ROCK ROOM

Smithers Exploration Group's Collection of Cordilleran Rock Suites

Welcome to Smithers Exploration Group’s Rock Room, home to our classic collection of Cordilleran rock suites. This extensive collection of rock samples is representative of deposits and rock types from across British Columbia, with a focus on the northwest. It’s an important resource for the development of expertise on the geology of northern BC and the discovery of the next mines.

The collection was begun in the 1970s by local geologists and prospectors, as well as the BC Ministry of Mines, and was updated under the direction of former regional geologist Paul Wojdak. It is designed to give hands-on examples of the rocks that make up the regional geological framework of northern British Columbia. We are working hard to complete our collection: if there is a particular suite you are keen to see but we do not yet have, please let us know and we will prioritize the aquisition of those samples. If you have a suite that you would consider donating to help us fill in the gaps, please contact us.

The Rock Room occupies a spacious classroom at the Smithers Exploration Group office at #101 3423 Fulton Avenue in Smithers. We have almost 2000 rock samples catalogued, clearly labelled and stored in trays that can be removed for handling and close examination. The room is heated, well-lit and spacious .It is equipped with regular and zoom stereomicroscopes for detailed investigation.

The rock suites cover:

Plutonic
Volcanic
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Stratigraphy
Mineral Deposits and Ore Deposit Types
Rock-forming and Ore Minerals

Call 250-877-7883 or email rockroom@smithersexplorationgroup.com if you have questions about the Rock Room or the donation requirements for samples.

SEG’s Rock Room with its Cordilleran Rock Suites will make Smithers home to a unique tool for explorationists. It will attract industry and government attention to Smithers as a community committed to the growth of the minerals industry in BC.

Browse the Rock Room Collection

Library No.	Suite Name	Location	Collector	Rock Name	Age	Description	Cart
S13-11	Fennel Unit lFc		P Schiarizza	Chert	Permian	grey; fine bedded	Add Item
S13-10	Fennel Unit lFc		P Schiarizza	Chert	Permian	grey; aphanitic	Add Item
S13-09	Fennel Unit lFc		P Schiarizza	Chert	Permian	light green	Add Item
S13-08	Fennel Unit lFc		P Schiarizza	Chert	Permian	grey; recrystallized	Add Item
S13-07	Fennel Unit lFc (upper slab)		P Schiarizza	Chert	Permian	grey; massive	Add Item
S13-06	Fennel Unit lFp		P Schiarizza	Quartz porphyry rhyolite		rare feldspar	Add Item
S13-05	Fennel Unit lFp		P Schiarizza	Quartz porphyry rhyolite	Permian	feldspar microlites	Add Item
S13-04	Fennel Unit lFp		P Schiarizza	Rhyolite porphyry breccia	Permian	clasts to several cm	Add Item
S13-03	Fennel Unit lFp		P Schiarizza	Quartz feldspar porphyry rhyolite	Permian		Add Item
S13-02	Fennel Unit lFs		P Schiarizza	Argillaceous greywacke	Permian		Add Item
S13-01	Fennel Unit lFs		P Schiarizza	Black argillite	Permian		Add Item
S12-93	Dgm	Mc-79-22	P Schiarizza	biotite hornblende orthogneiss	Devonian		Add Item
S12-92	Dgm	PS-79-132	P Schiarizza	biotite muscovite paragneiss (?)			Add Item
S12-91	Dgm	VP-80-122	P Schiarizza	biotite aplite vein	Devonian		Add Item
S12-90	Dgm	VP-80-15	P Schiarizza	chlorite biotite orthogneiss	Devonian		Add Item
S12-89	ub / di	VP-80-53	P Schiarizza	pyroxene gabbro (?)			Add Item
S12-88	ub / di	Mc-79-58	P Schiarizza	hornblende diorite			Add Item
S12-87	ub / di	DF-80-146	P Schiarizza	missing		missing	Add Item
S12-86	ub / di	VP-80-56	P Schiarizza	serpentinite			Add Item
S12-85	Eagle Bay Unit EBP	DF-80-162	P Schiarizza	Meta-greywacke		50% detrital quartz and feldspar; biotite-muscovite matrix	Add Item
S12-84	Eagle Bay Unit EBP	DF-80-160	P Schiarizza	Black phyllite		argillaceous; meta-mudstone	Add Item
S12-83	Eagle Bay Unit EBP	PS-78-2	P Schiarizza	Pelitic schist		25% andalusite(?) spots	Add Item
S12-82	Eagle Bay Unit EBP	PS-78-7	P Schiarizza	Quartzite		light grey; detrital grains to several mm; minor sericite	Add Item
S12-81	Eagle Bay Unit EBP	PS-78-4	P Schiarizza	Metapelite (greywacke)		>60% rounded detrital quartz and feldspar; dark grey biotite matrix	Add Item
S12-80	Eagle Bay Unit EBF	PS-R-78-4	P Schiarizza	Rhyolite		5% quartz; 30% feldspar; phyllitic sericite-chlorite matrix	Add Item
S12-79	Eagle Bay Unit EBF	PS-78-175	P Schiarizza	Chlorite phyllite (meta basalt)		very dark green	Add Item
S12-78	Eagle Bay Unit EBF	Mc-79-91	P Schiarizza	Meta dacite to andesite		40% feldspar in phyllitic chlorite-sericite matrix	Add Item
S12-77	Eagle Bay Unit EBF	Mc-79-89	P Schiarizza	Meta-epiclastic volcanic (greywacke)		heterolithic; clasts to 1 cm, rounded; clasts composition ranges from mafic (chlorite rich) to felsic	Add Item
S12-76	Eagle Bay Unit EBF	Mc-79-87	P Schiarizza	Rhyolite		pale grey; massive texture suggests dome or intrusive origin; 1% quartz; 5% feldspar phenos	Add Item
S12-75	Eagle Bay Unit EBF	LD-79-27	P Schiarizza	Meta-greywacke(?)		dark grey argillaceous matrix; faint detrital feldspar and rock clasts	Add Item
S12-74	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	PS-79-106	P Schiarizza	quartz sericite phyllite (meta felsic volcanic)		light green; micaceous partings	Add Item
S12-73	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	VP-80-113	P Schiarizza	quartz sericite phyllite (meta dacite / rhyolite)		light grey; fine grained	Add Item
S12-72	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	VP-80-154	P Schiarizza	orthogneiss		medium green; quartz hornblende (chlorite) semi-schist	Add Item
S12-71	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	PS-78-297	P Schiarizza	orthogneiss		grey; massive; quartz feldspar mica semi-schist	Add Item
S12-70	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	PS-78-287	P Schiarizza	orthogneiss		quartz feldspar sericite biotite schist; silvery weathering due to mica surfaces	Add Item
S12-69	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	Mc-79-61	P Schiarizza	Chlorite sericite phyllite (meta intermediate volcanic)		light green; soft, no quartz content	Add Item
S12-68	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	PS-78-275	P Schiarizza	Quartz sericite phyllite		fine grained; 2% disseminated euhedral magnetite	Add Item
S12-67	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	PS-78-270	P Schiarizza	Quartz sericite phyllite		light grey; fine grained; weathers pinkish; origin uncertain	Add Item
S12-66	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	PS-78-271	P Schiarizza	quartz sericite schist (meta altered rhyolite)		siliceous augen indicate fragmental volcanic origin	Add Item
S12-65	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	PS-78-195	P Schiarizza	quartz sericite phyllite (meta altered rhyolite)			Add Item
S12-64	Eagle Bay Unit EBA	VP-80-159	P Schiarizza	Black mudstone / phyllite		dense; well laminated	Add Item
S12-63	Eagle Bay Unit EBM	VP-80-57	P Schirizza	Meta-gabbro amphibolite		60% metamorphic hornblende; 40% feldspar	Add Item
S12-62	Eagle Bay Unit EBM	LD-79-33	P Schirizza	Meta-gabbro		medium grained; 50% feldspar; 50% hornblende; modified salt and pepper texture	Add Item
S12-61	Eagle Bay Unit EBM	Mc-78-50	P Schirizza	Meta-basalt		contains disrupted chert beds	Add Item
S12-60	Eagle Bay Unit EBM	Mc-78-51	P Schirizza	Interlayered chlorite phyllite and limestone			Add Item
S12-59	Eagle Bay Unit EBM	Mc-78-87	P Schirizza	Quartz chlorite phyllite (meta basalt tuff)		finely laminated dark green and white; chert, chlorite and carbonate layers	Add Item
S12-57	Eagle Bay Unit EBK	DF-80-95	P Schirizza	chlorite sericite schist (meta-volcanic)		faintly preserved fragmental texture suggests volcanic origin	Add Item
S12-56	Eagle Bay Unit EBK	DF-80-59	P Schirizza	Argillaceous meta-limestone		recrystallized calcite; minor pyrite, pyrrhotite and actinolite(?)	Add Item
S12-55	Eagle Bay Unit EBK	DF-80-58	P Schirizza	quartz sericite carbonate phyllite (meta felsic tuff?)		sericite partings	Add Item
S12-54	Eagle Bay Unit EBK	PS-78-322	P Schirizza	quartz sericite schist (meta felsic tuff or siltstone)		light green; sericite, chlorite and carbonate	Add Item

Samples in your order cart

Library No.	Suite Name	Location	Collector	Rock Name	Age	Description	Cart
D2-03	Premier Mine		D Alldrick	Andesite lithic tuff	Jurassic	augite phyric clasts; py veinlets; calcite and chlorite gangue	Remove Item
S19-24	Atlin	Cache Creek Group, Sentinel Mountain	M A Bloodgood	Banded chert		red and green bands	Remove Item
A5 03	Argillic Alteration		T Richards	Amygdaloidal andesite porphyry		25% plagioclase phenocrysts, 2-3 mm, very light green due to sausserite alteration; 5-10% calcite-filled amygdules; aphanitic, unaltered groundmass	Remove Item
S18-52	Edziza Volcano	Pyramid Fm	J Souther	Obsidian	Cenozoic	black obsidian; minor streaky siliceous laminae (devitrification)	Remove Item
A5 05	Argillic Alteration		T Richards	Bleached felsite intrusion (dike)		probably 85% fine grained quartz with minor feldspar; minor pyrite	Remove Item
D17-06	Silver Standard			Siltstone hornfels		laminated; indurated; partly baked because fractures predominate over bedding	Remove Item

Order your samples and book a viewing time.