Chapter V
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

Despite seemingly suitable geological conditions, no significant economic
mineral occurrences have been found within the map-area. The reasons for this
may be as follows:

(1) overburden and forest cover are greater than in more mountainous
areas to the east and west thus obscuring mineral occurrences;

(2) prospectors are attracted to areas of better rock exposure, and
relatively little prospecting has been attempted in the area;

(3) results of prospecting so far in the area have been discouraging
and have not been conducive to a more thorough search;

(4) the Tertiary rocks that underlie most of the area are apparently
barren of ore-mineral occurrences.

During field work ore minerals were rarely observed, and little of any
economic interest was seen. However, it cannot be said that the area is barren
and that no economic mineral deposits occur. Over 90 per cent of the area is
drift covered and heavily timbered, and the 5 to 10 per cent that is rock outcrop
can hardly be considered a fair sample, particularly as the presumably barren
Tertiary rocks are probably the best exposed.

The Takla Group, particularly the main unit, appears to be the map-unit
most worthy of further prospecting. The mineralized zones noted were all in
this group of rocks. Near intrusive bodies, rocks of this group are commonly
sheared and altered, and pyritization is common. In the Tetachuck Lake area
many such pyrite zones occur and although none seen was large or extensive,
prospectors have reported a low content of gold in many occurrences. Elsewhere
in central British Columbia Takla Group rocks are mineralized and are con-
sidered worthy of careful prospecting.

No deposits of ore minerals were seen in the Hazelton Group rocks. This
group is however deformed, metamorphosed, and intruded, and does not appear
to differ markedly from equivalent rocks elsewhere in British Columbia which
are known to be mineralized. Nechako Range, Tatelkuz Mountain, and Kuyakuz
Mountain would be the more likely areas for further prospecting.

The Ootsa Lake Group includes perlitic flows that may eventually be of
economic importance. North of Cheslatta Lake, some of these flows are coated
with a little copper carbonate believed to be derived from some small amount
of chalcopyrite disseminated through the flow; this chalcopyrite is thought to have
been an original constituent of the flow. No other occurrence of ore minerals
is known in this group in the area.

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