The TGR occurrence is located near the headwaters of Wimpson Creek, approximately 5.5 kilometres north of the Chutine River.
The area is underlain by sedimentary rocks and minor volcanic rocks from the Upper Triassic Stuhini Group. The zone is located near the southwestern end of the Limpoke pluton. (Texas Creek Plutonic Suite), a two-phase stock with a biotite hornblende quartz monzonite outer phase and medium-grained hornblende monozodiorite inner phase. Leucocratic potassium feldspar megacrystic syenite dikes intrude the eastern and western borders of the pluton and surrounding Stuhini rocks.
Locally, three quartz veins, which are 45, 15, and 5 metres long, are exposed over a total strike length of 115 metres. These veins are associated with altered, carbonatized and brecciated monzodiorite. Iron oxide zones commonly envelope the quartz veins. The mineralization consists of massive pyrrhotite, pyrite and minor chalcopyrite. In 1991, one chip sample, out of twenty one samples, of the vein returned values up to 1.4 grams per tonne gold (sample C14853e, Assessment Report 21998).
Work History
The area was originally explored by Teck Explorations and Dupont in the early 1980’s, with work centering on the Tuff and New Limpoke occurrences (MINFILE 104G 121 and 104G 024). Between 1988 and 1992, Integrated Resources explored the area as the Goat and IR claims and completed programs of geochemical sampling, geophysical surveys, geological mapping and a diamond drill hole, totalling 110 metres (Bob (104G 216)). In 2002, Newcastle Resources and Viceroy Resources staked the area as a part of the Target 1-4 claims and completed a prospecting program.
In 1988 Integrated Resources Limited collected 59 stream sediment samples and 51 rock samples on their Goat 1-11 claims (Assessment Report 18486). They also conducted 0.6 kilometre of ground magnetic and electromagnetic sruveying. Some of this work was concentrated on the “Cave Showing” which is the same showing as DuPont’s Tuff occurrence.
In 1989, Integrated Resources Ltd. continued the exploration of their Goat Claims with a program of prospecting, geological mapping and rock/silt geochemical sampling (Assessment Report 19439). During the course of this work, one silt sample and 141 rock samples were collected. Several mineralized quartz veins and shear zones were discovered. Most of these are narrow, less than 2 meters in width, and discontinuous. In the Upper Cave Creek area, several narrow quartz veins were sampled.
During 1989, Integrated Resources Ltd. also carried out a very limited reconnaissance exploration program, they collected 20 rock and 2 silt samples on their Target 1 claim. This is roughly the same area as the later (2003) Target 3 claim. Altered volcano-sedimentary rocks, containing quartz and calcite stockworks and veining, were reported to contain abundant disseminated pyrite, pyrrhotite, bornite, chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite. One grab sample returned 1.79 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 19232). Inegrated also carried out reconnaissance exploration on the Waterfall #1 claim consisting of prospecting and stream sediment sampling. They collected 1 silt sample and 27 rock samples (Assessment Report 19231).
The 1990 exploration program Integrated Resources Ltd. was the first, full-scale, comprehensive, reconnaissance-level operation completed on the Goat 4-11 property (Assessment Report 20988). A total of 104 silt, 100 soil, 330 rock and 48 core samples were collected for analysis. Additionally, a 110-meter diamond drill hole was completed. Previously detected high-grade showings were determined to comprise small sulphide pods enclosed within larger altered zones. A total of 15 geochemical/geological targets were defined by this work.
In 1990 Integrated Resources prospected the IR 3 and 4 claims and the G (Assessment Report 20810). Integrated collected 34 rock and 48 silt samples on the Goat 1 to 3 and IR 9 (Assessment Report 20809).
In early1990, Dryden Resource Corporation, entered into an option agreement with Integrated Resources Ltd. whereby Dryden could earn a 50 per cent interest in the Target #I, Waterfall #1, and IR #1 ,2,5,6,7, and 8 claims. Dryden carried out an initial limited reconnaissance program on the Target #I claim, which resulted in the collection of 6 rock, 27 soil and 1 silt sample from the Target claim area (Assessment Report 20436).
A later more significant program by Dryden was carried out. The program comprised prospecting, rock, soil and silt sampling and very low frequency (VLF) surveying. A total of 112 rock, 674 soil, 45 silt and 6 heavy-mineral concentrate samples were collected on the Target #1, Waterfall #1 and IR #1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 claim group. (Assessment Report 20725). The VLF survey was carried out over three soil contour lines. Several geochemical anomalies and showings were discovered in 1990. A massive sulphide vein hosts one occurrence, 3 are from quartz veins and 5 are derived from lenses of massive pyrrhotite-pyrite with minor chalcopyrite in the contact zone proximal to intrusive stocks.
In 1991, a total of 360 contour soil samples, 338 rock samples and one heavy mineral concentrate sample were collected by Dryden from the Target #1, Waterfall #1 and the adjoining IR #1 claims (Assessment Report 21998). Most of the soil sample material collected was talus “fines”, all above the tree line. Within the previous Target #I claim, a gold-in-soil anomaly (greater than 200 ppb) occurs which is at least 900 meters long and 350 meters wide and is known as the South Target Gold Anomaly. A second gold-in-soil anomaly, referred to as the Central Target Gold Anomaly, is located immediately to the north of the South Target Gold Anomaly.
In 1992, further work by Dryden Resource Corporation identified the Barrington vein (104G 208) which yielded chip samples of up to 34.97 grams per tonne gold across 0.4 meters (Assessment Report 22710). In 1992, the vein was obscured by remaining snow patches but the structure that it occurred in was identifiable over a strike distance of 200 meters. During 1992 Dryden had crew of four on the property for a total of 34 man-days in the field. They collected 300 rock samples and 80 soil samples and conducted 3375 ha of mapping and prospecting (Assessment Report 22710). Claims included IR 1-2, IR 5-8, Target and Waterfall.
In 2002, Newcastle Resources and Viceroy Resources staked the area as a part of the Target 1-4 claims and completed a prospecting program. Thirty-three chip samples were collected (Assessment Report 27123). Highlights of this program were the results on the Barrington vein (104G 208).
In 2014, Divitiae Resources spent 2 weeks on its Big Red property which covered 18 MINFILE occurrences. Divitiae collected 12 rock samples in the southern portion of the property. Selective samples ran above 1 per cent copper (Assessment Report 35466).
By 2017, Divitiae had expanded their Big Red claim group extending it 5 kilometres more to the west, covering the Poker (104G 149) occurrence. Divitiae changed the property name from Big Red to River of Gold and undertook an airborne magnetic and radiometric survey in late September that covered all of the River of Gold claims totalling 536 line-kilometres. In October of 2017, preliminary prospecting was completed on high probability anomalies generated by previous ASTER analysis, and the new airborne geophysics. At this time 64 rock samples were collected. Work on the northern portion of the property failed to find any samples to be assayed. The complete airborne geophysical survey report is attached as an appendix within assessment Report 36930).
See Ridge (104G 208) and West (104G 210) for more detailed work history information on the 2017 ASTER study.
In 2019 and 2020, Libero Copper and Gold Corp. completed programs of geological mapping; geochemical (rock, soil and talus fines) sampling; a 549 line-kilometre airborne electromagnetic (ZTEM) survey; three diamond drill holes, totalling 610.0 metres, and 24 reverse-circulation drill holes, totalling 3527.5 metres, on the area as the Big Red property.
