The Laura property is located near the head of Sterritt Creek 32 kilometres north of Hazelton.
The Laura stock, a two-phase subcircular granodioritic plug of the Late Cretaceous Bulkley Intrusions, cuts sandstones and siltstones of the Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Bowser Lake Group. Peripheral inward-dipping dikes, related to the earlier phase of the stock, suggest a ring dike or funnel shape for the intrusive complex as a whole (Assessment Report 7071) which has hornfelsed the Bowser Lake Group sedimentary rocks. A potassium/argon date on biotite yielded a date of 82 million years (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 2322).
Low-grade molybdenum, copper and tungsten mineralization is widespread in the granodiorite and locally in the hornfelsed sedimentary rocks adjacent to the stock. The best grades are in the margins of the stock.
Four stages of mineralization are evident. An early disseminated and fracture-controlled pyrite mineralization with minor chalcopyrite and amphibole was succeeded by a quartz vein stockwork carrying pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite. The third phase consists of hairline quartz veins with pyrite, pyrrhotite, molybdenite and chalcopyrite and finally, widely-spaced late vuggy flat-lying quartz-carbonate-feldspar veins carrying pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and locally jamesonite and stibnite. Powellite has also been reported.
WORK HISTORY
The Laura/Sterritt Creek property was originally staked by Kennco Exploration in 1958 as the Mike Group, with an additional 80 claims added to the property in 1960. The claims were dropped after preliminary examination. Kennco re-staked a large block in 1964, possibly because of the presence of a large tungsten silt anomaly, and the claims expired in 1965 (Sutherland-Brown, 1968; Assessment Report 7071).
In 1965 the property was staked by Earl and Harry Simpson of Hazelton, BC and then acquired by Laura Mines in 1967 (Sutherland-Brown, 1968). A soil sampling grid was completed in 1967. In 1968, Laura Mines Ltd completed 3533 metres of BQ diamond drilling in at least 17 holes as well as 8718 metres of trenching and the construction of 4800 metres of access road (Sutherland-Brown, 1968; Assessment Report 7071). This work identified the presence of widespread, low-grade, copper and molybdenum mineralization however; following this work the option agreement on the property was terminated.
In 1970 Midwest Oil, under an option agreement with E. and H. Simpson, drilled a single inclined hole to 470 metres. Assays are reported to have been poor and the option agreement was terminated.
In 1970 a small soil survey was carried out on the Sal prospect 093M 136), located six kilometres southeast of the Laura zone.
Asarco Exploration Company of Canada Ltd (Asarco) staked the property as two claim groups named the More 1 (9 units) and the More 2 (12 unit) in 1978. Asarco surveyed and conducted geological mapping in the northeastern quadrant of the More # 1 claim at 1:2500 scale. In addition, 9 drill core samples from the Laura Mines Ltd drill program, and 46 surface samples were analyzed for molybdenum, copper, tungsten, antimony and tin. Oxidized surface samples returned assay values of 0.002 to 0.034 per cent molybdenum and 0.023 to 0.116 per cent copper, with no significant gold or silver values; tungsten, antimony, and tin were anomalous (Assessment Report 7071). Six samples of historic drill core were collected from holes 68-4, 68-7, 68-10 and 70-21. Analysis showed molybdenum values range up to 0.145 per cent and copper values up to 0.125 per cent with a single sample containing 1 per cent molybdenum Mo (from hole 68-7) (Assessment Report 7071).
In 1979, Phoenix Geophysics Ltd conducted an IP survey on the More claims. As molybdenite provides very little to no IP response the survey was conducted to test for associated pyrite and chalcopyrite. The survey was completed on two grids; the Main grid which was located on the More 2 claim, and the NE grid, consisting of two intersecting lines, located within the More 1 claim. A marked resistivity contrast was identified on the Main grid, with low resistivity to the southwest. A strong and shallow IP anomaly occurs within the area of low resistivity.
A percussion drilling program was carried out on the More 2 claims in 1979 by Asarco to test coincident copper molybdenum geochemical soil and IP anomalies. Eight percussion drill holes were completed for a total of 202 metre (DDH 79-1 to 79-8) with the deepest hole reaching 46 metres. Hole DDH 79-4 intersected bedrock at 27.4m and cored through dark grey phyllitic argillite rock to 45.7 metres, similarly hole 79-7 entered bedrock at 10.6 metres and cored dark grey argillite rock to 12.2 metres. Hole 79-8 entered bedrock at 6.1 metres and cored grey pyritic clastic rocks to 30.5 metres. Overburden copper and molybdenum concentrations were higher than bedrock values, the IP and soil anomaly was not explained but though likely due to being transported from upslope mineralization.
The property was staked by Paget Moly Corporation in February 2007. The 2007 work program focused on the Sal prospect (MINFILE 093M 136) and a total of 18 rock samples were collected. Fifty-five soil samples were collected on four contour soil lines straddling the intrusive-hornfels contact. The 2007 work program on the Laura property showed a broad zone of anomalous molybdenum and copper in the Laura area. Geochemical work also outlined a secondary target of interest at the Sal MINFILE occurrence.
In 2008, Paget Moly Corp. carried out exploration on the Laura molybdenum prospect, completing 1858 metres in 8 drillholes. Molybdenum mineralization is typically associated with quartz veins, stockwork and dry fractures. Sulfide mineralization occurs primarily in quartz veining but it is also observed disseminated within altered zones. One of the better holes (LA08-02) assayed 0.050 from 64 to 236 metres depth for a total of 172 metres (Assessment Report 30538).
