KOOCANUSA CHIP SAMPLE LIBRARY
The images below are of representative chip samples from each station at Koocanusa (where samples could be collected). Hovering over the image will activate the magnifying function for a more detailed view. Information in the left column provides basic field data, but for full descriptions refer to the full field notes available in the Koocanusa data center.
CCU-001
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-001
Easting: 613918
Northing: 5442145
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale grey, loosely banded dolomite. Fine grained and lightly crystalline. Body of rock is fresh but fractures exhibit light oxidation. Very disseminated arsenopyrite, low volume
CCU-002
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-002
Easting: 613927.8
Northing: 5442141.67
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Similar to previous sample, but found higher up in elevation. Arsenopyrite is notably coarser (although still sub-mm). Appears to be slightly siltier bands within dolomite that are forming augen and hint at low grade shearing. These silts are also micaceous. Surface of rock is oxidized, with this passing well into the rock itself.
CCU-003
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-003
Easting: 613957
Northing: 5442137.56
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Very fresh, predominately dolomite with thin siltstones. Could be the “Zebra Stone” mentioned in old reports. No sulphides or oxides noted.
CCU-004
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-004
Easting: 614090.51
Northing: 5442246.63
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Siltstone with definable grains, in a weakly calcareous matrix. Most notable feature is disseminated arsenopyrite (sub-mm), and rusty sub-mm cubes of possibly pyrite which give the rock a speckled pattern. Distribution of oxidized pyrites appears to be in loosely defined bands. Additional oxides exist as stringers through the rock and along fracture surfaces.
Sample: D00033051
CCU-005
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-005
Easting: 613811.22
Northing: 5442486.6
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Similar to previous sample: lightly banded, calcareous siltstone. Some oxidation on surfaces but comparatively weak. No incidence noted of sulphide, fresh or oxidized.
CCU-006
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-006
Easting: 613686.96
Northing: 5442600.64
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Bands of darker grey silts up to 4mm, with minor mm-wide fine sands. Mica evident in both layers, but more so in fine sands. No noted sulphides.
Sample: D00033052
CCU-007
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-007
Easting: 613528.52
Northing: 5442618.06
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Wavy laminated shale, with eyes of paler silt, suggesting shearing. Possible sulphide impressions on one surface of sub-mm pyrite cubes, but not well defined. Very light oxidation along fractures and on surfaces.
CCU-008
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-008
Easting: 613446.79
Northing: 5442709.58
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: More massively bedded mudstone but still in cm-thick layers, but not fissile / shaley like material below. Lacking sulphide but evidence of quartz styolites passing through rock, perpendicular to bedding. Could be band of silt along original bedding plane if cleavage has been developed.
CCU-009
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-009
Easting: 613473.44
Northing: 5442975.91
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale grey siltstone which appears slightly calcareous. Shows banding, and possible oxidized sulphides in graded bands within matrix. Also mm-sized hexagonal minerals which look like small garnets are also found within the layers, possible detrital forms?
CCU-010
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-010
Easting: 613432.19
Northing: 5442225.18
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Similar to above, but ?garnets are larger and more widely distributed. Clear to see red coloration, not oxidizing. Rock is slightly coarser and more micaceous than CCU20-009. Fe-oxides along fractures. Assay sample shows cm-wide angular joints that are infilled with quartz and darker minerals similar to garnet-like minerals.
Sample: D00033054
CCU-011
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-011
Easting: 613026.66
Northing: 5442900.48
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Fine grained dolomite. No obvious sulphides but rock is speckled with mm-sized dendritic oxide blebs that are disseminated in some areas and following anastomosing bands in others.
CCU-012
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-012
Easting: 619312.26
Northing: 5448069.92
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Fine grained dolomite. No obvious sulphides but rock is speckled with mm-sized dendritic oxide blebs that are disseminated in some areas and following anastomosing bands in others. In some areas the red / brown oxides spread out into cm-wide “pixelated” bands.
CCU-013
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-013
Easting: 613320.65
Northing: 5448470.81
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Fine grained dolomite with loose to dense bands of red mineral blebs, possibly iron oxides. Rock is buff colored, with oxide staining along fractures and surfaces.
CCU-014
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-014
Easting: 619317.06
Northing: 5448508.65
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Bands of deep red / brown / purple oxides through body of rock and deep into surfaces and fractures. Host rock is a micaceous siltstone bedded with finer silts.
Sample: D00033055
CCU-015
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-015
Easting: 622704.49
Northing: 5441989.62
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Interesting fresh outcrop of chert material with convoluted fracture patterns and planes of weakness defined by micaceous horizons. Top surface has ridges that are sub-mm wide and form arcuate or complete ring structures about the size of a dollar. From above, these looks like stromatolites but lack the profile through the rock. These could be silica formations in a sinter field that has formed on a paleosurface. No obvious sulphides, but blebs and strings of oxides are common.
Sample: D00033056
CCU-016
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-016
Easting: 620870.37
Northing: 5443621.54
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale grey , fine grained rock. No visible sulphides. Very light red / brown staining from oxides but this is extremely limited compared to other layers.
CCU-017
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-017
Easting: 620889.43
Northing: 5443601.27
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Buff sandstone with garnets. Large (up to 4mm) well formed crystals, non-cubic, throughout fine sands. Two of the largest are bisected showing an oxidized core and dark brown / black intact rim. These crystals form about 10% of the mass of the rock.
CCU-018
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-018
Easting: 620917.54
Northing: 5443570.64
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale dolomite with no discernable sulphides. Lightly oxidized around fractures and on surfaces.
CCU-019
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-019
Easting: 620917.29
Northing: 5443568.63
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Dense Cherty rock, but calcareous appearing like a dolomite in feel. No sulphides noted, but convoluted habit similar to CCU-015
Sample: D00033057
CCU-020
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-020
Easting: 621900.71
Northing: 5442917.94
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale grey dolomite with speckled and streaked bright red oxide stain on fracture surfaces and in individual blebs.
CCU-021
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-021
Easting: 622028.72
Northing: 5442829.57
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale grey dolomite, weakly laminated, no notable sulphide or oxide
CCU-022
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-022
Easting: 621895.65
Northing: 5442929.29
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale grey dolomite but run through with narrow clear quartz vein stock work and high percentage of bright red oxide staining. Stock work is vuggy in places with discontinuous infill.
Sample: D00033058
CCU-023
Date Collected: 19th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-023
Easting: 622173.18
Northing: 5442700.2
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Finely banded dolomite / calcareous siltstone; bands up to 4mm, but mostly mm-wide. No evidence of sulphide and no oxides.
CCU-024
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-024
Easting: 621791.37
Northing: 5442239.68
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Vesicular basalt of the Nicol Creek Formation. Most vesicles are infilled with iron oxides, possibly suggesting presence of sulphide originally. Surface of the rock is highly oxidized but has little penetration. The sample is run through with mm to sub-mm quartz veins, some cutting at low angles and suggesting more than one phase. Some of the larger veins have areas of deep red – purple iron oxide formation, although it is patchy and not continuous along the vein. These also have inclusions of fine, blebby magnetite. Larger (up to 8mm) cubes of mineral exist. Could be a replacement of pyrite: mineral is black and lustrous, resembling galena or sphalerite, but seems harder. These cubes are common, especially along quartz-filled fracture surfaces.
Sample: D00033059
CCU-025
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-025
Easting: 621980.62
Northing: 5442131.86
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: 20cm wide quartz vein with bright red inclusions along margins – possibly highly altered / oxidized wall rock (basalt). These inclusions are wedge shaped and are the sites for the formation of sulphides, predominantly magnetite but other more brassy minerals were observed under the hand lens. The vein material is generally massive with potential rodding fractures. These fractures often show a bright red, sub-mm infill of oxides or possible cinnabar. Small black cubic mineral were observed in the selvage but are relatively rare.
Sample: D00033060
CCU-026
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-026
Easting: 621983.36
Northing: 5442130.14
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Sample taken from a 30cm-wide geode in the Nicol Creek basalt. Geode shows distinct banding: Outer layer is altered and oxidized basalt, with red clasts of wall rock. Some of this has become heavily oxidized to hematite. The next layer seems to be “pulverized” flourishes of wall rock which unevenly protrude into the geode. Fractures are infilled by magentite. The quartz layer occurs next and is highly crystalline, pale grey and generally massive with mm-sized cubic inclusions (highly disseminated). The inner most layer has a definite pinkish (adularia?) band, topped with bladed quartz facing what is left of the void. Several geodes were observed in the area, ranging from 5cm to over 30cm in diameter. Smaller examples were completely infilled.
Sample: D00033061
CCU-027
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-027
Easting: 622165.35
Northing: 5442057.09
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Siltstone with undulating layering. Generally grey to grey-brown in colour, although little oxidation other than on surface. Several small, mm-wide oxide patches with a distinct polygonal shape are present – these look like weathered garnets, but hard to tell. Detrital origin?
CCU-028
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-028
Easting: 622186.58
Northing: 5442051.22
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale colored, very fine siltstone with varying thickness of bedding (2mm to >30cm). Fracture surfaces are coated with epidote forming continuous sheets with dendritic edges. Also layers occur concordant with bedding, up to 3mm thick. Overlying unit is same rock but altered to a deep purple. Some patches of mineral are a paler green and less translucent.
Sample: D00033062
CCU-029
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-029
Easting: 622066.62
Northing: 5442071.92
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Massive bed with phases of mudstone and shale exposed, but primary rock is a finely micaceous siltstone. Some fracture surfaces are lightly and discontinuously coated with calcite and sericite. Overall rock has a purple hue which is distinct in the section.
CCU-030
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-030
Easting: 622083.67
Northing: 5442070.08
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description:
CCU-031
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-031
Easting: 622078.17
Northing: 5442071.07
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: 15cm wide quartz vein, part of a series exposed in section but differing as lacks magnetite and is much more weathered with iron oxides. The vein is pale grey but also contains loose bands of darker grey material, possibly very fine sulphides. The rind is deeply weathered and oxidized up to 2cm into the vein itself, but presents as “pitted” and uneven, possibly exploiting sites of old sulphides which are now eroded. Some evidence of cubic minerals but now oxidized.
Sample: D00033063
CCU-032
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-032
Easting: 622070.50
Northing: 5442070.45
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Large quartz vein with similar succession to geodes overserved earlier. Hosted in basalt with several veins running parallel to each other, up to 30cm wide. Contact is a deep purple and bright red oxidized selvage, coated in magnetite. First layer of quartz is about 5cm thick which is then defined by a discontinuous band of large, remnant cubic crystals, possibly siderite, mostly oxidized but some still show evidence of a dark grey sulphide and even ?chalcopyrite like inclusions. Band of quartz above this is about 1cm thick and darker in colour. Upper layer is more massive quartz, passing into a bladed texture. Top layer and possibly facing a void in the facture is bladed quartz and iron carbonates. Adularia observed in some veins.
Sample: D00033064
CCU-033
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-033
Easting: 614100.05
Northing: 5442261.06
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description:
CCU-034
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-034
Easting: 621052.13
Northing: 5443213.14
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Pale colored, very fine siltstone with varying thickness of bedding (2mm to >30cm). Fracture surfaces are coated with epidote forming continuous sheets with dendritic edges. Also layers occur concordant with bedding, up to 3mm thick.
Sample: D00033065
CCU-035
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-035
Easting: 622144.45
Northing: 5442054.62
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Section with exposed plates of ripple marked sediments. Symmetrical suggested intertidal zone. Other plates show load casting on base.
CCU-036
Date Collected: 20th August 2020
Station ID: CCU-036
Easting: 622156.52
Northing: 5442060.12
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Contact between Nicol Creek basalt and overlying Sheppard Formation. Silts appear slumped as layers wrap around. Could be possible stromatolitic structures.
CCU-039-A
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-039-A
Easting: 622200
Northing: 5442043
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description:
CCU-039-B
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-039-B
Easting: 622200
Northing: 5442043
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description:
CCU-039-C
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-039-C
Easting: 622200
Northing: 5442043
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description:
CCU-040
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-040
Easting: 622250
Northing: 5442068.52
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Massive dolomite in outcrop up hill from road. Crystalline. No green minerals noted! Similar dip to outcrop noted below on road, but must be higher in sequence.
CCU-041
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-041
Easting: 622076.7
Northing: 5442372.32
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Silty dolomite, with green micaceous mineral along fracture planes or within quartz carbonate vein selveges. Patches of blood red hematite staining throughout rocks.
CCU-042
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-042
Easting: 622168.47
Northing: 5442186.95
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Massive dolomite layer, dark grey with cm-wide qtz veins, blebs of dark green epi/chl? Some veins have “brown” rusty infill as rods, similar to quartz seen downslope, but are generally narrower. Could contain barite.
CCU-043-A
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-043-A
Easting: 622086.38
Northing: 5443179.08
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: White cherty material overlain by buff sandstone. Some 2cm wide “veins” within seds, but hard to determine edges as selveges are diffuse. Large up to 1cm ?garnets and smaller mm-cm ?garnets found within the body of these veins. Some ripples preserved with 1″ wavelength. Under hand lens, large crystals have green halo on upper and lower surface (i.e. not wrapped around), possible pressure shadow?
CCU-043-B
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-043-B
Easting: 622086.38
Northing: 5443179.08
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description:
CCU-044
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-044
Easting: 620828
Northing: 5443226.47
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Dolomite – Chert – Stromatolite sequence with stockwork quartz veins, possibly some baritic. Ripple marks in the lower beds. Quartz float abundant. Stromatolites with very small footprint (oncoidal, free rolling) to large, over 1ft in diamter mounds which break free from rock face intact. Veins have green chl-epi and some have the “rotten brown rods” seen elsewhere on the property.
CCU-045
Date Collected: 5th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-045
Easting: 620423.06
Northing: 5443824.08
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: “Lower Gold Road”. Intensely jointed outcrop, chert / silicifed massive dolomite, pyrolusite on fracture surfaces and ripple marks along surfaces. Overlies basalts noted in CCU-045
CCU-047
Date Collected: 6th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-047
Easting: 626534
Northing: 5439310
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Talus slope of sand, dolomite and silt beds with ripples and dessication marks as well as rare salt imprints. Sample taken from interbedded sand, silt and dolomite block which appears to be highly silicified. Clots of green glassy and platy minerals, veinlets of oxidized brown infill with black euhedral crystals. Some pyrolusite and epi/chl on fractures. Possibly tuff or arkose unit?
CCU-048
Date Collected: 6th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-048
Easting: 626544
Northing: 5439315
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Similar to CCU-047. More dolomite dominated, massive and crystalline with mm-cm (rare) green ?garnets.
CCU-049
Date Collected: 6th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-049
Easting: 626628
Northing: 5439869
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Phyllitic mudstone passing upwards into units of regularly banded / bedded cherts and siltstone.
CCU-050
Date Collected: 6th October 2020
Station ID: CCU-050
Easting: 624171
Northing: 5441260
Datum: NAD83 Zone 11
Description: Small roadside outcrop of dolomite overlain by silty mudstones. Dolomite is massive and crystalline. Ripples observed in the micaceous siltstone / mudstone.
