General Information
Primary Commodities: coal
Aliases: Black Diamond
Deposit Type(s): Coal
Location(s): 60.497220 N, -135.285560 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 105D06
Location Comments: .5 Kilometres
Hand Samples Available at YGS: No
Capsule
Work History
Discovered in 1899 by a Mr Johnson and staked as coal lease 1239 in Sep/1900 by Robert Lowe. Lease 1473 was staked the following month by J.E. Beatty, assistant engineer for the White Pass & Yukon Railway. The leases were acquired by Whitehorse Coal CL, which drove a 18 m adit and another short tunnel on two seams exposed in a creek gulch (now called the Fisher Creek showing) and an open cut on a second showing (now the Main Showing of Whitehorse Coal Corp) about 0.8 km east, all in 1901. The coal from the adit was hauled to Whitehorse and tested by the railway.
The property was idle until 1969 when it was examined by Luscar L as part of Coal Exploration Licence 3, although the U.S. Army reportedly investigated it about 1943. It was later acquired as Coal Mining Leases 2989-2991 in Jun/81 by Whitehorse Coal Corp (Echo Developers L), which performed road construction, trenching and open cut mining in 1982 and 1983, rotary drilling in 1985 (225 m in 6 holes), and mined 1885 tonnes in 1986 and 2721 tonnes in 1988, part of which was tested in Whitehorse.
Capsule Geology
Coal seams occur interlayered with siltstone and mudstone in Early Cretaceous Tantalus Formation non-marine braided alluvial material deposited in a graben. This sequence has been intruded by rhyolite sills up to 15 cm wide which have converted much of the coal to anthracite.
A lower seam at least 3.3 m wide on surface has been traced for 1 km and an upper seam at least 1.8 m wide on surface, about 50 m higher in the section, has been traced for 2 km. At Fisher Creek, a north-trending fault has displaced the upper seam 100 m. Both seams strike west to west-northwest, dip 30 to 50°N and are deformed by large open north-plunging folds. In Sep/69 Luscar Ltd roughly estimated underground reserves of 2 381 384 tonnes containing an ash content of approximately 46% and an energy value of 13 355 kJ/kg.
Analyses of samples taken in 1982 indicated the coal is ranked as a meta-anthracite with 3.5% moisture, 38.2% ash and a calorific content of 19.8 Mj/kg. The 1985 drill hole cut from 2 to 7 coal bands in the lower seam over an overall width ranging from 18.9 to 33.5 m. The widest individual coal band was 13.1 m. In 1985 Carlyle estimated open pit reserves at approximately 182 198 tonnes containing an ash content of approximately 22.48% and an energy value of 25 198 kJ/kg.
Test mining at the Main Zone in 1986 was complicated by the folding and a bulk sample had a higher ash content (45.4%) than expected. Testing indicated that the ash content could not be significantly reduced by crushing, screening and washing.
References
AURUM GEOLOGICAL CONSULTANTS INC., 1994. Yukon Coal Inventory 1994. Energy and Mines Branch, Economic Development, Yukon Territorial Government, 169 p.
BREMNER, T.J., 1988. Geology of the Whitehorse Coal Deposit. In: Yukon Geology Vol. 2, Exploration and Geological Services Division, DIAND, p. 1-7.
BREWER, W.M., 1 Feb/02. Whitehorse Mining District, Y.T. EMJ p. 167-8.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Annual Rept 1900, Part A, p. 48.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Summary Report 1906, Part A, p. 28.
LUSCAR LTD, Sep/69. Assessment Report #060580 by R. Spence Taylor.
MINERAL INDUSTRY REPORT 1969-1970, p. 158.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, Mar/87. Assessment Reports #062171 by J.H. Perry.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, Mar/87. Assessment Reports #092024 by J.H. Perry.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, 1986. Construction summary for excavation of Pit No 1. Assessment Report #092045 by D. Clark.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, 1986. Prospecting and Examination Report #061734 by A.T. Savage.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, Nov/85. Assessment Report #092012 by L. Carlyle.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, 1983. Assessment Report #062148 by R.P. Hill.
YUKON EXPLORATION 1984, p. 72.
YUKON NEWS, 29 Aug/83.
YUKON MINING AND EXPLORATION OVERVIEW 1988, p. 4.
Discovered in 1899 by a Mr Johnson and staked as coal lease 1239 in Sep/1900 by Robert Lowe. Lease 1473 was staked the following month by J.E. Beatty, assistant engineer for the White Pass & Yukon Railway. The leases were acquired by Whitehorse Coal CL, which drove a 18 m adit and another short tunnel on two seams exposed in a creek gulch (now called the Fisher Creek showing) and an open cut on a second showing (now the Main Showing of Whitehorse Coal Corp) about 0.8 km east, all in 1901. The coal from the adit was hauled to Whitehorse and tested by the railway.
The property was idle until 1969 when it was examined by Luscar L as part of Coal Exploration Licence 3, although the U.S. Army reportedly investigated it about 1943. It was later acquired as Coal Mining Leases 2989-2991 in Jun/81 by Whitehorse Coal Corp (Echo Developers L), which performed road construction, trenching and open cut mining in 1982 and 1983, rotary drilling in 1985 (225 m in 6 holes), and mined 1885 tonnes in 1986 and 2721 tonnes in 1988, part of which was tested in Whitehorse.
Capsule Geology
Coal seams occur interlayered with siltstone and mudstone in Early Cretaceous Tantalus Formation non-marine braided alluvial material deposited in a graben. This sequence has been intruded by rhyolite sills up to 15 cm wide which have converted much of the coal to anthracite.
A lower seam at least 3.3 m wide on surface has been traced for 1 km and an upper seam at least 1.8 m wide on surface, about 50 m higher in the section, has been traced for 2 km. At Fisher Creek, a north-trending fault has displaced the upper seam 100 m. Both seams strike west to west-northwest, dip 30 to 50°N and are deformed by large open north-plunging folds. In Sep/69 Luscar Ltd roughly estimated underground reserves of 2 381 384 tonnes containing an ash content of approximately 46% and an energy value of 13 355 kJ/kg.
Analyses of samples taken in 1982 indicated the coal is ranked as a meta-anthracite with 3.5% moisture, 38.2% ash and a calorific content of 19.8 Mj/kg. The 1985 drill hole cut from 2 to 7 coal bands in the lower seam over an overall width ranging from 18.9 to 33.5 m. The widest individual coal band was 13.1 m. In 1985 Carlyle estimated open pit reserves at approximately 182 198 tonnes containing an ash content of approximately 22.48% and an energy value of 25 198 kJ/kg.
Test mining at the Main Zone in 1986 was complicated by the folding and a bulk sample had a higher ash content (45.4%) than expected. Testing indicated that the ash content could not be significantly reduced by crushing, screening and washing.
References
AURUM GEOLOGICAL CONSULTANTS INC., 1994. Yukon Coal Inventory 1994. Energy and Mines Branch, Economic Development, Yukon Territorial Government, 169 p.
BREMNER, T.J., 1988. Geology of the Whitehorse Coal Deposit. In: Yukon Geology Vol. 2, Exploration and Geological Services Division, DIAND, p. 1-7.
BREWER, W.M., 1 Feb/02. Whitehorse Mining District, Y.T. EMJ p. 167-8.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Annual Rept 1900, Part A, p. 48.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Summary Report 1906, Part A, p. 28.
LUSCAR LTD, Sep/69. Assessment Report #060580 by R. Spence Taylor.
MINERAL INDUSTRY REPORT 1969-1970, p. 158.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, Mar/87. Assessment Reports #062171 by J.H. Perry.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, Mar/87. Assessment Reports #092024 by J.H. Perry.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, 1986. Construction summary for excavation of Pit No 1. Assessment Report #092045 by D. Clark.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, 1986. Prospecting and Examination Report #061734 by A.T. Savage.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, Nov/85. Assessment Report #092012 by L. Carlyle.
WHITEHORSE COAL CORPORATION, 1983. Assessment Report #062148 by R.P. Hill.
YUKON EXPLORATION 1984, p. 72.
YUKON NEWS, 29 Aug/83.
YUKON MINING AND EXPLORATION OVERVIEW 1988, p. 4.
Location Map
Last Updated: Oct 9, 2019
Work History
| Year | Work Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Other | |
| 1986 | Other | |
| 1985 | Drilling: Rotary | Number of holes drilled: 6 Amount of work done: 225 METRES |
| 1982 | Development, Surface: All Weather Road | |
| 1982 | Other | |
| 1982 | Trenching | |
| 1969 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
| 1969 | Other | |
| 1901 | Other | Amount of work done: 18.3 METRES Drove adit. |
| 1899 | Other |
Regional Geology - Terrane
Group: Intermontane
Affinity: W Laurentia
Name: Stikinia
Realm: peri-Laurentian
Regional Geology - Bedrock
Supergroup:
Group/Suite:
Formation: Tantalus
Member:
Terrane:
Period Max: Jurassic
Age Max: 171 MA
Period Min: Cretaceous
Age Min: 125 MA
Rock Major: shale/argillite/siltstone/sandstone/conglo/coal/dacite/andesite/flow
Rock Minor:
Reference: Hart & Radloff (1990) - YGS OF 1990-4
Geological Unit (1M): JKT
Geological Unit (250K): JKT
Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence
| Report Number | Year | Title | Worktypes | Holes Drilled | Meters Drilled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 062171 | 1983 | Report on the Whitehorse Coal Property | Rock - Geochemistry, Detailed Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Metallurgical Tests - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Petrographic - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Property Evaluation - Other, Mechanical - Trenching | ||
| 062148 | 1982 | Whitehorse Coal Corporation Coal Leases 2989,2990,2991 | Rock - Geochemistry, Metallurgical Tests - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Hand - Trenching | ||
| 061735 | 1975 | Watson Coal Prospects, Report 1 | Property Evaluation - Other, Data Compilation - Pre-existing Data | ||
| 060580 | 1969 | The Whitehorse Coal Area, Yukon Territory | Rock - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Property Evaluation - Other, Prospecting - Other, Research/Summarize - Pre-existing Data |
Related References
| Number | Title | Page(s) | Document Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARMC020307 | Prospectus report on Whitehorse Coal property - Whitehorse Mining District, Yukon - May, 1989 | Report | |
| ARMC020318 | Report on Braeburn coal area, Carmacks North coal area, Carmacks South coal area, Kotaneelee coal area, Lone Pine Mountain coal occurrence, Porter's coal, Guder's coal, Whitehorse coal area, and Bush Mountain coal area - File 164 | Report |
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