Great Mining Camps of Canada 5. Britannia Mines, British Columbia

Britannia was discovered in 1888, began production in 1905, and after nearly 70 years of underground operation produced more copper than any other mine in British Columbia. At one time it was the largest copper mine in the British Empire. Britannia survived the Great Depression, labour shortages brought on by two world wars, and several natural disasters. For most of its life Britannia was owned by the Howe Sound Company of New York, which was formed in 1903 for the purpose of financing the development of the mine. In 1963 it was purchased by Anaconda Canada Limited, which operated the mine until closure in 1974. The Britannia camp encompassed eight separate ore zones located approximately 5 km inland from Britannia Beach. The deposits occurred within a large shear zone in a roof pendant of Mesozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks enclosed by the Coast Plutonic Complex. Until a few years before mining ceased, the deposits were believed to have been emplaced in structurally favourable sites by hydrothermal fluids; the most recent interpretation of the deposits invokes a VMS model. During the mine’s lifetime, thousands of people worked at Britannia, and they and their families lived in one of two company towns that, until 1956, were accessible only by coastal steamer. After closure, the community of Britannia Beach faced the prospect of becoming a mining ghost town, and the distinction of being the site of an environmental hazard created by acid mine drainage. A solution to the pollution problem was found, and road access to Vancouver combined with the success of the Britannia Mine Museum, a highlight of which is the surviving and spectacular mine concentrator that has been designated a National Historic Site, have given Britannia Beach a promising future. Britannia is historically important from a mining technology viewpoint because it was the first mine in BC to successfully employ froth flotation. It was economically significant because it was an important element in BC’s emerging economy and it is culturally significant because the Britannia communities represented a way of life that was typical of many Canadian mining towns in the first half of the 20th century. Moreover, Britannia Beach has survived and has become a well established community. Additionally, the recent history of Britannia Beach illustrates the importance of environmental considerations related to mine closure. SOMMAIRE La mine Britannia a ete decouverte en 1888, elle a debute sa production en 1905 et, en pres de 70 ans d'exploitation souterraine elle a produit plus de cuivre que toute autre mine en Colombie-Britannique. A une epoque c’etait la plus grande mine de cuivre de l'Empire britannique. Britannia a survecu a la Grande Depression, aux penuries de main-d’œuvre provoquee par les deux guerres mondiales, ainsi qu’a plusieurs catastrophes naturelles. Pour la majeure partie de son existence, Britannia a ete la propriete de la societe Howe Sound de New York, laquelle a ete formee en 1903 dans le but de financer la mise en valeur de la mine. En 1963, elle a ete achetee par Anaconda Canada Limited, laquelle a exploite la mine jusqu'a sa fermeture en 1974. Situe a environ 5 km de la cote de Britannia Beach, le camp minier de la Britannia etait constitue de 8 zones mineralisees distinctes. Les gisements etaient situes dans une grande zone de cisaillement situee dans le toit d’une unite de roches volcano-sedimentaires mesozoiques du Coast Plutonic Complex. Quelques annees avant la fin de l’exploitation, on croyait encore que les gisements avaient ete mis en place par la migration de fluides hydrothermaux dans des pieges structuraux favorables, mais l'interpretation la plus recente suggere plutot une mise en place selon le modele des SMV. Tout au long de son exploitation, des milliers de personnes ont travaille a la mine Britannia et ces travailleurs et leurs familles demeuraient dans l’une des deux villes de compagnie; notons que l’endroit n’etait accessible que par un vapeur cotier jusqu’en 1956. Apres la fermeture de la mine, la ville de Britannia Beach a bien failli devenir une ville fantome avec la reputation de constituer une menace pour l’environnement etant donne les effets du drainage acide des residus miniers. Mais grâce a la solution qui a ete appliquee, a la route qui a ete construite jusqu’a Vancouver et au succes du musee de la mine Britannia avec son spectaculaire concentrateur, lequel a pu etre preserve et qui a ete designe lieu historique national, Britannia Beach peut maintenant etre confiante en l’avenir. Du point de vue technologie miniere, la mine de Britannia est importante historiquement en ce qu’elle fut la premiere mine de C.-B. qui ait employe avec succes le procede de separation de flottation par mousse. Economiquement elle fut un element majeur de l’economie emergente de la C.-B. Les communautes de la Britannia sont importante culturellement aussi en ce qu’elles representent un mode de vie typique des villes minieres canadiennes de la premiere moitie du 20e siecle. Qui plus est, la ville de Britannia Beach a subsiste au-dela de son episode minier et est devenue une communaute autonome. L’histoire recente de Britannia Beach montre bien qu’il est important de tenir compte des questions environnemen-tales liees a la fermeture d’une mine.

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