The Nell occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1775 metres, on a northeast-trending ridge, southwest of the informally named Goat Ridge and approximately 14.5 kilometres southeast of Old Hogem.
The occurrence occurs at the contact between volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Twin Creek Formation of the Middle Triassic-Lower Jurassic Takla Group, and probably Lower Jurassic dioritic and monzodioritic phases of the Upper Triassic to Lower Cretaceous Hogem Intrusive Complex. The contact is a complex hybrid zone of intrusive, subvolcanic, and volcanic rocks. Volcanic textures are difficult to discern due to contact metamorphism; many volcanic fragments occur as ghost outlines and clots of epidote suggesting resorption and metasomatic alteration with intrusive phases.
Locally, four narrow (0.2 to 0.3 metre wide) shear zones, spaced approximately 5 metres apart, have been identified within a volcanic breccia. The shears trend 060 degrees and are limonite-malachite stained and epidote altered with disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite mineralization. The shears have been traced for approximately 50 metres in outcrop.
In 1991, two chip samples (P91NL006 and 043) yielded 0.63 and 0.64 gram per tonne gold, 4.2 and 8.6 grams per tonne silver with 0.340 and 0.161 per cent copper over 0.5 and 2.0 metres, respectively (Assessment Report 22192).
Work History
The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Tak (MINFILE 093N 067) occurrence and a complete exploration history can be found there.
In 1990 and 1991, Placer Development Ltd., on the behalf of Eastfield Resources Ltd., completed a program of prospecting, rock and soil sampling, geological mapping, a 21.6 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and a 200 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area as the Nell claims.
Also in 1990 and 1991, Golden Rule Resources Ltd. completed programs of rock, silt and soil sampling, geological mapping and a 1500 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area as the Sho 4-5 claims of the Takla property.
