The 2XFred occurrence (Little Ridge [Saki], Big Ridge [Gold Hill] and Hidden zones) is located on a gentle north-northeast–trending ridge in the southern headwaters of Stoney Creek, approximately 2.8 kilometres east-southeast of Welch Lake.
The area occurs within the Intermontane Belt, underlain dominantly by Lower to Middle Jurassic volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Hazelton Group. These assemblages are overlain by felsic and andesitic volcanic rocks of the Eocene to Oligocene Ootsa Lake Formation (Nechako Plateau Group) and basalt volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks of the Miocene Chilcotin Group. Intruding Lower Jurassic rocks of the Hazelton Group in the northeastern part of the map sheet is a belt of granodiorite, diorite and quartz diorite plutons of the Lower Jurassic Topley Intrusive Suite. Felsic plutons, probably Cretaceous, intrude both Lower and Middle Jurassic Hazelton strata.
Locally, at least three zones, referred to as the Little Ridge, Big Ridge and Hidden zones, of shallow to steeply dipping, banded to chalcedonic (epithermal) quartz veins, stockworks and hydrothermal breccias are hosted in silicified and argillic-altered basalts and andesites. Common alteration minerals include hematite, limonite, jarosite, clay, chlorite, epidote, carbonate, manganese, zeolite, specularite, magnetite and pyrite.
The Little Ridge (Saki) zone strikes 010 degrees and contains at least two mineralized veins, referred to as the East and West veins. The East vein varies in width from 7.1 to 9.3 metres, whereas the West vein varies in width from 7.4 to 7.8 metres; the two veins occur over a combined width of 30 to 40 metres . The veins are steeply east-dipping and have been exposed by trenching along strike for over 315 metres. The zone is open along strike.
The Big Ridge (Gold Hill) zone strikes 045 degrees and is located approximately 250 metres southeast of the Little Ridge (Saki) zone. The veined zone varies in width from approximately 20 to 40 metres and has been traced by trenching for at least 300 metres along strike. The Flat vein is located approximately 235 metres northeast of the northeast end of the Big Ridge (Gold Hill) vein and may represent its strike extension.
The Hidden zone is located between the Little Ridge (Saki) and Big Ridge (Gold Hill) zones and strikes 020 degrees. The zone has been traced by trenching and drilling for approximately 200 metres along strike and is up to 4.2 metres wide.
These veins are reported to possibly coalesce approximately 300 metres to the south of their most southern exposure and have been tested to a vertical depth of 50 to 100 metres.
In 2012, seven rock samples (SK12-92 through SK12-98) from the Little Ridge zone yielded from 0.135 to 1.178 grams per tonne gold and 3.0 to 18.2 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 33436). Also at this time, 39 rock samples from the Big Ridge zone yielded an average of 0.207 gram per tonne gold and 5.6 grams per tonne silver with values of up to 0.482 gram per tonne gold and 31.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 33436).
In 2013, 39 1-square-metre chip samples (2XF-88 through -126) from the Little Ridge zone, taken over approximately 300 metres strike length, yielded an average of 0.656 gram per tonne gold and 13.6 grams per tonne silver with values of up to 4.310 grams per tonne gold and 46.7 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 34967). Also at this time, 44 1-square-metre chip samples (2XF-127 through -170) from the Big Ridge zone, taken over a strike length of approximately 500 metres, yielded an average of 0.325 gram per tonne gold and 5.5 grams per tonne silver, with values of up to 0.864 gram per tonne gold and 15.7 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 34967).
In 2014, chip and channel samples from trenches on the Little Ridge (Saki) zone yielded up to 2.56 grams per tonne gold and 31.8 grams per tonne silver over 1.2 metres from Trench 3 on the East vein; 1.52 and 1.42 grams per tonne gold with 24.2 and 17.7 grams per tonne silver over 3.65 and 2.7 metres, respectively, from the East and West veins in Trench 2 and 1.05 and 1.2 grams per tonne gold with 15.1 and 21.0 grams per tonne silver over 6.5 and 4.0 metres, respectively, from the East and West veins in Trench 1; whereas samples from Trench 5, located 126 metres south of Trench 1, yielded up to 2 grams per tonne gold and 100 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 35291).
Chip and channel samples from trenches on the Big Ridge (Gold Hill) zone yielded 0.57 gram per tonne gold and 6.4 grams per tonne silver over 8.5 metres in Trench 6, 0.53 gram per tonne gold and 6.9 grams per tonne silver over 24 metres in Trench 7, 0.46 gram per tonne gold and 6.5 grams per tonne silver over 8.1 metres in Trench 9 and 0.2 gram per tonne gold with 5.5 grams per tonne silver over 14 metres in Trench 10 (Assessment Report 35291).
Also at this time, sampling of two trenches (17 and 18), located approximately 200 metres northeast of the north end of the Little Ridge (Saki) zone, yielded values of up to 2.9 and 2.3 grams per tonne gold with 29.8 and 85.8 grams per tonne silver, respectively, over 0.4 metres each (Assessment Report 35291).
In 2015, diamond drilling on the Little Ridge (Saki) zone yielded intercepts including 1.69 and 0.38 grams per tonne gold with 29.4 and 6.2 grams per tonne silver over 7.6 and 15.0 metres, respectively, from the East and West veins in hole 2XF-15-01; 0.83 and 0.35 gram per tonne gold with 14.8 and 7.6 grams per tonne silver over 15.5 and 29.0 metres, respectively, from the East and West veins in hole 2XF-15-02 and 0.52 gram per tonne gold over 4 metres and 0.13 gram per tonne gold with 9.8 grams per tonne silver over the final 13.56 metres in hole 2XF-15-08, whereas drillhole 2XF-15-07, located on the south end of the Hidden zone, yielded up to 0.47 gram per tonne gold and 27 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 36234).
Drilling on the Big Ridge (Gold Hill) zone yielded intercepts of 0.306 gram per tonne gold and 6.6 grams per tonne silver over 42.2 metres in hole 2XF-15-03, 0.17 gram per tonne gold over 63.15 metres in hole 2XF-15-04 and 0.35 gram per tonne gold over 28.1 metres in hole 2XF-15-05 (Assessment Report 36234).
In 2019, drilling on the Saki vein system yielded 0.128 gram per tonne gold and 3.3 grams per tonne silver over 35 metres in hole 2XF19-02, whereas drilling on the Gold Hill vein system yielded 0.161 gram per tonne gold and 2.1 grams per tonne silver over 54.8 metres in hole 2XF19-04 and 0.321 gram per tonne gold with 4.9 grams per tonne silver over 87.49 metres in hole 2XF19-05 (Assessment Report 39063).
Also at this time, a drillhole (2XF19-01) located near the projected southern confluence of the Saki and Gold Hill vein systems yielded 0.163 gram per tonne gold and 3.9 grams per tonne silver over the final 78.17 metres of the hole (Assessment Report 39063). The drillhole was prematurely stopped due to drilling difficulty.
Work History
During 2011 through 2020, Kootenay Silver Inc. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock, soil and biogeochemical sampling), trenching, 82.3 line-kilometres of ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys and 13 diamond drill holes, totalling 1627.9 metres, on the area as the 2XFred property.
