The Surp 6 South occurrence is located near the foot of Grunwald Glacier, west of Surprise Creek, approximately 32 kilometres northeast of Stewart.
Regionally, the area is underlain by a sequence of Jurassic clastic and volcanic rocks of the Hazelton Group which trend north to northwest and are intruded by felsic stocks and dikes and/or sills to the west. The area is dominated by a major anticline, which displays eastern vergence. Reddish to maroon andesitic volcaniclastic and volcanic rocks of the Betty Creek Formation are located close to the anticline’s axial plane. To the west and east of the anticline’s axis there are felsic rocks of the Mount Dilworth Formation(?). They form a horizon, 70 to 200 metres wide, composed of apple green, light grey or white coloured felsic volcanic rocks which include flows, intrusions and pyroclastic rocks. Large gossans are related to sericite alteration and subsequent infusion of quartz and sulphide mineralization and it is speculated that the alteration is associated with the abundant intrusive rocks in the area. In these sericitic zones it is very difficult to differentiate between altered intrusive and felsic volcanic rocks.
Hostrocks in the Surp 6 South showing area consist of grey, fine grained to glassy appearing rhyolites. West of the rhyolites, a sequence of black argillites is interbedded with grey andesitic tuffs and flows. A belt of northerly trending, maroon pyroclastic rocks and flows is also present; included in this sequence are crystal lithic tuffs, tuff breccia, coarse lapilli tuffs and thin beds of ash and fine lapilli tuff. Extensive and pervasive carbonate alteration is very common in the maroon pyroclastics and flows.
An intensely altered zone consists of grey, sericite altered, highly silicified rocks with a moderately strong but barren quartz stockwork and later weak but pervasive quartz-sulphide veins that parallel each other. The zone has at least four different types of mineralization associated with it. These are: massive pyrite veins with or without base metal values, quartz-sulphide veinlets, large quartz zones with base metal values and fractured argillite cemented by quartz carrying base metals. These altered zones weather a distinct yellow-orange colour giving rise to obvious gossans. The veining has a preferred direction with the veinlets all striking approximately north with shallow dips to the west or flat lying. The veinlets are from 1 to 15 centimetres in width and display great continuity along strike. At times, three to four veinlets will be present within 1 metre widths but mostly the veinlets are widely spaced. These veinlets carry varying amounts of coarsely crystalline pyrite. The massive pyrite veins have been noted on both sides of a mountain ridge trending across the Surp 6 showing area. Individual veins can attain widths up to several metres over short distances but tend to be discontinuous along strike. In some places, numerous veins can form mineralized zones of up to 20 metres in width. Even though individual veins tend to pinch out, the mineralization tends to persist along their controlling structures. Galena, sphalerite and occasionally chalcopyrite are minor constituents of the pyrite veins. A grab sample (ERK-452) from a 2.5-metre-wide quartz-massive pyrite zone with minor amounts of chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite yielded 0.88 per cent lead, 1.67 per cent zinc, 23.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.27 per cent copper. Grab samples (ERK-460 and BA-#2) from nearby similarly mineralized quartz veins assayed up to 1.18 grams per tonne gold and 0.1 per cent bismuth, respectively (Assessment Report 23935).
WORK HISTORY
In the 1970s and 1980s, the area underwent prospecting and some trenching was conducted but there are no records for the work done. In 1989, the Surp claims were acquired by Teuton Resources Corp. The following year, Teuton Resources conducted soil, silt and rock sampling.
In 1994 and 1996, Teuton Resources conducted an exploration program consisting of reconnaissance geochemical rock and silt sampling in conjunction with prospecting and reconnaissance geological mapping.
In 2003, Pinnacle Mines Ltd. collected a total of 78 rock samples from outcrop and float as well as 23 silt samples during an exploration program.
In 2004, Pinnacle Mines continued reconnaissance geochemical rock and silt sampling of the property. A total of 220 rock samples both from outcrop and float as well as 19 silt samples were collected during the exploration program.
In 2005, Pinnacle Mines continued exploration on the Surprise Creek property and collected a total of 279 rock and 8 silt samples, some in the vicinity of Surp 6 South (Figure 6, Assessment Report 27981).
In 2006, Pinnacle Mines focused on the area immediately west of Short, Long, Grunwald, Jagiello, Ataman and Sarmatia glaciers. This area features a very intense zone of pervasive K-feldspar alteration which stretches out for at least 10 kilometres in the north-south and 4 to 5 kilometres in the east-west direction. The extent of this alteration zone was determined by K-feldspar staining of a few dozen samples collected from the area. A total of 58 rock samples were collected during the 2006 exploration program.
In 2007, an exploration program by Pinnacle Mines consisted of four diamond-drill holes totalling 1995 metres of NQ core.
In 2016 and 2017, Mountain Boy Minerals conducted sampling programs in the area of Surp 6 South (Figures 4 and 5, Assessment Report 36401; Figure 4B, Assessment Report 37453). In 2017, several samples (GGKM-11 to GGKM018) were collected on a SW trend from Surp 6 South. Sample GGKM-14 was the best assay of those that were not float samples. It assayed 0.38 gram per tonne gold, 16.1 grams per tone silver, with mildly anomalous values in copper and lead (Assessment Report 37453). The sample area was described as strongly silicified andesite/dacite(?) volcanic with irregular pyrite flooded zones. Pyrite, from 7 to 10 per cent, occurs as disseminations and blebs.
Refer to Ataman (104A 179) for related geological details and a more complete work history of the Surprise Creek Property.
