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Similco Mine

Producer in British Columbia, Canada with commodities Copper, Gold, Silver, Platinum
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Reserves and resources
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10038736
MRDS ID M046163
Record type Site
Current site name Similco Mine
Alternate or previous names Copper Mountain, Sunset Claim

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -120.46399, 49.32955 (WGS84)
Elevation 1200
Relative position 15 KM SOUTH OF PRINCETON, BC. 180 KM EAST OF VANCOUVER, BC.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Robinson Mountain OE N(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hope(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Geographic areas

Country State
Canada British Columbia

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Platinum Critical Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • GOLD CONTENTS DECREASE AND SILVER CONTENTS INCREASE FROM PIT 2 TO PIT 1 TO THE UNDERGROUND OREBODY. EXCEEDINGLY RARE GRAINS OF SPERRYLITE HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED IN POLISHED SECTION.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Sperrylite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Scapolite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Potassic Alteration, Propylitic Alteration. See Geology Comments.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Copper Mountain Stock;Lost Horse Complex;Copper Mountain Stock;Copper Mountain Stock;Copper Mountain Stock;Lost Horse Complex
    Rock description Copper Mountain Stock;Lost Horse Complex;Copper Mountain Stock;Copper Mountain Stock;Copper Mountain Stock;Lost Horse Complex
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Rock unit name Nicola Group;Nicola Group;Nicola Group;Nicola Group;Nicola Group
    Rock description Nicola Group;Nicola Group;Nicola Group;Nicola Group;Nicola Group

Nearby scientific data

(1) -120.46399, 49.32955
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description North-Trending High Angle Faults Form An Ancient Long-Lived Rift System, The Nicola Basin, That Extends From The U.S. Border To At Least 160 Km North.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Copper Mountain Is Dominated By Strong Easterly And Northwesterly Faulting. Folding Is Minor And Units Are Mostly Flat Lying Or Very Gently Dipping.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fine Grained Bedded Tuffs Are The Most Favorable Host Rock Because Of Their Propensity For Brittle Fracture. The Lost Horse Intrusive Is Considered To Have Been More Important In Localizing The Orebodies Than The Copper Mountain Stock.

Comments on the geologic information

  • ALTERATION COMMENTS: POTASSIC ALTERATION, PROPYLITIC ALTERATION. CONCENTRIC PATTERNS OF ROCK ALTERATION ABOUT INDIVIDUAL OREBODIES ARE NOT EVIDENT. DISTRIBUTION OF ALTERATION IS CONTROLLED BY FAULTS AND FRACTURES. EARLY FORMATION OF BIOTITE IS FOLLOWED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALBITE AND EPIDOTE AND THE DESTRUCTION OF BIOTITE AND MAGNETITE. K-FELDSPAR DEVELOPED ALONG FRACTURES IN THE LATEST STAGE OF ALTERATION. GEOLOGY COMMENTS: THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE NICOLA BASIN IN THE VICINITY OF THE SIMILCO MINE IS MARKED BY COARSE VOLCANIC BRECCIAS AND FLOWS INTRUDED BY COEVAL, COMAGMATIC, HIGH-LEVEL PLUTONS WITH SEVERAL ASSOCIATED COPPER DEPOSITS. THE MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE COPPER MOUNTAIN CAMP OCCUR CHIEFLY IN A NORTHWESTERLY TRENDING BELT OF NICOLA ROCKS, APPROXIMATELY 1,100 METERS WIDE AND 4300 METERS LONG, THAT IS BOUNDED ON THE SOUTH BY THE COPPER MOUNTAIN STOCK, ON THE WEST BY A MAJOR NORMAL FAULT SYSTEM KNOWN AS THE BOUNDARY FAULT, AND ON THE NORTH BY A COMPLEX OF DIORITIC TO SYENITIC
  • PORPHYRIES AND BRECCIAS KNOWN AS THE LOST HORSE COMPLEX. CU MINERALIZATION DIMINISHES MARKEDLY TO THE EAST, WHERE THE COPPER MOUNTAIN STOCK AND LOST HORSE COMPLEX DIVERGE SHARPLY.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1884
Discoverer Mr. Jameson, A Trapper.
Year of first production 1900
Production years 1900-1923 (SPORADIC); 1925-1930; 1937-1957; 1989-PRESENT (5/92)

Mining district

District name Similkameen

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Princeton Mining Corp.

Production statistics

  • Year 1930
    Period 1925-30
    Material ORE - CU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^1.08% Cu.
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.41 wt-pct Copper Major 1989
    Gold Au 0.059 g/mt Gold Major 1989

Comments on development

  • CU FIRST DISCOVERED IN THE AREA BY A TRAPPER NAMED JAMESON, BUT IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1892 THAT R.A. BROWN STAKED THE SUNSET CLAIM THAT LATER BECAME THE CENTER OF THE COPPER MOUNTAIN MINE. EXPLORATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS AT PRODUCTION WERE CARRIED OUT BY VARIOUS COMPANIES UP TO 1923, WHEN THE GRANBY CONSOLIDATED MINING, SMELTING, AND POWER COMPANY ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY. GRANBY EXTRACTED 31,552,000 TONNES OF ORE GRADING 1.08% CU FROM THE OREBODIES EAST OF THE RIVER IN THE PERIODS 1925-30 AND 1937-57. MOST OF THIS ORE CAME FROM GLORY-HOLE AND UNDERGROUND MINING, BUT INCLUDED ARE 1,955,910 TONNES GRADING 0.76% CU FROM SEVERAL OPEN PITS MINED FROM 1952-57. IN DECEMBER, 1967, NEWMONT MINING CORPORATION OF CANADA PURCHASED GRANBY'S ENTIRE MINING INTERESTS IN THE DISTRICT. THIS PURCHASE, COUPLED WITH PRIOR AND SUBSEQUENT LAND ACQUISITIONS, ENABLED NEWMONT TO CONSOLIDATE THE INGERBELLE AND COPPER MOUNTAIN OREBODIES UNDER ITS WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY, SIMILKAMEEN MINING COMPANY.
  • GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS, TRENCHING, AND DRILLING WERE CONTINUED BY SIMILKAMEEN FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS BEFORE PRODUCTION PLANS FOR THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT WERE FINALIZED. PRODUCTION FROM THE INGERBELLE OREBODY COMMENCED IN 1972. ; ECON.COM: ORE IS NEAR SURFACE AND CAN BE DEVELOPED WITH AN APPROXIMATE STRIP RATIO OF 0.6:1.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    FAHRNI, K.C., ET AL, 1976, COPPER MOUNTAIN AND INGERBELLE, IN BROWN, A., ED., PORPHYRY DEPOSITS OF THE CANADIAN CORDILLERA, CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY, SPECIAL VOLUME 15, P. 368-375.

  • Deposit

    GEORGE CROSS NEWSLETTER, 8/1/90.

  • Deposit

    BRITISH COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES BULLETIN 59.

  • Deposit

    O'NEILL AND GUNNING, 1934, PLATINUM DEPOSITS IN CANADA: CANADA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ECON. GEOL. REPT. 13, P. 103.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PIT 1. TWO ADDITIONAL AREAS OF SIGNIFICANT MINERALIZATION HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS OF 1989: 1) THE ORIOLE AREA LIES ALONG THE MAIN FAULT SE OF THE HISTORIC UNDERGROUND MINE. DRILL INDICATED GRADES ARE ON THE ORDER OF 0.5% CU. 2) THE ALABAMA-VIRGINIA AREA IS HOSTED BY LOST HORSE INTRUSIVES NORTH OF THE MILL. DRILL INDICATED GRADES ARE ON THE ORDER OF 0.3% CU.
Deposit THREE OREBODIES WERE KNOWN IN 1976 AT SIMILCO: 1) HISTORIC UNDERGROUND PRODUCTION OCCURRED ALONG A ZONE OF CU MINERALIZATION WHICH EXTENDS FOR 1,160 METERS ALONG THE CONTACT OF THE COPPER MOUNTAIN STOCK, AND REACHES A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 330 METERS. ORE IS CONCENTRATED AT INTERSECTIONS OF EITHER THE NORTHWEST-TRENDING DIORITE CONTACT, OR THE MAIN FAULT AND ITS BRANCHES, OR A SERIES OF STEEPLY DIPPING EAST-WEST LOST HORSE PORPHYRY DIKES WITH NORTHEAST-TRENDING FAULTS AND PEGMATITE-SHEETED ZONES. MINERALIZATION PENETRATED ONLY A METER OR SO INTO THE DIORITE OF THE STOCK. THE FORM OOF THE OREBODY SEGMENTS WAS PIPE-LIKE IN MANY PLACES, AS A RESULT OF THEIR CONTROL BY STEEP PLANAR ELEMENTS AND DIVISION BY A SERIES OF BARREN N-S TRENDING FELSIC DIKES. THE DIAMETER OF THE SEGMENTS THAT WERE MINED RANGED FROM ABOUT 15 TO 60 METERS. ORE MINERALS WERE BORNITE AND CHALCOPYRITE IN ROUGHLY EQUAL PROPORTIONS, WITH MOST OF THE BORNITE OCCURRING WITHIN 60 METERS OF THE STOCK CONTACT. 2) THE PIT 1
Deposit OREBODY LIES IN A CHALCOPYRITE ZONE IMMEDIATELY NW OF THE UNDERGROUND MINE. IT IS 700 METERS LONG AND UP TO 270 METERS WIDE, WITH OPEN PIT ORE EXTENDING TO A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 170 METERS. THE BULK OF THE ORE WAS EMPLACED ALONG THE MAIN FAULT. SULFIDES OCCUR AS DISSEMINATIONS OF CHALCOPYRITE AND PYRITE AND ONLY RARELY AS BLEBS AND STRINGERS. MINERALIZATION AT THE WEST END OF THE OREBODY, BETWEEN THE STOCK CONTACT AND THE FAULT, CONSISTS TYPICALLY OF THIN FRACTURE COATINGS OF BORNITE AND CHALCOPYRITE IN A FINE GRAINED TUFF BED. 3) THE PIT 2 OREBODY IS 900 METERS LONG, 90-360 METERS WIDE, AND HAS A MINEABLE DEPTH OF 170 METERS. IT LIES ALONG AN IRREGULAR AND INDISTINCT CONTACT OF VOLCANIC ROCKS WITH LOST HORSE INTRUSIVE ROCKS, BOTH ROCK TYPES BEING HOST TO ORE. SULFIDES ARE PREDOMINANTLY CHALCOPYRITE AND PYRITE. BORNITE IS RARE. ALTHOUGH FINE DISSEMINATIONS AND FRACTURE COATINGS OF SULFIDE ORE ARE COMMON, THE PIT 2 OREBODY HAS A MUCH GREATER PROPORTION OF COARSE BLEBS AND VEINLETS THAN

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1975 Blair, Will N. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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