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File Created: 16-Jan-1992 by Peter S. Fischl (PSF)
Last Edit:  23-Nov-2017 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name BZ, MAE, BRECCIA ZONE, NORTH HILL 1 Mining Division Similkameen
BCGS Map 092H027
Status Prospect NTS Map 092H07E
Latitude 049º 16' 39'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 120º 44' 44'' Northing 5460750
Easting 663971
Commodities Zinc, Copper, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum, Lead Deposit Types G04 : Besshi massive sulphide Cu-Zn
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Quesnel
Capsule Geology

The BZ prospect is located 600 metres north-northwest of the confluence of Forty-five Mile and Whipsaw creeks, 26.5 kilometres southwest 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 trends north-northwest.

A zone of highly oxidized and leached breccia trends northward up the north bank of Whipsaw Creek in chlorite schist and gneiss of the Nicola Group. The zone is 30 metres or more in width. This deposit is one of several occurrences (Metestoffer, MINFILE 092HSE097; T.G.S., MINFILE 092HSE206) hosted in the same fault zone, which strikes north for at least 1.4 kilometres.

Sphalerite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite occur in limonitic box-works in the breccia zone and in the flanking strongly pyritized, fractured and silicified rocks. This mineralization is exposed over a width of 98 metres at the north end of the zone. Drilling encountered pyrite with minor sphalerite and chalcopyrite, and traces of galena in quartz and lesser quartz-carbonate veinlets in an area extending southward for 160 metres.

In 1973, a series of chip samples taken along a trench traversing the north end of the zone averaged 0.17 gram per tonne gold, 9.36 grams per tonne silver, 0.06 per cent copper, 0.03 per cent zinc and 0.002 per cent molybdenum over 91 metres (Assessment Report 4170, page 10).

In 1982, a 25- centimetre wide sample (No. 856) yielded 1.3 grams per tonne gold, 26.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.06 per cent copper (Assessment Report 10849).

In 1985, two samples yielded 5.2 and 10.6 grams per tonne gold with 190.9 and 168.5 grams per tonne silver over 0.7 metre, respectively (Assessment Report 14048).

In 1987, a drill hole (W87-5) graded 2.49 grams per tonne gold, 75.9 grams per tonne silver, 0.39 per cent copper and 3.39 per cent zinc over 4.0 metres (Assessment Report 17923, Appendix 2).

This prospect was discovered in 1972 by Whipsaw Mines Ltd. after trenching a soil anomaly. 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 GEM 1970-384; 1972-118; 1974-114,115
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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