The Blue (Zones 1-3) occurrences are exposed along Grayling Creek, approximately 14.9 kilometres south-southwest of its junction with Gathto Creek.
Regionally, the area is underlain by a Cambrian to Silurian platformal sequence of carbonates, quartzites and siltstones. Lower Cambrian Atan Group dolomites and quartzites are conformably overlain by Cambrian and Ordovician Kechika Group arenaceous dolomites and limestones, which are in turn conformably overlain by Silurian Nonda Formation siltstones.
The Blue occurrences comprise three zones referred to as the 1, 2 and 3 zones and occurring along the limbs of an open anticline, the axis of which trends at approximately 345 degrees and plunges gently north.
Zone 1 is located on a north-flowing tributary of Grayling Creek and comprises a mineralized zone of irregular, massive pods, up to 40 centimetres thick and 3 to 5 metres long, and fracture fillings of bornite, chalcopyrite and pyrite, exposed for at least 35 metres along strike and a over a total stratigraphic thickness of approximately 5.5 metres in a dolostone that is overlain by sandy dolostone and dolomitic quartzite and underlain by massive, blocky and brecciated quartzite of the Atan Group.
Zone 2 is located on a west-flowing tributary of Grayling Creek, approximately 150 metres northwest of Zone 1, and is primarily composed of patchy bornite with lesser chalcopyrite and pyrite occurring along and adjacent to bedding planes and as replacements in a dolostone near the crest of an anticline. Mineralization occurs over a stratigraphic thickness of greater than 3 metres and is exposed along strike for at least 15 metres.
Zone 3 is located along Grayling Creek, approximately 150 metres north-northeast of Zone1, and comprises a recrystallized dolomite with minor interbedded lenses of cross-bedded quartzite with semi-massive lenses, up to 0.9 metres long and 0.45 metre thick, of bornite, chalcopyrite and pyrite over a thickness of at least 4.5 metres.
In 1971, diamond drilling on Zone 3 yielded intercepts of up to 2.57 per cent copper over 9.9 metres (2.1 to 12.0 metres down hole) in hole 2-B. The remaining holes failed to indicate any appreciable values. Also at this time, sampling of trenches on zones 1, 2 and 3 are reported to have yielded up to 1.14 per cent copper over 6.10 metres in trench 3 (Zone 1), 2.45 per cent copper over 12.19 metres in trench 6 (Zone 2) and 3.66 per cent copper over 9.14 metres in trench 8 (Zone 3; Assessment Report 19124).
In 1984, grab samples (8759 and 8754) of dolomite hosting massive sulphides from trenches 1 and 2, located approximate 200 metres south and upstream of Zone 1, yielded greater than 4.00 per cent copper each with 80.0 and 5.8 grams per tonne silver, respectively, and grab sample (8751) from a mineralized quartzite boulder, located in trench 5 on Zone 1, yielded greater than 4.00 per cent copper with 70.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 12594). Also at this time, a grab sample (8705) from an outcrop of mineralized dolomite located on the northeast side of the creek between zones 1 and 3 assayed greater than 4.00 per cent copper with 10.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 12594).
In 1986, a chip sample taken over a 1.0 to 0.2 metre area of mineralization from Zone 1 is reported to have yielded 6.0 per cent copper and 12.6 grams per tonne silver, whereas a nearby grab sample assayed 23.1 per cent copper and 13.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 19124).
In 1989, samples (108 and 107) from zones 3 and 1 yielded 4.65 and 17.40 per cent copper with 3.5 and 24.2 grams per tonne silver, respectively (Assessment Report 19124).
In 1990, channel sampling across copper mineralized structures yielded 1.07 per cent copper across 2.5 metres in Zone 1, 5.36 per cent copper across 1.5 metres in Zone 2 and 1.25 per cent copper over 1.0 metre in Zone 3 (Assessment Report 21437).
In 1991, drilling on Zone 3 yielded intercepts of up to 0.22 per cent copper over 44.7 metres (14.1 to 58.8 metres down hole) in hole 91-4 (Assessment Report 22402). Drilling in 1991 also showed that the copper mineralization persists downdip along the structural zone for a minimum 36.6 metres and along strike at depth for 42.7 metres.
Work History
During the 1970s, there was a great deal of interest in the Kluachesi-Tuchodi Lakes region. Windermere Explorations, McIntyre Porcupine Mines, Canadian Superior and others staked claims around the Blue Group of McIntyre. The McIntyre property had been optioned from a prospecting group from Fort Nelson in late 1970.
In 1970 and 1971, McIntyre Porcupine acquired a total of 356 claims including the Blue Group. Geochemistry, geophysics, geological mapping, trenching, sampling and greater than 1650 metres of diamond drilling in 36 holes were completed; 16 kilometres of induced polarization surveying outlined a 'Y' shaped anomaly.
In 1984, reconnaissance geological mapping and rock sampling were carried out on the Cup claims on behalf of E5 Resource Corporation.
In 1986, the area was appraised for New Holland Mining N.L. by Dr. C.J. Westerman. He concluded that copper-silver mineralization occurs in an area covering 4.5 by 0.75 kilometres. In 1989, a prospecting assessment and valuation of the property was carried out on behalf of Atlas Management Canada Inc.
In 1990, Gold Parl Resources resampled trenches and established an 8.6 line-kilometre grid for very low frequency-electromagnetic and magnetometer surveys on their Klu claims. Very low frequency-electromagnetic results outlined several weak northeast-trending anomalies interpreted to represent fault and shear structures. The magnetometer survey did not indicate any anomalies. Readers are referred to the 1990 Gold Parl assessment report and the figures contained therein for a review of all nine zones along Grayling Creek that compose the Klu property. These include the Blue (MINFILE 094F 005), Grayling (MINFILE 094F 012), Waterfall (MINFILE 094F 014), Atan Copper (MINFILE 094F 028) and Grayling Creek (MINFILE 094F 029) occurrences.
In 1991, Gold Parl Resources conducted 1991 diamond drilling on their Klu claims, comprising 397.7 metres of BQ diamond drilling in five drillholes at two nearby locations on the Upper showing (consisting of zones 1, 2 and 3) of the Blue occurrence. The 1991 program confirmed the downdip continuity of this enrichment along a 42.7-metre strike length.
