Lucky Four Claims, Foley Peak, Laidlaw, New Westminster Mining Division, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Lucky Four Claims	Group of Claims
Foley Peak	- not defined -
Laidlaw	- not defined -
New Westminster Mining Division	Division
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

The Lucky Four prospect lies just to the north of the summit of Foley Peak, about 18 kilometres south of Laidlaw, on the Fraser River, or 27 kilometres south-southwest of Hope, British Columbia, in the New Westminster Mining Division. Note that this peak is not to be confused with Mount Foley, 90 kilometres north-west of Vancouver. There is no Foley Mountain in British Columbia.
There is a description of the property on the British Columbia “Minfile” site, current to 1994. A portion relative to geology is quoted below:
“The main geological feature on the property is an intrusive contact between a large body of granodiorite and a series of sedimentary rocks (formerly considered to be of the Devonian to Permian Chilliwack Group). These sedimentary rocks, argillite and greywacke, are closely crumpled, highly metamorphosed and contain abundant feldspathic material from the intrusive body. The original rocks are now represented as schists and gneisses. The mineralized zones occur within this zone of altered sediments. The Lucky Four (Main zone) is about 46 metres from the granodiorite contact.
A skarn zone outcrops on a prominent steep bluff on the crest of the mountain and extends northwest down a precipitous spur. The zone is a coarsely crystallized mass of brown garnet and contains sheaves of curved, columnar, black crystals believed to be zoisite [see Hudson, 2010], dark green pyroxene, calcite and clear quartz. Some of the minerals are remarkable for their large size and well developed crystal form. A zone of giant quartz crystals about 6 metres wide, adjoins the main skarn zone on its northeastern side. The quartz crystals range from 10 to 35 centimetres in diameter and up to 1 metre in length.
The skarn zone is about 15 metres wide and has an exposed horizontal length of 152 metres and a vertical distance of 122 metres. Economic mineralization in the skarn consists of chalcopyrite as disseminations, fracture fillings and cavity fillings. Three high grade lenticular zones of almost solid or massive chalcopyrite occur as well as in several smaller areas. However, much of the skarn contains little or no chalcopyrite.
Copper mineralization is generally in garnetite but has been observed in greywacke along with associated high silver values. Other sulphide minerals present are pyrrhotite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, bornite and minor amounts of molybdenum [sic – molybdenite]. The silver mineral has not been identified. Other gangue minerals besides the coarsely crystalline garnet include zoisite, pyroxene, calcite and quartz. Several pods of coarse pegmatitic hornblende and radial actinolite occurs in a siliceous matrix. Crystals can reach 50 centimetres in size for hornblende and 10 centimetres in size for clusters of actinolite.”
Giles Peatfield comments:
The Lucky Four property has a long history of sporadic exploration, dating back to its discovery in 1915. However, this work was difficult, owing to the precipitous terrain, and although there has been a limited amount of underground work and numerous diamond drill holes completed, no viable body of copper mineralization has been outlined.
In recent years, the focus of attention has shifted to mineral collecting (Hudson, 2006, 2010; Joyce, 2022). The main mineral of interest has been Japan-Law quartz twins, and several excellent specimens have been found. Joyce (2022) especially gives a good description of the lengths to which he and other collectors went to rappel down cliff faces to reach large vugs from which undamaged crystals were recovered. Other collectors have tried their luck, but it would seem that the Joyce group, in several visits, was the most successful. In addition to quartz, they were the first to recognize a number of other previously unreported minerals, as described on the comment section below. Collecting at the Lucky Four is not for the faint of heart!
There has been no officially recorded production from the Lucky Four property. Lorimer (1982) wrote that “A few years later [date uncertain, perhaps 1967?], Big Hope Resources Ltd. (N.P.L.) erected a camp building (the old one was destroyed by fire several years ago) and excavated about 35 tons of selected material from the main showing. It was flown out by helicopter and left at a loading point on one of the old logging roads near Wahleach Lake.” I can find no record of what happened to this material.
One last point of interest. The “Minfile” write-up mentions work by “Muller” – this is almost certainly an error and should read “Monger”; see GSC Map 41-1989 (Monger, 1989). The “Muller” reference has come to be included in other reports, e.g. Hudson (2010), but I can find no reference to work here by Muller (if this in fact refers to the GSC geologist Jan Muller, whose work was mainly in the coastal region and on Vancouver Island.) This point remains unresolved.
Giles Peatfield comments on the minerals reported:
The property has interesting and somewhat complex mineralogy. The most detailed work was reported by Cairnes (1923), who had the benefit of examining thin sections. Other workers appear to have used field methods of identification, and these may in some cases be suspect. I have chosen to comment on all those reported over the years, providing some details and pointing out at least some of the potential problems with identification:
Actinolite?: This was reported only by Hudson (2006), who wrote that “Several pods of coarse pegmatitic hornblende and radial actinolite occur in a silica matrix, with crystals reaching 50 cm for hornblende, and 10 cm for clusters of actinolite.” There is no record of detailed mineralogical work on this material.
Adularia: Reported as a recent find, by Joyce (2022), who commented that “There was also adularia feldspar in heavily striated, twinned crystals, on occasion.”
Amphibole group: Cairnes (1923) mentioned “amphibole”, hornblende and possible tremolite. Hudson (2006) mentioned hornblende.
Apatite: Cairnes (1923) reported apatite as an accessory mineral in skarn.
Arsenopyrite: Reported only by Hudson (2006, 2010), with no details.
Azurite?: Reported by Hudson (2010), where “At the top of the slope is a coloured wall where malachite and azurite weep down the cliff face, giving some indication of the sulfides within the zone.” No-one else has specifically mentioned azurite.
Biotite: Reported by Cairnes (1923) as a major constituent of the intrusive rock, as “. . . small red scales and shreds that show strong absorption from a pale brown to a deep brownish-red.”
Bornite: Cairnes (1923), in describing polished sections of copper mineralization, noted that “No other copper minerals were observed in these sections, but a little bornite was seen in hand specimens of ore from this property. It is probably of secondary origin and not sufficiently abundant to enhance greatly the value of the ore.” Hudson (2006, 2010) also mentioned the presence of bornite.
Calcite: Cairnes (1923) described, in skarn near the intrusive contact, “. . . beautifully recrystallized calcite, . . . .” Joyce (2022), describing the contents of one of the vugs examined, wrote that “In addition to the quartz crystals, there was a fair amount of calcite, often as disc-shaped white crystals to 1.5 cm or so perched on and between quartz crystals.”
Chalcopyrite: This is the mineral of primary economic interest at the property, occurring in veins and irregular ‘plums’ up to several metres in dimension. An interesting point is that Cairnes (1923) reported that “A sample of pure chalcopyrite prepared by the writer and assayed under the direction of Prof. A. H. Phillips was found to contain 23.46 per cent copper.” This seems very low indeed – was this a misprint for 33.46 per cent copper?
Diopside: Cairnes (1923) described garnets “. . . intergrown with a pyroxene identified by its refraction as diopside.” Others have simply recorded ‘pyroxene’ with no more specific data.
Epidote: Reported by Cairnes (1923) from the skarn zone, based on examination of thin sections and macroscopic examination of skarn. See comment below regarding zoisite.
Feldspar group: Cairnes (1923) reported both orthoclase and andesine in the intrusive rocks. See note above for adularia.
Garnet group: Cairnes (1923) reported red andradite garnets in skarns near the intrusive contact, whereas farther from the intrusive contact “. . . there occur massive beds a foot or more thick of a brownish-yellow garnet, whose indices of refraction are about those for grossularite [sic – grossular].”
Goethite: Joyce (2022) showed a photograph of a quartz crystal with ‘feldspar’ and goethite, from the adit pocket.
Hornblende: Cairnes (1923), in describing the intrusive rock, reported that “The ferromagnesian minerals include a dark green lustrous hornblende and a smaller proportion of black biotite.” This appears to have been a macroscopic identification.
Magnetite: Cairnes (1923) reported magnetite in the skarn.
Malachite: Cairnes (1923) mentioned ‘rich carbonate stains’ on the surface of outcrops. Hudson (2010) saw malachite – see comment above for azurite. The article by Joyce (2022) has several photographs showing this staining.
Molybdenite: Cairnes (1923), describing a skarn composed of pyroxene, zoisite and epidote, wrote that “Molybdenite is distributed through the pyroxene as small, irregular clusters of flakes.”
Pyrite: This is commonly reported, but does not appear to be a major constituent of the skarns.
Pyrrhotite: This is reported by all workers, but is not of major importance.
Quartz: Quartz is the mineral of most interest from a collecting point of view. First and foremost are numerous Japan-Law quartz twin crystals. Joyce (2022) presented several photographs of excellent crystals, ranging from 4 to 11 centimetres in maximum dimension. His photos show other quartz crystal forms, including a well-formed sceptre crystal about 1.5 centimetres tall, as well as attractive clusters, some with doubly terminated crystals. His photos are well worth viewing. Finally, there is what White (1950) described as “A zone of giant quartz crystals about 20 feet wide [that] adjoins the main skarn zone on its northeastern side. The massed quartz crystals range from 4 to 14 inches in diameter and up to 40 inches in length.” These crystals are shown in photographs by Hudson (2010) and by Joyce (2022). Unfortunately, many of the terminations have been destroyed, either by natural causes or by over-exuberant collectors.
Scheelite: Joyce (2022), describing the results of the 1988 collecting trip, wrote that “I think the biggest surprise on this trip was the scheelite. Dave van Dieren had noticed that some clear, colourless fragments had a very high density. We weren’t sure what they were but, later, after exposing them to short-wave U/V light, we concluded that the fragments were scheelite. Many were clear enough to be faceted into gems by Brad Wilson and some are figured below.” Scheelite had not been previously reported; these crystals were found associated with siderite.
Sericite?: Cairnes (1923), describing the feldspars in the intrusive rocks, wrote “They [the feldspars] are frequently intersected or replaced by thin, colourless shreds of mica resembling muscovite, but which may in part represent a sericitic alteration product.”
Siderite: Joyce (2022) mentioned finding siderite from a ‘new’ surface pocket and from a vug in an adit. Note that there are two adits, the first, the lower adit, driven on the East Zone, and a second shorter one under the Main Zone at a higher elevation. It is not clear which adit Joyce was referring to, but one assumes the upper one. The positions of the two zones are shown clearly on the map prepared by W. H. White (1950), although there is no mention in his report of the upper adit, which seems to have been driven after his 1949 examination, probably in 1950 – see King, (1951). The material mentioned by Joyce (2022) included coarsely crystalline aggregates of siderite, some with scheelite.
Sphalerite?: Cairnes (1923), describing polished sections of chalcopyrite, wrote that “this sulphide in polished sections shows under high magnification numerous minute irregular areas of a darker mineral which is probably zinc blende.” This is the only reference I have found to sphalerite from this occurrence.
Talc?: Cairnes (1923) wrote that “Still farther away from the granodiorite the metamorphosed belt becomes predominantly pyroxene, which has in part been further altered to a soft talcose rock resembling soapstone.”
Tourmaline: Cairnes (1923), describing the intrusive rock, wrote that “Large granular masses of brown tourmaline are occasionally seen.” He gave no further compositional data.
Tremolite?: Cairnes (1923), describing the talcose rock mentioned above, wrote that “Crushed fragments of the pyroxene [in the rock] show under the microscope as a fibrous and almost colourless mineral with the indices of refraction about those for tremolite.”
Zoisite: Reported by Cairnes (1923), in some cases by examination of thin sections. Also reported as “. . . sheaves of curved, columnar, black crystals believed to be zoisite . . . .” by Hudson (2006). Later, Hudson (2010) quoted the ‘field notes’ of ‘Muller’, but see note above re this name. Unfortunately, Hudson did not give a reference and I have been unable to track down the original quote. Perhaps it is from Jim Monger’s PhD Thesis (1966) at UBC, which I have been unable to access? Hudson (2010) commented that the mineral might actually be iron-rich epidote, which would be logical given the black colour. This problem remains unresolved, but we may assume that Cairnes’ (1923) identification of zoisite is valid.
Giles Peatfield comments on the rock types reported:
These rocks were reported on the property by Cairnes (1915), and by Hudson (2006).

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Link to British Columbia Minfile:	092HSW007

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References