The Gazelle occurrence is located on south-facing upper ridge sides, above a tributary stream to Chist Creek, approximately 26 kilometres southeast of Terrace, B.C.
The Midas property, which covers the Gazelle showing, is underlain by Permian and older Mount Attree volcanics (Zymoetz Group) and Eocene Williams Creek pluton granodiorite. The volcanics consist of submarine volcanic rocks comprising greenstone, andesite-rhyolite tuff, and massive andesite. These are extensively altered and gossanous. The volcanics are weakly to intensely foliated, striking north-northwest and dipping 70 to 80 degrees east. A major fault, trending 010 degrees and dipping 80 to 90 degrees east, cuts the volcanics, and has associated mineralized shear zones and quartz veins. It has only been relatively recently (ca. 2007) established by the British Columbia Geological Survey mapping that Mount Attree rocks are of Paleozoic age and occur as part of the Paleozoic to Mesozoic Stikine assemblage of Stikinia. Stikinia’s Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation andesites and rhyolites occur extensively east of the property. The property is on Stikinia’s western boundary with the Cretaceous to Tertiary age Coast Plutonic Complex.
In 2007, mapping by the British Columbia Geological Survey discovered mineralization and alteration consistent with a distal, Kuroko-type volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) system within a package of highly altered Paleozoic volcanic rocks. Key to this discovery was the recognition of a group of Paleozoic submarine volcanic rocks, named the Mount Attree volcanics, which had previously been mapped as part of the Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation. The Telkwa volcanic rocks are not considered prospective for VHMS deposits because they formed in a subaerial, compressional environment, whereas the Paleozoic volcanic rocks formed in a submarine setting and an extensional tectonic environment favourable to VHMS formation. Furthermore, the Paleozoic volcanic rocks are correlative with the Stikine assemblage which is host to multiple, significant VHMS deposits within British Columbia (Fieldwork 2007).
The Gazelle showing was discovered in 1984 by D. Hooper. Despite the potential of the property, there had been no follow up to this work in over 20 years. The showing consists of multiple lenses of semi-massive to massive sulphides that were identified by D. Hooper where he noted that the style of mineralization and extensive quartz-sericite alteration of the hostrocks are consistent with a volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) system. The showing area features extensive, intense gossans and they are prominent, linear alteration zones oriented perpendicular to each other in northeast and northwest directions. There are two unrelated types of mineralization within the Gazelle property: syngenetic, VHMS-related; and that related to later intrusions. Volcanic-hosted massive sulphide style mineralization includes small lenses of semi-massive to massive (>50 per cent) chalcopyrite and sphalerite in the East Creek fault zone. During the 2007 field season, mapping by the British Columbia Geological Survey found minor disseminated chalcopyrite±galena within the sheared quartz-sericite schist, near the Gazelle showing along East Creek.
A mineralized zone is 500 by 100 metres and contains lenses and disseminations of sphalerite, galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite. Gangue minerals include epidote, quartz, and calcite and alteration minerals include limonite and jarosite. A quartz vein in foliated green andesite assayed 7.11 grams per tonne gold, 6.0 grams per tonne silver, 0.08 per cent copper, and 0.02 per cent zinc and a sample, likely from float, assayed 20 grams per tonne silver, 0.70 gram per tonne gold, 0.326 per cent copper, 1.13 per cent lead, and 4.13 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 12717). The mineralization is likely primary with secondary enrichment occurring during silicification (Assessment Report 12717).
Recent work in 2016, has identified three new visible gold-bearing occurrences, referred to as the VG, Tut and Sheba zones, along the King Solomon Trend.
The VG zone, located covers an area measuring approximately 250 by 300 metres and is associated with a mineralized mafic-felsic volcanic contact that can be traced for over 1500 metres along strike within a quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration zone.
The Tut zone, located 125 metres northwest of the Gazelle showing, covers an area measuring approximately 400 metres by 1100 metres and comprises stringer sulphide (sphalerite, galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite) veins and silicified zones associated with a large zone of quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration.
The Sheba zone, located 340 metres south of the Sub showing, covers an area of approximately 500 by 200 metres. Here, strong Au and Ag values occur in quartz stockworks and stringers, with visible gold also observed in one grab sample: S321584-quartz with sulphides 2%, rusty, very punky (19.55 g/t). Pillowed basalt with jasper infillings and mafic volcanics with lenses of massive barite suggest a marine environment typical for volcanogenic massive sulphides. Mafic and intermediate rocks display propylitic quartz-chlorite-epidote+/-pyrite alteration.
Work History
In 1984-85, Ryan Exploration Co. Ltd. conducted geochemical sampling and geological mapping on the Gazelle claim; 316 rock, soil and stream sediment samples were collected.
In 1990, Pacific Gold Corp. completed prospecting work on the Hammer and Gun claims which were centred over the former Gazelle claim. Work was concentrated in the East Creek area and 39 rock samples of altered and mineralized volcanic rocks and quartz veins were collected.
In 1995, work by Teck Corp. comprised prospecting on the Flat claims. These claims approximately covered the area of the former Gazelle and Hammer/Gun claims. The claims were staked on the basis of the 1995 Regional Geochemical Survey (RGS) by the British Columbia Geological Survey. Thirty-five rock and five stream silts were collected in 1995.
In 2007, Paget Resources Corp. conducted work on the Chist Creek property approximately centred over the former Gazelle and other previous properties. Twelve rock samples were collected to validate the locations and style of mineralization as presented by previous workers. It was deemed by Paget Resources the property covers a large volcanic-hosted alteration system with lithologic, alteration and metal tenor analogous to volcanogenic massive sulphide systems. Comprehensive geological mapping, rock and soil sampling and ground magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys were recommended to be done.
In 2008, Pembrook Mining Corp. completed work on the JLN property (103I 231). This property was located on the west side of Paget’s Chist Creek property; ten rock samples were collected. The purpose of the program was to evaluate the discovery in 2007, by British Columbia Geological Survey geologists, of skarn mineralization associated with a limestone unit on the property area. The limestone contact was followed in 2008 over a strike length of 800 metres and a continuous 1000 metre long zone of copper-lead-silver skarn-type mineralization was reported. Further geologic mapping and rock sampling was recommended.
In 2010, Paget Minerals Corp. completed ground time domain electromagnetic (TDEM), induced polarization (IP)/resistivity and magnetic surveys on the Chist Creek property. In 2011, diamond drilling and geologic mapping was conducted on the slightly enlarged Chist Creek property; the drill program totalled 729 metres in four holes. Diamond drilling yielded intercepts of up to 2.25 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 metre in hole CH-11-02 (Turna, R. (2017-05-01): NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Midas Property). Drill hole CH-11-04 was located on the Sheba zone.
In 2016, the Midas property was staked by J2 Syndicate Holdings Ltd. following a reconnaissance exploration program. Multiple property visits were conducted during the 2016 field season to follow-up on anomalous rock samples, and a total of 283 rock and 39 silt samples were taken. An outcrop sample (S023162) from the VG zone assayed 34.9 grams per tonne gold and 0.83 per cent copper, while chip sampling averaged 5.4 grams per tonne gold over 25 metres, including 17.9 grams per tonne gold over 5 metres (Turna, R. (2017-05-01): NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Midas Property). Grab samples of the Tut zone yielded up to 3.58 grams per tonne gold, 45.4 grams per tonne silver, 0.92 per cent copper, 1.63 per cent lead and 4.34 per cent zinc. Grab samples of the Sheba Zone yielded up to 19.55 grams per tonne gold, 38.9 grams per tonne silver, 005 per cent copper, 1.95 per cent lead and 0.06 per cent zinc. (Turna, R. (2017-05-01): NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Midas Property).
The Midas property covers the Gazelle (103I 185), Sub (103I 240), Copper Queen (103I 131), VG (new MINFILE occurrence), JLN (103I 231) and Sleeping Giant (103I 257) showings. The Gazelle, Sub and VG showings are within the 2.1 by 1.6 kilometre King Solomon Trend, with Gazelle at the extreme south end. The King Solomon Trend was mapped by the British Columbia Geological Survey (McKeown et al., 2007) as a conformable sequence of layered Paleozoic felsic to mafic subaqueous volcaniclastic rocks, including lenses of massive sulphide surrounded by an extensive alteration zone, consistent with volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) deposits. Intense alteration (silicification and sulphidation) in the King Soloman Trend is associated with gold and polymetallic mineralization.
In 2017, as part of the start of the 2017 exploration program at the Midas property, a 733 line-kilometre SkyTEM 312M aerial electromagnetic survey was flown on behalf of J2 Syndicate Holdings (Assessment Report 36907). In 2018, J2 Syndicate Holdings Ltd. and Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. focused exploration efforts on the King Soloman Trend with LiDAR, Induced Polarization and rock sampling surveys followed by 16 holes (1977 metres) of NQ diamond drilling (Assessment Report 38320). In 2019, 9 more NQ holes were drilled in the King Soloman Trend (Assessment Report 38961).
