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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  30-Nov-2013 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name ARK, ARK VEIN, HANGINGWALL VEIN, H.M. Mining Division Alberni
BCGS Map 092F035
Status Prospect NTS Map 092F06E
Latitude 049º 19' 12'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 125º 07' 19'' Northing 5465196
Easting 345798
Commodities Antimony, Mercury, Silver, Gold Deposit Types H05 : Epithermal Au-Ag: low sulphidation
Tectonic Belt Insular Terrane Wrangell
Capsule Geology

The Ark occurrence is located on the eastern side of Forestry Camp Creek, approximately 1.8 kilometres south of the creek mouth.

The area is underlain by locally pillowed to massive andesite flows and tuffs of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group) exhibiting a regional propylitic alteration assemblage consisting of chlorite, pyrite, local carbonate and epidote. Alteration increases near the sheared contact with Middle to Early Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite quartz diorite. A dominant structural feature, the "Ark" shear zone, strikes 135 degrees and dips 75 degrees southwest. A hydrothermal alteration assemblage comprising argillization, chloritization, bleaching, lesser silicification, hematite, limonite and sericitization, is associated with this shear structure and overprints the regional alteration assemblage.

The "Ark" shear zone ranges to 6 metres in width and hosts the Ark vein system which consists of a 2 metre wide zone of intense alteration hosting semi-continuous quartz veins 10 to 40 centimetres in width. The alteration assemblage comprises sericitization, silicification and intense bleaching. Mineralization within this zone consists of stibnite and lesser amounts of cinnabar and realgar. The vein material has been brecciated and re-silicified. In 1986, grab samples from trenches assayed up to 18.3 per cent antimony, 22 grams per tonne mercury and 15.4 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 15147). In 1987, rock samples from surface exposures assayed up to 4.08 per cent antimony, 85.9 grams per tonne mercury and 1.07 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16632).

Also in 1987, drilling failed to intersect the Ark vein system at depth but encountered the Hangingwall vein system 30 metres in the hangingwall of the projected location of the Ark vein. Andesite tuffs host the Hangingwall vein system which consists of anastomosing quartz veins, stringers and brecciated and altered wallrock fragments within a strongly bleached, argillic, limonitic and silicified zone with a distinctive hangingwall gouge 5 to 10 centimetres wide. The footwall is diffuse with no gouge. The vein zone ranges from 2.5 to 4 metres true width, with quartz veins 10 to 50 centimetres wide and local vuggy veins. Mineralization consists of traces of pyrite, stibnite, orpiment, realgar and cinnabar. Orpiment, realgar and cinnabar are concentrated within the quartz while the pyrite and stibnite occurs within both the quartz and wallrock. Samples from drill intersections of the Hangingwall vein zone assayed up to 0.11 per cent antimony and 90.0 grams per tonne mercury (Assessment Report 16632).

In 1971, Great Central Mines completed a program of soil sampling on the HM claims. In 1986 and 1987, Ascot Resources completed programs of ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys, geochemical sampling, trenching and 3 diamond drill holes, totalling 276.5 metres, on the area as the Ark Project

Bibliography
EMPR ASS RPT 3651, *15147, *16632
EMPR FIELDWORK 1987, pp. 81-91; 1988, pp. 61-74
EMPR GEM 1969-220; 1970-288; 1971-247; 1972-268,269
EMPR PF (Rpt. by J.A. Mitchell (1970); Prospectus, Great Central
Mines Ltd. April 10, 1972)
GSC MAP 17-1968; 1386A
GSC OF 463
GSC P 68-50
GCNL #45, 1974
EMPR PFD 671500, 672821

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