7

siliceous, hematite ores are plentiful in the Ogilvie range in the watershed
between Stewart and Peel rivers (localities 2 and 3, Figure 1) and
it is claimed that extensive bodies of hematite have been seen.

Residual iron ores of any value are not known in British Columbia
or Yukon territory. Deposits of this type, produced by long-continued
weathering and the concentration of the iron contents of large volumes
of rock, are not common the world over and would hardly be expected
to occur, or if they once did occur, to have been preserved in either British
Columbia or Yukon territory.

Though in British Columbia sedimentary iron ores appear to be
practically lacking, many iron ore deposits of igneous origin are known
and doubtless many more await discovery. All the known deposits of
this type, except those of Bull river and Sand creek, which as already
mentioned may not be of igneous origin, lie west of the Rocky Mountain
trench in regions where granitic invasions of Mesozoic age prevail. Such
deposits more particularly characterize the Pacific Coast districts along
the west edge of the Coast Range batholithic area, which extends from the
Fraser delta northwest the whole length of British Columbia and on into
Yukon territory. They also occur along or near the eastern edge of the
same batholithic area in Yukon’territory, and in several districts in southern
British Columbia. Iron ores of igneous origin also characterize several
districts in the southern interior of the province, but so far as known are
rare throughout the interior country from Kamloops and Shuswap
lakes, north into Yukon River basin.

Hematite deposits of igneous origin are not common and most of
them are not of economic value. In southeastern British Columbia,
near Kitchener (locality 40, Figure 2), bodies of hematite of apparently
small cross-sections occur within a narrow, nearly straight zone which
is at least 6 miles long and crosses broadly folded Precambrian sediments
and basic sills. Vein quartz is associated with the hematite, which replaces
the country rock and appears to have developed in shattered zones.
Similar deposits are reported to occur southward of Witchener. The
origin of the hematite is not definitely known, but it is thought that it
and the granitic rocks of batholithic areas not many miles away may
be related. The granitic rocks are generally supposed to be Jurassic.
Near Finger lake (locality 43), in central British Columbia, hematite occurs
in stringers and small masses in narrow zones of sheared volcanic rocks
which the iron oxide replaces. On Chromium creck (locality 16) near
the eastern edge of the Coast Range batholithic area, hematite occurs in
a bed of tuff which, in places, it completely replaces. Farther south, on
Tipella mountain (locality 27), Harrison lake, hematite in small, irregular
patches replaces granitic rocks of the eastern margin of the Coast. Range
batholithic area. These various occurrences are presumed to be of Meso-
zoie age and related to the granitic rocks of Jurassic or Cretaceous time,
but near Merritt (locality 32),in the southern interior, narrow veins of
hematite occur which may be of Tertiary age, for they traverse volcanic
rocks doubtfully referred to this era.

Magnetite bodies of igneous origin are numerous and most of them
replace the rocks with which they occur, but in a few places the deposits
possess all the essential characters of veins. Magnetite bodies of this
nature occur near the south shore of Kamloops lake (locality 31) where
in several localities groups of parallel, curving veins of magnetite traverse