Chapter V

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

The Whitesail Lake map-area includes about 85 miles of the mineralized
eastern contact zone of the main mass of Coast Intrusions. Though much
of this zone traverses country very difficult of access, prospecting has been
carried out in it since early in the century, mainly by individual prospectors
working on their own but also by mining companies with regular prospecting
teams. Mineral deposits found by these prospectors include galena-sphalerite
veins, gold-quartz veins, copper-bearing contact metamorphic deposits,
copper-bearing veins, and scheelite deposits. No coal of consequence has
been found and no non-metallic mineral deposits have been reported.

Several of the deposits received underground development. The Emerald
Glacier property on Mount Sweeney produced a total of 4,566 tons of
lead-zinc ore during 1951 and 1952. Extensive exploration of the area was
not practicable in the past as known deposits were not of sufficient size to
warrant the large expenditures necessary to build roads and power-plants
so far from available sources of supply. The completion of the Aluminum
Company of Canada’s project in the area will no doubt favourably affect
prospecting and mining. In fact already, under the impact of this project,
the Emerald Glacier property reached production and interest was renewed
in the Harrison group on Lindquist Peak. Because of the flooding and
consequent deepening of the channels, transportation will be easier on the
waterways. The new roads constructed by the Aluminum Company provide
much easier transportation to the known mineralized areas.

History

The first record of claims staked for mineral in the area is reported in
the 1906 volume of the Minister of Mines Report for the province of
British Columbia. It is stated there (p. H68) that, during that year, Messrs.
Daking and Pocklington of Victoria staked the Pintledanne group on what
was called Pintledanne Creek. This creek flows into the Kemano River from
the northeast about 8 miles from Gardner Canal, and probably flows down
the valley that forms the low pass near the south end of Sandifer Lake. The
claims were located about 2 miles from Kemano River and 2,000 feet above
it. The ore minerals consisted of chalcopyrite, bornite, and molybdenite in
a wide quartz vein in granitic rock. a

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