The Pan occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1320 metres near the northeast bank of Trepanier Creek, approximately 24 kilometres northwest of Peachland.
The area is underlain by porphyritic quartz diorite of the Lower Jurassic Pennask Batholith, locally known as the Brenda stock.
Sulphide mineralization in the Pan occurrence area is structurally controlled and is found as fracture-coatings and vein-fillings in flat joints and northwest-trending vertical fractures. The area of mineralization is characterized by a greater abundance of veins and fracture-fillings accompanied by rock alteration. These consist of pyrite-epidote, secondary biotite, chlorite and quartz veins. The veins are often accompanied by potassium feldspar alteration selvages, and chlorite-sericite alteration of the host is common. There is no apparent zonation to the hydrothermal alteration, nor is there a pyrite halo. Molybdenite was noted in one location at the main Pan occurrence.
Numerous chalcopyrite-pyrite exposures exist in the Trepanier Creek gorge for approximately 1 kilometre downstream from the main Pan occurrence. These exposures are included in the Pan occurrence.
In 1974, a sample (27615) of quartz diorite with pyrite-molybdenite-chalcopyrite mineralization and malachite staining from the main Pan occurrence on the former Pan 17 claim yielded up to 0.46 per cent copper and 0.011 per cent molybdenum, whereas two samples (27618 and 27619) of similar fracture-controlled mineralization, located approximately 120 metres north and 150 northwest of the main occurrence and also on the former Pan 17 claim yielded 1.10 and 0.41 per cent copper with 0.045 and 0.016 per cent molybdenum, respectively (Property File 000980). Also at this time, a sample (27617) of breccia hosting massive pyrite-chalcopyrite mineralization near a dike contact, located approximately 300 metres south of the main occurrence on the former Pan 12 claim, yielded 2.00 per cent copper and 0.060 per cent molybdenum, whereas another sample (27614) of mineralized gossanous quartz diorite, located approximately 500 metres southeast of the main occurrence near the former Pan 13 and 18 claim boundary, yielded 1.65 per cent copper (Property File 000980). No assays for gold or silver were reported.
Work History
In 1967, Lakeland Base Metals completed a program of soil sampling on the area as the JO claims. Canadian Superior Exploration Ltd. explored the property in 1969 and carried out a soil sampling program northeast of the gorge. Noranda Exploration Company Ltd. explored this general area during the 1960s; however, it is not recorded if work was carried out in the Trepanier Creek gorge.
In 1970, Arrow Inter-America completed an airborne magnetic survey, totalling 752 line-kilometres, on the area as the Tic and Toc claims. During 1974 through 1976, Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. explored the gorge and adjacent area to the east as the Tre property with programs of geological mapping, rock and soil geochemistry, and a magnetometer survey. They found that soil geochemical anomalies coincided with known mineralization; likewise, stream sediment anomalies were found draining areas of known mineralization, especially on the west side of Trepanier Creek. The magnetometer survey was inconclusive.
In 1987, Brenda Mines Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, soil sampling, ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys and drilling on the area as the North Brenda (NB claims) property.
During 2006 through 2012, Bitterroot Resources completed programs of rock, silt and soil sampling, geological mapping, trenching, 147.6 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys and a 66.2 line-kilometre ground induced polarization survey on the area as the North Brenda property.
