The C zone (L303) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1590 metres on the upper southeast slope of Haskins Mountain, north of McDame Creek and approximately 2.8 kilometres west of the north end of Hot Lake.
Regionally, the area is underlain by quartzite and quartz arenite sedimentary rocks of the Boya Formation and limestone, marble and calcareous sedimentary rocks of the Rosella Formation, both of the Lower Cambrian Atan Group, and limestone, slate, siltstone and argillite of the Cambrian to Ordovician Kechika Group. The sedimentary units have been intruded by granites of the Eocene Mount Reed stock.
The C Zone is located between the Cobra (MINFILE 104P 058) and the B Zone (MINFILE 104P 038) occurrences and comprises disseminated to locally massive pyrrhotite-rich base metal garnet skarn occurs at a limestone-argillite contact. Mineralization consists of pyrrhotite, sphalerite and minor galena and chalcopyrite. The skarn development appears to be strongly controlled by stratigraphy; this is, within carbonate units along the contact of other sedimentary units.
Work History
The area was first staked in part by Yukon Ranges Prospecting Syndicate in the spring of 1948 and the following year a program of geological mapping, sampling and trenching was performed. A historical adit, dating to the early 1900s and referred to as the Upper adit and Upper Adit zone, is also reported several hundred metres downslope of the plotted location of the occurrence. The property had been staked originally approximately 40 years before this and was the centre of a promotion that collapsed with the death of the promoter, Haskins.
Since 1949, two claims and a fraction have lapsed and were restaked in 1954 by G. Hope of Quartzrock Creek and J. Thompson of Watson Lake. Three claims owned by Mr. Turner of Telegraph Creek and two owned by G.C.F. Dalziel of Watson Lake were Crown granted. Since these first miners, the claims have been dropped and restaked many times as the price of metals fluctuated.
In 1969, Della carried out trenching and drilled one hole on the Joem #4 claim. The results were not encouraging, and the mineralization was lenticular in nature. In 1973, a program of geological mapping and geochemical (silt and soil) sampling was completed on the area immediately west of the occurrence as the New Rich 1-2 claims.
In 1994, the area was prospected and sampled by Daniel W. Brett and the Debby claims. A sample (E25671) assayed 2.35 per cent lead, 14.43 per cent zinc and 275 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 23583). In 1996, Daniel W. Brett completed a program of geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Reed property. In 1997, Demand Gold Ltd. completed a program of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, minor trenching and a 9.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Reed property. Also at this time, the area was prospected by Barry Ernewein as the Chi 1 and Geo 1 claims.
In 2006, the area was prospected and sampled by G. Diakow and J. Hope as the Haskin claim.
In 2008, Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. completed a 917.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey on the area as the Haskin-Reed property. The final part of the 2009 Pacific Bay Minerals exploration program was comprised of truck and all-terrain vehicle–supported reconnaissance prospecting and grid construction to provide control for subsequent geochemical sampling. The Della B grid was established above the treeline using pickets creating a 400- by 450-metre grid. The target area was within old Crown-granted claims (L330 and L303). An exposed, massive sulphide replacement–style mineralization was the target for trenching and rock geochemical sampling. A total of 70 metres of trenching was performed over three different trenches. Pacific Bay collected 38 soil and 25 rock samples. During this program the old Canadian Superior drillcore from 1979 to 1981 was examined to check for missed molybdenum mineralization in the unsplit sections of core. It was found that there were large sections of unsplit core containing moderate to strong molybdenum mineralization along fractures within the quartz-feldspar porphyry.
In 2014, the Haskins Reed property of Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. contained the C zone (Lot 303) occurrence.
In 2018, Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. completed seven diamond drill holes, totalling 448.2 metres, on the Meteor-Boot (C) zone. The drilling program successfully extended the Meteor-Boot zone by roughly 20 metres to the southeast. Drilling yielded intercepts of up to 56.5 grams per tonne silver, 1.90 per cent lead, 2.64 per cent zinc and 0.16 per cent copper over 6.10 metres in hole 18MZ-07 and 148.4 grams per tonne silver, 4.79 per cent lead, 6.75 per cent zinc and 0.35 per cent copper over 2.20 metres in hole 18MZ-06 (Assessment Report 37889). Both holes were located on the westward extension of the mineralized zone.
