Rambler-Cariboo Group mine, McGuigan Creek, Sandon, Slocan Mining Division, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Rambler-Cariboo Group mine	Mine
McGuigan Creek	- not defined -
Sandon	- not defined -
Slocan Mining Division	Division
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

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Situated in Rambler Creek Basin, Southern tributary to McGuigan Creek.
Polymetallic Ag-Pb-Zn-(Au-Cd-Cu-Sb) veins.
Host rocks : quartzite and argillites with interbedded slates and limestones (Triassic Slocan Group) with aplitic dikes and sills.
What has been variously called the Rambler mine or the Rambler-Cariboo Group mine is located near the headwaters McGuigan Creek, about 4.6 kilometres north-east of the famous mining town of Sandon, and 58 kilometres north of Nelson, British Columbia, in the Slocan Mining Division.
There is an extensive description of the mine on the British Columbia “Minfile” site, current to 1995. Much of this is concerned with the history of the mine; parts that detail the geological setting are quoted below:
“The Rambler occurrence is hosted by calcareous, massive quartzite, argillite, with interbedded fissile slate and limestone of the Triassic Slocan Group. The average strike of these strata is 115 degrees dipping 57 degrees southwest. Folding and faulting are prominent along northwest axes. Axial planes of most of the folds and major faults dip steeply southwest. Other small-scale anticline-syncline pairs are of short amplitude with east striking axial planes and dipping southward. The plunge of these folds is 15 degrees west. These strata are intruded by an elliptical-shaped quartz diorite stock, the Best-Antelope porphyry, and numerous quartz porphyry dikes. The quartz diorite stock occurs almost in the centre of the mine workings and is the principal ore host. ”
“The lode system of the former Rambler mine has a strike of 040 degrees and a dip of 50 to 80 degrees to the southeast. A series of crosscutting fissure-veins, known as the Rambler veins, strike about 080 degrees. The Rambler veins are best developed in more competent rocks. Three main ore shoots were discovered, the Main, North and South. They occur over a horizontal distance of about 610 metres. The North shoot lies entirely within the Rambler claim. The North shoot extends from near the north end of the No. 4 level to somewhere below the No. 9 level with a maximum stoped length of 61 metres above the No. 8 level. The Main shoot straddles the boundary between the Rambler and Cariboo claims. It extended from the No. 3 level to the No. 8 level with a maximum length of about 46 metres. The South shoot lies some distance south of the Rambler claim. It was best developed between the No. 9 and 10 levels but continued to above the No. 7 and below the No. 12 levels. Its maximum length was about 49 metres. The shoots were up to 5 metres in width, consisting of up to 2.0 metres of massive, commonly sheared galena in a gangue of drusy quartz. Some of the lower levels contained considerable sphalerite but no general increase of sphalerite with depth is recorded. Other associated mineralization included pyrite, chalcocite, native silver, pyrargyrite, tetrahedrite, jamesonite, owyheeite and a little chalcopyrite.”
Giles Peatfield comments:
For more on this deposit, refer to: McDougall (1931); Cairnes (1934, 1935); and Ambrose (1946).
“Minfile” reports that “The former Rambler mine produced continuously for 34 years from 1895 to 1935, then intermittently to 1951. During its mine life a total of 189,421 tonnes of ore was mined from which 108,959,934 grams [3,503,143 ounces] silver, 839 grams [27 ounces] gold, 327 kilograms copper, 10,527,871 kilograms lead and 2,654,696 kilograms zinc were recovered.” Also reported were 2,950 kilograms of cadmium. What is important to understand is that these figures are at best estimates. In later years, there were shipments of tailings, dump material, mill concentrates to a smelter, and other complexities. There was a very small amount of production from the Best mine (Minfile # 082KSW156) which is part of the mineralized system but a separate legal entity. Note also that before 1913, zinc was a deleterious element that was discarded – some may have been recovered from dumps and tailings, but probably not all. Rambler was a major silver producer, with by-product metals, especially lead and zinc, but precise production figures would be impossible to assemble.

Comments on the Minerals Reported:
The minerals listed were reported by various workers, in some cases with little supporting data. I have added comments for all but the commonest minerals reported:
Azurite: Reported only by Ambrose (1946), who, reporting on a small adit above the Number 3 portal, wrote that “Numerous fragments of quartz carrying grey copper [tetrahedrite] and stained with azurite were seen on the dump.”
Calcite: The only worker to specifically mention calcite was McDougall (1931), but it is probably common and simply ignored.
Chalcocite?: This was reported only by “Minfile”, with no reference, and I would regard it as tentative for the locality.
Chalcopyrite: Small amounts reported by McDougall (1931), and by Ambrose (1946) as “copper pyrites”.
Jamesonite: This was reported by Cairnes (1934) from the adjacent Best claim, and by Cairnes (1935) from a small adit, probably the same as reported by Ambrose (above for azurite), where it was found that “. . . the vein consists of drusy quartz, which averages a foot in width, and is in part well mineralized with grey copper and jamesonite.” Interestingly, this occurrence is not reported by Traill (1970, 1983).
Owyheeite: Material from this occurrence was X-rayed and owyheeite confirmed (Berry and Thompson, 1962). The Pacific Museum of Earth at the University of British Columbia has a polished section (catalogue #1959), of a specimen provided by the British Columbia Ministry of Mines, which may be part of the collection X-rayed, probably by Dr. R. M. Thompson. See also Traill (1970; 1983).
Pyrargyrite?: McDougall (1931) reported “ruby silver”, but gave no details. His mention was repeated by Ambrose (1946). I have assumed for the purposes of this report that the mineral is actually pyrargyrite, as did “Minfile”, but this has not been confirmed, and it is considered tentative.
Silver: McDougall (1931) reported native silver, but gave no details. His mention was repeated by Ambrose (1946).
Stibnite?: Cairnes (1935) mentioned a locality where “Antimony, probably in the form of stibnite, has been reported . . . but was not seen.” I regard this as tentative at best.
Tetrahedrite subgroup: Early workers, in the fashion of the times, reported this mineral consistently as “grey copper”. There is no information regarding the silver content of the mineral, but given the locally high silver grades it is possible that freibergite may be present.

Mineral List

13 valid minerals.