The Commodore 1 occurrence is located adjacent to the Mcleod-Tsilcoh forestry service road, approximately 6.5 kilometres southwest of the south end of Salmon Lake.
The area is underlain by calc-alkaline volcanics of Upper Triassic Takla Group and basaltic rocks of the Miocene to Pliocene Chilcotin Group.
Locally, as defined by diamond drilling, propylitic- to potassic-altered volcaniclastic rocks, andesite feldspar porphyry and monzonite porphyry host fracture-filling and disseminated chalcopyrite associated with pyrite and magnetite. Electrum and native gold grains have been identified as inclusions in larger chalcopyrite grains. Alteration minerals include very fine grained ankerite–potassium feldspar with minor kaolinite-sericite and abundant magnetite-hematite, overprinted in part by coarse-grained potassium feldspar, sericite, carbonate and quartz. Secondary biotite and actinolite-chlorite are also reported.
Work History
Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc. explored their Tsil claims from 1988 to 1991. During these years they collected 2522 soil, 31 rock and 19 silt samples and conducted 26 line-kilometres of induced polarization, 99.3 line-kilometres of ground magnetometer and 434 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys. Reports also refer to a five-hole diamond drill program conducted in 1989, though no assessment report was filed for this work. This five-hole diamond drill program was completed in order to test induced polarization targets on both the Burn and Boot grids (Assessment Report 20083, Figure 4). Two holes on the Burn grid failed to identify significant alteration or sulphide mineralization. Three holes on the Boot grid identified a large area of propylitic alteration associated with an extensive sulphide system. No further work was recorded by Noranda after 1991.
In 2007, Orestone Mining Corp. held the area under its Commodore-Fathom-Plus group of claims, part of the Captain property. See the Windy (MINFILE 093J 024) occurrence for a completed description of ownership and exploration history after 2007.
In 2009, Orostone completed 27 percussion drill holes on previously identified geophysical anomalies on the Captain property. Twenty of these holes penetrated bedrock with many of the holes intersecting pyrite to explain the anomaly. One hole (PDH 09-02), located in the southeast limit of drilling, intersected argillic-pyrite alteration with elevated copper and gold values. Later that year, five diamond drill holes, totalling 673.9 metres, were completed to test targets that could not be tested by percussion drilling due to deep over burden. Drillhole 09-05, located in the same area as PDH 09-02, yielded 0.056 per cent copper and 0.175 gram per tonne gold over 32.23 metres, including 0.16 per cent copper and 0.34 gram per tonne gold over the final 3.1 metres of the hole (Assessment Report 32173).
In late 2011 and early 2012, Orostone Mining Corp. completed five diamond drill holes, totalling 1275.6 metres, on the Captain property. This work centred on the Commadore 1 claim area and identified an approximately 50-square-kilometre area believed to be a zone of intense alteration and disseminated sulphides associated with altered monzonite intrusive centres. Drillhole C11-01 tested the below the 2009 drillhole 09-05 and yielded 0.231 gram per tonne gold and 0.061 per cent copper over 89 metres, including 0.298 gram per tonne gold and 0.085 per cent copper over 45 metres (Assessment Report 33398).
In late 2012 and 2013, Orostone Mining Corp. completed six diamond drill holes, totalling 1554.4 metres, and 120.0 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys on the Captain property. Drillhole C12-05, located approximately 100 metres west of drillholes C11-01 and 09-05, intersected two zones (Upper and Lower) of mineralization yielding 0.06 per cent copper and 0.65 gram per tonne gold over 118.8 metres, including 0.27 per cent copper and 6.46 grams per tonne gold over 9.1 metres from the Upper zone (88.1 to 206.9 metres down hole) and 0.07 per cent copper and 0.41 gram per tonne gold over 164.6 metres, including 0.51 per cent copper and 4.45 grams per tonne gold over 6.1 metres from the Lower zone (377.6 to 542.2 metres down hole; Assessment Report 34510). Two other drillholes (C12-03 and C13-03) located approximately 400 metres east and 700 metres north-northwest of drillholes C11-01 and 09-05 yielded 0.13 and 1.89 grams per tonne gold with 0.05 and 0.23 per cent copper over 70.0 and 3.05 metres, respectively (Assessment Report 34510).
In 2018, Orostone Mining Corp. completed a minor program of rock and soil sampling on the area.
In 2019, Orostone Mining Corp. completed six diamond drillholes, totalling 1576.7 metres, on the Commodore 1 occurrence area of the Captain property. Drilling highlights included 0.26 gram per tonne gold and 0.065 per cent copper over 91.3 metres (112.0 to 203.3 metres down-hole) in hole C19-07 which was drilled to undercut drillhole C13-02, located 200 metres to the south (Assessment Report 39040). This drillhole, along with previous drillholes (C12-03, C12-05 and C13-02), are reported to indicate widths of 100 to 200 metres of copper-gold mineralization related to northwest trending magnetic anomalies which flank a central magnetic high.
In 2020, Orostone Mining completed a further three diamond drillholes, totalling 937.0 metres, on the Commodore 1 occurrence area of the Captain property. Drilling highlights included 0.23 gram per tonne gold and 0.11 per cent copper over 82 metres (247 to 329 metres down-hole) in hole C20-03 which was drilled as a 100-metre east step-out of the previous years hole C19-03 (Assessment Report 39364).
In 2021, Orostone Mining completed a further two diamond drillholes, totalling 1432.0 metres, on the Commodore 1 occurrence area of the Captain property. Drilling intercepts included 0.25 and 0.37 gram per tonne gold with 0.055 and 0.066 per cent copper over 36.0 and 85.7 metres (541.0 to 577.0 and 656.7 to 742.4 metres down-hole), respectively in hole C21-01 which was collared as a 150 metre southwest step out of the previous drilled hole C19-03 and 0.20 gram per tonne gold with 0.02 per cent copper over 90.0 metres (223.0 to 313.0 metres down-hole) in hole C21-02 which was drilled as a deeper test west of the previous drillhole C12-03 (Assessment Report 39473).
