The Sappho claim (Lot 2039), at 1040 metres elevation, is centred 9.6 kilometres south of Greenwood and 0.6 kilometre north of the International Boundary. Access to the property is 2.7 kilometres on a winding dirt road southeast of the Norwegian Creek road.
The principal rock types underlying the claim are a microdiorite intrusion (Jurassic?), exposed in the central area and southeast corner of the claim, and younger crosscutting Eocene Coryell syenomonzonite-shonkinite intrusions. Greenstones, of uncertain age, hosting these intrusions are well exposed near the east boundary of the claim and in the south central area.
Mineralization consists mostly of pyrite and chalcopyrite disseminations in shears and blebs and pods of the same minerals in biotite shonkinite and pegmatoid phases of the Coryell intrusion. Sulphides are also found locally in skarns of epidote, chlorite, garnet and magnetite near intrusive contacts.
The Jurassic date on material said to host the Sappho deposit is in contrast to the traditional Eocene Coryell assignment. There are indications that later event have disturbed the age around 100 Ma.
The Cu-Ag-PGE mineralization occurs in shallow dipping massive to semi massive veins, blebs and pods of chalcopyrite-pyrite-magnetite ore and as disseminations in pyroxenite and syenite dykes. Thin leucocratic melanite bearing syenite veins are found locally at the margins of the sulphide oxide assemblages.
The deposit is typed as an Alkalic intrusion-associated gold-silver deposit. The mineralizers are believed to represent immiscible fluids evolved in oxidized, CO2-rich alkaline magma chambers.
There are no ore reserve estimates for this property.
Production from this property was recorded from 1916 to 1918. This amounted to 102 tonnes of ore containing 6,127 grams per tonne of silver and 6.2 tonnes of copper.
The old workings consist of a cluster of pits and shafts in the central part of the claim. C.E. Johnson and others made ore shipments from these workings between 1916 and 1918. In 1927, A. Bravard and associates drove a short adit south to intersect the same mineralization at depth. A grab sample of ore taken from one of the pits assayed 3.2 per cent copper and 0.9 gram per tonne platinum (Annual Report 1927, page 235). In 1964, Triform Mining Ltd. held the property as the Cabin Group and conducted a geophysical survey, trenching and diamond drilling. In 1967, Silver Standard Mines Limited conducted geological mapping, a magnetometer survey and trenching. G.O.M. Stewart trenched in 1975 and 1978. In 1981, Kettle River Resources Ltd. conducted geological mapping, trenching and sampling. Noranda Exploration Company, Limited carried out geological and geochemical surveys in 1984 and 1985.
During 2008 through 2012, Grizzly Discoveries Inc. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical sampling and four diamond drill holes on the area as the Sappho portion of the Greenwood property.
In 2009 and 2010, sampling of the Sappho area yielded up to 75.3 grams per tonne silver, 27.10 grams per tonne platinum, 1.49 grams per tonne palladium and 8.28 per cent copper from a sample (09SDP062) of metavolcanics containing semi-massive pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite near a fault and exposed in a trench, while other samples yielded values of up to 2.20 grams per tonne gold, 298.0 grams per tonne silver, 13.55 grams per tonne platinum, 2.57 grams per tonne palladium and 13.10 per cent copper (Dufresne, M. (2013-11-25): Technical Report for the Greenwood Gold Project).
In 2010, a drill hole (10SP03) located on a magnetic anomaly intersected a biotite-gannet-magnetite hornfels to skarn with pyrite and chalcopyrite in conjunction with a highly altered monzodiorite and pyroxenite yielding 0.124 per cent copper, 8.68 grams per tonne silver, 0.22 gram per tonne gold and 0.07 gram per tonne platinum over 63.5 metres, including 4.32 grams per tonne gold over 0.6 and 1.83 grams per tonne platinum with 2.09 grams per tonne palladium over 1.0 metre (Dufresne, M. (2013-11-25): Technical Report for the Greenwood Gold Project).
