The BQ property lies within the Stikine Terrane of the lntermontaine geomorphological belt. Much of the immediate area is underlain by Skeena Group rocks, which unconformably overlie Jurassic and older rocks along the southern margin of the Bowser Basin.
The BQ is centered on a pronounced east-west orientated set of hills underlain by a 7 kilometre long and 1.5 kilometre wide felsic intrusion of the Eocene Nanika Plutonic Suite. The stock is bound at its east and west ends by district scale northwest-directed fault. The felsic intrusion appears to dip southerly and has intruded a package of carbonate and carbonaceous-rich shallow water sedimentary rocks and alkaline basalt flows and volcanic debris of the Rusty Ridge Formation, Skeena Group.
The BQ is an epithermal gold mineralization occurrence. Coincident anomalies in IP chargeability and gold-silver-zinc-arsenic in soil were tested by 11 core holes (2017 metres). The property is underlain by gently, north dipping felsic volcanic tuff and breccia intercalated with fossiliferous sandstone and mudstone, which are cut by dikes of quartz-feldspar porphyry. Mineralization occurs as stringer veins and disseminations of pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Gold is most closely associated with arsenopyrite. Locally, bivalve fossils are replaced by pyrite, pyrrhotite and sphalerite. A broad zone of pervasive sericite-quartz-carbonate-clay alteration surrounds the 400 metre-long mineralized zone.
Endurance Gold Corp completed a three-hole, 526.1-metre diamond drilling program on the BQ property. The three holes targeted strong induced polarization chargeability anomalies in the immediate vicinity of anomalous gold, silver, arsenic, antimony and zinc soil geochemical values. All three holes intersected zones of stringer sulphide mineralization over variable widths, hosted within a sequence of intensely altered volcanics, equivalent volcanoclastic sediments and interbedded clastic sediments. A total of 496 samples were submitted to ALS Chemex for Au and 27-element ICP analyses
Holes BQ-01 and 02 were drilled in a fence, from south to north, across the IP anomaly. Both holes intersected disseminated and stringer zones of pyrite, pyrite-pyrrhotite and occasional sphalerite mineralization. Significantly anomalous zinc and gold results appear in the table.
Hole BQ-03 stepped 100 metres east of holes 01 and 02, and drilled the strongest portion of the IP anomaly, on the most easterly line of survey coverage. The hole encountered stockwork sulphide mineralization from 14.8 metres to a depth of 144.9 metres, before entering a quartz feldspar porphyry dike, followed by less altered and mineralized siltstones to the end of the hole (Assessment Report 28416). Sulphides were primarily pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite, with occasional semi-massive bands of sphalerite, and in isolated locations, chalcopyrite. Again, assays are summarized in the accompanying table. Of importance is the presence of a broad gold intercept, between 77 metres and 110.05 metres, grading 0.766 gram per tonne. The increase in gold mineralization within the clearly zoned mineralizing system is very encouraging, as to date the limits of the system have not been defined.
All three holes are highly anomalous in arsenic and antimony, suggesting the altered volcanic and volcanoclastic host rocks and associated sulphide stringer mineralization are part of a polymetallic hydrothermal mineralizing system with potential to host both gold only, and possibly precious metal rich massive sulphide mineralization. This system has seen no previous exploration work, and constitutes a new discovery. Endurance will complete follow-up field programs of IP, soil geochemistry and geological mapping as soon as weather conditions allow, followed by a significantly larger drilling program in the summer of 2006.
WORK HISTORY
Sphalerite mineralization in a siliceous volcanic outcrop was discovered on the property in 1994 by Rob Redding.
In 1995 the Trout claims were purchased from Redding's estate by Dave McCurdy who added two additional mineral claims to the group and carried out a small amount of work that included a small grid, a recon RADEM survey, collecting 13 rock and 26 soil samples (Assessment reports 24664 and 25318).
In 2003 David Hayward and Wes Brook staked the claims and added claims that make up the core claims of the BQ property.
In 2005 Endurance Gold Corporation optioned the BQ property. In September of 2005 Endurance Gold carried out reconnaissance soil, stream sediment and rock sampling surveys over the BQ property ((Assessment Report 27943).
In October 2005 six reconnaissance lines totalling 3.1 kilometres were cut over the mineral showings area, 127 soil samples were collected and ground geophysical (IP/resistivity and magnetometer) surveys were run (Assessment Report 28140).
In January of 2006, Endurance Gold cut a larger grid, centered on the reconnaissance grid, with 100 meter spaced lines over a 1 by 2 kilometre area. In June 2006 three cored holes (totalling 526.1 metres) intersected wide sections of heavy sulphide; 496 core samples were submitted for assay and geochemistry (Assessment Report 28416). A petrographic study with report on samples from drill hole BQ-03 and from two surface samples. In June 2006, IP, resistivity, magnetometer and differential GPS surveys were run over the 1 by 2 kilometre grid. And 8 cored holes were drilled totalling 1,490.6 meters from which 708 samples were submitted for gold assay and geochemistry (Assessment Report 28543). In July 2006, a reconnaissance stream silt and soil sampling traverse into Schippers Creek was conducted. In October 2006, the BQ grid was extended two kilometres to the east.
In July, 2007 an AeroTEM II (Bravo) time domain helicopter supported electromagnetic and high-sensitivity caesium vapour magnetometer system totalling 852.9 line-km was flown over the BQ property on behalf of Endurance Gold (Appendix 1, Assessment Report 29597). In September, 2007, the cut grid was extended west to Line 15W; 760 soil samples from the east and west grid extensions were collected for geochemistry. And 120 reconnaissance soil geochemistry samples collected for geochemistry from the southwest corner of the property. In October 2007, an IP pole-dipole survey was conducted on 8 lines totalling 8.8 line-kilometres (private company report by Kickbush, 2007).
