General Information
Secondary Commodities: coal
Deposit Type(s): Coal
Location(s): 60.056390 N, -128.970560 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 105A02
Location Comments: .5 Kilometres
Hand Samples Available at YGS: No
Capsule
Work History
This coal occurrence was first noted in 1887 by G.M. Dawson and first staked as Sun cl (Y27513) in May/68 by R. Kirk. Canex Pacer Ltd acquired this occurrence as Coal Exploration Licence #61 in Oct/76, and as Licence #113 in Oct/79 and explored with mapping in 1977-78 and trenching in 1977. The company drilled 3 holes (416 m) to the south in 1978, and 7 holes (923.6 m) in 1979.
In Aug/94 Cash Resources Ltd acquired by application Coal Exploration Licences Y - 460 - 464. In 1995 the company dug 11 excavator (TR95 1-11) and 2 hand (HT95 1-2) trenches, in the general area surrounding the occurrence.
A. & S. Grunow staked the Anniversary cl (YB15745) over part of the area in Jun/89, probably to protect surface rights.
Capsule Geology
Upper Paleocene or Lower Eocene coal of lignite A and B rank is exposed at two locations. The northwest locality consists of 2 m of highly deformed coal underlain by claystone. One km to the southeast, the top of a steeply dipping seam more than 0.3 m thick is exposed in a road cut. Tertiary sediments in the Watson Lake basin exhibit upward fining and thinning and resemble point bar sequences produced by meandering streams.
The three 1978 drillholes were spaced 1 to 1.5 km apart and intersected from one to five seams between 1.2 and 16.6 m thick , with dips of less than 25°. The 1979 drilling returned similar results. Analyses indicate that the coal contains an average of 28.64% water, 19.2% ash, 0.2% sulphur and has a caloric value of 5348 BTU/lb.
Cash Resources discovered several previously unknown coal occurrences. Aggregate seam thickness ranges up to 4.8 m. Analysis of two coal samples revealed that the coal has a relatively high moisture content but low ash and sulphur content. These factors, coupled with good calorific value and potentially low mining costs, make the deposit ideally suited for power generation and space heating for lumber kilns or silviculture greenhouses.
References
AURUM GEOLOGICAL CONSULTANTS INC., 1994. Yukon Coal Inventory 1994. Energy and Mines Branch, Economic Development, Yukon Territorial Government, 169 p.
ANNUAL REPORT 1887-88, p. 101B.
CANEX PLACER LTD, Oct/77. Assessment Reports #061587 and 061724 by I. Borovic, P.Eng.
CASH RESOURCES LTD, Dec/95. Assessment Report #093423 by R.F. Gish.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Paper 44-25, p. 19.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Paper 79-32, p. 4-6, 12-17.
MINERAL INDUSTRY REPORT 1978, p. 73.
PLACER DEVELOPMENT LTD, Oct/79 & Jun/80. Assessment Reports #062002 &
#062121 by D.M. Jenkins.
This coal occurrence was first noted in 1887 by G.M. Dawson and first staked as Sun cl (Y27513) in May/68 by R. Kirk. Canex Pacer Ltd acquired this occurrence as Coal Exploration Licence #61 in Oct/76, and as Licence #113 in Oct/79 and explored with mapping in 1977-78 and trenching in 1977. The company drilled 3 holes (416 m) to the south in 1978, and 7 holes (923.6 m) in 1979.
In Aug/94 Cash Resources Ltd acquired by application Coal Exploration Licences Y - 460 - 464. In 1995 the company dug 11 excavator (TR95 1-11) and 2 hand (HT95 1-2) trenches, in the general area surrounding the occurrence.
A. & S. Grunow staked the Anniversary cl (YB15745) over part of the area in Jun/89, probably to protect surface rights.
Capsule Geology
Upper Paleocene or Lower Eocene coal of lignite A and B rank is exposed at two locations. The northwest locality consists of 2 m of highly deformed coal underlain by claystone. One km to the southeast, the top of a steeply dipping seam more than 0.3 m thick is exposed in a road cut. Tertiary sediments in the Watson Lake basin exhibit upward fining and thinning and resemble point bar sequences produced by meandering streams.
The three 1978 drillholes were spaced 1 to 1.5 km apart and intersected from one to five seams between 1.2 and 16.6 m thick , with dips of less than 25°. The 1979 drilling returned similar results. Analyses indicate that the coal contains an average of 28.64% water, 19.2% ash, 0.2% sulphur and has a caloric value of 5348 BTU/lb.
Cash Resources discovered several previously unknown coal occurrences. Aggregate seam thickness ranges up to 4.8 m. Analysis of two coal samples revealed that the coal has a relatively high moisture content but low ash and sulphur content. These factors, coupled with good calorific value and potentially low mining costs, make the deposit ideally suited for power generation and space heating for lumber kilns or silviculture greenhouses.
References
AURUM GEOLOGICAL CONSULTANTS INC., 1994. Yukon Coal Inventory 1994. Energy and Mines Branch, Economic Development, Yukon Territorial Government, 169 p.
ANNUAL REPORT 1887-88, p. 101B.
CANEX PLACER LTD, Oct/77. Assessment Reports #061587 and 061724 by I. Borovic, P.Eng.
CASH RESOURCES LTD, Dec/95. Assessment Report #093423 by R.F. Gish.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Paper 44-25, p. 19.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Paper 79-32, p. 4-6, 12-17.
MINERAL INDUSTRY REPORT 1978, p. 73.
PLACER DEVELOPMENT LTD, Oct/79 & Jun/80. Assessment Reports #062002 &
#062121 by D.M. Jenkins.
Location Map
Last Updated: Sep 15, 2011
Work History
| Year | Work Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Trenching: Mechanical | |
| 1979 | Drilling: Diamond | Number of holes drilled: 7 Amount of work done: 923.6 METRES |
| 1978 | Drilling: Diamond | Number of holes drilled: 3 Amount of work done: 416 METRES |
| 1978 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
| 1977 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
| 1977 | Trenching | |
| 1887 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | Coal was first noted by G. M. Dawson in 1887. |
Regional Geology - Terrane
Group: Ancestral North America
Affinity: W Laurentia
Name: Cassiar
Realm: Laurentia
Regional Geology - Bedrock
Supergroup:
Group/Suite: Ross?
Formation:
Member:
Terrane:
Period Max: Paleogene
Age Max: 58 MA
Period Min: Paleogene
Age Min: 48 MA
Rock Major: conglomerate, shale, coal
Rock Minor:
Reference: Mortensen & Murphy (2005) - YGS OF 2005-10
Geological Unit (1M): lTR
Geological Unit (250K): lTR3
Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence
| Report Number | Year | Title | Worktypes | Holes Drilled | Meters Drilled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 062121 | 1980 | A Report on the Exploration of Liard Coal Basin, Watson Lake, M. D., Yukon Territory | Diamond - Drilling, Soil - Geochemistry, Downhole Survey - Ground Geophysics | 10 | 1337.90 |
| 062002 | 1979 | A Report on the Exploration of Liard Coal Basin, Watson Lake, M.D., Yukon Territory | Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Downhole Survey - Ground Geophysics | 7 | 923.60 |
| 061724 | 1977 | A Report on the Exploration of Liard Coal Basin, Watson Lake, M. D., Yukon Territory | Diamond - Drilling, Downhole Survey - Ground Geophysics, Backhoe - Trenching | 3 | 318.40 |
Related References
| Number | Title | Page(s) | Document Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARMC007827 | Heavy mineral sampling map - Watson Lake - Anmac project | Geochemical Map |
| Citations |
|---|
Drill Core at YGS Core Library
| Number | Property | Year Drilled | Core Size | Photos | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LC-79-1 | Liard Coal | 1979 | HQ | 6 | 4 |
| LC-79-2 | Liard Coal | 1979 | HQ | 10 | 4 |
| LC-79-3 | Liard Coal | 1979 | HQ | 12 | 4 |
| LC-79-4 | Liard Coal | 1979 | HQ | 12 | 4 |
| LC-79-5 | Liard Coal | 1979 | HQ | 13 | 4 |
| LC-79-6 | Liard Coal | 1979 | HQ | 2 | 3 |
| LC-79-7 | Liard Coal | 1979 | HQ | 6 | 3 |
| LC-2 | Liard Coal | 1978 | HQ | 10 | 3 |
| LC-3 | Liard Coal | 1978 | NQ | 4 | 2 |
| LC-1 | Liard Coal | 1977 | HQ | 12 | 3 |
