The Play showings occur in Telkwa Formation of the Hazelton Group. Intrusive dikes and plugs of the Upper Cretaceous Bulkley Plutonic Suite occur in the vicinity of the showings. Most of the bedrock here is coarse to fine-grained lithic crystal lapilli tuffs, red tuffaceous mudstones and feldspar porphyries though silicic tuff and crystal-lithic rhyolite-dacite were also noted. Bedding appears to have a northeast trend. The intrusive rocks are comprised of diorite, monzonitic diorite and pink granite dikes and/or plugs.
Faulting is the most prominent structure at this locality and is significant with respect to mineralization. East-northeast and north-northeast are the two dominant fault directions. The east-northeast trend belongs to the regional Whitesail fault system. North trending faults along an east facing slope are exposed in association with quartz veins, stockworks, silicified zones and/or breccia system with strong propylitic alteration.
Several of these zones, anomalous in gold, were identified at roughly the 1075 metre elevation within 1200 metres of each other. The zones are sulphide poor with traces of pyrite to a 5 per cent maximum.
The Discovery zone comprises a 10 metre wide propyllitic alteration zone, centred by 30 centimetres of quartz vein, flanked by 50 centimetres of quartz stockwork-propyllitized volcanics. Minor argillic alteration is associated with the central vein. Pyrite is up to 3 per cent. Two 30 centimetre chips across the vein gave 0.22 and 0.45 gram per tonne gold and a grab containing fine dark streaks gave 0.86 gram per tonne gold.
The two most anomalous zones are the Camp Creek Zone and the Root Zone. The Camp Creek Zone is greater than 50 metres wide and has been traced along strike for 200 metres. The mineralized zone trends from 10 to 25 degrees with mainly vertical dips. The zone comprises a series of quartz veins, stringers, stockworks, box works and breccia zones associated with strong propyllitic alteration. Grab samples returned values of 4.01 and 2.60 grams per tonne gold and 17.7 grams per tonne silver. Highest values are associated with thin seams of finely disseminated pyrite and a dark unidentified mineral within quartz stringers.
A 15 metre wide zone of propyllitic alteration called the Root zone occurs within a small intermittent drainage, assayed 3.36 grams per tonne gold from a grab sample of quartz stringers (Assessment Report 16146).
The Two Pond Creek zone consists of quartz veins, stockworks, stringers, breccias and silicified rock exposed in excess of 100 metres. Its contact to the north appears to be a fault juxtaposing red volcanics and diorite against silicified rock. The zone appears to be 3 to 5 metres width, and strikes generally east-northeast. The best silver value, from a sample of the Two Pond Creek was 74.9 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 16146).
WORK HISTORY
The claims were staked by Mr. John Stevens in the spring of 1983 in response to the announcement of the discovery of new precious metal finds in the Whitesail Lake area. The claims were subsequently transferred to Marley Mines Ltd. No evidence of any earlier work on the claimed area was encountered.
In 1986, a soil grid was located across the showings in the central part of the Play 1 to 3 claim block. Ninety-two soil samples were analyzed. No values of significance were noted. Twenty-five samples from drainages around the property were sampled and analyzed. Eight hand trenches were dug across the mineralized zones to expose cross-sections of anomalous structures and for sampling. Total length of trenches was approximately 25 metres length, 1.5 metres width and 0.5 metre depth. All trenching was of surficial nature.
A 648 line-kilometer airborne magnetic gradiometer geophysical survey was conducted over the Troitsa Property in 2007 by Paget Resources in an attempt to delineate subsurface structure and identify contact zones and faults.
Refer to Cummins Creek Veins prospect (093E 100) for common details of area work history.
