WHY OROGENIC GOLD?*

• The significance of orogenic gold deposits is well known. Globally, they account for about 2700 million ounces, or 30%, of known gold (based on past-production, resources and reserves, to 2014 (Allan, 2018)). Orogenic gold dominates gold production in Canada, Australia, Africa, Russia and China.
  
  
• In Canada, over 80% of gold comes from this style of deposit, with the Abitibi region alone contributing over 180 million ounces of gold. In British Columbia, 45% of historic lode gold production (to 2002) and almost all the province’s historic placer gold production can be attributed to orogenic gold mineralization (Schroeter, 2003).
  
  
• Orogenic deposits form during regional, continent-building tectonic episodes as opposed to being associated with hydrothermal fluids related to intrusive activity. This style of deposit can produce high-grade veins as well as low-grade, bulk-tonnage deposits. Historically, development was restricted to high-grade veins but as technology and metal prices have changed, exploration has targeted bulk-tonnage mineralization, with many of these deposits coming into production in recent years (i.e. Canadian Malartic). Numerous excellent publications exist describing various aspects of orogenic gold mineralization, including Allan (2018), Dubé and Gosselin (2007) and Goldfarb et al (2001).

• Orogenic deposits are attractive for several reasons including their large size and high gold grades:
  
  
  • • On average, orogenic deposits have higher gold grades than either epithermal or porphyry copper-gold deposits.
      
      
    • If one considers the largest known gold deposits with greater than 150 tonnes of gold (i.e. > 4.4 million ounces gold), orogenic deposits account for more of these global giants than any other deposit style.
      
      
    • Because they are part of a regional deformation event, orogenic deposits tend to occur in clusters or districts.
      
      
    • Many mature districts with a long and continued history of production are known globally. Some better known examples include the Superior Province in Canada (i.e. McIntyre-Hollinger, Campbell-Red Lake, Kirkland Lake, Dome, Malartic, Detour Lake etc.), the Guiana Shield in West Africa (i.e. Ashanti), Muruntau gold in Central Asia, and the Yilgarn craton and Victoria province in Australia (i.e. Golden Mile, Bendigo). Archean cratons are dominant hosts to orogenic deposits, although deposits can be any age as long as favourable tectonic conditions are present.
      
      
• The Cassiar Gold district is located on an inland orogenic gold belt with other known districts such as Osisko Development’s Cariboo-Barkerville district and the Sheep Creek district.