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File Created: 12-Feb-1992 by Keith J. Mountjoy (KJM)
Last Edit:  28-Feb-2023 by Larry Jones (LDJ)

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NMI
Name GRACE 1, VIP 1-40, EAST ZONE, NORTHEAST ZONE, PINE, GRACE 1-14, FINLAY RIVER, CONCHA 1-7, SKARN 1-8, JOK 1-6 Mining Division Omineca
BCGS Map 094E016
Status Prospect NTS Map 094E02W
Latitude 057º 10' 21'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 126º 51' 47'' Northing 6338613
Easting 629201
Commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Zinc Deposit Types K03 : Fe skarn
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Stikine, Plutonic Rocks
Capsule Geology

The Grace 1 occurrence is located approximately 12.8 kilometres north of Thutade Lake between Finlay River and Drybrough Peak in the Omineca-Cassiar mountains about 275 kilometres north of the community of Smithers. The prospect is at the southern end of the Toodoggone Gold Camp which lies within the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt and is underlain by a northwest-trending belt of Paleozoic to Tertiary sediments, volcanics and intrusions. The Grace 1 prospect is situated within a Mesozoic volcanic arc assemblage bounded to the east by the Omineca Belt and to the west and southwest by the Sustut and Bowser basins.

Permian Asitka Group crystalline limestones are the oldest rocks exposed in the region. They are commonly in thrust contact with Upper Triassic Stuhini Group andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks. These Stuhini rocks have been intruded by plutons and other bodies of the mainly granodiorite to quartz monzonite Early Jurassic Black Lake Suite and are in turn unconformably overlain by or faulted against Lower Jurassic calcalkaline volcanics of the Toodoggone Formation (Hazelton Group).

The dominant structures in the area are steeply dipping faults which define a prominent regional northwest structural fabric trending 140 to 170 degrees. In turn, high angle northeast-striking faults (approximately 060 degrees) appear to truncate and displace northwest-striking faults. Collectively these faults form a boundary for variably rotated and tilted blocks underlain by monoclinal strata.

The Grace 1 prospect is underlain predominantly by granodiorite of the Black Lake stock with several roof pendants of grey micaceous metasiltstone and white, coarsely crystalline marble of the Asitka and/or Stuhini groups. Late porphyritic monzonite dikes strike northwest, intruding both granodiorite and metasedimentary rocks.

An irregular east-trending lens of limestone, approximately 195 metres long by 65 metres wide, and adjacent metasiltstones and limestone conglomerates host numerous skarn outcrops comprising the Grace 1 prospect. Skarn mineralization consists of up to 50 per cent massive garnet and banded jasper, 5 to 60 per cent magnetite, up to 3 per cent specularite with variable amounts of epidote and chlorite. The mineralization usually varies from epidote-rich to diopside-garnet-magnetite rich skarn in the core areas. Chalcopyrite (1 to 3 per cent), sphalerite and cubic pyrite (1 per cent) occur as disseminations and fracture fillings throughout skarn areas.

Two drillholes were drilled in 1984 on a skarn zone situated between an east trending limestone body, measuring 145 metres long by up to 45 metres wide to the north, and granodiorite to the south. The skarn zone is at least 125 metres long by 25 to 45 metres wide by 15 metres thick. Assay results from drill core yielded anomalous silver, gold and copper. The best results were over a 5.029-metre-long section from three intervals in drillhole 83-1. Weighted average values over this section were 112.11 grams per tonne silver, 0.515 per cent copper, 0.327 gram per tonne gold and 0.079 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 13057).

Sampling, mapping and various ground geophysical surveys were conducted in the area in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2002, significant trenching was completed on the various zones by Stealth Minerals (Figure 6, Table 3; Assessment Report 27160), including the East and Northeast zone which occur in the Grace 1 area. A 2778-line kilometre airborne magnetic survey was completed over most of the claim group including the VIP/Grace area (Assessment Report 3564). Drilling was completed on other VIP showings in the area in 2003.

Drillhole V03-01 was drilled southerly in the East zone skarn, testing 40 metres downdip from the surface marble/skarn exposures of trenches 02-12/14. The hole intersected prograde diopside and sulphide bearing pyroxene-garnet-hornblende retrograde assemblages intruded by molybdenite-bearing monzonite dikes. From top to bottom, assays yielded 0.14 per cent copper and 3 grams per tonne silver over 3 metres; 0.21 per cent copper over 3.0 metres and 1.2 per cent copper, 9.6 grams per tonne silver and 1.44 grams per tonne gold over 0.5 metre; and 0.15 per cent copper over 5.3 metres (Assessment Report 27429).

Between 1968 and 1973, Kennco Exploration (Western) Ltd. performed porphyry copper exploration in the Toodoggone area. The VIP skarn prospects were also identified during this period. Amax Exploration Inc. staked the VIP claims in 1973. Geophysical and geochemical surveys and geological mapping were conducted in 1974 (Assessment Report 5144). The VIP claims lapsed in 1975 and were re-staked as the Grace claims.

The VIP prospect was further explored and was reported to have been diamond drilled in 1984. During 1986, the VIP-Grace prospect was flown by a low-level airborne magnetic and VLF survey. Work in this area was followed up in 1987 with detailed soil sampling and magnetic and VLF surveys. The VIP and Grace claim areas covered the ground where VIP and Grace showings are documented (094E 047, 48, 49 and 129).

Stealth Minerals Limited (formerly Stealth Mining Corp.) optioned a large package of claims in the region during the summer of 1997 and additional claims were staked, covering the Goat, Wrich, VIP, Electrum, and Nub Mountain prospects. Most of Stealth’s subsequent work was initially directed towards the Pine deposit (094E 016) and later to a variety of other showings on the Pine property. Reconnaissance prospecting, mapping and rock sampling on various showings including the VIP and Electrum were done in 1999.

During 2000, Stealth Minerals further evaluated the potential of several prospects including the VIP with geological mapping, detailed prospecting and rock sampling. In 2002, prospecting at the VIP prospect and nearby 343-Creek (southwest of VIP) produced a total of 58 grab, float, and continuous chip rock samples. Machine trenching was also carried out on the Wrich and VIP prospects. Ground induced polarization and resistivity surveys ware performed on the Mex, VIP and Wrich prospects. Magnetometer surveys were performed at the Mex and the VIP prospects. Discussion of results by Stealth indicates at least four skarn zones (Assessment Report 27160). In 2003, drilling of 10 diamond-drill holes was completed by Stealth Minerals on the VIP prospect. Trenching was performed on the VIP East, North and West prospects to follow up on 2002 results. Drilling on the VIP target indicated that mineralization exposed in trenches may be complicated by lithological facies change, stratigraphic and structural control that effect the distribution of potentially economic grade and width of mineralization. Zones of significant mineralization identified in 2002 may have a strong structural control in proximity with a feldspar porphyry dike and trend northwest, subparallel to drilling and remains open in this direction. Diamond drilling at the VIP prospect targeted skarn zones approximately 50-75 metres below trenches yielding significant values in 2002, but drill testing resulted in generally low concentrations of base and precious metals. One intercept across 0.5 metre assayed 1.44 grams per tonne gold, 19.6 grams per tonne silver, and 1.26 per cent copper from garnet-diopside-magnetite skarn altered marble and metasediment of the Asitka Group (Assessment Report 27429; Exploration in British Columbia 2003). The source and extent of induced polarization anomalies and copper showings in trenches to the northwest and southwest of the VIP grid remain unknown. Drilling appears to be closest to the previous occurrences of Grace 1 (094E 129) and VIP 7 (094E 047). In 2009, program activities by Goldfields/Cascadero included a 2778-line kilometere airborne magnetic survey over most of the claim group including the VIP/Grace area (Assessment Report 31564). Also, a prospect-specific field mapping and sampling program (soil, rock, talus fines and stream sediment samples) was completed over several prospects including those in the VIP area. Old trenches and ground-truthing aeromagnetic anomalies was conducted and samples were taken in the VIP 30 (094E 048) and VIP 7 (094E 047) areas.

Refer to the Pine (094E 016) for details of the Pine property which contained the VIP/Grace occurrences from the late 1990s to present (ca. 2014). Also see the Electrum (094E 125) for details of historic property ownership and related occurrences and related VIP occurrences (094E 047, 48, 49 and 129).

Bibliography
EMPR BULL 86
EMPR EXPL 1975-E163-E167; 1976-E175-E177; 1977-E216-E217; 1978-E244-E246; 1979-265-267; 1980-421-436; 1982-330-345; 1983-475-488; 1984-348-357; 1985-C349-C362; 1986-C388-C414; 1987-C328-C346; 1988-C185-C194; 2003-19; 2004-43,44; 2005-45
EMPR FIELDWORK 1980, pp. 124-129; 1981, pp. 122-129, 135-141; 1982, pp. 125-127; 1983, pp. 137-138, 142-148; 1984, pp. 139-145, 291-293; 1985, pp. 167-169, 299; 1987, pp. 111, 114-115; 1989, pp. 409-415; 1991, pp. 207-216
EMPR GEM 1971-63-71; 1973-456-463; 1974-311
EMPR GEOLOGY 1977-1981, pp. 156-161
EMPR MER 2003-17
EMPR OF 2004-4
EMPR PF (Photogeologic Interpretation Map of the Northern Omineca area, (Oct. 1964), Canadian Superior Exploration Limited-in 94E General File; Finlay River Property (VIP Claims) Report, (1974), Hodgson and LeBel)
EMPR PFD 345, 521753
GSC BULL 270
GSC OF 306; 483
GSC P 80-1A, pp. 27-32
W MINER April, 1982
N MINER October 13, 1986; Dec.22, 2003
N MINER MAG March 1988, p. 1
GCNL #40(Feb.27), 1981; #188(Sept.28); #189(Sept.29), 1983; #195(Oct.10), 1984; #28(Feb.28); #71(Apr.12), 1985; #23(Feb.1); #111(June 11); #165(Aug.27), 1986
IPDM Nov/Dec 1983
ECON GEOL Vol. 86, pp. 529-554, 1991
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WIN Vol. 1, #7, June 1987
Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. (2020-05-14): Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the JOY Project, Toodoggone Region, British Columbia, Canada
Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. (2020-05-14): Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the JOY Project, Toodoggone Region, British Columbia, Canada (Revision 1)

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