The Mount Palsson occurrence is situated on the southeast side of the Sukunka River, just east of its confluence with Baker Creek, 64 kilometres south-southwest of Chetwynd.
The deposit lies within a bed of limestone of the Mississippian Rundle Group underlain by shaly carbonates of the Lower Mississippian Banff Formation and overlain by siltstone and shale of the Triassic Sulphur Mountain Formation (Spray River Group). The limestone outcrops as a narrow northwestward trending band along the east limb of an overturned syncline. Locally, the limestone is warped into a pair of closely-spaced anticlines trending west-northwest.
The deposit is comprised of a chemical grade limestone member that passes upward into an overlying impure limestone member. The chemical grade member consists of white speckled micrite and brown to grey-brown, very fine-grained, slightly dolomitic wackestone. The impure member consists of brown-grey to grey, fine to coarse-grained, silty, dolomitic wackestone with minor dolomitic micrite. Veins of white calcite are present in both units. Pyrobitumen is commonly displayed on fractured surfaces.
Two zones of reserves have been defined in the chemical grade limestone member along the crest of each of the two anticlines. The two zones are separated by an 80- to 90-metre-wide band of impure limestone preserved along the intervening syncline. The South zone outcrops along the crest of the southern anticline over a length of 260 metres with a width of between 80 and 100 metres. The North zone outcrops for up to 160 metres along the crest of the northern anticline with a width of up to 100 metres.
Indicated and inferred reserves (in tonnes) with average grades (in per cent) are given as follows (Industrial Mineral File - W.A. MacLeod, 1988):
----------------------------------------------------------------- Zone Reserves CaO MgO SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 South 1,700,000 54.36 0.67 0.37 0.26 0.01 North 440,000 54.42 0.73 0.48 0.27 trace-----------------------------------------------------------------
Zone Reserves CaO MgO SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3
South 1,700,000 54.36 0.67 0.37 0.26 0.01
North 440,000 54.42 0.73 0.48 0.27 trace
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Work History
The deposit was initially evaluated by Westmin Resources in 1983 as a source of agricultural lime for the Peace River area. The property was optioned by Westmin to Knox Western Capital Inc. of Calgary, Alberta. Knox Western Capital carried out detailed mapping and sampling in 1988 in order to determine the quantity and suitability of the limestone available for use in pulp mills.
In 2017, the area was prospected and sampled by Quatse Silver Resources Ltd. as the Sukunka Limestone property. In 2018 and 2019, Sukunka Lime Resources Ltd. completed programs of rock and water sampling program on the property.