72037 092ISW051 Kamloops RAWHIDE, BLUE, GREEN, SKIHIST MOUNTAIN, VALLEY 092I011 092I04W Developed Prospect 50° 09' 28'' 121° 49' 39'' 50.157778 -121.827500 10 5556600 583845 Talc, Magnesite, Asbestos Coast Crystalline Bridge River M07 : Ultramafic-hosted talc-magnesite The Rawhide occurrence is located 6.3 kilometres southeast of Skihist Mountain on the southern slopes of North Kwoiek Creek, 19.5 kilometres west-southwest of Lytton. These serpentinite masses were first explored for asbestos by Magnetron Mining Ltd. in 1970. They were subsequently assessed for their talc and magnesite potential by D. Cardinal and Highland Talc Minerals Ltd. between 1987 and 1990. The area is underlain by a northwest trending belt of lower greenschist facies Permian(?) to Lower Cretaceous Bridge River Complex (Group) phyllites and schists. These occur in normal and fault contact with Bridge River serpentinized ultramafics and metasediments of the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Relay Mountain Group. Serpentinite belts (sills?) are interbedded with argillite, graphitic phyllite, micaceous and chloritic schists, and occasional bands of quartzite and limestone. Granodiorite plugs related to the Late Cretaceous Scuzzy pluton intrudes all of the above units to the north and south. A lenticular, steeply dipping body of talc varying up to 75 metres in width, occurs within one of the serpentinite belts, and strikes 110 to 120 degrees for a distance of 450 metres. The width varies from 50 to 75 metres. In fresh opencuts and trenches the mineralization is massive and homogeneous. It is occasionally cut by small remnant serpentinite bodies or incipient talc-serpentine. The talc is greenish white to light green and varies from being very soft and soapy to harder and gritty in texture. Associated crystalline magnesite is light grey. Siderite and ankerite are associated. Minor magnetite and pyrrhotite are also present. In 1990 and 1991, a detailed grid was established on the talc showing. Eight blast-trenches were excavated and mapped. Continuous chip sampling was conducted in 6 trenches. The samples were shipped to the Alberta Research Council for quantitative analysis. The results of chemical and physical analysis of these samples are as follows (Assessment Report 21769): ----------------------------------------- Sample# Length Talc Magnesite (metres) (%) (%) TS12345 10.5 46.8 45.8 T6100A 8.0 41.6 52.9 T6040 8.5 57.6 33.9 T6100 7.5 51.0 39.1 T6490 9.0 51.9 40.0 T6210 9.5 52.9 41.2 ------------------------------------------ A 1.5 kilogram grab sample of greenish white talc exposed over 20 metres assayed 94.48 per cent talc (Assessment Report 16545). The results of whole rock analysis for magnesium, iron, aluminum, calcium and silica were as follows: --------------------------------------------------- Sample# MgO SiO2 Fe2O3 Al2O3 CaO LOI MT-89-CL-80.1 37.89 30.00 6.24 0.49 0.23 25.14 MT-89-CL-80.2 40.23 24.28 4.39 0.15 0.22 30.72 MT-89-CL-80.3 36.89 33.79 6.57 0.29 0.15 22.30 MT-89-CL-80.4 37.06 33.29 6.72 0.61 0.21 22.10 MT-89-CL-80.5 36.86 33.10 6.40 0.70 0.20 22.73 MT-89-CL-80.5 37.24 31.92 6.45 0.36 0.14 23.89 --------------------------------------------------- A small trench 300 metres northeast of the main deposit exposes a 6 by 2 metre pod concordant with foliation. Fibrous tremolite grades into white masses of medium grade talc and serpentine. The serpentine is a light mottled buff to brown carbonate-rich combination of talc and serpentine. Quartz and minor magnetite occur within these talc bodies. Low grade pods up to 12 centimetres wide occur in low angle, randomly oriented fractures within dark blue serpentinite. Asbestos occurs in tremolite-talc-carbonate pods hosted in serpentinite in a 150 metre wide, fractured and sheared serpentinite/metasediment contact zone north of the main talc body. The asbestos occurs in limited quantity and is of questionable quality (Assessment Report 2536). Inferred reserves are estimated at 8.7 million tonnes grading between 41.6 and 57.6 per cent talc and 33.9 to 52.9 per cent magnesite (D. Cardinal, personal communication, 1991). The Valley claims were staked over the property in 1996 by Heligold Canada Limited and examined the following year (Assessment Report 25188). EMPR AR 1929-C237 EMPR ASS RPT 2536, *16545, *18024, *21769, 25188 EMPR GEM 1970-486 EMPR INF CIRC 1991-1, pp. 18,61 EMPR OF *1988-19, pp. 38-39; 1995-25 GSC MAP 42-1989; 1010A; 1386A GSC MEM 262, p. 104 GSC OF 980 GSC P 46-8; 47-10; 90-1E, pp. 173-185 EMPR PFD 11016