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite.
The sediments and volcanics are north to northwest striking and west dipping. The intrusion has locally modified attitudes. The north striking intrusive contact dips 90 to 70 degrees eastward; but in the vicinity of the open pit it dips only 55 degrees east. Contact metamorphism of limestone is limited to recrystallization, with destruction of bedding features. The volcanic rocks (clastics, pyroclastics and flows) are hornfelsed with local lenses of garnet-epidote-actinolite-diopside-chlorite skarn. Intrusive greenstone sills, dikes and masses, and crosscutting dikes of andesite, alaskite, diabase and granodiorite are present. Northeast trending faults, dipping south, predominate.”
“Magnetite mineralization in the lenses is massive, with sharp contacts when enclosed by limestone. Contacts with volcanic and intrusive rocks are less distinct, with disseminated magnetite occurring at some distance away from the massive lenses, giving a gradational change in magnetite distribution. Bedding structures can in places be traced into magnetite. Ore locally passes outward into stringers along bedding planes or follows dikes and sills in limestone. Botryoidal structures are present, suggesting emplacement at low pressure and temperature by "gel metasomatism" (Open File 1988-28, page 44 [Hancock, 1988; see also Stevenson and Jeffery, 1964]).
Small amounts of arsenopyrite with pyrrhotite, sphalerite, marcasite, cuprite, chalcopyrite and calcite are reported. A north striking fault south of the open pit hosts small amounts of iron and copper sulphides and cobaltite with cobalt bloom (erythrite). Minor pyrite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite accompanied by quartz are present. Jefferey [sic – Jeffery] (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1960, page 97) believes this latter mineralization to be later than the magnetite, and that the orebody is the result of successive mineralizing periods of silicates (skarn), oxides, sulphides and carbonate emplacement. Commercial ore has developed where the intrusive contact has locally the lowest dip, and where the bulge in the intrusion has caused a change in the strike of the layered rocks. In addition, northeast striking faults are believed to localize mineralization (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1960, page 97).”
The plutonic rocks in the Merry Widow area have yielded several radiometric dates. Carson (1973) noted that “The age of 179.5±8 m.y. [Ma] for skarn related to the Coast Copper Stock is the oldest yet obtained on Vancouver Island.” This determination was by the K-Ar method on phlogopite. The Coast Copper Stock is also known as the Merry Widow Pluton; Nixon et al. (2011) dated the quartz diorite and granodiorite phases of the pluton by U-Pb zircon analyses which yielded dates of 197.4±0.5 and 197.1±0.3 Ma respectively. An interesting postulation was put forward by Laird (2006) who wrote that “It seems likely that a Jurassic iron skarn deposit (185 my) has been over-printed by a much younger gold-arsenic-cobalt deposition (35 my), contrary to common beliefs of a one-phase Jurassic deposition.” There is no available information to test this hypothesis.
The Merry Widow, Kingfisher and Raven deposits were mined for iron between 1957 and 1967; official British Columbia government records state that a total of 3,371,815 tonnes of iron ore were produced in this period.
There are two recent resource estimates for the non-Fe resource at the Merry Widow property. Giroux and Raven (2008) estimated, based on a 0.50 g/t [gram per tonne] cutoff grade, totals of:
Measured – 340,000 tonnes grading 2.34 g/t Au, 6.72 g/t Ag, 0.44% Cu, 0.014% Co;
Indicated – 610,000 tonnes grading 1.86 g/t Au, 5.03 g/t Ag, 0.29% Cu, 0.013% Co; and
Inferred – 120,000 tonnes grading 1.19 g/t Au, 2.77 g/t Ag, 0.13% Cu, 0.008% Co.
More recently, Bird (2023) calculated an Inferred Resource, based on an arbitrary “NSR [net smelter return] cutoff of 30$C. Her estimate was:
594,019 tonnes grading 3.515 g/t Au and 0.505% Cu.

Giles Peatfield comments on the minerals reported:
The reported mineralogy of the Merry Widow property is complex, including several species of collector interest. I have chosen to comment on all minerals reported, with some extended discussions of minerals of particular interest.
Amphibole group: Most workers reported actinolite. Stevenson and Jeffery (1964) also mentioned tremolite. The photo attached to this posting shows a specimen, from Lloyd Twaite’s collection, of a finely crystalline amphibole that according to the attached note was analyzed by the Rruff Project as ferro-actinolite.
Annabergite?: This was listed by Laird (2006) but not mentioned by any other worker. It is certainly possible, but I would class it as tentative because there are no other Ni minerals reported from the property.
Apatite: Both Lund (1966) and Ettlinger and Ray (1989) reported “apatite” but neither gave any more specific data.
Arsenic: This is the mineral of main collector interest at Merry Widow. It was listed by Laird (2006) and the implication is that he was the first collector. Several specimens are extant in private collections; one of these specimens is shown on a photograph attached hereto. The question of a more precise location of the specimen collection is answered in an email from Tony Steede to David Joyce, via a forwarded email from J. Doug Scott, dated 21 February 2024. Tony wrote that his specimens were self-collected during a Walker Mineralogical Club trip to Vancouver Island. To quote his email: “As I recall, the specimens came from a vertical face in the wall of the pit that was the furthest from the entrance. The vein was not within reach of the floor of the pit so it was reasonably dangerous collecting with very poor footing.” It is interesting that none of the earlier workers saw this vein or mentioned elemental arsenic.
Arsenopyrite: This is a minor constituent of the ores, mentioned by all workers.
Azurite: This is not common here, but was reported by Wittur (1961) and Ettlinger and Ray (1989).
Bornite: Dixon (1989) reported bornite at the Raven pit, with cuprite and chalcopyrite.
Calcite: This was reported by most workers; Lund (1966) made the point that it was often “coarsely crystalline”.
Chalcocite: Pandur (2020) described small (5 to 50 micron) crystals of chalcocite in what was described as “Quartz vein with abundant pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite” from Merry Widow.
Chalcopyrite: This is common, reported by all workers.
Chlorite group: Several workers reported chlorite, but none gave any specific data.
Clinozoisite: This was reported by Lund (1966) in a feldspar-pyroxene breccia; it was X-ray confirmed.
Cobaltite: Dixon (1989), describing polished sections of sulfide-bearing material from the Merry Widow Main Zone, wrote that “Cobaltite occurs as large pinkish grey euhedral crystalline masses and often hosts gold in the Merry Widow Main Zone. The cobaltite is overgrown on its margins by chalcopyrite and is not a major constituent in the Main Zone.” As noted below for gold, several specimens have found their way onto the collector market. The Pacific Museum of Earth at the University of British Columbia has several specimens of Merry Widow cobaltite in its collection. See also the photo attached hereto.
Cuprite: Dixon (1989) reported cuprite at the Raven pit, with bornite and chalcopyrite. Lund (1966) had earlier identified chalcotrochite [cuprite] by X-ray powder photography.
Epidote: This is common here, reported by all workers.
Erythrite: Small amounts of erythrite, presumably derived from cobaltite, have been reported by several workers.
Feldspar group: There have been many reports of feldspars, with mention of plagioclase (several types), orthoclase and microcline. Lund (1966) reported an X-ray confirmed albite.
Garnet group: Several workers reported garnets, generally mentioning andradite, “brown garnet” or “andradite-grossularite” (Lund, 1966). Ettlinger and Ray (1989) gave more detail, describing pyroxene hornfels with “Garnets [that] typically have isotropic cores of end-member andradite grading outward to anisotropic grossularitic rims . . . .”
Gold: Native gold has been collected as thin flakes attached to cobaltite crystals – see posted photograph. Several specimens have found their way onto the collector market.
Ilmenite: Ettlinger and Ray (1989) reported ilmenite in the gabbro phase of the intrusive at Merry Widow.
Ilvaite: Lund (1966), describing magnetite from Merry Widow, wrote that “Clear calcite rhombs have been found in a partially filled cavity with associated small well formed prisms of ilvaite and cubes of pyrite.”
Limonite: Ettlinger and Ray (1989) reported “gossan”, by which they presumably meant limonite.
Löllingite: This is reported by Richard Gunter, based on an analysis by Franz Bernhard – see the note attached to the photograph posted here.
Magnetite: Magnetite was the principal mineral of economic interest in the mining stage at Merry Widow. In fact, the presence of sulfides was considered deleterious; describing the Raven Pit, Lund (1966) commented that “High sulphide content made the deposit uneconomic and after extracting about 20,000 tons of ore the deposit was abandoned.” As noted above, there has been a suggestion that at least some of the magnetite formed by so-called “gel-metasomatism” (Hancock, 1988). The Pacific Museum of Earth at the University of British Columbia has specimens of Merry Widow magnetite in its collection.
Malachite: This is not common here, but was reported by Wittur (1961) and Ettlinger and Ray (1989).
Marcasite: Wittur (1966) described marcasite as a supergene alteration of pyrrhotite. Dixon (1989) noted it in material from the nearby Bluebird occurrence.
Mica group: Lund (1966) mentioned both sericite and biotite. Carson (1973) used phlogopite for K-Ar dating of skarn.
Prehnite: Lund (1966) described this as a late stage alteration mineral filling fractures.
Pyrite: This is a common constituent of the ores.
Pyroxene group: There have been several pyroxene references for the area, most commonly “diopside”. Lund (1966), describing a feldspathic breccia unit with equant pyroxene grains, wrote that “X-ray powder photographs and optical properties confirm pyroxene as augite.”
Pyrrhotite: This is common at Merry Widow, often in substantial masses with pyrite and chalcopyrite.
Quartz: This is common as an accessory mineral in several rock types.
Realgar: This was listed by Laird (2006). Richard Gunter, in an email to Giles Peatfield dated 15 February 2024, mentioned that the botryoidal arsenic specimen he acquired from Laird in 2006 came from a calcite vein surrounded by a shell of realgar, presumably basing this on Laird’s description.
Scorodite?: This was listed by Laird (2006) but not mentioned by any other worker. It is certainly possible, but I would class it as tentative pending a positive identification.
Sphalerite: This is common, especially in the Kingfisher and Raven orebodies. Dixon (1989) presented photomicrographs of fine exsolution “stars” of sphalerite in chalcopyrite.
Tellurobismuthite: This was identified by Dixon (1989), who wrote that “Associated with the gold is a Bi-telluride, possibly tellurobismuthite (Bi2Te3) occurring as a soft grey mass on the margins of the gold. This phase is anisotropic like the gold, and was identified in sample MW Laird Zone 1 with the SEM/EDS . . . . The identification of this mineral was achieved through the comparison of other EDS printouts until a match with a known standard was made. Tellurobismuthite in both samples is in direct contact with gold and occurs in the same fracture filling as the gold.” Note that Laird (2006) spelled the mineral name incorrectly as tellurobismuthinite.
Titanite: Lund (1966) noted “sphene” as an accessory mineral in several rock types.
Zircon: As noted above, Nixon et al. (2011) dated the quartz diorite and granodiorite phases of the pluton by U-Pb zircon analyses.
Zoisite: This was reported in skarn by Stevenson and Jeffery (1964) and in a feldspar-pyroxene breccia by Lund (1966).

Giles Peatfield comments on the rock types reported:
The rock types listed are taken from numerous reports. I have chosen not to comment individually on the various units.

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Link to British Columbia Minfile:	092L 044

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References