The Copper King occurrence is situated at an elevation of 1830 to 2440 metres on the southern flank of White Grouse Mountain, at the headwaters of Goat River and Meachen Creek, approximately 39 kilometres southwest of Kimberley.
Regionally, the area is underlain by siltstones, quartzites, dolomites and phyllites of the Proterozoic Aldridge, Creston and Kitchener formations of the Purcell Supergroup, intruded by a small quartz monzonite stock, possibly Cretaceous. Buff dolomites, white-grey quartzites and minor argillites of the Kitchener Formation have a northward strike and dip moderately to steeply west. The Lower Creston Formation consists mainly of laminated to thickly bedded argillites and siltites with minor fine-grained quartz wackes. The rocks are waxy green to olive in colour with tan-weathering surfaces, wavy bedding and abundant mudcracks. Rocks of the Upper Aldridge, underlying an area to the east, consist of a relatively homogeneous unit with occasional thin interbeds of light grey quartzite and laminated light and dark grey argillaceous quartzite. The intrusive stock consists of medium- to fine-grained massive biotite monzogranite. The sediments adjacent to the intrusion have been altered to produce concentric zones of biotite hornfels and siliceous siltstone. Mineralization in the form of molybdenite, scheelite, stibnite and galena occur in a narrow zone near the contact of the intrusion.
Locally, a zone 30 to 120 centimetres wide and bearing irregular quartz stringers was exposed for 18 metres by a trench in buff-weathering dolomitic strata of the Middle Proterozoic Kitchener Formation (Purcell Supergroup). Tetrahedrite, pyrite, galena and minor chalcopyrite occur. On the Silver Tip claim, located approximately 600 metres southeast of the Copper King claim, mineralization consists of copper carbonates, azurite and malachite with visible tetrahedrite and chalcopyrite. Visible pyrite specimens were found around the workings of a shaft on the claim.
Later work, in 2010, describes mineralization hosted in a number of lithologies that does not appear restricted to just one but rather seems to be controlled by structure in a north-south–trending zone. Mineralization is hosted within a broad zone of phyllitic-sericitic-carbonate–altered sediments that include a thick package of stromatolitic dolomite, argillite, siltstone and quartzite. Zones of quartz stockwork and brecciation/shearing reach widths in excess of 20 metres. These breccias have minimal offset along them by east-west–trending structure. Quartz veining/stockwork is also controlled by folding within the north-south corridor. Relatively narrow veins/structures can blowout in fold hinges to significant widths.
Near the eastern border of the historical Big Four (L.3836) claim, relatively narrow quartz-carbonate-iron oxide veins within the larger structural zone host gold values. Immediately northeast of these narrow veins near the ridge top of White Grouse Mountain is a quartz-carbonate vein with widths up to 2.5 metres, this vein can be traced for close to 150 metres. The vein is north-northwest trending and dips steeply to the east. It has been opened up with historical hand trenches and a shallow shaft. The vein is mineralized sporadically with grey copper and galena, with a central core of 50 centimetres hosting the bulk of the mineralization. Also at this time, a quartz stockwork zone, up to 20 metres wide, in a quartzite package was identified near the northwest corner of the historical Silvertip (L.3840) claim.
Work History
By 1893, a number of claims had been staked in the area but, due to the difficult access, little was done besides assessment work. A 15-metre adit was driven on the Copper King claim and another adit on the Silver Tip claim. In 1900, the Delaware claim (Lot 2858) was Crown-granted to Messrs. Ray and Gosselin, the Lucy claim (Lot 2860) to J. Blanchard and A. Williams and the Chapin claim (Lot 2862) to California and Clipper Silver-Lead Mines Limited. In 1905, Crown grants were issued to Hugh Sutherland for the Copper King, Big Four, Mamoth, Silver Tip, Duplex and Colby claims (Lots 3835 to 3838, 3840, 3632 and 6340, respectively). Another group of claims situated approximately 800 metres to the south and including the Storm King, Robber King, Gem, Nowell and Tamarack claims (Lots 3625, 3626, 3631, 3838 and 6338, respectively) was Crown-granted in 1905 to Messrs. Gibson, Sutherland, Nell and Holmes. The Banner claim (Lot 3839) was Crown-granted to Hugh Sutherland in 1909.
In 1980, Daniel Gallagher of Pearson Gallagher Limited carried out an exploration program on the White Grouse claim group on behalf of Gerhardi Holdings Limited. Two historical adits and dumps were located on the Copper King claims, situated in the northern portion of the claim group. The adits were driven on parallel veins striking on a southeast trend and continuing for more than 1.6 kilometres over the ridge extending from White Grouse Mountain. An average vein width of 0.9 to 1.5 metres was observed in surface outcrop over a distance of several hundred metres. A representative sample taken from the more western workings contained tetrahedrite and chalcopyrite mineralization in a quartz gangue. The quartz gangue had an average width of 1.2 metres. Rock samples from the occurrence area yielded values from trace to 0.20 per cent lead, trace to 0.87 per cent zinc, trace to 9.77 per cent copper, trace to 99.8 grams per tonne silver and trace to 2.39 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 9105).
In 1985, Lancana Mining Corporation conducted a property examination of the Whiskey Jack claim to the south. Localized mineralization was observed within extensive quartz vein systems hosted in dolomite.
In 2006, Aeroquest Limited carried out an airborne geophysical survey over the Storm King property, owned by Jasper Mining Corporation and held under option by Dynamic Exploration Limited. The Copper King occurrence was situated in the northwestern portion of the property. In total, 96.2-line kilometres of electromagnetic, magnetic and radiometric surveys were flown over the property. A large electromagnetic anomaly, measuring at least 900 metres from east to west, was identified in the immediate vicinity of the Copper King occurrence.
In 2007, the area was held by Kootenay Gold Incorporated as part of the Whopper claims group. That year, a total of 200 soil samples and 46 rock samples were collected and sent for analysis. The majority of the samples were collected on the ridge running between Ailsa and Whiteboar lakes. In 2010, 59 rock samples were collected from an area covering the Copper King occurrence. Later that year, another 17 rock samples were collected from a zone immediately south of the Copper King occurrence.
Fjordland Exploration Incorporated optioned the South Slocanny Granny property in 2010. The property contained the Ailsa (MINFILE 082FNE001) occurrence in the northeast corner and the Copper King occurrence near the western boundary. A rock sample (SK10-235) from a narrow quartz-carbonate-iron oxide vein with chalcopyrite assayed 3.74 per cent copper, greater than 0.20 per cent bismuth, 79.7 grams per tonne silver and 13.36 grams per tonne gold, and a sample (SK10-238) from the best 0.5-metre section of a mineralized quartz-carbonate vein exposed in historical workings, to the northeast of the previous sample, yielded 2.62 per cent copper, 0.22 per cent zinc, greater than 0.20 per cent antimony, 271 grams per tonne silver and 1.26 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 32263). Also at this time, samples (SK10-259, -260 and -263 to -265) from a quartz breccia zone, located on the Silvertip (L.3840) claim, yielded values from 0.05 to 9.99 per cent copper, 0.05 to greater than 0.20 per cent bismuth, 5.2 to 167 grams per tonne silver and 0.10 to 1.09 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 32263).
In 2011, Fjordland Exploration completed a program of soil sampling on the South Slocanny Granny property. A total of 209 samples were collected and sent for analysis. Results of the sampling program delineated a 600-metre long northwest copper and molybdenum trend to the east and a more western lead-zinc zone with a northwest trend.
