F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 7
www.resourceworld.com 43
BC'S GOLDEN TRIANGLE
— a huge treasure trove
of metals
BRITISH COLUMBIA's Golden Triangle
district in the northwestern corner of the
province is enjoying a resurgence of explo-
ration and mining activity. The area is huge
– well over 17,000 km
2
– this a vast area
of mineral wealth; it is host to many past-
producing and currently producing mines
as well as a number of large advanced stage
projects under development. In addition,
there are many earlier-stage exploration
projects.
Mineral discoveries go back to 1861
and, characterized by ebbs and flows of
activity, the region has seen many major
successes, including numerous past-
producing mines such as Premier, Eskay
Creek (3 million ounces of gold/160 million
ounces of silver), Snip (1 million ounces of
gold) and the latest – the Imperial Metals
Red Chris copper-gold mine. Grades at
the Eskay Creek Mine averaged 49 g/t
gold, 2,406 g/t silver, plus lead and zinc.
Pretium Resources' Brucejack Mine (Valley
of the Kings deposit) and the Seabridge
Gold KSM Project are two of the most
advanced projects in the area.
Recently improved infrastructure – roads
and electric power – have made explora
-
tion and development easier. These include
the Stewart-Cassiar Highway north from
Smithers which has now been paved.
Stewart has ocean port facilities for export
of concentrate, and BC Hydro's $700 million
287 kilovolt Northwest Transmission Line
from Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake and north
to the Red Chris Mine has been completed.
Make no mistake; the Golden Triangle
is experiencing big-time exploration and
mining activity. Between current mining
revenues and upcoming revenues gener
-
ated by new mines coming on stream, this
region will have a major impact on British
Columbia's economic health and, indeed,
Canada itself.
Despite all past, current and estimated
future production, a BC government report
estimates that only 0.0006% of the Golden
Triangle has been mined.
n
A concise history of the Golden Triangle
can be found at Visual Capitalist at
www.visualcapitalist.com/story-golden-
triangle-british-columbia/
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
