The Flathead 6 occurrence is located on a ridge separating Howell Creek and the Flathead River, approximately 54 kilometres southeast of Fernie.
The prospect area is underlain by a thick series of limestones, dolomites and black shales of the Upper Devonian Palliser Formation, Mississippian Rundle Group (Livingstone, Mount Head and Etherington formations), Lower Mississippian Banff Formation and Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Exshaw Formation. Quartz arenites and dolomitic sandstones of the Permo-Pennsylvanian Rocky Mountain Group also occur. Numerous small Cretaceous stocks of trachyte and syenite composition have intruded and locally altered the enclosing sedimentary strata.
A quartz vein located in 1993 has a dolomite hangingwall and a dolomite/limestone breccia footwall and is comprised of a vuggy friable quartz mass with one-metre of clay-rich limonitic syenite at the base. Malachite and azurite are present in bands near the footwall contact within the limestone breccia. Only trace amounts of pyrite remain within the vein although many of the vugs (up to 30 per cent of the rock mass) are cubic and striated and may represent leached pyrite. Grab samples from the vein taken from the spoil pile analyzed from 13.3 to 89 grams per tonne gold with two samples being greater than 99 grams per tonne, the limits of analytical method utilized. The vein structure was exposed by trenching and test pits 47 metres to the west of the main trench. Over-all exposed length of the vein structure was 70 metres with possible extensions to the west. The vein structure is dominated by clay-altered limonitic syenite with frothy quartz occurring as local pods and irregular zones. Within the covering till, clasts of magnetite-bearing syenite graded up to 6.3 grams per tonne gold indicating another vein source farther up ice.
Drilling performed in 2002 defined a northwest trending and steep to moderate dipping band of Flathead intrusions and related alteration which were interpreted as coeval with the emplacement of gold-bearing hydrothermal solutions. The purpose of the drilling was to locate the source of high-grade gold encountered in previous rock chip sampling of a float train of boulders and cobbles taken along the lower access road and the extension of in situ mineralization located in trench discovery trench TK-99-1. DDH-GR-02-03, located approximately 150 metres south of the TK-99-1 intersected gold bearing mineralization that appears to be trending northwest. This drillhole intersected 12 separate syenite dikes or sills over an interval of 91 metres and returned an intercept of 1.05 grams per tonne gold over 12 metres (Assessment Report 27041).
The Flathead 6 prospect occurs in an area of low angle thrust and large northwest trending normal faults. The Flathead alkaline intrusive rocks were injected along planes of weakness and interfinger with the Paleozoic-Mesozoic carbonate and elastic host rock. The drilling performed in 2002 indicated that drill holes with an increase in sediment-intrusive contacts, such as DDH GR-02-3 and DDH GR-02-4. Drill holes that were mostly carbonate/elastic with little or no intrusive rock, failed to intersect any significant gold values. A relatively small portion of the area contains elevated gold values hosted in sediments, but the 2002 drill results suggest that elevated gold values are closely associated with the margin phases of the Flathead Intrusive Complex, and to a large extent intrusive hosted.
WORK HISTORY
Dome Exploration (Canada) Limited (later Placer Dome Inc.) staked the first mineral claims on the Flathead property in 1984 following the discovery of several gold anomalies during a silt sampling program conducted that year in the vicinity of Trachyte Ridge.
Further work completed in 1985 and 1986, focusing on the A Grid area (Flathead 9 MINFILE prospect) of the property, outlined encouraging rock, float and soil results and discovered a small calc-silicate vein (less than 0.5 metre) which graded 1.5 grams per tonne gold, 7.1 grams per tonne silver, 2.3 per cent zinc and 0.3 per cent copper (Assessment Report 14162 and 15359). A soil gold anomaly measuring 1000 metres by 300 metres with peak soil values to 5590 parts per billion was outlined and a raft of limestone cut by red and white chalcedonic veins within the syenite was noted. Additional minor grids were located at several other locations on the then claim block including the E grid (Flathead 4 showing) where a greater than 200 parts per million copper-in-soil anomaly was located but never evaluated. Success on the A grid, which included grab samples up to 36.80 grams per ton gold was sufficiently successful to justify a diamond drill program the following season.
The 1987 field program of Dome Exploration at Flathead (later Crowsnest) was initiated on the “A Grid” (Flathead 9, 082GSE091) and “B Grid” (Flathead 8, 082GSE090) (Assessment Report 16676). The "A Grid" drill program totalled 1262 metres in ten holes and was completed using a helicopter. Also, in 1987 exploration was initiated on the “B Grid”, located seven kilometres to the east, and resulted in the discovery of a "sulphide rich gossanous boulder" that returned an analysis of 122 grams per tonne gold (3.56 ounces per ton) and can be considered the initial discovery of significant mineralization on the "B grid". This sample consisted of limonite, pyrite, chalcopyrite with minor quartz and altered rock fragments.
In 1988, Placer Dome Inc. (formerly Dome Exploration (Canada), Limited) continued to work on the "B Grid” and extended the grid coverage to the north, completed induced polarization surveying, and began road construction up the "B Grid" valley (Assessment Report 18091).
In 1989 Placer Dome Inc. continued to expand the grid in a northerly direction, completed ground based geophysics (VLF and magnetometer) and completed six short diamond drill holes totaling 886 metres (Assessment Report 19455). Four of the holes were designed to follow up VLF geophysical anomalies while one hole was designed to test a coincident induced polarization soil gold response and one was designed to test a magnetic lineament. The 1989 drill holes, which did not return significant results, predominantly intersected limestone with lesser shale and syenite. Prospecting completed while the program was being conducted located several pieces of impressively mineralized float including a sample of pyritic intrusive breccia that graded 521.15 grams per tonne gold (15.20 ounces per ton) (Assessment Report 19455).
In 1991 Placer Dome Inc. conducted 215 metres of excavator trenching (three trenches) on the slope above the 1989 drill sites. The results were unremarkable excepting the most easterly sample in trench 91-2 which returned an analysis 0.54 gram per tonne gold in the last sample. Further pieces of mineralized float were found with values to 66.2 grams per tonne gold (1.93 oz/ton) (as reported in Assessment Report 31338).
In 1993 Phelps Dodge Corporation of Canada (option partner with Placer Dome Inc.) discovered a limonitic quartz vein outcropping higher in the drainage of the "B Grid" (Assessment Report 23199). A new grid "K grid" was established in this area and the exposure sampled returning analysis to 4.6 grams per tonne gold. The existing road was then continued to this area and mechanical trenching initiated resulting in a number of high-grade samples including two which exceeded 99,999 parts billion gold which upon full assay returned values to 350.70 grams per tonne gold.
In 1994 Phelps Dodge Corporation of Canada drilled four diamond drill holes in the Flathead 6 claim and prospect (K Grid) area (082GSE070) totaling 364 metres without encountering any significant intersections. All holes were angled south-westerly, and if a vein structure was also dipping south-westerly it would have been missed by all of these holes (Assessment Report 23665).
The original Flathead claims expired in 1997 and the “B” and “K” grids were partially restaked by P.E. Fox in the form of the 15-unit Flat claim group.
In 1998 Eastfield Resources Ltd. purchased the Crowsnest project claims (formerly Flat 1-7 claims from Peter Fox) and in 1999 optioned a 75 per cent interest to International Curator Resources Ltd; some prospecting was conducted (Assessment Report 25730). Eastfield and/or Curator staked the Crow 1-9 claims, surrounding the Flat 1-7 claim, covering much of the former area held as the Flathead 1-9. The 1999 International Curator program included 2.8 kilometres of road construction, 20 kilometres of induced polarization survey, 19 kilometres of magnetometer survey, 341 soil samples, 30 till bank samples, nine stream sediment samples, 101 rock and trench samples, six trenches totaling 106 metres and ten diamond drill holes totaling 1056 metres (Assessment Report 26113). Of the rock samples collected 15 were boulders or cobbles in till with seven samples exceeding 1 gram per tonne gold with the average value being 19.27 grams per tonne gold. Trench TK-99-1 yielded a 16.5 metre channel sample grading 8.338 grams per tonne gold including 3 metres grading 19.063 grams per tonne. Other trenches were far less successful, and a complex system of faults was interpreted to explain the apparent lack of continuity. Drilling did not encounter significant gold intercepts.
In 1999, Commerce Resources Corp. (Assessment Report 26279) worked on their AuByrd 1-3 claims located along the south of the Crow 1-9/Flat 1-7 claims of Curator/Eastfield. Commerce completed a high-resolution heli-borne magnetic/resistivity/eIectromagnetic geophysical survey over the AuByrd 1-3 claims totaling 68.7-line kilometers. Interpretation of the data identified a north trending, sharp, 400 metres wide by 900 metres long magnetic anomaly in the central part of the claims. The magnetic high was coincident with a broad resistivity low and a conductive electromagnetic channel along its eastern margin. The AuByrd 1 and 3 claims lapsed and in 2003 one NQ drill hole near the centre of the airborne anomaly was drilled. The hole was abandoned at 108 metres after passing through unmineralized limestone before intersecting syenite with pyrite and magnetite mineralization. Assays showed weak anomalous gold up to 32.8 parts per billion (Assessment Report 27399).
In 2002 Goldrea Resources Corp. optioned a 60 per cent interest in the Crowsnest claims from Eastfield Resources and subsequently completed a program of mechanical trenching, road construction and diamond drilling. A total of 641 metres was drilled in 11 drill holes (8 holes were drilled on a new road and three were drilled in the vicinity of the discovery trench (Flathead 6, 082GSE070)). Most holes were terminated short of their target depths due to drilling problems. One of the holes, GR-02-03, intersected 12 separate syenite dikes or sills over an interval of 91 metres and returned an intercept of 1.05 grams per tonne gold over 12 metres (located 150 metres south and upslope of the discovery trench area) (Assessment Report 27041).
In 2003, Goldrea Resources Corp. completed 4 diamond drill holes totaling 476 metres. Results included 2003 drillhole 03-03 with 3.1 metres grading 248 grams per tonne silver on the K Grid and 2003 drillhole GR-03-04 which ended with 3.4 metres grading 240 grams per tonne silver (7.0 ounces per ton) on the B Grid (as reported in 2009 Assessment Report 31338).
By 2005, Eastfield Resources Ltd held title to the AuByrd 4-9 claims, which by 2009, as part of their Crowsnest property, covered much of what had been held as the Crow 1-9 and Flat 1-7 claims, which previously had been covered by the Flathead 1-9 claims. In 2005, operator La Quinta Resources Corp. completed minor sampling and mapping in the vicinity of the discovery trench area (Assessment Report 28067).
In 2006 La Quinta completed a program consisting of mechanical trenching and drill site construction and the rebuilding of the camp located on the seismic line approximately one kilometre west of the intersection of the Chevron/Shell Oil seismic line/road (Assessment Report 28820).
In 2009, operator Max Resource Corp. completed a program consisting of 26 shallow reverse circulation drill holes (797 metres) in the vicinity of the "Discovery Trench". The program was conducted on the AuByrd 4 claim of the Crowsnest property belonging to Eastfield Resources Ltd. Highlights of the 2009 program included the successful identification of an open-ended quartz vein striking 327 degrees and the intersection of high-grade gold in hole 09-R-7 (19.03 grams per tonne gold over 6.1 metres (Assessment Report 31338).
