Occurrence Details


Occurrence Number:
105D 211
Occurrence Name:
Best Chance
Occurrence Type:
Hard-rock
Status:
Deposit
Date printed:
4/28/2025 5:43:06 PM

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General Information
Capsule
Work History
Assessment Reports
References
Drill Core

General Information

Primary Commodities: copper, gold
Aliases: Whitehorse Copper
Deposit Type(s): Skarn
Location(s): 60°40'22.1" N - -135°7'13.91" W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 105D11
Hand Samples Available: No
Last Reviewed:

Capsule

The Whitehorse Copper Belt is located west of Whitehorse and contains 30+ mines, deposits and showings. Many of the occurrences in the Copper Belt are skarns. The skarns form on or near the contact between the Whitehorse batholith and the Lewes River group. The Whitehorse batholith is commonly a grey coarse-grained hornblende granite and ranges from quartz monzonite to granodiorite to diorite. The Lewes River group contains numerous different rock types, most importantly of which is the limestone group, which is essential in the formation of skarns in the area.  A small number of occurrences within the Copper Belt are vein and/or replacement and occur within the Whitehorse batholith granite.

The Best Chance deposit is exposed as a large outcrop of magnetite and skarn over a maximum length of 420 ft (128 m) to the north and widths up to 80 ft (24 m). The deposit is bounded by limestone on the west and granite on the east. The ore within the garnet-magnetite skarn consists of chalcopyrite, bornite and sections of massive magnetite. The major part of the copper mineralization is concentrated near the roof or around a large unreplaced lens of limestone within the skarn and the copper values are often found in massive magnetite.

Reserves in the Best chance deposit were estimated between 1954 and 1957 to be at 447 000 tonnes at 0.71% Cu and 0.03 g/t Au.

Work History

Date Work Type Comment
12/13/1990 Drilling
12/13/1990 Ground Geophysics
12/13/1990 Lab Work/Physical Studies
12/13/1990 Geochemistry
12/13/1984 Drilling 3 holes completed
12/13/1973 Geology
12/13/1973 Lab Work/Physical Studies
12/13/1968 Drilling
12/13/1968 Geology
12/13/1968 Ground Geophysics
12/13/1966 Studies
12/13/1965 Studies
12/13/1963 Drilling
12/13/1956 Drilling 11 holes completed

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence

Report Number Year Title Worktypes Holes Drilled Meters Drilled
092887 1990 Report on the 1990 Drill Program. Aurora Gold Ltd. Property, Whitehorse Copper Belt Reverse Circulation - Drilling, Drill Cuttings - Geochemistry, Magnetics - Ground Geophysics, Petrographic - Lab Work/Physical Studies 7 849.78
062018 1973 Preliminary Report on Geological Control to Ore Distribution in the Whitehorse Copper Belt Reverse Circulation - Drilling, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Petrographic - Lab Work/Physical Studies 665 5555
062227 1966 An Evaluation of the New imperial Mines Ltd. Feasibility - Studies
091123 1964 Summary of assessment work for 316 claims Diamond - Drilling 46 3652.57

Related References

Number Title Page(s) Reference Type Document Type
ARMC004880 Report on magnetic data - Compilation, analysis and interpretation - Best Chance grid Property File Collection Report
1984-1 The Whitehorse Copper Belt - A Compilation Indian & Northern Affairs Canada/Department of Indian & Northern Development: Exploration & Geological Services Division Open File (Geological - Bedrock)
YEG1984 Yukon Exploration 1984 Indian & Northern Affairs Canada/Department of Indian & Northern Development: Exploration & Geological Services Division Annual Report
ARMC004823 Map - North grid - Best Chance Property File Collection Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC004883 Magnetic survey map - I.P. chargeability - Best Chance Property File Collection Geophysical Map
ARMC004827 General geology map - Arctic Chief and Best Chance Property File Collection Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock)
ARMC004821 Map of Best Chance/Grafter Property File Collection Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock)
ARMC005266 Geophysics map of Best Chance claims Property File Collection Geophysical Map
ARMC004884 Magnetic survey map - IP survey chargeability - 400' separation - Best Chance Property File Collection Geophysical Map
ARMC004894 Induced polarization survey map - Best Chance Property File Collection Geophysical Map
ARMC004892 Induced polarisation report on the Grafter and Best Chance deposit - Whitehorse Copper Belt Property File Collection Report
ARMC004882 Resistivity map - 200' spacing - Best Chance Property File Collection Geophysical Map
ARMC004830 General geology map - Arctic Chief and Best Chance Property File Collection Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock)

Drill core at YGS core library

Number Property Year Drilled Core Size Photos Data
DDH-88-BC-49 Best Chance 1988 NQ 12 3
B10 Best Chance 1985 BTW 10 0
B11 Best Chance 1985 0 0
B12 Best Chance 1985 0 0
B13 Best Chance 1985 BTW 18 0
B14 Best Chance 1985 BTW 10 0
B15 Best Chance 1985 BTW 6 0
84-2-BC-38 Best Chance 1984 NQ 6 1
84-3-BC-39 Best Chance 1984 NQ 14 1