The Smoking Pipe occurrence is located 1.5 kilometres southwest of Lawrence Lake, approximately 35 kilometres south of the community of Fraser Lake.
The area is primarily underlain by felsic volcanic rocks of the Eocene Ootsa Lake Formation, including crystal tuff, lapilli tuff, flow banded rhyolite, volcanic breccias and some porphyritic andesite.
The Smoking Pipe zone is hosted by a sequence of altered Ootsa Lake felsic volcanic and intrusive rocks that have been significantly clay and silica altered. Locally, epithermal quartz veins hosting pyrite, hematite, barite, celadonite and jasper are common as well as bladed quartz textures.
Textures and forms of silica at the Smoking Pipe zone are interpreted to indicate gold mineralization in the epithermal zone. The preponderance of vuggy fractures lined with silica of coxcombe and sugary texture is unambiguous evidence. Some vugs contain vestiges of bladed calcite. Quartz veining at the 45 Rd and East Dome zones is not vuggy. Rather, stockwork quartz veining, hydrothermal breccia and silicification characterize these zones.
Anomalous to high gold concentrations occur in a zone of silica flooding and associated veining and brecciation having a thickness of 30 to 60 metres and hundreds of metres of lateral continuity both across and along strike. The mineralized zone dips westward at approximately 40 to 60 degrees, strikes to the northeast, and is open in all directions.
Extensive argillic alteration together with thick intervals of hematitic alteration, suggest the zone of brecciation, veining and alteration associated with boiling becomes more extensive westward and northeastward, on strike with a second surface zone of gold mineralization called the 45 Road Zone been drill tested. Drilling suggests the mineralized zone is strengthening toward the 45 Road zone but the zone itself (by the end of 2011) had not been drilled.
Approximately 100 metres southeast of the Smoking Pipe occurrence, a small zone of hematite- and limonite-stained quartz crystals and chalcedony breccia is noted. Sample MK10-52 from this zone assayed 1.13 grams per tonne gold and 0.8 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 32086). The mineralized zone is described further in Assessment Report 32086.
A zone of mineralization noted approximately 2 kilometres to the northeast of the occurrence in Assessment Report 32086 is named the 45 Road showing in Assessment Report 37409 it. The zone returned weakly anomalous values of gold, arsenic and molybdenum: 0.1 grams per tonne gold, 38.5 grams per tonne arsenic and under 0.01 per cent molybdenum. Mineralization is described as quartz veining in pinkish rhyolite with manganese and epidote, massive silica breccia with patches of yellow, orange oxides, and subcrop hematitic purple rhyolite with narrow quartz puddles and some limonite and vugs. Rock sample SAK10-47 from this zone of mineralization graded 0.36 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 32086).
Work History
In 2009, F. Critchlow of Kootenay Gold Inc. acquired the property and subsequently completed a program of rock geochemistry and prospecting. A complete exploration history for the area can be found in Assessment Report 32086.
In 2010, Fred Critchlow and Sean Kennedy for Kootenay Gold Inc. completed a rock sampling and prospecting program over the Copley property, which contains the occurrence. Rock sampling on the Smoking Pipe occurrence was highlighted by sample SAK10-23, which graded 7.821 grams per tonne gold; sample MK10-52, which graded 1.13 grams per tonne gold, and sample SAK10-59, which graded 0.4374 per cent copper (Assessment Report 32086).
In late 2010, Northern Vertex Mining Corp. optioned the Copley property from Kootenay Gold Inc.
In 2011, Northern Vertex Mining Corp. completed rock channel sampling and a 1050-metre diamond drill program. Highlights include a channel sample that assayed 14 grams per tonne gold and drillhole Cply1-04, which returned 33.5 metres grading 0.271 gram per tonne gold and 0.0442 per cent zinc, including a 1.4 metre section grading 1.572 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 32588). Drilling highlights include drillhole C6-01, which returned 10 metres grading 1.5 grams per tonne gold (Press Release, Northern Vertex Mining Corp., March 22, 2012: Assessment Report 33289).
In 2012, a program consisting of rock and bio-geochemistry along with a limited soil geochemistry orientation was completed on the central Nechako Copley-Hallet Lake properties by Kootenay Silver Inc. In total, 122 rock, 12 biogeochemical and 8 rock samples were collected, specifically around the Copley Extension (093F 084).
In 2017, Sean Kennedy for Kootenay Silver Inc. completed an exploration program including ground mapping, and rock sampling. No specific samples were noted on the occurrence although the program found anomalous gold, silver and molybdenum values.
In 2019, Sean Kennedy for Kootenay Silver Inc. completed an induced polarization survey on the Copley property containing the Smoking Pipe occurrence. Inversions from the survey show that the surface showings at Smoking Pipe are associated with a moderate chargeability and strong resistivity anomaly.
