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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  04-Apr-2022 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI
Name MIRACLE, CENTRAL ZONE, MURPHY CLAIMS, DISCOVERY ZONE, LAC LA HACHE Mining Division Clinton
BCGS Map 092P094
Status Prospect NTS Map 092P14W
Latitude 051º 56' 50'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 121º 18' 39'' Northing 5756516
Easting 616095
Commodities Copper, Gold Deposit Types L03 : Alkalic porphyry Cu-Au
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Quesnel
Capsule Geology

The Miracle copper showing is located near the headwaters of Timothy Creek, approximately 18 kilometres northeast of Lac La Hache and is readily accessible from Highway 97 via a network of logging roads. The Miracle showing is part of the Spout Lake copper-gold district, a group of porphyry and skarn deposits associated with Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic alkaline intrusive rocks of the Spout Lake intrusive suite.

The Miracle property is underlain by andesites, basalts, calcareous tuffs and argillites of the Late Triassic Nicola Group (Assessment Report 23976). Nicola Group rocks are intruded by the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Spout Lake Intrusive complex, an alkalic intrusive suite ranging in composition from pyroxenite through monzonite to syenite, and from batholithic size to small intrusive plugs, dykes and breccia bodies. Granodioritic rocks of the Triassic to Jurassic Takomkane Batholith intrude Nicola rocks east of the property. Portions of the area are obscured by alkaline plateau basalts of the Miocene to Pleistocene Chilcotin Group.

Gold-copper mineralization at the Miracle deposit occurs within a 1.2 by 1.4 kilometre area outlined by an induced polarization (chargeability) anomaly. Volcanic and intrusive rocks show varying degrees of propylitic to potassic alteration (Assessment Report 23976), with fracture-controlled and disseminated pyrite-chalcopyrite +/- bornite mineralization. Tetrahedrite and galena have also been identified. Mineralization is associated with a quartz-sericite-potassium feldspar altered porphyritic monzonite intrusion and intrusion breccia, and has been traced by drilling for approximately 800 metres in a 50 metres wide northeast-trending, northwest-dipping zone. The best grade intersected in the 1994 drill program was in hole 94-6 where 6.0 metres assayed 1.38 per cent copper and 5.1 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 23976). Assessment Report 25368 states that hole 94-6 intersected centimetre thick magnetite-chalcopyrite veins cutting monzonite oriented subparallel to the core axis. Fracture-controlled carbonate, chlorite, epidote, magnetite occur in volcanic rocks adjacent to the monzonitic intrusive rock associated with the mineralization.

Interest in the Spout Lake area was triggered in 1966 when the Geological Survey of Canada released the results of a regional airborne magnetic survey which outlined an annular magnetic anomaly 10 kilometres in diameter in the Spout Lake area and which included the area underlying the Miracle prospect. Subsequently in 1966 and 1967, Coranex Limited obtained anomalous results in follow-up stream sediment geochemical surveys and soil geochemical surveys in the area south of Peach Lake in 1966 resulted in the discovery of the Peach 1 and other showings on the then Peach and current Ann (as of February 2003) claims. Programs of geological, soil geochemical, magnetometer, induced polarization and prospecting surveys were undertaken in 1967 in the area south of the Peach and Spout lakes. Amax Potash Limited optioned the properties in the Spout Lake area between 1971 and 1973 and their work led to the discovery of the WC (Spout Lake) magnetite-copper skarn (MINFILE 092P 120) and the staking of a large area south of Spout Lake. Exploration work was dormant from 1973 and 1982, when Guichon Explorco Limited carried out soil geochemical survey over portions of the area. Asarco completed induced polarization surveys and percussion drilling north of the Miracle prospect in 1991. Diamond drilling on the WC (Spout Lake) deposit eventually delineated approximately 550,000 tonnes of mineralization grading 1.79 per cent Cu and 55 per cent magnetite (Assessment Report 23976). In 1993, Regional Resources Limited discovered the Nemrud bornite skarn 6.5 kilometres northeast of the Miracle prospect and performed systematic induced polarization surveys over several areas south of Spout Lake including the Miracle prospect.

As stated above, Coranex syndicate completed soil sampling in the area of the Miracle showing in 1966 and 1967, and Guichon Explorco Limited in 1982 to 1983. The first discovery of mineralisation on the Miracle property was in 1986, when a logging road exposed chlorite-epidote-potash feldspar altered volcanic rocks with syenite dykelets and a fracture-controlled quartz, sericite, pyrite and chalcopyrite at the "Discovery Zone", located north of the "Central Zone".

The property was staked by Nils Kriberg and Donald Fuller and optioned to GWR Resources Incorporated in 1987. Selected samples returned assays of 37.1 grams per tonne gold, 67.9 grams per tonne silver and 12.6 per cent copper (Assessment Report 23976). Work by GWR on the prospect included soil geochemical, magnetometer, VLF-EM and magnetometer surveys with limited induced polarization surveys between 1987 and 1993. Trenching and diamond drilling (2242 metres in 13 holes) were completed between 1989 and 1992 in the area north of the "Central Zone". In 1993 the Lac La Hache Joint Venture (GWR Resources Incorporated and Regional Resources Limited) completed a comprehensive induced polarisation survey, outling a 1.2 by 1.4 kilometre chargeability anomaly ranging from 10 to 50 milliseconds south and west of previous work. In 1994, GWR Resources Incorporated completed 2691 metres of diamond drilling in 12 holes to test the induced polarisation anomaly. The "Central Zone" was discovered, the best result being 6.0 metres grading 1.38% copper and 5.1 g/t Au in diamond drill hole 94-6 (Assessment Report 23976). Two additional holes were drilled on the south side of the prospect in 1995 by Regional Resources Limited with discouraging results (Assessment Report 25368).

In 2008, GWR Resources completed five drill holes, totalling 1397.3 metres, between the Miracle and Aurizon South (MINFILE 092P 153) zones. No significant mineralization was encountered. GWR Resources completed programs of prospecting, geochemical sampling, geological mapping and geophysical surveys on the area through 2013. In 2017, a 641 line-kilometre airborne high-resolution gravimetric and magnetic gradient survey was completed on the area. During 2018 through 2021, EnGold Mines Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, soil sampling, diamond drilling and a geophysical survey on the area as part of the Lac La Hache property.

Bibliography
EMPR ASS RPT 2347, 3882, *16586, *22603, *23976, *25386
GSC MAP 1278A
GSC MEM 363
http://www.gwrresources.com
SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (2012-06-04): Independent Technical Report for the Lac La Hache Project
Kirkham, G. (2018-03-05): NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Aurizon South Deposit, Lac La Hache Project
SRK Consulting (Canada), Inc. (2021-05-11): Independent Technical Report for the Lac La Hache Project, Canada

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