The Catalan Copper property is located 13 kilometres northeast of McLeese Lake about 8 kilometres east of the Gibraltar copper-molybdenum open pit mine. The property is accessible by a series of seasonal logging roads from McLeese Lake.
The Catalan claims are located within a wedge-shaped block of Mississippian-Triassic Cache Creek Group sediments and volcanics which have been intruded by several diorite/granodiorite plutons, namely the Lower Jurassic Granite Mountain and Cretaceous Sheridan Creek plutons. The Granite Mountain pluton hosts the copper and molybdenite mineralization for Gibraltar Mine and extends into the western portion of the Catalan claims.
A well defined, faulted contact between the Cache Creek Group and the Granite Mountain diorite exists along the western portion of the claims in a north-south direction. Geological mapping suggests that the Granite Mountain pluton has been offset by faulting in a northern direction within the claims. The offset portions of the pluton have become the focus of recent exploration activity.
The area drilled in January 2007 appears to be situated near the eastern margin of the Granite Mountain pluton. In DDH CC-07-04, copper-molybdenum mineralization is present mainly in meta-andesites which may be part of the Cache Creek Group. The non-foliated diorite intrusion, which is variably altered and carries minor copper-molybdenum mineralization, is spatially associated with the zones of mineralized meta-andesite. This intrusion is likely part of the Granite Mountain intrusive suite which is known to host the bulk-tonnage, low grade, copper-molybdenum deposits at Gibralter Mine.
Drillhole CC-07-04 intersected three main intervals of foliated volcanic rock (meta-andesite). The first two intervals are variably mineralized with pyrite, chalcopyrite and minor molybdenite. One sub-interval carries strong chalcopyrite mineralization as veinlets and stockwork. The lower interval contained only trace amounts of pyrite and chalcopyrite. Three intrusive rock types were noted. Foliated meta-diorite? is common mainly in the upper portion of the hole and contains little or no sulphides. It is cut by several narrow feldspar porphyry dikes which also carry little sulphide. Non-foliated intrusive sections are common in the lower half of the hole. This intrusive variety is relatively coarse grained, locally feldspar porphyritic in texture and quartz dioritic to granodioritic in composition. It is variably altered with patchy epidote, chlorite after mafic minerals, minor quartz veins and local sections where textures are vague, possibly due to pervasive silica +/- sericite alteration. Its sulphide content is generally low, but minor chalcopyrite and lesser molybdenite were noted locally.
The three main intervals of meta-andesite were sampled, as were a few selected 2 metre wide intervals of non-foliated intrusion. Assays returned values up to 1.38 per cent copper and 24 parts per million molybdenum over 2 metres, and 4.16 per cent copper and 3.5 parts per million molybdenum over 2 metres (Assessment Report 29294).
In 1970, a soil and silt geochemical survey and an induced polarization survey was completed. In 1991, United Gunn Resources Ltd. conducted a soil geochemical survey. In 2005, Stikine Gold Corporation completed 7.2 kilometres of ground magnetic and induced polarization surveying. In 2007, Stikine Gold Corporation completed a diamond drilling program totalling 665 metres in three NQ-sized holes.
