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File Created: 04-Jun-2025 by Bruce Northcote (BN)
Last Edit:  16-Jun-2025 by Bruce Northcote (BN)

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NMI
Name ROCKY CREEK NORTHWEST BLOCK Mining Division Liard
BCGS Map 093P021
Status Developed Prospect NTS Map 093P05W
Latitude 055º 17' 18'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 121º 50' 19'' Northing 6127500
Easting 573750
Commodities Coal Deposit Types
Tectonic Belt Foreland Terrane Ancestral North America
Capsule Geology

Most coal seams of economic interest in the Rocky Creek area are found in the Lower Gething Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian) of the Bullhead Group. The Lower Gething consists of sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, coal seams, and minor conglomerate. Sandstones predominate near the top and base of this unit, with the basal part locally containing abundant conglomerate and siliceous, coarse sandstone. Coal seams are present throughout the Lower Gething unit but are most abundant in the middle of the unit. Coal seams are also present in the underlying Minnes Group (Bickford Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Valanginian).

In the Northwest Block of the Rocky Creek property, the coal seams of potential economic interest include, from youngest to oldest, C, B, Pump, Grizzly, Meadow, Bumpy, and Lake seams within the Lower Gething unit.

C seam ranges from 0.3 to 1.85 m in thickness, averaging 1.32 m.

B seam has 4 splits, each averaging over 0.45 m, with a total average thickness of 3.15 m.

Pump seam consists of 4 splits. The Upper Pump is the major split, with thickness ranging from 0.3 to 2.65 m, averaging 2.65 m. The total thickness of all four splits averages 2.52 m.

Grizzly seam is widely distributed in the NW Block, with 4 splits. Upper Grizzly ranges from 0.3 to 4 m, averaging 1.73 m. Lower Grizzly ranges from 0.2 to 1.1 m, averaging 0.5 m. Lower Grizzly 1 averages 0.27 m in thickness and has less mining potential. Lower Grizzly 2 ranges from 0.4 to 0.6 m, averaging 0.5 m, and is potentially minable but occurs only locally.

Meadow seam and Bumpy seam each have three to five splits and are widely distributed in the NW Block. The average thickness of the splits ranges from 0.3 to 0.5 m but can be up to 1 m or 1.78 m, indicating good mining potential where thick coal seam splits occur.

Lake seam has two splits, Upper Lake and Lower Lake, both widely distributed in the NW Block. Upper Lake is the major split, with thickness ranging from 0.2 to 1.8 m, averaging 0.92 m, and characterized by low raw coal ash (less than 10 per cent). Lower Lake is thinner, ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 m, averaging 0.45 m.

The Bickford Formation of the Minnes Group hosts the Apex coal seams, which are usually thin, ranging from 0.3 to 1.0 m.

The Northwest Block is in the core area of the northwest trending Rocky Creek syncline. A NE-verging reverse fault with up to 100 m displacement occurs near and parallel to the syncline axis.

The Rocky Creek Property comprises three blocks: a Northwest Block and Southeast Block on the west side of the Sukunka River, and an East Block on the east side of the river. The East Block covers the location of Sukunka River (093P 009), the Southeast Block covers Rocky Creek (093P 004), and Jilg (093P 010) is located in the eastern portion of the Northwest Block. These files include descriptions of extensive historical work in the area during the 1970s and 1980s.

In 2020, CTI Plus Resources Ltd. reported drilling 67 holes (8006.14 m HQ core, and 3191.41 m PQ non-core holes). A 2021 resource estimate for the Northwest and Southeast blocks remains confidential. In 2024, CTI Plus Resources Ltd. submitted an initial project description to the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office for a metallurgical coal mine including the NW and SE Blocks of the property, with a production rate of approximately 1.75 Mt of clean coal per year over a 14-year operational life (ERM Consultants Canada Ltd., 2024).

Bibliography
EMPR BULL 52
EMPR COAL ASS RPT 620, 621, 667, 671, 698, *1071, 1076
EMPR Coal in British Columbia (1976)
EMPR COALFILE
EMPR EXPL 1975-E226,E227; 1977-E272,E273; 1978-E309; 1979-358; 1980-566,567
EMPR FIELDWORK 1977, p. 60; 1978, pp. 78-83,86; 1981, pp. 244-258; 1984, pp. 251-277; 1986, pp. 369-372,379-382; 1987, pp. 451-470; 1988, pp. 565-576; 1990, pp. 407-414; 1991, pp. 397-404
EMPR GEM 1969-423-425; 1970-525,526; 1971-498,499,501; 1972-640,641; 1973-586; 1974-423,424
EMPR MAP 65
EMPR P 1981-3; 1986-3, pp. 18-20
EMPR PF (093P General - Mathews, W.H. (1950,1952,1954,1955): Various reports on the Peace River District; Map of Dawson Creek area showing leases, wells and seismic surveys; General surficial and bedrock geology maps; Preliminary Feasibility Report on Townsite Community Development (1977))
GSC BULL 132; 152; 219; 250; 259; 328
GSC MAP 19-1961; 2669
GSC OF 286
GSC P 60-16; 61-10; 69-1A, pp. 244,245; 70-1A, pp. 238,239; *89-4, pp. 1-29,50,51,58-63
CIM March 1974, pp. 142-147
Chowdry, A. (1980): Report on Northeast B.C. Thermal Coal Exploration Program
ERM Consultants Canada Ltd. (2024-08-26) Rocky Creek Metallurgical Coal Project Initial Project Description.

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