Manganese No.1, Kaslo, Slocan Mining Division, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Manganese No.1	Occurrence
Kaslo	Village
Slocan Mining Division	Division
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

Latitude 049º 57' 10'' North; Longitude: 116º 59' 01'' West.
The manganese occurrence lies on the east side of the Kaslo River valley near the abandoned settlement of Zwicky, about 7 kilometres north-west of the Village of Kaslo, and 56 kilometres north-northeast of Nelson, British Columbia.

This is the third of four deposits or occurrences with significant manganese contents, either within the deposits themselves or in the surrounding rocks. These lie in a northwesterly belt about 25 kilometres long, generally along the valley of the Kaslo River; the others are: the True Blue polymetallic deposit and the Harp rhodonite occurrence (to the south); and the Contact (Black Prince) polymetallic occurrence.

Giles Peatfield comments:
There is a very brief description of the occurrence, listed [in error – see following] as a showing, on the British Columbia “Minfile” site, current to 1999. A relevant portion of this description is quoted below:
“The area is underlain by greenstone (mafic volcanics), chlorite and hornblende schist and gneiss of the Permian Kaslo Group. Three manganese deposits have been located: a lower deposit located just above the old railway bed is exposed for 21 metres along the slope; two deposits occur on a single terrace or bench some 90 metres above the railway bed and consist of the No.1 deposit covering about 20,000 square metres and the No.2, located about 350 metres to the north of the No.1, and covering about 10,000 square metres. Within these areas, the bog manganese varies from less than 2 centimetres to 1 metre in thickness. The deposits consist of different forms of wad or bog manganese interstratified with, but generally distinct from, various amounts of hydrous iron oxides, calcareous tuffa [sic] or sinter and layers of clay-rich subsoil.”
There is no official record of production from this prospect. However, Nash (1917), in the amended edition of his report, stated that “Since this report was made, about 1,000 tons [were] shipped in 1918.” Langley (1918) noted that “Some 600 sacks [size not specified] of ore has been recently taken from shallow surface diggings.”; and further that “. . . the owners now have a permit from the Munitions Board to export 10,000 tons to approved consignees in the United States.” Langley (1919) reported that “The ore was easily mined by pick and shovel, but a certain amount of sorting was necessary to maintain a grade suitable for shipment. The first shipment contained such a high percentage of moisture that it was found necessary to install a dryer. The results evidently did not meet with much success, and after shipping fifteen cars the project was abandoned.” The destination of the shipments was not stated. Robertson (1920) reported that “About 100 tons of high-grade manganese ore was also shipped from the Curle Manganese group near Kaslo. Both shipments [the first, of about 600 tons was from Vancouver Island] went to the Bilrowe Alloys Company, of Tacoma.” Stenson (1920) wrote that “The Manganese, situated on Kaslo Creek, shipped two cars of manganese ore to Trail.” Perhaps the best, although sketchy, record is that given by Cairnes (1932) who reported that “Records of production are incomplete, but are stated by Mr. Curle to include over 1,000 tons, of which between 850 and 900 tons are credited to operations by Col. F. B. Millard of Spokane who had a lease and bond on the property in 1918. This ore was shipped to Carnegie Steel Company, Evanston, Ill., and is stated to have carried between 45 and 50 per cent metallic manganese. Later, in 1918, Curle shipped one carload, about 50 tons, to Trail and another carload to the Bilrowe Alloys Company, Tacoma. A sample lot of 30 tons extracted in 1917 from an area of 684 square feet averaged 43 per cent metallic manganese.” Finally, Sargent (1956) stated that “The recorded [he does not say where] production of this deposit is 541 tons; however, it is believed that the quantity shipped may have amounted to about 1,000 tons.” All that can be said with certainty is that a small amount of material was mined and shipped to various consignees.
Giles Peatfield Comments on the Minerals Reported:
“Wad”: This has, over the years, been described as: ‘bog manganese’ (Bancroft, 1918; Cairnes, 1932, 1935); ‘manganese dioxide’ (Stenson, 1918); ‘brown and black oxides’ (Langley, 1919); ‘manganese ore’ (Stenson, 1919; Robertson, 1920); and ‘black manganiferous oxide’ (Kallock et al., 1983). It is the principal ‘mineral’ of interest on the property.
Braunite?: Cairnes (1932, 1935) wrote that “Most specimens show an abundance of tiny crystals, commonly diamond shaped and possessing high relief, of another manganese mineral, probably either braunite or hausmannite.”
Garnet group: Cairnes (1932) wrote that “The sediments are chiefly quartzitic types carrying varying proportions of black and reddish oxides and, locally, abundant grains of a manganiferous garnet (spessartite [sic]?) that are commonly surrounded by rims of black manganese oxide.” Subsequently, Cairnes (1935) expanded this slightly, to say “Under the microscope the sediments are seen to be chiefly quartzitic types carrying varying proportions of black and reddish oxides and, locally, abundant grains of a manganiferous garnet (spessartite [sic]?) which are commonly surrounded by rims of black manganese oxide.”
Hausmannite?: See note above for braunite?.
Limonite: Cairnes (1932, 1935) reported ‘hydrous iron oxide’, which I have interpreted as limonite.
Psilomelane: Langley (1919) wrote that “The ore chiefly consists of brown and black oxides of manganese, with occasional bunches of concretionary psilomelane.”
Quartz: See note above for garnet group.

Giles Peatfield Comments on the Rock Types Reported:
The rocks exposed in the manganese deposit area are part of the Kaslo Group and, immediately to the west of the younger Slocan Group. Nash (1917) listed the various types.
One other type, of some interest, is calcareous tufa, deposited with the manganese oxides. Cairnes (1932) postulated the formation of this material as follows: “The deposits have formed in swampy ground fed by mineral springs charged with carbonic acid and carrying manganese, lime, and iron. On reaching the surface in the swampy areas, the carbon dioxide of the spring waters partly escaped and the contained manganese and iron carbonates were precipitated and almost immediately oxidized to form hydrous oxides. In much the same way the lime carbonate was, on escape of the excess carbonic acid gas, deposited to form sinter deposits of calcareous tufa. Due to differences in the relative solubilities of these different substances and to variations in local conditions, the tendency has been for each to form more or less separately from the others.”

Giles Peatfield
BASc. (Geological Engineering) University of British Columbia 1966.
PhD Queen's University at Kingston 1978.
Worked for Texas Gulf Sulphur / Texasgulf Inc. / Kidd Creek Mines - 1966 to 1985.
Consultant 1985 to 2016

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Link to British Columbia Minfile:	082FNE151

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References