The Ben West Prospect is underlain by Jurassic Hazelton Group intermediate flows, related pyroclastics and tuffaceous siltstone. These rocks are intruded by an Eocene stock of biotite hornblende granodiorite. Hazelton Group rocks are commonly hornfelsed near contacts with the intrusions and contain up to several per cent biotite.

Locally, an altered biotite monzonite hosts narrow, up to 0.1-metre wide, quartz-sulphide veins with 25 to 30 per cent semi-massive to massive, narrow-banded, stringer and disseminated arsenopyrite with abundant scorodite.

In 1991, a grab sample (91BENRO-06) of biotite monzonite hosting a 10-centimetre wide quartz-arsenopyrite-pyrite vein assayed 3.75 grams per tonne gold and 5.2 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 22059).

In 1992, a float sample (WR-37), located several hundred metres south and upslope of the occurrence, yielded 12.4 grams per tonne gold, greater than 200 grams per tonne silver, greater than 1.0 per cent lead and 0.27 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 22727).

Rock chip samples taken by Paget Minerals Corp in 2007 from the West zone, assayed up to 0.80 gram per tonne gold, 25 grams per tonne silver, 0.09 per cent copper and 0.35 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 29592). The molybdenum value came from quartz molybdenite veins, but significant molybdenum also occurs in fine-grained skarn and hornfels with disseminated sulphides. The better molybdenum values are spatially associated with the small altered granitic pluton. Paget described the Ben West mineralization as being exposed over a 265 by 450 metre area.

The 2010 drilling failed to intersect broad intersections of molybdenite mineralization. Elevated silver and arsenic are common but are related to narrow quartz-arsenopyrite veins ranging from approximately 1 to 10 centimetres wide and at the time were not to be of sufficient density to be economic. Rocks intersected included granodiorite, volcaniclastic siltstone and dacite to rhyodacite. Diamond drilling yielded intercepts of 0.13 gram per tonne gold with 12.5 grams per tonne silver over 9.70 metres and 0.084 per cent molybdenum over 9.11 metres in hole BEN-10-04, and 0.13 gram per tonne gold over 10.72 metres, including 1.00 gram per tonne gold over 0.67 metre, in hole BEN-10-01 (Assessment Report 32390).

Work History

In 1982, BP Minerals Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping and geochemical (silt and soil) sampling on the area immediately south of the occurrence as the Tate 1-6 claims. Quartz-carbonate veins with minor chalcopyrite and pyrite mineralization were identified on the Tate 5 claim.

In 1991, BHP-Utah Mines Ltd completed a program of prospecting and sampling. The work done was 13.2 line-kilometres of flagged line grid, 241 soil samples, 40 rock samples, 4 stream sediment samples and 14 man-days of geological mapping at a scale of 1:10,000. The work outlined sulphide mineralization in various rock types, both volcanic and intrusive, and silver and arsenic soil geochemistry outlined areas of interest for follow-up work.

In 1992, a follow-up program was competed by BHP Minerals Canada Ltd. This program included expanding the flagged line grid (46.6 line-kilometres) with the collection of 47 rock samples and 359 soil samples and further detailed geological mapping and prospecting. In addition, geophysical surveys were completed on the grid, 51.875 line-kilometres of Total Field Magnetics, 45.3 line-kilometres of VLF-EM and 1 line-kilometres of induced Polarization (IP). Three showings were delineated, the "Creek", "Shaun" and "Hooter", which together make up the Ben.

In 2007, Paget Mineral Corp completed a work program that consisted of mapping, prospecting, and rock chip sampling. A total of 78 rock chip samples were collected from the project area.

In 2010, a total of 2254 soil samples were collected from 114.85 line-kilometres of grid. Sampling covered the Ben East and Ben West zones. In 2010 a drill program was designed by TTM Resources to test soil geochemical anomalies from the 2010 soil geochemical program that outlined a multi-element anomaly associated with the intrusive unit on the previously known West zone of Paget (now referred to as the Ben West zone in MINFILE). Three holes were drilled from one set up and a fourth hole was completed 140 metres to the south-southwest to test a geochemical anomaly and favourable surface geology. The four holes totalled 721.42 metres of NQ-size core.

In 2016, Charles J. Greig completed a program of soil sampling on the area as the R2R and R2R2 claims.

Refer to Ben East (093F 059) for related details.