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File Created: 27-Jun-2016 by Nicole Barlow (NB)
Last Edit:  31-Mar-2022 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name BERMUDA, SKOONKA CREEK Mining Division Kamloops
BCGS Map 092I033
Status Showing NTS Map 092I06W
Latitude 050º 21' 18'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 121º 28' 12'' Northing 5579222
Easting 608839
Commodities Gold Deposit Types
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Quesnel
Capsule Geology

The Bermuda occurrence is located 9.25 kilometres southwest of Spences Bridge, at an elevation of 1480 metres. The property can be accessed via the Botanie Lake Road, which is along Highway 12, approximately 1 kilometre northeast of its junction with the Trans-Canada Highway. From there, two routes are possible. One is via the Sleetis Creek Road, which is located approximately 9 kilometres from the start of Botanie Lake Road, followed by Firebreak Road. The other option is to take the Skoonka Forestry Road, splitting off onto the JJ Connector, before ending up on Firebreak Road. The occurrence is located near the end, and to the right of, Firebreak Road.

Regionally, the northwest-southeast–trending Cretaceous Spences Bridge Group is part of the southern Intermontane tectonic belt of the Canadian Cordillera. The Spences Bridge Group volcanics are faulted against older plutonic and related metamorphic rocks of the Triassic-Jurassic Mount Lytton Complex. The dominant rock types within the area are subaerial andesite flows and tuffs, overlain by amygdule-rich basaltic flows. Minor felsic flows occur within these intermediate and mafic rocks, along with some sandstone, shale and conglomerate units. Stratigraphy is intruded by abundant Late Triassic and/or Jurassic to Miocene plutons. Metamorphic assemblages consist of Cache Creek Complex mélanges and Bridge River Complex metamorphic and ultramafic rocks. Quaternary sediments occur as thick drifts along the main rivers and some of the larger creeks. Major structural features in the region are steeply dipping normal faults, oriented subparallel to the western-bounding Fraser (River) fault system. The faults have two dominant trends: northwest-southeast and north-south (Assessment Report 34626).

Locally, the Spences Bridge Group is overlain by Tertiary mafic to felsic volcanics of the Kamloops and Princeton groups, which are in turn cut by small intrusions of intermediate composition. The Spences Bridge Group underlying the Skoonka Creek property is further divided into two assemblages, the Pimainus Formation and the Spius Creek Formation. Above the basal conglomerate, the Pimainus Formation is a predominantly volcaniclastic package comprising subaerial andesite ash, crystal, and lapilli tuffs (Assessment Report 29084). These flows are poorly sorted, weakly to non-bedded, and may contain up to 50 percent amygdules. Sandstone, shale, and conglomerate units can also be found alongside the andesite flows within the Pimainus Formation. The Spius Creek Formation overlies the Pimainus Formation and comprises amygdule-rich basaltic flows. Bedding is often apparent in the fine-grained tuff units throughout the property, oriented at a northwesterly strike and dipping between 0 and 40 degrees to both the northeast and southwest (Assessment Report 28182).

Mineralization near the site occurs as abundant float and subcrop occurrences of brecciated volcanic rocks that are variably oxidized with locally developed stockwork in a quartz ± carbonate ± chlorite matrix. The Bermuda showing contains a strong association of arsenic, antimony and molybdenum with gold.

The best rock sample (44637) assayed 440 parts per billion gold, along with high concentrations of silver, arsenic, mercury, antimony, and molybdenum (Assessment Report 29084). Assay results from soil grid sampling in 2005 of returned 10.3 to 66.7 parts per billion of gold (Line 8900E; Assessment Report 27672), and four anomalous gold results, ranging from 19.3 to 113.9 parts per billion, were found in a 2008 soil survey (Assessment Report 29084).

Strongbow Exploration Inc. created a 500 by 350 metre grid in 2005, with 5 metre sample stations and 50 metre line spacing; a total of 77 samples were collected. Further geochemical and geophysical tests were conducted by Strongbow in the area during 2008 along with prospecting, leading to the discovery of the Bermuda occurrence.

In 2013 and 2015, Strongbow completed programs of geological mapping, prospecting and geochemical (rock and soil sampling) on the Skoonka property.

In 2017 and 2018, Westhaven Ventures completed programs of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, 2376 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys, 31.8 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys, a 6 line-kilometre passive seismic survey and 29 diamond drill holes, totalling 11 882 metres, on the area as part of the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.

In 2019, Westhaven completed a program of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, petrographic and Terraspec analysis on select 2018 drillcore samples, a LiDAR survey, 327 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys, a 20.3 line-kilometre DC resistivity survey and 49 diamond drillholes, totalling 21 849.3 metres, on the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.

In 2020, Westhaven completed a further program of geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling, various ground geophysical surveys and 102 diamond drill holes, totalling 43 268.7 metres, on the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.

Bibliography
EMPR ASS RPT *27672, 28182, 28559, *29084, 34626, 38106
GSC MAP 42-1989
Chang, F. (2007-03-09): Technical Report 43-101F1 (Item 1) – The Skoonka Creek Project
Peters, L.J. (2020-03-29): National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Spences Bridge Group of Properties (SBG Group), Nicola and Kamloops Mining Divisions, British Columbia
Lair, B.L. (2021-02-07): National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Spences Bridge Group of Properties (SBG Group), Nicola and Kamloops Mining Divisions, British Columbia

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