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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  05-Dec-2013 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI 092F12 Zn3
Name PRICE (MYRA FALLS), MYRA FALLS (PRICE), PRICE (L. 1972), TRUMPETER, THELWOOD VALLEY, TRUMPETER WEST Mining Division Alberni
BCGS Map 092F053
Status Developed Prospect NTS Map 092F12E
Latitude 049º 33' 24'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 125º 34' 08'' Northing 5492511
Easting 314218
Commodities Copper, Zinc, Lead, Gold, Silver, Cadmium Deposit Types G06 : Noranda/Kuroko massive sulphide Cu-Pb-Zn
Tectonic Belt Insular Terrane Wrangell, Plutonic Rocks
Capsule Geology

The Price occurrence is located west of Thelwood Creek, approximately 800 metres south- south west of the creek mouth on Buttle Lake.

The Myra Falls Operation includes the Lynx (092F 071), Myra (092F 072), Price (092F 073) and H-W (092F 330) deposits and associated zones. The Price volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit occurs within the southern part of the Buttle Lake uplift. This discrete belt of northwest striking Upper Paleozoic rocks is bounded on the east by Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation volcanics (Vancouver Group) and on the west by the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite. The geology of the uplift has recently been reinterpreted and the stratigraphy has been reassigned to several new formations of a redefined Sicker Group and the new Buttle Lake Group (formerly the upper part of the Sicker Group), (Juras, 1987; Massey, Personal Communication, 1990).

The new Buttle Lake Group consists of: (1) the Lower Permian(?) Henshaw Formation composed of conglomerate, epiclastic deposits and vitric tuffs; and (2) the Lower Permian to Pennsylvanian Azure Lake Formation (formerly Buttle Lake Formation) consisting of crinoidal limestone and minor chert.

The Sicker Group consists of: (1) the Mississippian(?) or Pennsylvanian(?) Flower Ridge Formation largely comprising coarse mafic pyroclastic deposits; (2) the Lower Mississippian(?) Thelwood Formation, a bedded sequence of siliceous tuffaceous sediments, subaqueous pyroclastic deposits and mafic sills; (3) the Upper Devonian Myra Formation consisting of basaltic to rhyolitic flows and volcaniclastic rocks, lesser epiclastic sediments, argillites and cherts, and massive sulphide mineralization; and (4) the Upper Devonian or older Price Formation comprising feldspar-pyroxene porphyritic andesite flows, flow breccias and minor pyroclastic deposits.

The Buttle Lake uplift stratigraphy indicates deposition in a rift basin in an island arc environment. It has been intruded by granitic dykes related mainly to the Island Plutonic Suite. A 1 kilometre wide stock of Tertiary intrusives lies about 1.5 kilometres north of the deposit. This stock (formerly called Catface Intrusions) is probably related to the Mount Washington Intrusive Suite of Late Eocene to Early Oligocene age (Nick Massey, Personal Communication, May 1990).

The major occurrences in the Buttle Lake area lie along a northwest striking, 65 degrees southwest to steeply northeast dipping zone that is approximately 6 kilometres long. The rocks have been metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies, and have been deformed along northwest trending subhorizontal open folds. Several regional west-northwest to north trending faults occur with maximum lateral displacements of 850 metres. The faults are considered to be post- Mesozoic, and are probably related to Late Cretaceous uplift. The contact between the Myra Formation and the overlying Thelwood Formation is marked by a 2 to 40 metre wide zone of strong schistosity that may represent an Upper Paleozoic low angle fault.

The Myra Formation, dated at 370 million years (Juras, 1987), comprises intermediate to felsic volcanics, volcaniclastics, minor argillite and is host to the massive sulphide horizons. The Price, Lynx (092F 071) and Myra (092F 072) deposits lie at the same stratigraphic level of the Myra Formation (the "Mine Sequence" of Juras). The H-W deposit (092F 330) lies below them at the base of the Myra Formation. The Myra Falls Operations of Westmin Resources has developed these deposits into four mines. In 1990, the Lynx and H-W mines fed a 4000-tonne per day mill, the Myra mine is depleted and the Price deposit has yet to be used as a source of mill feed.

The major ore zone of the Price deposit, termed the Upper Price Zone, has been traced for about 502 metres. Lower, lesser mineralized zones are also present.

The massive sulphide horizon lies within a zone of quartz- feldspar rhyolite tuff and minor chert. The tuff is underlain by dacite flow breccia and tuff, breccia that includes clasts of H-W mineralization, andesite flows, the rhyolitic H-W horizon, and the Price Formation. Rocks in the feeder zone below the lower massive sulphide horizon have undergone sericitization and silicification. Pyrite alteration is evident from disseminated pyrite and pyrite stringer zones.

Overlying the massive sulphide horizon are pillow basalts, mixed pyroclastics and tuffs, felsic rhyolite and flow breccia. These are overlain by the Thelwood Formation.

The lenses of massive sulphides occur in a gangue of quartz, sericite, chlorite, calcite and talc and comprise banded chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, pyrite and pockets of barite. Minor tennantite, bornite, pyrrhotite, digenite, covellite and stromeyerite are present. Significant amounts of gold, silver and cadmium are associated with the sulphides. The lenses pinch out along strike.

Proven and probable geological reserves at the Myra Falls operations as of January 1, 1993 are:

_____________________________________________________________________

Name Tonnes Grades

Gold Silver Copper Lead Zinc

g/t g/t % % %

H-W Mine 8,955,100 2.2 39.6 1.7 0.4 4.3

Lynx Mine 315,300 3.0 94.0 1.7 1.1 10.0

Price Mine 185,000 1.5 66.4 1.4 1.3 10.4

Gap Zone 634,400 3.2 151.5 1.8 1.1 13.3

Battle Zone 2,013,700 1.1 24.2 2.6 0.5 12.7

Extension (W37) Zone 231,100 1.2 60.4 1.7 0.4 3.8

Trumpeter Zone 61,200 3.2 68.9 6.3 0.3 4.6

6 Level 120,500 1.3 91.4 0.4 0.9 6.0

Total 12,516,100 2.1 45.6 1.9 0.5 6.3

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Compiled from George Cross News Letter No. 30 (February 12), 1993.

The Trumpeter zone (H-W horizon) was discovered in early 1992, through surface drilling in Thelwood valley. The drill program leading to discovery was conceived as a test of the postulated fault offset position of 42 and 43 Blocks, across the Myra-Price fault. Drilling in Thelwood valley had been suspended for some 10 years and it took an extensive public information and government approval process to re-establish the program. This program encompassed a number of initiatives to ensure protection of the environment.

The Trumpeter zone, a copper-rich pyritic massive sulphide lens, is believed to be the faulted-off continuation of H-W 42 Block. The zone lies at the same elevation as the H-W mine workings (see H-W, 092F 330), but approximately 1500 metres towards the southeast.

Drilling in 1994 and early 1995 on the Trumpeter zone successfully tested the mine west strike extension of the zone. Three stratigraphically distinct mineralized intervals were found within the H-W horizon in this area (Upper zone, 43 Block and Trumpeter Upper/Lower). The Upper zone mineralization consists of 1 to 5 metre wide intervals along the hangingwall of the H-W horizon and contains 3-15 per cent stringer and disseminated sphalerite and pyrite in rhyolite lapilli tuff deposits. Mineralization in 43 Block is a transported ore type consisting of up to 30 per cent massive sulphide clasts (pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite) in a coarse rhyolite-dominant clastic deposit. The zone, up to 8 metres thick, occurs in mid-H-W horizon stratigraphy, west of the original Trumpeter discovery drillholes. Trumpeter Upper/Lower represents typical massive sulphide mineralization along the base of the H-W horizon (on top of the Footwall Andesite unit). The intersections, from 0.5 to 8.5 metres thick, vary from chalcopyrite-rich (up to 30 per cent) to mixed chalcopyrite (7-20 per cent) - sphalerite (5-10 per cent) - pyrite assemblages. The Upper/Lower designation refers to repetition due to faulting. Results of this new drilling has increased proven and probable geological reserves for the Trumpeter zone to 227,935 tonnes grading 3.1 grams per tonne gold, 66.7 grams per tonne silver, 4.1 per cent copper, 0.3 per cent lead and 4.4 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 24617).

In 1997, the company stepped out approximately 1000 metres to the northeast of the Trumpeter zone and drilled two holes from the surface, on Myra Ridge, (total depth of 2242 metres) looking for evidence of the postulated Trumpeter graben in an area previously considered to be too far from the main trend to warrant exploration. Both holes intersected rhyolite breccia and sediment consistend with the presence of a graben. In addition, one hole returned 4.5 metres of semimassive sulphide intermixed with rhyolite, and 1.2 metres of sub-economic massive sulphide. The discovery intercepts for the new Trumpeter West zone are below the main haulage level for the H-W shaft but they are shallow enough that the zone could be mined through the shaft.

In 2008, NVI Mining completed a borehole pulse electromagnetic survey over a 0.6 kilometre survey line.

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