Following the discovery of highly anomalous silts from Sallus Creek in the spring of 1969, Canadian Johns-Manville Co. Ltd. staked about 120 claims along the western contact of the Mount Martley stock. An additional 60 claims in subsequent years were staked to cover the northern and southeastern portion of the contact zone. Reconnaissance mapping and geochemistry were completed over the entire claim area in 1969 and 1970. During 1970 and 1971, detailed mapping, geochemistry and induced polarization surveys were completed over a possible porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit setting in the southern portion of the claim area (see Sallus Creek (No. 1 Showing), 092INW016). In the fall and early winter of 1970, detailed mapping, sampling and diamond drilling were completed in black argillite near the contact of the stock, in the northern portion of the claims (this description). The argillite at the North showing was found to be very anomalous in zinc and copper, and moderately anomalous in molybdenum, lead and silver. Diamond drilling proved to be unsuccessful in that penetration of the argillite was costly, and after three attempts, the programme was abandoned. In 1973, the field programme in the North showing area consisted of bedrock, soil and talus geochemistry. Percussion drilling was performed on some claims in 1974 and totalled 450 metres in twenty-five holes.
The Sallus Creek area is underlain by the western contact of the Early Jurassic Mount Martley stock which intrudes the middle Permian to Middle Jurassic(?) Western belt of the Cache Creek Complex. The stock is a medium to coarse grained, massive granodiorite with local secondary silicification and sercitization near the contacts. Cache Creek rocks comprise argillite and limestone. Pervasive quartz veins and aplite dikes are found within the stock near the contact. Intense thermal alteration of the sediments is evident near the contact of the stock. Limestone, in part, is totally recrystallized. Intense pyritization of the argillites is observed near the contacts, evidenced on surface by rust colouration and gossans.
At the Sallus Creek (North showing), samples from rusty and weathered argillite yielded from 0.2 to 2.0 per cent zinc and 0.02 to 0.25 per cent copper, with moderately high contents of lead, silver and molybdenum (Assessment Report 4796). Diamond drilling indicates intense surface weathering and oxidation to depths of 30 metres. Below this altered horizon, pyrite is abundant (2-5 per cent).
About 2500 metres south-southwest of the North showing, a plug of rusty, weathered and altered diorite and quartz diorite intrudes argillite. This plug has a very irregular contact, approximately 914 metres long by 609 metres wide, and is probably genetically related to the Mount Martley stock, 1600 metres to the east. Pyrite is abundantly disseminated and smeared along fracture faces throughout the diorite. Very fine traces of native copper have been recognized in the highly weathered diorite. Malachite stain is evident in the argillite.
