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File Created: 01-May-1992 by David M. Melville (DMM)
Last Edit:  11-May-2021 by Garry J. Payie (GJP)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name REDGOLD, TUNDRA Mining Division Omineca
BCGS Map 094D070
Status Prospect NTS Map 094D09E
Latitude 056º 38' 56'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 126º 05' 34'' Northing 6282082
Easting 678237
Commodities Copper, Molybdenum Deposit Types L04 : Porphyry Cu +/- Mo +/- Au
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Quesnel, Kootenay
Capsule Geology

The Redgold occurrence is located in a 1978 trench (Assessment Report 7249), approximately 9 kilometres north-northeast of the south end Johanson Lake.

The regional geology is similar to that of the Nik occurrence (094D 109), which lies approximately 4 kilometres to the northwest.

Locally, the area is underlain by Upper Triassic Takla Group volcanic rocks which have been intruded by a Late Triassic ultramafic body. This body is composed of dunite, peridotite, pyroxenite and hornblendite. A quartz diorite intrusion cuts through the ultramafic body. The south and southeast border of this zoned ultramafic complex, informally named the Wrede Creek ultramafic complex, is in direct contact with hornfelsed volcanics (Assessment Report 15194). The Takla rocks strike east-west and dip moderately to the south. These volcanics consist of massive andesitic, augite-rich, coarse pyroclastics and flows passing up into fine-grained tuffs and tuffaceous arenites intercalated with argillite and limestone units (Assessment Report 15194). Near the intrusion, these rocks have been hornfelsed to amphibolites. Pyrite occurs in fractures and as disseminations within feldspar porphyry. In metavolcanic rocks, trace amounts of molybdenite are found with the pyrite in fractures (Assessment Report 7249). Minor amounts of chalcopyrite and pyrite occur in fractures within the hornblendite unit.

In 2016, the Redgold occurrence was reported to consist of a sheeted swarm of copper-mineralized pegmatitic veins (Assessment Report 36756). Their hypogene mineralogy (in order of decreasing abundance) is reported to be quartz-potassium feldspar-chalcopyrite-bornite-anhydrite, with the copper minerals locally altered to chrysocolla, malachite, and glassy limonite, and the anhydrite(?) dissolved and represented only by boxworks with characteristic tabular form. The veins vary from 1 centimetre to approximately 80 centimetres in width, averaging approximately 15 centimetres in width and, across the southwestern portion of the swarm, constitute approximately 10 per cent by volume of the rock. Copper sulphides make up between zero and 5 per cent by volume of a given vein, averaging possibly 1 per cent by volume.

The veins dip between 50 and 59 degrees (averaging 55) to the north-northeast (azimuths between 306 and 004, averaging 332). They diminish in abundance and thickness along strike to the east, eventually disappearing entirely, and disappear to the south-southeast, closing the occurrence off in those directions. However, the swarm disappears under cover along strike to west-southwest and across strike to the north-northwest. Some of the best-mineralized veins were noted at the northwestern-most extent of outcrop.

The total exposed (i.e., minimum) width of the zone near its southwestern end is reported to be approximately 350 metres in plan view, equivalent to a minimum thickness of 87 metres if the zone dips 55 degrees. The exposed (minimum) strike length of the zone is nearly 500 metre.

Most of the part of the property traversed during this program is underlain by andesites, which are commonly, but not pervasively cut by thin epidote +/- quartz veinlets. Hornblende, locally present in the andesites, is often quite fresh (even adjacent to the mineralized veins at the Redgold occurrence) but usually partially chloritized. The andesites are variable in texture, being locally aphanitic, locally amygdaloidal, and commonly fine to medium-grained feldspar plus/minus hornblende phyric. One 50 centimetres wide, medium-grained, acicular hornblende-blocky feldspar phyric dike and a small quartz monzodiorite-granodiorite body of undefined geometry were the only intrusive bodies encountered. Neither was associated with significant alteration or mineralization.

WORK HISTORY

The Redgold showing was discovered by BP Minerals during prospecting in 1976 and 1977. The showing was initially identified by a geochemically anomalous overburden signature in soil sampling. In 1978, BP carried out an overburden drilling and trenching program to define a source of the anomalous overburden (Assessment Report 9510). Trenching indicated that the area was underlain by Takla Group volcanics and several small felsic intrusives. Molybdenite and chalcopyrite showings were found occurring within narrow quartz veins in sheared volcanics. BP decided that there was little potential for porphyry mineralization in the Redgold area and the property was later dropped. No further work was done until the mid 1990s when Consolidated North Coast Industries Ltd. acquired the property. In 1995, Consolidated North carried out a geophysical survey in the covered valley bottom. The survey outlined several IP anomalies (Assessment Report 24408). The report on the geophysical surveys concluded that there were several porphyry style drill targets in the survey area, however, there is no record of any of them being tested. Airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys were done in 2007 by Serengeti Resources Ltd.in order to outline intrusive bodies and alteration (Assessment Report 29768). In 2008 Serengeti undertook ground IP and magnetic surveys, prospecting, and silt/soil/talus fine sampling revealing a NW-trending chargeability anomaly measuring 1400 metres by 800 metres (Assessment Report 31136). In 2011, Serengeti conducted prospecting and soil sampling of the Ah horizon over the IP anomaly (Assessment Report 34392). This returned strongly anomalous copper and molybdenum across several hundred metres. In 2013, Serengeti followed up the Ah and B horizon sampling in which extended copper and molybdenum anomalies over the IP anomalous zone near the sides of the valley, including the northern part of the Nik property (Assessment Report 34392).

The 2016 program, completed by C.J. Greig & Associates Ltd. on behalf of Alex Walcott and Thomas Kocan on their Nik property (Tenure No. 1042539), consisted of contour soil sampling and geological observations on the Redgold occurrence (Assessment Report 36756). A total of 44 soil samples were collected from an exploration area measuring about 1.5 kilometre by 1 kilometre. Samples were taken about every 100 metres along two contour lines. A multi-element anomaly was defined by the contour soil samples, which corresponded well with the outcrop expression of the Redgold occurrence.

Bibliography
EMPR ASS RPT *6015, 6452, *7249, 7451, *9510, 15194, 24408, 26677, *29768, 31136, 32738, *34392, *36756, 39974
EMPR EXPL 1976-E174, 1977-E215, 1978-E243
EMPR PFD 883560, 886957
GSC MEM 251, p. 59
GSC MAP 962A
GSC OF 342
GSC P 76-29
Placer Dome File

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