The Arsenault occurrence is located on the westerly slopes of Mount Francis about 8 kilometres east of Swift Lake, approximately 110 kilometres east of Atlin.
This copper occurrence is hosted by complexly deformed metasediments and metavolcanics of the Paleozoic Big Salmon Complex. These rocks have undergone amphibolite-grade regional metamorphism, in the course of at least two phases of deformation, and are now a variety of schists and gneisses. Granodiorite of the Early Jurassic Simpson Peak batholith outcrops in the southeast portion of the property. A variety of mafic and felsic dikes crosscut the deformed rocks.
Disseminated to layered chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and pyrite occur in chlorite-actinolite schist and appear to be concentrated in fold hinges, indicating a possible remobilized volcanogenic origin. Chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and pyrite also occur as disseminations in skarn, marble and calcareous metasediments adjacent to mafic dikes and as blebs in vein quartz, indicating an epigenetic origin.
Work History
It was reported that copper mineralization was discovered in the area by W. McKinnon of Hudson’s Bay Mining and Smelting in the 1940s. Subsequent work was concentrated on the Arsenault and adjacent claims in the area around Mount Francis.
In 1967, geological and geochemical survey work was undertaken and included the excavation of 16 trenches. Sampling of trenches yielded 0.98 per cent copper and 0.017 per cent molybdenum over 3.6 metres in trench T5, 0.70 per cent copper, 0.03 per cent molybdenum and 3.4 grams per tonne gold over 3.0 metres in trench T8-2 and 0.6 per cent copper with 0.017 per cent molybdenum over 3.6 metres in trench T10-2 (Ostensoe, E.A., Buckle, J. (2011-06-01): Technical Report and Recommendations – Arsenault Property).
Construction of an access road (now washed out at Swift River), airborne and ground geophysical surveying, geochemical surveying, geological mapping and 1080 metres of diamond drilling in four holes, between 1970 and 1972 by Bolivar Mining Corp. Ltd., identified sulphide mineralization containing copper and zinc values - but not of commercial grade. The best assayed sample from this work yielded 0.34 gram per tonne gold, 1.7 grams per tonne silver and 0.35 per cent copper (Property File - Cyprus Anvil - Germon, J., 1971).
Additional drilling of two holes totalling 675.5 metres by Rebel Developments Ltd. was completed in 1979 and 1981. Drilling yielded intercepts of up to 0.72 per cent copper, 3.7 grams per tonne silver and 0.31 gram per tonne gold over 1.5 metres in hole 79-2 and 0.2 per cent copper over 15.0 metres in hole 81-1 (Ostensoe, E.A., Buckle, J. (2011-06-01): Technical Report and Recommendations – Arsenault Property).
In 1989, Arnica Resources Ltd. collected 21 soil samples. In 1998, S. Traynor conducted a detailed program of prospecting and geochemical sampling, which included a re-examination of old trenches and available drill core. Rock samples yielded up to 1.00 per cent copper and 1.48 grams per tonne gold (sample 98R376), while a chip sample yielded 0.46 per cent copper and 1.3 grams per tonne gold over 7.5 metres (Assessment Report 25882).
In 2008, North Bluff Exploration Inc. established 18 kilometres of grid and collected 580 soil samples and completed 18 kilometres of ground magnetic surveying. In 2010 and 2011, Casa Minerals Inc. examined the area as the as the Arsenault property and completed a minor program of MMI geochemical soil sampling. In 2014, Abcana Capital Inc. examined the Arsenault property.
