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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  04-Aug-2020 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI 082F4 Mo3
Name NOVELTY (L.958), GIANT, GIANT - COXEY Mining Division Trail Creek
BCGS Map 082F001
Status Developed Prospect NTS Map 082F04W
Latitude 049º 05' 11'' UTM 11 (NAD 83)
Longitude 117º 49' 22'' Northing 5437385
Easting 439924
Commodities Gold, Molybdenum, Cobalt, Uranium, Bismuth Deposit Types L05 : Porphyry Mo (Low F- type)
K05 : W skarn
O02 : Rare element pegmatite - NYF family
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Quesnel, Kootenay
Capsule Geology

The Giant claim is located at 1295 metres elevation on the southwesterly slope of Red Mountain about 1.6 kilometres northwest of Rossland. The claim is adjoined to the north and east by the Novelty claim (Lot 958) and to the southeast by the California (Lot 956). The Gold King claim (Lot 1061) lies about 91 metres west of the Giant claim.

The Giant, Novelty, California, and Gold King claims were Crown-granted in 1896 to G.W. Coplin, T.F. Wren, Chas. Warren and D.M. Lennard, respectively. Very little development work was reported on the Gold King. On the Novelty claim a shaft was sunk to 12 metres and 2 short adits driven. The Giant and California were developed by two companies, the Giant Gold Mining Company and the California Gold Mining Company, which were organized in Spokane. Development work continued into 1903 and included, on the Giant, 2 shafts totalling about 61 metres and 152 metres of drifts and crosscuts, and, on the California, about 304.8 metres of drifts and a 51.2 metre shaft.

The Giant-California Mining Company, Limited was incorporated in 1907 as successor to the above companies. The property was apparently optioned by The Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company, Limited. Development work during 1907-1908 was confined to the California claim in search for the extension of the ore zone from its adjacent Annie claim held by Le Roi No. 2, Limited. A 36-metre crosscut and a 91 metre shaft were driven to connect with the Le Roi No. 2 workings. In 1914 the Le Roi No. 2, Limited secured a bond on the Giant and California and some development work was reported in 1914 and 1915. The Cal-Roi Mining Company, Limited was incorporated in 1921 to acquire the property but no work was reported.

Cascade Molybdenum Mines Ltd. was incorporated in October 1964 to acquire 9 Crown-granted claims (Gold King, Evening, etc.). The Giant claim was acquired on a 20-year lease from Cominco Ltd. During 1965 the company explored several zones of mineralization by 30 diamond drill holes totalling 2624 metres on the Giant, by 15 holes totalling 1159 metres on the Evening, by 7 holes totalling 920 metres on the Gold King, and by 3 holes totalling 295 metres on the Little Darling. The work on the Giant was localized in two areas, the first in the vicinity of the upper adit at about 1295 metres elevation, and the second a breccia zone to the northeast of the first at 1356 metres elevation. In 1966 approximately 9144 metres of AX wireline drilling in 17 holes was done, mainly on the Giant claim. Reserves on the Giant claim were estimated at 558,375 tons. The company reported total indicated open pit reserves at 1,078,233 tons averaging 0.282 per cent molybdenite and 1.16 grams per tonne gold.

In January 1967 Cascade Molybdenum and Scurry-Rainbow Oil Limited agreed to a joint exploration program. During the year the full width of the breccia complex on the Giant and adjoining Novelty claim, and the eastern part of the breccia on the Golden Queen and St. Elmo claims (see 82 T/4, Mo 2), was tested by diamond drilling totalling 14020 metres in 174 holes, mainly on the Giant claim. Scurry thereby earned a major share position (282) in Cascade and assumed the management of that company. Based on the drilling by Scurry on this property, and on the adjoining Golden Queen-St. Elmo property, independent consultants calculated the indicated reserves available for open pit operations in 5 separate orebodies at 810,540 tons averaging 0.39 per cent molybdenite. In addition, some 88,000 tons of possible ore of various grades are indicated below open pit limits. In 1970 Red Mountain Mines Limited carried out trenching on the Novelty claim. Mine Finders, Inc. of Lakewood Colorado carried out a geochemical soil survey over the property in 1973. Scurry-Rainbow sold its interest in Cascade Molybdenum in 1975. The company name (Cascade) was changed in June 1975 to New Cascade Minerals Ltd., and in January 1976 to Maloney Steel Ltd.

David Minerals Ltd. by an agreement of August 1980 acquired the property from Maloney Steel for 12,000 shares, subject to a 5 per cent net smelter interest in Giant claim in favour of Cominco Ltd. Drilling was carried out on the Novelty claim in 1981. From the exploration done by Cascade there were estimated 1,070,280 tons grading 0.282 per cent MOS2 and 1.16 grams per tonne gold on the Giant and Novelty (1967) or 778,500 tons grading 0.340 per cent MOS2 and 1.98 grams per tonne gold (1971). (Geol. Rept. for David Minerals in SMF 268/80, 24/12/80).

Undiluted drill indicated reserves on the Novelty Main Zone were reported as 85,000 tons at 5.14 grams per tonne gold, 0.380 per cent MOS2, 0.126 per cent cobalt (J.L. Deleen (1984) - in David Minerals Statement of Material Facts, 11/07/85, p. 7).

The Novelty area is underlain by siltstone, hornfelsed siltstone, hornfels and a breccia complex of the Pennsylvanian and possibly Permian Mount Roberts Formation. The characteristics of the mineralization and its association with the Middle to Late Jurassic Trail pluton, especially its upper and western margins, point to its classification as a porphyry-type deposit (Bulletin 74).

The siltstone is intruded by lenticular masses of andesite, irregular bodies of quartz diorite and quartz diorite breccia, and late, steeply dipping mafic dykes which trend northward. The quartz-diorite and quartz-diorite breccia are part of the Trail Pluton of the Nelson Intrusions which is comprised of a mass of granodiorite to quartz diorite. A set of faults trend 160 degrees and are downthrown on the west.

Molybdenite, usually without other sulphides, occurs in randomly oriented fractures in all types of hornfels breccia and in granodiorite breccia. Commonly, it lies along the margins of breccia blocks and locally is concentrated at junctions between the blocks. Pyrrhotite, and locally pyrite, are disseminated in hornfels and also occur in fractures and as massive lenses between breccia fragments. Its distribution seems to be independent of the distribution of molybdenite.

In the Novelty pit, fractures in siliceous hornfels contain arsenopyrite, cobalt minerals, bismuthinite, and uraninite (Bulletin 74, page 49; Thorpe, 1967, pages 15,32). Grab samples of molybdenite from the Giant-Coxey area assayed 0.017 to 0.20 per cent uranium (Geological Survey of Canada Economic Geology Series No. 16, 1952).

Undiluted drill indicated reserves on the Novelty main one were reported as 77,110 tonnes at 5.14 grams per tonne gold, 0.22 per cent molybdenite, 0.126 per cent cobalt (Actual grade is 0.38 per cent MoS2. Conversion used for MoS2 to Mo is 1.6681.) (J.L. Deleen, 1984 - in David Minerals Statement of Material Facts, July 11, 1985; National Mineral Inventory - 082F4 Mo3).

In 2005, Golden Chalice Resources Ltd. completed six diamond drill holes on the Novelty occurrence. Drilling results were only reported for three of the holes with intercepts including 2.79 and 5.78 grams per tonne gold, 0.29 and 0.05 per cent molybdenum and 0.088 and 0.186 per cent cobalt over 4.8 and 2.8 metres, respectively in hole NOV-05-01; 3.39 and 5.48 grams per tonne gold, 0.22 and 0.18 per cent molybdenum, 0.118 and 0.065 per cent cobalt, respectively, in hole NOV-05-02 and 6.21 and 3.01 grams per tonne gold, 0.11 and 0.10 per cent molybdenum and greater than 0.153 and 0.083 per cent cobalt, respectively, in hole NOV-05-03 (Howard, A.E. (2018-04-09): Technical Report on the Rossland Project).

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1896-560; 1898-1096; *1966-200-207; 1967-236-239; 1968-237
EMPR BULL 9, p. 93; *74, p. 49; 109
EMPR FIELDWORK 1987, pp. 19-30; 1988, pp. 33-43; 1989, pp. 11-27;
1990, pp. 9-31
EMPR GEM 1970-437; 1973-62
EMPR MAP 22
EMPR OF 1988-1; 1989-11; 1990-8; 1990-9; 1990-32; 1991-2; 1991-16;
1998-8-M, pp. 1-74
EMPR PF (Various reports and maps in 082FSW106, 109 and 110)
EMR MIN BULL MR 223 B.C. 26
EMR MP CORPFILE (Cascade Molybdenum Mines Ltd.; Scurry-Rainbow
Oil Ltd.; David Minerals Ltd.)
GSC ANN RPT 1900, Vol. 13, p. 84
GSC EC GEOL, #16, p. 44; #20, pp. 288,289
GSC MAP 1002; 1004; 1518; 1504A
GSC MEM 77, pp. 78,144; 308
GSC OF 551
GSC P 79-26
CANMET RPT 1925, #592, p. 46
CIM Jubilee Vol., 1948, pp. 189-196
ECON GEOL Vol. 68, 1973, pp. 1337-1340
GCNL #225, 1981; #243, 1982
N MINER Dec 17, 1981
*David Minerals, Statement of Material Facts, July 11, 1985
Thorpe, R.I. (1967): Controls of Hypogene Sulphide Zoning, Rossland,
British Columbia, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wisconsin, page 32
*Howard, A.E. (2018-04-09): Technical Report on the Rossland Project

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