The Lucky Mike (Moly) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1580 metres on the north slope of Swakum Mountain and approximately 2.5 kilometres east of Sophia Lake. The Lucky Mike (MINFILE 092ISE027) past-producing mine is located approximately 600 metres to the east.

The area is underlain by undivided volcanic rocks of the Western Volcanic facies of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group and fine clastic sedimentary rocks of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Ashcroft Formation, which have been intruded by Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic dioritic rocks. See the Lucky Mike (MINFILE 092ISE027) occurrence for a regional geology summary of the Swakum Mountain area.

Locally, at surface, several small parallel shears, striking 028 degrees and dipping subvertically, are hosted in volcanics. The shears contain epidote and quartz with patches of sulphides and malachite staining.

In 2000, five rock samples (SK-24 through SK-26, SK-33 and SK-37) from the mineralized shears yielded values from 0.005 to 0.158 per cent molybdenum, 0.175 to 0.532 per cent copper, 11.2 to 29.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.146 to 0.177 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 26468).

Drilling, during 2014 through 2016, of a chargeability anomaly located immediately northeast of the mineralized shears identified a mafic volcanic sequence, comprising mainly porphyritic andesite flows, tuffs and volcanic siltstones, sandstones and conglomerates intruded by quartz feldspar porphyry dikes. The volcanics are variably hornfelsed and host stockworks and banded quartz-molybdenite veins, up to 8 centimetres wide, quartz-molybdenite±pyrite±chalcopyrite veins, quartz-magnetite-sulphide veins associated with epidote-chlorite±quartz veins and clots and pyrite±chalcopyrite±pyrrhotite veins, ranging from 2 to 20 millimetres in width. Alteration patters include propylitic (epidote-chlorite-actinolite), argillic (sericite-clay) and magnetite.

In 2014, diamond drilling yielded intercepts including 0.02 and 0.03 per cent molybdenum over 53.7 and 19.0 metres, respectively, in hole LM-2014-9, 0.33 per cent copper over 2 metres in hole LM-2014-11 (Assessment Report 35480).

In 2015, diamond drilling yielded intercepts of 0.03 per cent molybdenum over 76 metres including 0.095 gram per tonne rhenium over 43.25 metres and 122.72 metres grading 0.03 per cent copper including 0.024 gram per tonne rhenium over 98.72 and 0.03 per cent molybdenum over 44 metres in hole LM-2015-15 and 0.04 per cent copper, 0.024 per cent molybdenum and 0.024 gram per tonne rhenium over 270 metres in hole LM-2015-17 (Assessment Report 36240).

In 2016, diamond drilling yielded intercepts including 0.023 per cent molybdenum and 0.048 per cent copper over 798.55 metres in hole LM16-01, 0.032 per cent molybdenum over 229.00 metres in hole LM16-02, 0.017 per cent molybdenum and 0.240 per cent copper over 28.00 metres in hole LM16-03, 0.032 per cent molybdenum over 110.0 metres in hole LM16-3A and 0.020 per cent molybdenum with 0.280 per cent copper over 22.50 metres in hole LM-16 (Assessment Report 36770).

Work History

The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Lucky Mike (MINFILE 092ISE027) occurrence and a complete exploration history can be found there.