Copper Creek Hg occurrence, Savona, Kamloops Mining Division, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Copper Creek Hg occurrence	Occurrence
Savona	Unincorporated Community
Kamloops Mining Division	Division
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

The Copper Creek Hg occurrence is located on the west side of Copper Creek, on the north side of Kamloops Lake, 7 km north-east of Savona and about 33 kilometres west-northwest of Kamloops, British Columbia. Brewer (1914) mentioned that “This creek derives its name from the fact that the Indians have from time immemorial known it as a locality where native copper was found.” The copper occurrence is not part of the property described herein – for more information refer to British Columbia “Minfile” No. 092INE 033 (Tenderfoot, L882).

There is a short description of the deposit and its history, on the British Columbia “Minfile” site, current to 2007, to which interested readers are referred. Relevant geological sections are quoted below:

“Hostrocks of the Copper Creek cinnabar deposits comprise Upper Triassic Nicola Group green and purple volcanic breccias with interbedded tuffs that are intruded by diabase sills and brown weathering, porphyritic basaltic dikes. The brown weathering is attributed to ankerite alteration. Breccia fragments vary from 2 to 20 centimetres in average diameter and are set in a more finely fragmental tuffaceous matrix. The composition of the fragments is predominantly dark green basaltic rock which is occasionally finely porphyritic. The attitude and general contact relationships of well bedded tuffs indicate a northwesterly strike with moderate 20 degree northeast dips. The hostrocks exhibit widespread faulting.

Cinnabar mineralization is associated with dolomite veins and stringers that occur in fracture and shear zones within and related to the ankerite altered, porphyritic basaltic dikes. The dolomite veins range from a seam up to 1.2 metres thick but average 45 centimetres for the most persistent veins and are irregulary (sic) distributed in the fracture zones. Small amounts of chalcedonic quartz and, in some veins, stringers of more coarsely crystalline quartz occur. A small amount of tetrahedrite was reported in a quartz lens in the North workings. The cinnabar occurs as disseminations, thin films and small masses in dolomite veins. Old reports indicate that much of the mined cinnabar occurred as blebs or nodules of massive cinnabar within the dolomite.”

According to Stevenson (1940) “The production from the Copper Creek deposits has been as follows:
1895-1897 - 138 flasks of mercury;
1924-1927 - 5 flasks of mercury."

Note that 1 flask of mercury is equal to 76 lbs, or about 34 kg.

Comments by Giles Peatfield on some of the minerals reported from the locality:
Limonite: Reported only by Stevenson (1940), but almost certainly just not mentioned by other workers since the pervasive ankeritic alteration results in limonite formation.
Magnetite: Reported by Stevenson (1940).
Malachite: Reported only by Coope (1967).
Plagioclase: Stevenson (1940) described the plagioclase feldspar as “calcic”.
Sericite: Stevenson described “white mica”.
Talc: Reported only by Cockfield (1961), in tuff in the so-called North Workings.

Other Databases

Link to British Columbia Minfile:	092I 036

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References