The Grayling (Lower – Zone 4) occurrence is located close to Grayling Creek, approximately 10.5 kilometres south-southwest of the creeks’ mouth on 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, intruded by mafic dikes, are conformably overlain by Cambrian to Ordovician Kechika Group arenaceous dolomites and limestones and Silurian Nonda Formation siltstones.
The Grayling occurrence consists of irregular pods of massive pyrite, bornite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, minor marcasite and tetrahedrite associated with calcite in crackle breccias, along bedding and fracture planes and as sparse disseminations. These pods, up to 40 centimetres thick and traceable for up to 40 metres along bedding planes, appear to occur in the crests of anticlinal structures hosted within tightly packed sandy dolomite of the Kechika Group.
In 1984, a grab sample (8757) of quartzite with 15 per cent massive to disseminated and fracture filling sulphides (pyrite and chalcopyrite) assayed 0.152 per cent copper (Assessment Report 12594).
In 1989, grab samples (100, 101, 104 and 106) of semi-massive sulphide material yielded up to 3.16 per cent copper, 0.50 per cent nickel, 0.56 per cent cobalt, 15.1 grams per tonne silver and anomalous platinum values (Assessment Report 19124).
In 1990, channel sampling yielded up to 0.46 per cent copper across 1.0 metre (Assessment Report 21437).
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, E5 Resources Corp. completed a program of geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Cup 1-11 claims. 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, Atlas Management Canada Inc. prospected and sampled the area as the Ark, Blue, Red, Elm, Roo, Aim and Pal claims of the Blue property.
In 1990, Gold Parl Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, rock sampling and 8.6 line-kilometres of ground electromagnetic and magnetic surveys on the area as the Klu property. A good very low frequency-electromagnetic conductor, striking east-west across the mineralized zone, was identified. The magnetometer survey did not indicate any anomalies.
