Thank you for the very positive response to the upcoming field trip to the Monarch and Kicking Horse Pb-Zn-Ag Mines, near Field, B.C., in Yoho National Park. The field trip will be on September 23rd, based on the popular vote! This field trip will be lead by Barry Richards, of the GSC Calgary, a specialist in Mississippi-Valley-Type Pb-Zn-Ag deposits.
As of Sept 5, the field trip is over 1/2 full. Barry Richards has capped the total # of participants at 32. Due to the restriction in space, please buy a spot through EventBrite soon. (cost with service fees is $80.12, with $75 going to the MEG Calgary group to cover the trip expenses).
The Monarch and Kicking Horse mines are important because they are the most-easterly base-metal mines in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains, and provide a great opportunity to examine a readily accessible Mississippi-Valley-Type Ag-Pb-Zn deposit close to Calgary. Their presence, and that of several base-metal prospects along the Kicking Horse Rim, indicate the main and western ranges of the Rockies have significant exploration and production potential outside of the national parks.
The Kicking Horse orebodies appear to line up with those of the Monarch mine across a gap of 1158 metres between the cliff faces of Mount Field (Kicking Horse) and Mount Stephen (Monarch).
The mines had a long and complex history of development and production. From 1888 to 1952, various mining companies have explored and mined the deposits. During the main phase of mining from 1929 to 1948, 773,445 tons of ore were milled yielding 697,208 ounces of silver, 129,747,211 pounds of zinc, and 84,310,179 pounds of lead. The mines have been inactive since 1952, and were acquired by Parks Canada in 1976.
Water will be available throughout the day, and lunch will be provided. The trip is limited to 48 participants. Please signup through EventBrite by September 18, 2017 with the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/calgary-meg-kicking-horse-and-monarch-mines-field-trip-yoho-national-park-tickets-37434746334
Regards,
Al Turner (MEG Membership Director)
