The Davie Creek occurrence is located on the east-facing slope of the ridge east of Kliyul Creek in the centre of the 1982 drilling program area, about 111 kilometres northwest of Germansen Landing (Assessment Report 10730).
Regionally, the area is underlain by a northwest trending assemblage of Middle Triassic to Lower Jurassic Takla Group volcanics and sediments. The Takla Group rocks are intruded to the south by the Early Jurassic Hogem batholith. To the east, these rocks have been intruded by leucocratic granodiorite of the Early Cretaceous Kliyul Creek body. Two northwest trending elongate Alaskan-type ultramafic bodies also occur in the general area. The major structure in this area is the north trending Dortatelle fault. Smaller faults trend northwest.
The showing is hosted in porphyritic granodiorites, hornblendites, quartz monzonites and contact metamorphosed diorites and andesites of the Takla Group. The intrusion has been informally named the Davie Creek stock and is an elongate, northwest-trending body approximately 1 kilometre in length (Assessment Report 21521). These rocks have undergone pervasive potassic alteration with associated chloritic and sericitic alteration.
Disseminated chalcopyrite, scheelite, molybdenite and pyrite occur within the stock and hornfelsed rocks. A 113-metre drill interval assayed an average of 0.025 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 10730). Molybdenite mineralization is associated with the Davie Creek stock (Assessment Report 21521).
In 1964, copper-molybdenum potential of the Davie Creek stock along Porphyry Creek was recognized by Rio Tinto. Drilling by Rio Tinto and Teck Explorations with Chevron and Getty Resources has outlined 100 million tonnes of 0.1 per cent MoS2. Mineralization is within a tabular (750 by 260 metres) potassically zoned, calc-alkaline intrusion. A weak copper halo, locally coincident with weak tungsten, exists peripheral to the main zone. Gold was not detected in drill core, but analyses are few. Soil samples were not analyzed for gold. Results from a Teck Explorations regional survey in 1989 generated interest in the area as a copper-gold porphyry target (Assessment Report 21521).
In the mid 1930s, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited discovered copper and gold-bearing quartz veins in the area of Porphyry and Croydon creeks, tributaries of Kliyul Creek. By 1938, several opencuts and about 400 metres of drift and crosscuts had been completed on the showings. The same year, the mine camp and facilities were destroyed by a bush fire and all work was abandoned. In 1947, Springer-Sturgeon Gold Mines Limited undertook prospecting in the area and staked the Shell group of claims (094D 015, located 3.3 kilometres north of the Davie Creek showing) at the headwaters of Porphyry Creek. During the 1950s, the old Croydon property was re-staked as the Jane Group and in 1958 was explored by Noranda-Canex-Bralorne. The partners completed 468 metres of diamond drilling and some geological mapping. The showings were acquired in 1963 by Rio Tinto as the Kliyul (094C 007, located 1.1 kilometres southeast of the Davie Creek showing) and Bear (094D 113, this description) claims. The area was restaked by Teck Explorations Limited in late 1978.
A drill program consisting of two holes was completed in the latter part of October, 1979. The work was carried out by Teck Explorations under an agreement with Chevron Minerals. Teck also remapped exposures and conducted a soil geochemical survey in the immediate drill area. Other past activity concentrated on some peripheral showings of gold, copper and iron.
In June 1981, Getty Canadian Metals Ltd. entered into a joint-venture agreement with Teck to further explore the property. In 1981, Getty remapped the area of interest, completed a proton magnetometer survey and drilled three NQ-size diamond-drill holes for a total of 1260.1 metres. In 1982, Bema Industries Ltd. was contracted by Getty Canadian Metals Ltd. to continue exploration on their Davie Creek Moly prospect. The work consisted of grid establishment, soil geochemistry, ground magnetics, diamond drilling and core logging (Assessment Report 10730).
In 1990, Teck Explorations Ltd., in joint venture with Total Energold Corp., evaluated base and precious metal potential of the property. From the 1990 results it was apparent that at least two complex mineralizing systems were present (Assessment Report 21521). In 1990, Teck Exploration Limited geologists Lynn Grexton and Paul Roberts, prospector Ted Archibald, and 2 geology students spent 363 mandays on it Porphyry Creek project (Assessment Report 21521). Claims included Karen3, Lady Diana 1-4,6, Bear, Kliyul, Emer 1-9 and Lemdi. This claim group contains the following mineral occurrences, 094C): Porphyry Creek (094C 007), Croydon (094C 008), Bloom Cirque (094C 039), Porphyry Creek Molybdenum (094C 065), Croydon North (094C 066), Sarah (094C 075), Bloom Cirque Skarns (094C 084), Raven (094C 127), South Sarah (094C 128), Jump (094C 154), Rave (094C 155), Lonely (094C 156); and 094D: Lady Diana (094D 092), South Soup (094D 105), Davie Creek Moly (094D 113), Aupper (094D 139), Karen Creek (094D 145), DBC (094D 177), UPC (094D 183). Teck staff collected collected a total of 558 rock, 1372 soil/talus fines, 22 silt, 74 moss matte, 7 pan and 10 water samples. An additional 1005 soil/talus fines samples were collected from the Raven grid. Twenty-two rock specimens were sent for thin section examination. Sixteen whole rock analyses were completed.
In 1992 Noranda carried out 1:5,000 scale geological and alteration mapping and in 1993, they drilled 6 reverse circulation holes on the Kliyul skarn zone (Assessment Report 23033) and followed up with an airborne magnetic, EM, and radiometric survey that extended to the south (Assessment Report 23379). This airborne survey also covered (or nearly covered) 25 MINFILE occurrences including South Soup (094D 105), Lady Diana (094D 092), Karen Creek (094D 145) and DBC (094D 177).
No other work was conducted on the property until Serengeti Resources Inc. acquired the claims for the project area and began staking between 2002 and 2006.
In 2002, Northgate Exploration Limited staked the Croy property (Croy and Heather claims) for the potential for copper-gold, and molybdenum porphyry mineralization. The work program comprised a helicopter-borne high resolution, magnetic and EM geophysical survey completed by Fugro Aerial Surveys. The work was aimed at outlining conductive areas associated with porphyry-style alteration, and definition of magnetic anomalies related to intrusive activity. A total of 100 line-kilometres were flown.
Newcrest Mining BC Ltd. optioned the claims from Serengeti in 2008 and completed four diamond-drill holes (2473 metres) on the property in the summer and fall of 2008. The four core holes were chosen to test targets on the Raven (094D 127), Croy Bloom (094D 008) and Davie Creek prospects. Several broad zones of anomalous copper and gold were intersected from the eastern rim of the Bloom Cirque (094D 039) and some gold intercepts greater than 1 gram per tonne were returned from narrow quartz veins at Raven (Assessment Report 32239).
In 2009, Newcrest Mining closed all its North American exploration offices. Shortly thereafter, the option on the property was dropped and the project returned to Serengeti.
Serengeti acquired a majority of claims covering the project area by staking between 2002 and 2006 with additional claims being staked between 2010 and 2014. Several comprehensive assessment reports have been filed by Serengeti and are available in the publicly available assessment records (30054, 29073, 28422, 27869, 32707, 33994, 34646).
In 2010, the Serengeti Resources Inc Croy-Bloom program consisted of an Electromagnetic Survey perpendicular over the main outcropping vein in order to determine if there was an appreciable depth extent to several northwest trending veins of massive chalcopyrite and pyrite that occur in the northwestern portion of the claim block (Assessment Report 32239). A 1.5 kilometre Max-Min survey was carried out over the UPC showing (094D 183) area but failed to identify any significant EM conductors. These unexpected results over a known mineralized trend were thought to potentially be due to chaining errors.
In 2011, Serengeti Resources Inc collected 6 rock samples on their Soup claims, specifically in the Soup prospect area (094D 025). Results ranged between 0.028 per cent and 0.52 per cent copper (Figure 5, Assessment Report 32707). The plot of these 2011 samples also shows the location of 1996-1997 drill hole collars near the Soup prospect (094D 025). The samples were collected mostly northwest of the marked drill collars and a few hundred metres northwest of the MINFILE plot of the Soup prospect.
In 2012, Serengeti completed a prospecting and geological site visit on the Croy-Bloom property taking 19 rock samples; the highlight was 1.7 per cent copper and 136.6 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 33994). Eleven of 19 samples from 2012 were collected starting just east of the UPC MINFILE plot (094D 183) and sporadically for about 600 metres to the southeast. The other 8 samples were collected starting about 400 metres east of the Soup Prospect (094D 025) and then over a length of 600 further to the northeast (Assessment Report 33994, Rock Sample Locations map). Serengeti Resources Inc. provided the results of a prospecting and surface rock sampling conducted in September on the Croy Bloom property (Serengeti Resources Inc., Press Release, November 13, 2012). The objectives of the 2012 exploration program were to evaluate an area known as the Karen Cirque and Saddle Gulley zone.
In 2013, 2 geologists and a one field assistant from Serengeti Resources Inc flew into the 1997 Vital Pacific drill camp on the Northwestern corner of the Croy-Bloom property in the Kliyul Creek Valley (56°27'37"N, 126° 5'7"W) and completed a 1-day work program that included the collection of 5 rock samples, located about 900 metres southwest of the Soup Prospect (094D 025), and a brief review of the 1997 drill core. The visit confirmed the presence of mineral occurrences on the Soup Ridge/Saddle Gulley zone area (Figure 3, Assessment Report 34646).
In 2018, Serengeti Resources Inc conducted an IP program, the first such survey at Soup Ridge (Assessment Report 38849). This resulted in the discovery of a large chargeability and coincident resistivity anomaly beneath where shallow historical drilling completed by Vital Pacific in 1997 intersected several mineralized intercepts, including 47 metres grading 0.27 gram per tonne gold and 0.61 per cent copper in VP-97-02 (Press Release, Serengeti Resources, September 27, 2018).
In 2019 Serengeti conducted a geophysical program on its Croy-Bloom property (Assessment Report 38029). Ten line-kilometre of IP were completed in 3 lines to expand on IP coverage from the 2018 program. Strong chargeability anomalies were delineated on two of the recent lines, which were surveyed across and on the fringes of a large intrusive body associated with strong coincident copper and gold geochemical anomalies in the areas of Soup Ridge, Davie Creek Moly and Porphyry Creek. When combined with prior IP, three drill targets have now been outlined, including a deep chargeability anomaly under Soup Ridge, lying below anomalous copper gold values intersected in prior (1997 Vital Pacific) shallow drilling.
On March 5, 2021, NorthWest Copper Corp. (formerly Serengeti Resources Inc.) and Sun Metals Corp. announced that they had completed their previously announced merger.
Refer to Croy (094D 015) for related information on the Croy-Bloom property.
