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
S12-05	Eagle Bay Unit EBQ	PS-79-151	P Schirizza	garnet biotite muscovite schist			Add Item
S12-04	Eagle Bay Unit EBQ	PS-79-145	P Schirizza	muscovite quartzite			Add Item
S12-03	Eagle Bay Unit EBQ	PS-79-153	P Schirizza	staurolite muscovite quartz schist			Add Item
S12-02	Eagle Bay Unit EBQ	PS-79-146	P Schirizza	Chlorite sericite schist			Add Item
S12-01	Eagle Bay Unit EBQ	PS-79-152	P Schirizza	Staurolite(?) chlorite muscovite schist			Add Item
S11-15	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Dunite - wehrlite		weakly layered; olive green on broken surface is probably olivine, partially serpentinized; bands of chromite	Add Item
S11-14	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Pyroxenite(?)		medium green; medium grained, all crystals are uniformly 2-3 mm, and appear to be pyroxene; non-magnetic	Add Item
S11-13	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Dunite with clinopyroxene		olive green on broken surfaces but no crystals evident; very strongly magnetic	Add Item
S11-12	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Wehrlite		coarse, 1 cm size euhedral olivine(?) surrounded by black clinopyroxene(?); moderately magnetic	Add Item
S11-11	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Clinopyroxenite with orthopyroxene (by collector)		coarse grained, 1 cm crystals; possibly orthopyroxene is bronze weathering, interstitial mineral seen on partly weathered surface, if that is correct, then 80% clinopyroxene; 20% orthopyroxene	Add Item
S11-10	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Diabase dike (swarm)		fine grained; 50% feldspar; 50% pyroxene; requires hand lens to see salt-and-pepper texture; non-magnetic; similar to S11-08	Add Item
S11-09	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			(Isotropic) Gabbro		coarse grained, 0.5 cm crystals; 70% feldspar; 30% hornblende(?) after pyroxene; submitted as "isotropic" meaning there is no evidence of layering, however there is evidence of crystal alignment	Add Item
S11-08	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Diabase dyke(?)		near black; fresh; massive; fine grained; 50% feldspar; 50% pyroxene; non-magnetic	Add Item
S11-07	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Foliated serpentinite		black; shiny; schistose; magnetic	Add Item
S11-06	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Gabbro		massive; medium grained; 70% feldspar; 30% pyroxene; non-magnetic	Add Item
S11-05	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Gabbro		fine to medium grained; salt-and-pepper texture; 60% feldspar; 40% pyroxene; non-magnetic	Add Item
S11-04	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Sheared Pyroxenite(?)		medium green; coarse grained; non-magnetic; numerous slickensided fractures	Add Item
S11-03	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Serpentinized peridotite(?)		dense; black; strongly magnetic; serpentine on fractures	Add Item
S11-02	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Peridotite(?)		dun weathering typical of suite; massive; no identifiable minerals other than 1% chromite evident on weathered surface; non-magnetic	Add Item
S11-01	Shulaps Ultramafic complex			Peridotite		25% olivine(?) phenocrysts 1 cm in size; resistant stubby pyroxene crystals on weathered surface but cannot be distinguished on fresh surface; non-magnetic	Add Item
S10-10	Purcell - Philips Fm		T Hoy	Red sandstone - siltstone	Proterozoic	hematite red; shallow water, tidal flats deposit	Add Item
T 0160 (missing)	Purcell - Creston Fm	Spar Lake, Troy Montana	T Hoy	Diagenetic red-bed, mineralized	Proterozoic	major silver-copper mine	Add Item
S10-09	Purcell - Gateway Fm		T Hoy	Limestone	Proterozoic	mm scale bedding; cryptal-algal mats formed in shallow water	Add Item
T0101 (missing)	Purcell - Gateway Fm		T Hoy	Orthoquartzite	Proterozoic	massive, fluvial deposit	Add Item
T 0100 (missing)	Purcell - Nicol Creek		T Hoy	Amygdaloidal basalt	Proterozoic	vertical pipe vesicles	Add Item
T 0099 (missing)	Purcell - Van Creek Fm		T Hoy	Siltstone	Proterozoic	ripple marks; shallow water deposit	Add Item
T 0098 (missing)	Purcell - Van Creek Fm		T Hoy	Mudchip breccia	Proterozoic	accumulation of mu- cracked siltstone	Add Item
S10-08	Purcell - Kitchener Fm		T Hoy	Argillaceous limestone	Proterozoic	interbedded, on 0.5 cm scale, limestone and limey argillite; molar tooth structures in carbonate, an enigmatic sedimentary structure consisting of variously shaped cracks and voids filled with a characterically uniform, equant calcite microspar; globally distributed but only in rocks of Neoarchean to Neoproterozoic age	Add Item
S10-07	Purcell - Base of Creston Fm	Moyie Lake area	T Hoy	Siltstone	Proterozoic	grey; shallow water siltstone; synerses cracks (shrinkage cracks caused by explusion of water from a gel-like substance	Add Item
S10-06	Purcell - Creston Fm		T Hoy	Mud-cracked siltstone	Proterozoic	red; cm scale bedding; mud cracks visible on one bedding plane	Add Item
T 0094 (missing)	Purcell - Creston Fm		T Hoy	Mud-cracked siltstone	Proterozoic		Add Item
S10-05	Purcell - Creston Fm		T Hoy	Green siltstone	Proterozoic	pale green; mm to cm scale beds, silty to argillaceous; reduced, shallow water deposit	Add Item
S10-04	Purcell - Creston Fm		T Hoy	Red siltstone	Proterozoic	mm to cm scale silt and mud beds; graded bedding and scour marks; shallow water deposit	Add Item
S10-03	Purcell - Upper Aldridge Fm		T Hoy	Argillite	Proterozoic	medium dark grey; fine bedded (mm scale); deep water deposition; <1% pyrite but results in rusty weathering	Add Item
S10-02	Purcell - Middle Aldridge Fm		T Hoy	Middle Aldridge marker horizon	Proterozoic	unique bedding sequence that can be traced 100's of km	Add Item
T 0089 (missing)	Purcell - Middle Aldridge Fm	St Eugene mine area	T Hoy	Turbidite	Proterozoic	massive; thick bedded wacke; typical of A sequence in Bouma cycle	Add Item
T 0088 (missing)	Purcell - Middle Aldridge Fm		T Hoy	Moyie Sill	Proterozoic		Add Item
T 0087 (missing)	Purcell - Middle Aldridge Fm		T Hoy	Turbidite	Proterozoic	cross-bedded (c - interval of turbidite)	Add Item
S10-01	Purcell - Lower Aldridge Fm		T Hoy	Turbidite siltstone	Proterozoic	rusty weathering turbidite and laminated siltstone; beds 3-6 cm thick	Add Item
T 0085 (missing)	Purcell - Lower Aldridge Fm	North Star mine area	T Hoy	Turbidite wacke	Proterozoic	rusty weathering, deep water (distal) siltstone-turbidite	Add Item
S9-16	Bridge River Complex			Metabasalt ?		dense; fine grained; chloritic; weakly magnetic	Add Item
S9-15	Bridge River Complex			Black argillite		tectonized	Add Item
S9-14	Bridge River Complex			Ribbon chert		fine ribbon chert with argillaceous partings; strongly tectonized, minor folds and fractured; remobilized silica veinlets	Add Item
S9-13	Bridge River Complex			Black slate		schistose; finely interbedded chert	Add Item
S9-12	Bridge River Complex			Altered basalt (greenstone)		foliated; aphanitic; no calcite	Add Item
S9-11	Bridge River Complex			Leuco-gabbro		medium grained; 60% plagioclase 2-3 mm size; non-magnetic; finer grained equivalent of above and more felsic	Add Item
S9-10	Bridge River Complex			Gabbro		40% plagioclase 0.5-1 cm size; finer grained unidentified mafic matrix; weakly magnetic	Add Item
S9-09	Bridge River Complex			Altered basalt		dark green; fine grained; 10% secondary calcite	Add Item
S9-08	Bridge River Complex			Andesite?		medium grey; fine grained; homogenous; no phenocrysts	Add Item
S9-07	Bridge River Complex			Sedimentary breccia		rounded to very angular fine-grained felsic clasts in grey-black argillaceous matrix	Add Item

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