The LOTUS occurrence is located on a ridge north of the Homathko River, approximately 4.5 kilometres southeast of Cloud-Drifter Peak, 14 kilometres west-southwest of the southern end of Tatlayoko Lake, 54 kilometres south of the village of Tatla Lake on Highway 20, and 190 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, B.C.
Regionally, the area is situated along the northeastern margin of the Jurassic to Paleogene Coast Plutonic Complex, in a region of strong thrusting involving rocks of the Upper Triassic Mount Moore Formation (Stikine terrane) and the Lower Cretaceous Cloud Drifter Formation (Overlap terrane); Geological Survey of Canada Open File 1163, Map 1713A). These rocks, and the thrusts, are cut by a linear intrusion of tonalite, probably related to the Coast Plutonic Complex.
Locally, an outcrop of quartz-carbonate veins in an approximately 3m wide shear zone subparallel with the west-northwest–striking Blackhorn thrust hosts fine- to coarse-grained disseminated pyrite and arsenopyrite. The hangingwall of the thrust to the southwest consists of metavolcanics of the Upper Triassic Mount Moore Formation which have been thrust onto siltstone, greywacke and conglomerate of the Lower Cretaceous Cloud Drifter Formation in the footwall to the northeast. The shear zone and quartz vein are localized at a point along the thrust where the east-northeast–trending tonalite intrusion crosses it. A fourth unit is present at this 'triple point', an aphanitic felsic dike; the dike is emplaced along the fault zone that cuts auriferous veins and related alteration. The shear zone and the vein strike 114 degrees with a dip of 68 degrees southwest and have been exposed for approximately 7 metres length and greater than 1.2 metres width. Oxidation has replaced the pyrite with cavities filled with iron oxide and iron carbonate. Chloritic and sericitic alteration are also present.
Mineralization is defined by a 1.5-3 metres quartz-pyrite shear vein that can be traced for approximately 25 metres before disappearing under cover in both directions. The vein occurs near a triple junction contact between volcanic, sedimentary, and intrusive rocks. Sampling of hand trenches in 1991 yielded from 4.2 to 22.7 grams per tonne gold with 6.2 to 50.6 grams per tonne silver over an average width of 1.1 metres (Property File - S.B. Cheeseman [1991-07-22]: Re: Report on Lotus Gold Prospect).
WORK HISTORY
In 1990, the Lotus gold occurrence was discovered and staked by S.B. Cheeseman as the Lotus 1-6 claims., a result of a reconnaissance prospecting program along the Tchaikazan Fault system, northwest of the economically important Bralorne Fault system. In 1990, a grab sample taken from a quartz vein assayed at 11.59 grams per tonne gold and 14.40 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 21876). The mineralized quartz vein contains varying percentages of fine to coarse-grained pyrite that appears to be related to gold content.
In 1991, work by Cheeseman consisted of local mapping in the area to confirm major lithologic contacts as well as hand trenching and systematic sampling of the silicified shear zone. A 4 by 8 metre area covering the shear zone was hand-trenched and 14 samples were collected. Surface mapping at a scale of 1:10,000 was conducted along the north slope of the Homathko River within a 2.5-kilometre corridor.
In 2020 to 2021, Kingfisher Metals Corp. staked a large area of claims west of Tatlayoko Lake as the Goldrange property. This property encompasses many historic mineral occurrences to the north of the Lotus (092N 062) showing including Lost Fiddle (092N 018), Homestake (092N 035), Langara (092N 036), Standard (092N 037), Argo (092N 038), Rask (092N 040), Lori (092N 047), AT 2 (092N 048), AT 3-4 (092N 057), HW (092N 058) and Champagne (092N 059). The Blackhorn Mountain prospect (092N 019) is held by Cazador Resources Ltd; the Goldrange property encompassing it extends north to Bluff Lake. The Goldrange property extends north about 37 kilometres from the Lotus showing to Bluff Lake; the property width is about 16 kilometres.
Kingfisher Metals Corp. revisited the Lotus showing in 2020 and 2021, to confirm historic grades as well as to extend sampling along strike from the historical outcrop. In 2020, the 7 samples collected showed elevated silver and tellurium values. Of 16 rock samples collected in 2021, 6 ranged from 0.14 grams per tonne gold to a maximum value of 38.4 grams per tonne gold (Press Release, Kingfisher Metals Corp., September 28, 2021). Additionally, back-pack drilling was completed over several shallow holes (assays pending) and a soil survey was completed across the strike of the projection of this showing with the hopes of identifying extensions under cover. Drill hole BP-LF-21-01 was drilled to a total depth of 1.48 metres. A weakly foliated biotite hornfels sedimentary rock with disseminated pyrite and two milky quartz veins was intersected in the first 0.43 metres. This intercept returned values of 13.4 grams per tonne gold and 19.9 grams per tonne silver. The highest grade sample from the rock sampling program (S4047648) from a quartz vein and wallrock in mudstones returned values of 113.9 grams per tonne gold and 205 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 39734).
No ground work in the Lotus area was conducted in 2022, but structural interpretations were made from airborne data collected in 2020 over the large Goldrange project area.
