northeast of Okanagan Falls.
The occurrence is underlain by a small oval-shaped stock of the Eocene Coryell intrusions, informally referred to as the Allendale Lake stock. This stock is roughly 2.5 kilometres diameter (8 square kilometres) and occurs at the intersection of the Eocene hornblende granodiorite to the west, the Okanagan Gneiss to the southwest and northwest, and granite of the Cretaceous Okanagan batholith.
The Allendale Lake stock consists of three phases. The main phase is biotite pyroxene monzonite. The rock is typically porphyritic with a spongy framework of smoky grey, perthitic textured high temperature orthoclase and orthoclase-anorthoclase phenocrysts, 1 to 2 centimetres diameter with interstitial diopsidic augite and biotite. These mafic minerals occur either as individual grains or as clusters with apatite, magnetite and sphene.
The syenite phase is hosted in small pockets in the monzonite phase. Rhomb-shaped anorthoclase phenocrysts are distinctive. Apatite and magnetite are also locally abundant. The syenite is weakly propylitic altered in isolated fracture zones. Epidote and calcite veins comprise alteration minerals. Local zones of strong secondary biotite replacement occur adjacent to pegmatite dikes. Argillic alteration of feldspars is very weak. Partially assimilated aplite xenoliths are common within the syenite; they range from less than 1.5 to 6 metres length. However, angular fragments of gneiss are also present.
A shonkinitic border phase is exposed along the west and southwest margins of the stock where it forms a continuous zone ranging from 50 to 300 metres wide. The phase is relatively mafic-rich and probably is a basic differentiate of the monzonite. The fine to medium grained rock is composed of intermixed anorthoclase and orthoclase perthite (80 per cent) and pyroxene (15 per cent). The pyroxene contains accessory biotite and hornblende in clots with apatite and magnetite or as poikilitic inclusions in large augite grains. Small, partly altered nepheline grains, one-half to one millimetre diameter, are sparingly disseminated throughout the rock.
Pegmatite dikes crosscut the syenite and monzonite phases in the north, east-central and south parts of the stock. The pegmatites are quartz-rich and feldspars consist of very coarse albite. Biotite and actinolite comprise mafic minerals. Sphene, allanite and magnetite comprise accessory minerals.
The main fractures within this Coryell stock have a mean strike of 035 degrees and dip 80 degrees southeast. Strong subsidiary fractures strike 245 degrees dipping 80 degrees northwest. Two weaker sets strike 190 degrees dipping 55 degrees northwest and 135 degrees dipping vertical.
Mineralization at the Lynx occurrence consists of several styles. The Main showing is an example of the most common mineralization style; sulphide replacements in xenoliths. Bornite and chalcocite comprise the sulphide mineralogy. The more digested the xenolith the better the mineralization. It is believed the early migration of volatiles within the intrusion resulted in the sulphide mineralization.
Most of the property exploration has been directed towards a large tonnage disseminated copper sulphide deposit. Locally, pyrite, chalcopyrite and bornite comprise 2 to 3 per cent disseminated sulphides. Chalcopyrite is locally associated with magnetite and occurs as inclusions in mafic silicates and large feldspar phenocrysts. Some fracture controlled copper mineralization also occurs. Trace molybdenite has also been found. The Moon showing is an example of this mineralization style. A typical well-mineralized sample of this type taken in 1971 east of the Moon showing yielded 0.48 per cent copper and 6.85 grams per tonne silver (Geology, Exploration and Mining 1971, page 386). In 1989, drillhole 89-4 intersected minor copper mineralization between 50.93 and 76.15 metres. The best drillhole intersections were 0.04 per cent copper (Assessment Report 20132).
The Antler and Tessa showings are composed of zones of moderate to intense secondary biotite development, marginal to the shonkinitic border phase. Grab sample 80954 from the Tessa showing yielded 0.06 per cent copper and 1.03 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 20132). At the Antler showing, grab sample 80953 yielded 0.06 per cent copper and 1.71 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 20132).
The Spoon showing is composed of a series of widely spaced (3 to 5 metres) shears mineralized with chalcopyrite, bornite and tetrahedrite. The shears strike 262 degrees and dip 26 degrees north. The mineralization is spotty and limited but a selected grab sample yielded 13.77 per cent copper, 4.4 grams per tonne gold, 180.0 grams per tonne silver, 1.65 grams per tonne platinum and 0.51 grams per tonne palladium (Assessment Report 20132). Another sample yielded 0.48 per cent copper, 5.0 grams per tonne silver, 0.08 gram per tonne gold, 1.16 grams per tonne palladium and no values in platinum (Report on Assays, 1989 - Property File).
The Road showing is also a mineralized shear zone along the contact between the shonkinitic and syenite phases of the stock. Mineralization consists of disseminated chalcopyrite and trace tetrahedrite in shonkinite (east wall) and bornite in syenite (west wall). Sample 66201, a 2.65 continuous chip sample from the east wall, yielded 0.44 per cent copper and 2.4 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 20132). From the west wall, grab sample 66203 yielded 0.90 per cent copper (Assessment Report 20132). Several drillholes were drilled on this zone in 1989. In drillhole 89-2, 1.22 metres grading 0.68 per cent copper and 3.8 grams per tonne silver was intersected (Assessment Report 20132). In drillhole 89-3, three pyritic zones were intersected. The best assay results for each is as follows: the upper yielded 0.19 per cent copper and 0.9 gram per tonne silver over 2.65 metres, the middle yielded 0.61 per cent copper and 0.3 gram per tonne silver over 0.8 metre and the lower yielded 0.24 per cent copper and 1.5 grams per tonne silver over 0.42 metre (Assessment Report 20132).
The Lynx occurrence, consisting of porphyry style copper mineralization, was first discovered on the Lynx and Late claims, and staked in 1966 by K.G. Ewers and R.W. McLean, on a hilltop 1.25 kilometres west of Allendale Lake. The claims have since been explored sporadically. In that same year, under option to General Resources Ltd., geological and geochemical surveys were conducted on 8 claims. A total of 2365 metres of bulldozer trenching and another 244 metres of blast trenching was also conducted. In 1968, Gunnex Ltd. optioned the property. Electromagnetic, magnetic geophysical and soil geochemical surveys were done. In 1971, at least two drillholes were completed by Selco. Allendale Resources Ltd. acquired an interest in the property in 1982 and completed five diamond-drill holes. This was followed-up by a comprehensive exploration program of soil geochemical, magnetic and induced polarization geophysical surveys in 1983. Five new anomalies were defined. In 1986, Noranda Exploration Co. Ltd. acquired an option on the Nora claims. The results of their soil geochemical survey were poor and the option was dropped. Yukon Minerals acquired an option on all the claims in the area in 1989 and completed limited geological mapping, geophysical surveys and a diamond drill program. In 2001, Santoy Resources continued exploration on the property.
Detailed mineralogy shows the presence of kotulskite (PdTe), merenskyite (PdTe2) and telluropalladinite (Pd9Te4) (BCGS GeoFile 2002-2).
