The Magna Copper occurrence is located in the northern headwaters of Jesse Creek, approximately 8.5 kilometres north of the community of Merritt.
The area is underlain by undivided volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, which have intruded by granodioritic rocks of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Jesse Creek Stock.
Locally, copper sulphides were reportedly intersected in six diamond-drill holes in the Magna Copper group of claims (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1963).
In 1981, a grab sample (sample B) from a weakly mineralized outcrop, located near a small pond on the Abba claims, approximately 2.5 kilometres northeast of the Magna Copper occurrence, assayed 0.212 per cent lead, 0.063 per cent antimony and 4.3 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 20964).
In 1991, three drillholes, totalling 376.06 metres, were completed on the Abba claims. All three holes are reported to have intersected barren, bedded mudstone, siltstone, sandstone and conglomerate of the Early to Middle Jurassic Ashcroft Formation.
In 2012, Dundarave Resources Inc. retained Minorex Consulting Ltd. to carry out a property examination on the Jesse Creek property.
In 2017, drilling on the Magna North occurrence area yielded up to 0.363 per cent copper and 0.086 gram per tonne gold over 2.00 metres in hole JC-2017-011 (Assessment Report 37062).
Two other anomalous zones, referred to as the Magna North and SB occurrences, have been identified in the area.
The Magna North zone is located approximately 2.4 kilometres northwest of the main Magna Copper occurrence and has calc-alkaline porphyry characteristics. The zone occurs near the east edge of the Jesse Creek Stock and is exposed for about 20 metres along the edge of a road cut in an area of little bedrock exposure. The zone is highly fractured. The hostrock is a bleached, silicified intrusive with thin quartz microveinlets. Orange-brown limonite and locally malachite and neoticite occur as disseminations and along fractures. Based on the regional airborne magnetics, the zone appears to occur at the intersection of two major structures.
The SB zone is located approximately 2 kilometres southwest of the main Magna Copper occurrence and comprises an intrusive breccia or diatreme of brecciated quartz monzonite that is exposed in a single trench and series of small outcrops and float over at least 300 metres. The matrix of the breccia is reportedly altered with pyrite, sericite, chlorite, magnetite and potassium feldspar, and has obvious hydrothermal characteristics. The zone is exposed in a single trench and in a series of small outcrops and float over a width of at least 300 metres. Probable extensions are concealed by extensive overburden cover to the north, east and west. In 1976, samples yielded up to 0.01 per cent copper, 0.01 per cent lead and 0.19 per cent zinc (Blanchflower, J.D. (2012-02-17): Technical Report on the Jesse Creek Property).
Work History
The area has been explored since the early 1900s.
In 1958, Rio Tinto Canadian Exploration Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, soil geochemical sampling and geophysical surveying on the area as the K.L. claims. The results of their work discovered several copper- and magnetite-bearing skarn zones hosted by limestone beds within the Nicola Group in close proximity to the southeastern end of the Jesse Creek stock.
During 1962 through 1976, a variety of individuals and companies held mining claims and explored the Jesse Creek area mainly for copper-magnetite skarn mineralization similar to that at Craigmont Mine. Exploration work at this time usually included soil sampling, trenching and magnetometer surveying. In 1963, seven short (11.4 to 25.8 metres deep) drillholes were completed on the Magna claims. Copper mineralization was reported to have been identified in six of the seven holes but no assays were reported.
In 1980, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc. completed a program of ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys on the area immediately south of the occurrence as the Pumpkin, Stagecoach and Gofar 1-3 claims. The following year, an induced polarization and resistivity survey was completed on the claims.
In 1991, three drillholes, totalling 376.06 metres, were completed on the Abba claims. All three holes are reported to have intersected barren, bedded mudstone, siltstone, sandstone and conglomerate of the Early to Middle Jurassic Ashcroft Formation.
Also in 1991, Conlon Copper Corp. acquired claims covering the known copper-bearing skarn showings in the area. Over the next decade Conlon Copper or its later publicly-reporting companies, Merritt Copper Corp. and Conlon Copper Corporation, explored the claim holdings with several phases of geological mapping, rock and soil geochemical sampling, geophysical surveying, trenching and diamond drilling. Seven diamond drill holes, totalling 490.9 metres, were completed in 1994 and 1995 on the Mike grid (MINFILE 092ISE064) occurrence area. The results from a 1997 induced polarization survey within the Cinderella (MINFILE 092ISE168)–Chase (MINFILE 092ISE045) area show a strong, northwest-trending induced polarization chargeability anomaly covering an area of 800 by 600 metres and open to the east and south.
In 1999, four diamond drill holes, totalling 404.0 metres, were completed on the Jesse Creek property. This work centered on the Chase (MINFILE 092ISE045) and Cinderella (MINFILE 092ISE168) occurrences.
In 2012, Dundarave Resources Inc. retained Minorex Consulting Ltd. to carry out a property examination on the Jesse Creek property. A 1050.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey and a 68.6 line-kilometre induced polarization survey were completed at this time.
In 2013, Ocean Park Ventures Corp., on the behalf of Dundarave Resources Inc., completed seven diamond drill holes, totalling 2043.0 metres, on the Jesse Creek property.
In 2016, Wealth Minerals Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling on the Jesse Creek property. The following year, a program of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, geological photo-interpretation, a 24.2 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and 18 diamond drill holes, totalling 4478.9 metres, were completed on the property.
