Preliminary Geology and Mineral Potential of the Cascade Recreation Area

The C;~scade Rrcreation Area wi,\ created in 1YX7 to preserve wilderness and heritage recreation opportunities in I67 quxc kilomctres of the northern Cascade Mountain\. The area encompxses the headuatcrs of the Tulamecn. Snnss and Skaist rivers in the Ho~amccn Range\. 10 kilometres southeast of Hope and is hordcred by Manning Provincial Park on the southeast and Skagit Valley Recreation Arca on the south (Figure I-SI ). The Recreation Area contilins parts of swcral provincially significant heritage trails. including the I X5X Whatcom Trail and the I X60 Dewdney Trail. Present resource use of the irru includes hackcountry hiking, grazing and trail riding. In IYYO, a mineri porcntial study of the C;wadr Rrcrcs tion Area was hepun. to provide govcrnmcnt and industry with lmineral resource information prior to further timclimited exploration and deciGns rc.@ing suitability for park status. The study is modelled after the methodologies developed by McLaren (IYYO) in the Chilko Lake area and is the first E.“vrmment-sp~,n\r,red mineral potcnrial study 01 a Section IY Recreation Arca. The IYYO field project consisted of examining the rrgional geology. a geochemical drainage sur-vey over the entire Recreation Area. and limited geological mapping at I:20 000 scale in the Punchbowl Lake-Turnbull Creek urea Mineralized and unmineralired rocks, additional drainape~~ sediment samples, and macrof&;sils were collected for mini eraI potential and geological intcrprctation. The Giant Copper (AM and Invcrmay) copper-folder silver-molybdenum, Treasure Mountain silwr-lead-zinc. and Ladner Creek gold propcrries are hosted by rock:; known to extend into the Recreation Area. Despite considerable regional mineral exploration, the area wceived little exploration attention until ths dixovery of &wld-silvercopper mincralizatiou in the Punch Bowl Cm& watsrshecj in IYX4 hy Mr. R. Rubhit, while prospecting for the sourc: of placer gold in the upper Tulamecn River. In 1986, the provincial Wiltlcmess Aduisrvy Commiitcr (1986) studied the initial 410 square kilorwtre Caxade Wilderness proposal. and recommended creation of the 167 square kilometre Cascade Recreation Area. Subs?quently. a mineral and placer no-staking reserve was estahlished over the Recreation Area to prohihit l’urther mineral exploration and mine development, including exploration on existing lmineral claims. It is anticipated that the Recrc+ tion Area will he re-opened to minrml exploration. follow ing completion of this f~verll~nent~sponjored miner,al potential study as required under Section IY of the Mirler~~ 7eMre /kr.