Summary:
Barite is present in a number of zones, known as the Bear, Moose, Beaver and Wolf zones. Formerly the largest, before it was mined, is the Moose zone where a system of barite veins occur within a north-striking, steeply dipping, anastomosing fault zon. Barite pinches and swells along the structure and rarely exceeds 3.5 metres in width. The barite is white to creamy white, coarsely crystalline, commonly iron stained, and locally banded. It is associated with secondary sideritic dolomite. A grab sample returned an analysis of 58.26 per cent barium, with neglible base metal values; its specific gravity was 4.2. The barite contains only 0.11 per cent strontium.
The Moose zone has been mined by open pit over a length of 400 metres. Records show that in 1984 and 1985, a total of 41,071 tonnes of barite ore was mined and milled by Dresser Industries Incorporated, presumably all from the Moose quarry. Reserves are virtually exhausted from this quarry, but substantial reserves of barite still exist at the Bear zone.
The Bear zone, on which the occurrence is centred, is situated 2.5 kilometres northeast of the Moose zone. Two main barite veins are exposed over a length of 130 metres and width of 20 metres, striking northeast with subvertical dips. The south vein is 3 metres wide and the north vein is 1 metre wide. The barite veins are very similar in appearance and composition to that at the Moose zone. They are streaked grey and white and cut by fractures parallel to the length of the veins. Galena and minor sphalerite are present in irregular patches along some fractures. Other fractures are open and have vuggy pockets of barite crystals. A sample from the Bear zone was analysed at 57.04 per cent barium (Property File - Property description, circa 1988). There are a number of other smaller veins and lenses of barite in the area, and thin stringers of barite and quartz in the argillite and brecciated argillite host rocks.
The Beaver zone is about 700 metres northwest of the Moose zone. It is exposed over a length of 45 metres and across a width of 4 metres, and strikes north-northeast and dips vertically. Like the other zones, the barite is coarsely crystalline, cream or white to very pale grey in colour, with some limonite staining. A sample was analysed at 58.14 barium.
Summary:
The Fireside Minerals website reports an overall reserve in the ‘millions of tonnes’ providing a mine life of over 100 years. The barite mined is processed at the company’s grinding and milling facility in Watson Lake, Yukon, and sold to the oil and gas markets in Canada and Alaska.