Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/468124
28 S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 Photographs : S eabridge Gold Inc . N orthwestern British Columbia is a large, diverse area with a large, diverse mineralogy. Sometimes referred to as the Golden Triangle, the region is host to 39 exploration and development projects, according to the B.C. Mineral Development Office. Three of those projects are Seabridge Gold Inc.'s KSM, Pretium Resources Inc.'s Brucejack and Alloycorp Mining Inc.'s Avanti Kitsault. The big picture Tom Schroeter, a longtime senior B.C. government geologist and former presi- dent of Fjordland Exploration Inc., says there are three main types of deposits in the Golden Triangle. "There are high- grade vein deposits, larger porphyry copper-gold deposits and volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits," says Schroeter. "There are industrial minerals, too. It's a very fertile region." As rich as it is, the Golden Triangle doesn't include the Avanti Kitsault por- phyry molybdenum deposit, which lies about 75 kilometres outside the unoffi- cial boundaries of the region. Schroeter says the key to develop- ment of the region has always been ade- quate infrastructure, because the region is r ugged and remote. "The Golden Triangle has g radua l ly been opened up by railroads, airplanes, helicopters, extension of BC Hydro l i ne a nd roads," he explains. "But we still need road access off Highway 37." According to Schroeter, the region has excellent geology: "We estimate there's more than $15 billion of reserves in the ground." In addition, recent melting of snow and ice has revealed new deposits in the region. "However, only minimal surveys and mapping have been undertaken so far," he says. "Government and industry need to work together to correct this." The Golden Triangle NORTHWEST B.C. HOSTS A MULTITUDE OF DIVERSE EXPLORATION PROJECTS By Peter Caulfield Gold at the end of the rainbow: Seabridge Gold Inc.'s KSM project. Site tour at the KSM project.