The Dawson Creek map area covers part of the Rocky Mountain Front
Ranges and Foothills and contains 24 recorded mineral occurrences, 18 of which are coal. The
Dawson Creek mapsheet contains a geologically, physiographically and geographically
distinct coal-bearing subdivision called the Inner Foothills belt. This belt of relatively
high relief produced by resistant sandstones of Lower Cretaceous age, is divided into
northern and southern coal districts according to distinct lithostratigraphic
distributions of major coal beds. Coal-bearing strata throughout the region were deposited
in deltaic and alluvial plain environments. The Lower Cretaceous Bullhead and Fort St.
John groups contain the major coal deposits and partially represent a second pulse of the
Columbian Orogeny, which resulted in complexly faulted and folded coal measures.The
coals are mainly medium and low volatile bituminous in rank, generally suitable for
producing a high quality metallurgical coke. Where oxidized, these coals are usually
suitable for thermal coal markets.
The Bullmoose
(093P 001) and Quintette
(093P 019) mine mainly high quality metallurgical coals for export markets and contain
combined measured reserves of 395 million tonnes, indicated reserves of 205 million tonnes
and inferred reserves of 2.47 billion tonnes, all predominantly medium volatile bituminous
rank. Other potential producers are Pine
Pass (093P 005), Burnt
River (093P 007), Sukunka
(093P 009), Wolverine
(093P 018) and Wapiti
(093P 021).
Also on the map sheet, an estimated 100 million tonnes of limestone occur at the
Prime
Lime & Marble (093P 023) quarry site on the northwest side of Sukunka
River.
SELECTED REGIONAL REFERENCES (NTS 093P
-DAWSON CREEK)
Halsey, Linda; Levson, Victor M.; British Columbia Ministry
of Energy, Mines et al.: Peatland Inventory for Horticultural Peat in
the Tumbler Ridge Region, British Columbia - Edmonton, Alberta; University
of Alberta, 2000, 29 pages.
