British Columbia encompasses a
major portion of the northern Cordillera and has produced silver since the late 19th
century. It is a silver-rich region; three major silver mines, Sullivan, Eskay Creek and
Equity Silver, have produced or will have produced by closure, more than 1.5 billion grams
of silver. There are more than 50 silver lode mines and mining camps in British Columbia
each of which have produced, or could eventually recover, over 45 million grams of silver.
The province has a large number of undeveloped deposits and excellent opportunities for
new discoveries.
This Open File briefly reviews the abundance and diversity of silver lode
deposits in British Columbia. The report includes summary tables of reserve and production
data and deposit types for close to 300 major producers, past producers and developed
prospects. The location of these deposits, their current status with respect to
production, and deposit type are shown on an accompanying map.
The British Columbia Geological Survey maintains a mineral occurrence
database called MINFILE that can be used in conjunction with geological maps, regional
geochemical data, published reports and assessment reports to identify occurrences and
regions prospective for silver warranting further exploration.