The SENATOR prospect is located near the south shore of Carpenter Lake and east of McDonald and Steep creeks, approximately 4 kilometres northeast of Gold Bridge, B.C.
Regionally, the area is underlain by Mississippian to Jurassic Bridge River Complex (Group) siliceous cherty sediments, argillites, limestones and volcanics. This package is intruded by granodiorite plugs of the Cretaceous to Tertiary Bendor pluton and also contains masses of serpentinite. Porphyritic dikes, probably Tertiary, also cut these rocks.
Generally, on the Reliance gold property, including the Senator prospect and related zones, mineralization occurs as intermediate temperature gold-silver epithermal-mesothermal quartz-carbonate-pyrite stibnite-arsenopyrite-freibergite veins within replacement ankeritic alteration related to one or more major shear zones.
The Royal shear fault hosts at least seven mineralized zones or occurrences including, from the northwest to southeast, the Diplomat, Senator, Imperial, Mint, Merit, Crown and Eagle, with each occurrence or zone probably representing a pipe. Geological mapping in 2020 characterizes the Royal shear fault as multi-strand, brittle ductile northwest trending and steeply southwest dipping reverse fault separating a mafic volcanic footwall sequence on the northeast from a ribbon chert-argillite hangingwall sequence to the southeast. The most significant gold occurrences are in the mafic volcanic rocks that are sheared and iron-carbonate altered. Two types of orogenic-type gold mineralization are observed on surface: 1) associated with silicification, quartz veins, quartz vein breccia and often significant stibnite and 2) hosted within sericite-altered brittle ductile shearing with less silicification, but increased iron-oxides.
Other zones of mineralization, located along the Treasure shear to the northeast and on a parallel trend of the previous zones, include the First Switchback, Bona, Treasure and Vista zones.
The Senator prospect veins are hosted in the Royal shear fault within gray siliceous tuff, along with andesitic-tuffaceous greenstone and ribbon cherts. The 1.4-metre wide quartz-calcite vein contains antimony up to 7.80 per cent, gold up to 5.35 grams per tonne and silver up to 8.57 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 14019). The surrounding wallrock contains pyrite. The zone has been drifted on by several adits. Later reports indicate this zone may represent the northern extension of the Imperial zone.
The Diplomat zone is located 100 to 150 metres north of the Senator workings and may represent a down dropped to the northwest extension of the Imperial zone. In 1987, drilling on the zone yielded intercepts of up to 8 grams per tonne gold over 1.8 metres in hole 87-06 and 8.53 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres in hole 87-07 (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
The Senator Road zone, located approximately 100 metres southwest of the Senator main workings, has dolomitic, limonitic and siliceous alterations in well fractured greenstone. Quartz-stibnite-limonite veins trending both northeast and southwest assayed up to 16.49 grams per tonne gold across a metre width (George Cross News Letter No.139, 1986).
The Imperial zone, located approximately 200 metres south of the Senator workings, is hosted by andesitic tuffaceous greenstone (footwall), 40 metres away from the contact with thinly bedded cherty sediments (hangingwall). The occurrence is the upper part of a mineralized pipe, an ellipse 30 metres long by 15 metres thick at the widest point, which plunges in a westerly direction from 50 to 70 degrees. Overall, the Imperial gold zone is up to 80 metres or more in true width, strikes northwest and dips about 40 degrees southwest. The northwest strike and southwest 40 dip of the Imperial-Royal shear zone projects to lower elevations in the northwest corner of Claim 7651 and to higher elevations in the southern end of Claim 7498. The extensions of the zone are covered by overburden. The mineralized zone has a been variably exposed on surface between 840 and 880 metres elevation over a south to southwest strike length of at least 150 meters and has been intersected by more than 45 drill holes to over 250 meters vertically below the surface exposures. In 2008, diamond drill hole I08-0002 intersected 13.30 grams per tonne gold over 4.2 metres (estimated true width of 1.8 metres).
In the northern part, alteration is dolomitic with limonite occurring in major fractures. To the south, an adjacent 40-metre wide zone of silicification and bleaching occurs, with abundant limonite in northeast trending fractures. Mineralization comprises quartz veins, up to 12.5 centimetres wide, containing stibnite in massive pods over 1 metre in size.
In 1985, a grab sample from a northeast trending quartz-stibnite vein assayed 16.01 grams per tonne gold, 8.91 grams per tonne silver and 7.56 per cent antimony, while diamond drilling yielded intercepts of up to 3.79 grams per tonne gold over 3.1 metres (Assessment Report 14019; Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
In 1986,a lone drill hole (86-01) was collared on the hangingwall of the Imperial zone and intersected four multigram per tonne gold sections yielding up to 9.01 grams per tonne gold over 13.72 metres at 73.81 metres down-hole (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
In 1988, proven and drill indicated reserves for the Imperial zone were reported at 410,916 tonnes grading 5.96 grams per tonne gold (George Cross News Letter April 14, 1988).
In 2008, drilling on the Imperial zone indicated that it is a north striking, moderately to steeply west dipping and northwest plunging complex zone varying from less than one to greater than 10 metres in true thickness and from less than 50 to over 200 metres in strike length. At a depth of 240 metres below the surface exposures the zone is open at depth to the west and is widening along strike and open to the north and south. The zone also appears to host smaller high-grade shears of unknown but possibly greater than 50 by 100 metre extent in width and depth respectively. Drilling yielded intercepts including 3.08 grams per tonne gold over 22.5 metres in hole I08-0002, 3.2 grams per tonne gold over 23.6 metres in hole I08-004 and 3.7 grams per tonne gold over 22.9 metres in hole I08-005 (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property). Other zones of mineralization were intersected at depth with the bottom 177 metres of hole I08-0001 averaging 0.51 gram per tonne gold and the bottom 147 metres of hole I08-0002 averaging 0.57 gram per tonne gold (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
The Mint zone, identified by diamond drilling in 1987, comprises four deep gold mineralized intervals that orthogonally underlie the Imperial zone mineralization by at least 50 metres and range from 350 to 430 metres vertically below surface. The upper three mineralized zones, like the upper parts of the Imperial zone, are hosted by strongly sheared and ankerite altered volcanics, while the deepest zone is hosted by chert.
In 1987, drilling on the zones is reported to yielded 1.56 grams per tonne gold over 13.12 metres, 3.54 grams per tonne gold over 15.25 metres, 1.75 grams per tonne gold over 6.1 metres and 1.89 grams per tonne gold over 3.97 metres (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
In 2008, drill hole I08-0001 possible intersected the Mint zone at a down hole depth of 345 metres yielding 1.78 grams per tonne gold over 10.35 metres (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
The Merit zone is located approximately 150 metres south-southwest of the Imperial zone at an elevation of approximately 925 metres. The zone lies within a very thick volcanic package where the sedimentary assemblages found at the Imperial and Eagle zones are not present although the altered volcanic package appears continuous between all three zones. Channel samples from the zone are reported to have yielded 4.66 and 5.31 grams per tonne gold over 2.7 and 1 metre, respectively (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
The Eagle and Crown occurrences, located approximately 450 metres southeast and 200 metres higher in elevation than the Imperial occurrence, is the location of a second pipe with the same geology and erratic values as the upper part of the Imperial pipe. The mineralized zone(s) has been exposed for approximately 300 metres along a south east strike, over a width of up to 100 metres and to a depth of approximately 160 metres. The zone appears to be a chaotically sheared area that is centered on northeast side of a pair of crosscutting east and southeast striking feldspar porphyry dikes. At least one massive, southeast striking, 20-centimetre wide stibnite vein has been identified over three sub-parallel road cuts 25 to 60 metres apart. The mineralized zone is reported to be open at depth to the west below 150 metres and to the north and south.
Sampling of the zone, in the 1980’s, is reported to have yielded from 2.43 grams per tonne gold over 2 metres to 7.37 grams per tonne gold over 28.5 metres, while drill holes 87-19 and 88-07, located at the north and south- south west ends of the tested zone yielded 4.85 and 3.93 grams per tonne gold over 1.31 and 5.12 metres, respectively (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property). In 2021, eighteen reverse circulation holes were drilled to expand the shallowly-dipping, near surface Eagle Zone. A 250 metre by 150 metre area with a weighted average of 5.13 grams per tonne gold with an estimated true width of 11.2 metres was outlined. In the same year, DDH-21-020 at the Eagle South Zone intersected 15.7 grams per tonne gold over 24.8 metres, including 26.96 grams per tonne gold over 4.1 metres.
Approximately 30 metres northeast of the Senator workings is a 30-metre wide silicified shear zone referred to as the Bona Road or Bona zone, with abundant limonite and moderate calcite veining. In 1985, a grab sample yielded 72.34 grams per tonne gold, 0.96 per cent arsenic and 0.005 per cent antimony (Assessment Report 14019). In 1987, a sample is reported to have assayed 8.7 grams per tonne gold over 0.9 metres (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
The Treasure zone is located approximately 150 metres southeast of the Bona zone. A surface channel sample is reported to have yielded up to 8.2 grams per tonne gold over 1.4 metres (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
The Vista zone is located approximately 450 metres east of the Imperial zone and along the same south east trend as the Bona and Treasure zones, the later being located 150 metres to the northwest. The zone comprises a shallowly west dipping quartz zone. The zone was first identified in 1987 by road construction. The zone has been tested by at least five drill holes over a 170 metre north west strike. Surface sampling of trenches is reported to have yielded 17.16 grams per tonne gold over 8.2 metres and 3.56 grams per tonne gold over 9.1 metres, while drilling yielded intercepts including 5.59 grams per tonne gold over 0.16 metre in hole 88-3 or 88-4 and 2.83 grams per tonne gold over 1.4 metres in hole 88-5 (Lindinger, J.E. (2009-04-21): Technical Report of Exploration Activities on the Reliance Gold Property).
Work History
The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Reliance (MINFILE 092JNE033) occurrence and a completed regional exploration history can be found there.
By 1949, high-grade gold bearing quartz veins had been identified at the Senator zone.
In 1971, Tri-Con Exploration Survey Limited carried out geotechnical surveys for T.V.I. Mining Limited outlining several electromagnetic conductors coincident with a prominent southeast-trending arsenic-antimony geochemical anomaly near the Senator workings on the west part of the property.
In 1984, Menika Mining acquired the Reliance gold property by option agreement from Karl Otting of Lillooet. In 1985, a program of trenching and five diamond drill holes was completed. A single drill hole, totaling 119 metres, was completed on the Imperial zone in 1986. In 1987, an extensive drilling program comprising 8,476 metres of drilling in 53 diamond drill holes was carried out with 36 holes being completed on the Imperial zone and 3 holes being completed on the Eagle and Crown zones. In 1988, a further 23 diamond drill holes, totaling 3294 metres, were completed with 13 holes testing the Eagle and Crown zones. The locations of only a few of these drill holes are known to Menika Mining. There was a lapse in exploration activity until 1996 when another program consisting of 13 drill holes was carried out.
In 2003, Menika Mining Ltd. conducted a program of surface (soil and rock) sampling on the Reliance property and the following year completed three diamond drill holes. In 2005 and 2006, Menika Mining Limited conducted MMI soil geochemistry surveys on the area. In 2008, Menika Mining completed a program of diamond drilling, totaling 3052.6 metres in 11 holes, on the Reliance property.
From 2020 through 2023, Endurance Gold Corp. conducted exploration programs including airborne and ground magnetic surveys, an airborne LiDAR survey, a ground 3DIP survey, geological mapping, alteration mapping, talus fine/soil sampling, biogeochemical sampling, rock grab and channel sampling, and reverse circulation (84 holes) and diamond drilling (82 holes). Drill holes were primarily in the Steep Creek area along the Royal Shear Fault. Diamond drilling was again focused along this fault in 2024, with 26 holes completed totaling 7,303 metres (https://endurancegold.com).
