The Spod occurrence is located on the east side of Blue Grouse Mountain, approximately 8.5 kilometres north-northwest of Kelowna.
The area is underlain by a sequence of andesitic volcanic rocks of the Eocene Marron Formation (Penticton Group). The Marron Formation volcanics are underlain by a pendant of metasedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks of the Carboniferous to Permian Harper Ranch Group. To the north granodioritic intrusive rocks of the Middle Jurassic Okanagan Batholith are exposed.
Locally, the andesitic volcanics are cut by a northwest-trending felsic dike. The dike varies in width from 1 to 10 metres and has been traced along strike for approximately 1500 metres. The dike dips approximately 45 degrees south. The host andesite has been silicified in a contact zone up to 3 metres wide along the dike. Both the dike and andesite are cut by 2 stages of quartz veining. The veins are up to 1 centimetre in thickness, vuggy, and contain fine-grained disseminated pyrite. Weak propylitic alteration is common in the andesite.
Several hundred metres south of the previous zone a massive pyritic and quartzitic zone in a greenstone outcrops over an area of approximately 15 metres long by 4.5 to 10.5 metres wide.
Work History
A short, 1.5-metre, historical shaft, of unknown age but likely dating the late 1920s or early 1930s and associated with exploration on the Blue Hawk (MINFILE 082ENW002) occurrence to the north, is reported to have been developed on the occurrence area.
In 1967, Dawood Mines Ltd. of Kelowna acquired the property and over the next seven years carried out 400 metres of trenching, 1400 square metres of extensive stripping, geological mapping, line cutting and 18 kilometres of grid preparation, magnetometer surveys, and rock and soil geochemical surveys. Grab samples from the massive pyritic quartzitic zone yielded 13.7 grams per tonne silver over 4.5 metres (Assessment Report 12519).
In 1978, Mountain Minerals Co. Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (water and soil) sampling and a 30.0 line-kilometre scintillometer survey on the area as the Active claims. This work centred on potential uranium exploration in the area.
In 1980, Neall Lenard prospected the area as the Bear claims. Two rock samples (10803 and 10804), taken approximately 600 metres northwest of the occurrence and near the northwest mapped extent of the dike, yielded up to 0.68 gram per tonne gold and 5.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 9074).
In 1984, N.C. Lenard completed a program of geological mapping and minor rock sampling on the area as the Friday, Lid and Nail claims. In 1987, J. Stushnoff prospected and sampled the area as the Spod property and identified anomalous gold geochemistry associated with the felsic dike.
The property was optioned by QPX Minerals Inc. in 1988, and during late 1988 and early 1989 Mine Quest Exploration Associates Ltd. carried out a program of soil sampling, geological mapping, and a very low frequency electromagnetic geophysical survey on behalf of QPX. The surface work identified several anomalies, which were then tested by a five-hole, 272.8-metre reverse circulation drill program. Hole depth varied from 32.0 to 89.9 metres with a sample interval of 3.05 metres. The best drill intersection, from 4.6 metres to 7.6 metres in hole 88-1, assayed 0.785 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18499). It was collared to test below a channel sample that had assayed 1.87 grams per tonne gold over 1 metre (Assessment Report 18499).
In 2012, Juan De Fuca Resources Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area. In 2015, a further program of geological mapping was completed.
