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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  23-Nov-2017 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI
Name METESTOFFER, SILVER TIP, FITZGERALD, MIKE, MAE, SILVERTIP ADIT Mining Division Similkameen
BCGS Map 092H027
Status Prospect NTS Map 092H07E
Latitude 049º 16' 15'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 120º 44' 46'' Northing 5460008
Easting 663953
Commodities Zinc, Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead Deposit Types I05 : Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
G04 : Besshi massive sulphide Cu-Zn
I06 : Cu+/-Ag quartz veins
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Quesnel
Capsule Geology

The Metestoffer prospect is located on the south side Whipsaw Creek, approximately 2.2 kilometres southwest of the confluence of Forty-five Mile and Whipsaw creeks and 27 kilometres south west of Princeton.

The region at the headwaters of Whipsaw Creek is underlain to the west by intrusive and metamorphic rocks of the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Eagle Plutonic Complex and to the east by metamorphosed volcanics and sediments of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group. The contact between the two units strikes north-northwest.

A zone of brecciation and veining outcrops in Whipsaw Creek and continues southward up the south bank of the creek for 140 metres, in chlorite schist and hornblende gneiss of the Nicola Group. This deposit is one of several occurrences (T.G.S., MINFILE 092HSE206; BZ, MINFILE 092HSE207) hosted in the same fault zone, which strikes north for at least 1.4 kilometres.

The breccia zone contains numerous intersecting sulphide veins consisting of massive to semi-massive sphalerite and pyrite, with lesser chalcopyrite and minor galena. Individual veins are enclosed in quartz-carbonate-clay-sericite alteration envelopes up to ten times the width of the veins. The envelopes contain disseminated sphalerite, chalcopyrite and pyrite. Native gold is associated with euhedral pyrite, and argentite is associated with sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Sulphide mineralization occurs over widths of 0.3 to 0.6 metre on surface and 3 to 9 metres at 30 to 60 metres depth. Drilling south along the zone encountered weaker mineralization consisting of pyrite with minor sphalerite and chalcopyrite in quartz and calcite veins and stringers. The zone is cut near its north end by a west-striking, south- dipping quartz vein that pinches and swells over a distance of 45 metres. The vein is mineralized with pyrite, sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite.

A selected sample from a 0.15-metre wide vein exposed in Whipsaw Creek assayed 15 grams per tonne gold, 288 grams per tonne silver and 0.5 per cent copper (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1929, page 276).

In 1973, an angled drill hole (P2) graded 1.3 grams per tonne gold, 86.1 grams per tonne silver, 0.11 per cent copper, 0.07 per cent lead and 1.98 per cent zinc over 5.2 metres,; including a 0.6 metre section yielding 6.55 grams per tonne gold, 472.2 grams per tonne silver, 0.23 per cent copper, 0.08 per cent lead and 4.80 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 4170).

In 1982, a chip sample (No. 702) yielded 5.93 grams per tonne gold, 56.5 grams per tonne silver, 0.05 per cent copper, 1.15 per cent lead and 0.12 per cent zinc over 0.6 metre (Assessment Report 10849).

In 1987, diamond drilling yielded up to 6.50 grams per tonne gold, 261.9 grams per tonne silver, 0.328 per cent copper and 2.514 per cent zinc over 1.05 metres (DD W87-105; Assessment Report 17923).

In 1990, diamond drilling yielded 7.64 grams per tonne gold, 154.1 grams per tonne silver, 2.13 per cent copper and 3.85 per cent zinc over 0.11 metre from hole W90-404, while another hole (W90-403) yielded 4.0 grams per tonne gold, 262.4 grams per tonne silver, 0.81 per cent copper and 1.76 per cent zinc over 0.30 metre (Assessment Report 20165).

Similar mineralization occurs in hornblende gneiss, 300 metres west of the breccia zone, in the vicinity of the Silver Tip adit (northeast corner of Lot 1553). In 1987, drilling on the north bank of Whipsaw Creek, across from the adit portal, encountered quartz veins with coarse pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Highlights of hole W87-401 include 8.395 grams per tonne gold, 141.1 grams per tonne silver, 0.077 per cent copper, 0.305 per cent zinc over 0.77 metres, and 8.495 grams per tonne gold, 503.3 grams per tonne silver, 0.037 per cent copper and 1.306 per cent zinc over 0.32 metres (Assessment Report 17923).

This prospect was first explored sometime previous to 1929. Whipsaw Mines Ltd. completed geological mapping of the area and drilled nine holes, totalling 393 metres, between 1966 and 1972. During 1982 through 1993, World Wide Minerals completed various programs of prospecting and geochemical sampling and drilled 16 holes, totalling 1769 metres, on the area. During 1995 through 1998, Martech Industries completed 10 diamond drill holes, totalling 1033.5 metres, on various targets over the Whipsaw property. In 2000, a pulp sampling program was completed to test for platinum group elements from former trenching and drilling programs but results were disappointing. In 2005, Canfleur Mining completed a program of sampling and seven diamond drill holes, totalling 1452.8 metres, on the area. During 2010 through 2015, Martech Industries completed programs of rock and soil sampling.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1929-276
EMPR GEM 1970-384; 1972-118; 1974-114,115; 1975-E69
EMPR PF (Huff, H.P. (1969): map of OK claims showing areas of work by Silver Tip Explorations Ltd. in 1969 (see 092HSE073))
GSC MAP 888A; 1386A; 41-1989
GSC MEM 243
GSC P 85-1A, pp. 349-358
CJES Vol. 24, pp. 2521-2536 (1987)
GCNL May 14, 1987

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