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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  05-Dec-2012 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI
Name NI, N.I., LITTLE NITINAT, CAMP, COPPER, SUMMIT, A.B.C, NIT, NAT, LX, NITINAT, AL, FLORA, SKARN Mining Division Alberni
BCGS Map 092C087
Status Prospect NTS Map 092C15E
Latitude 048º 53' 02'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 124º 41' 13'' Northing 5415920
Easting 376328
Commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Zinc, Lead Deposit Types I06 : Cu+/-Ag quartz veins
Tectonic Belt Insular Terrane Wrangell
Capsule Geology

The Ni showings are located along the Little Nitinat River near its confluence with the Nitinat River, 40 kilometres south of Port Alberni. An adit, 3.3 metres long, reported in 1916 on the Flora claim is located 300 metres north of the Camp zone.

The area is underlain by Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group) basalts. Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group) limestone occurs to the south, and Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite granodiorite to the north. The property appears to be located at the junction of two shear zones. Faults trending north occur along the Little Nitinat River and the rocks have undergone greenschist facies metamorphism.

Mineralization occurs as massive sulphides and fault controlled. Argillic alteration is best developed in felsic volcanic rocks with silicification along some of the larger faults. Mineralization comprises massive sulphide lenses of pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite and shear/fracture zones with pyrite, sphalerite and galena. Marcasite was noted in the work done in 1916.

At the Camp and Copper zones, sheared basalt is the dominant rock type. As exposed in the Camp zone area, a shear strikes 145 degrees with dips generally to the southwest. Drilling at the Camp zone intersected basalt, at times porphyritic, and a grey siliceous unit containing variable amounts of disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite. One hole also intersected a section of quartz vein material mineralized with galena, sphalerite and minor chalcopyrite. A core sample across a 1.3 metre section assayed 0.17 per cent copper, 6.87 per cent lead, 6.61 per cent zinc, 94.61 grams per tonne silver and 1.3 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 7731). In 2001, a 3.0 metre chip sample of the Camp Zone returend 2.26 per cent lead, 4.75 per cent zinc, 104 grams per tonne silver, and 1.35 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 26736).

A surface grab sample from the Copper zone, 350 metres south of the Camp zone, assayed 0.16 per cent lead, 0.57 per cent zinc, 5.01 per cent copper, 209.79 grams per tonne silver and 1.7 grams per tonne gold across 1.5 metres (Assessment Report 7731). The Copper zone is a 1.5 metre wide block of massive sulphides and has been traced for at least 10 metres.

Soil sampling in 1988 on the west side of the Little Nitinat River yielded a number of anomalous zones which strike toward the Camp zone 1.3 kilometres away (Assessment Report 17406).

The area has been explored as the Jumbo and Tuzex claims in conjunction with Lloyd (092C 132) occurrence since the early 1970‘s.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1916-314; 1968-105
EMPR FIELDWORK 1989, pp. 503-510
EMPR OF 1988-24; RGS 24, 1990
EMPR PF (In 092C General File - Aeromagnetic Contour Map, Nitinat Lake Area, Noranda Mines Ltd., date unknown; Osborne, W. (1972): Supplement and Maps to the 1972 Geological Report on the Little Nitinat Property, Noranda Exploration; Forfeited claim documents from Noranda Exploration, 1974; Property description from Prospectus, 1990; claims map, 1995)
GSC MAP 1386A
GSC MEM 13
GSC OF 463; 821; 1272
GSC P 72-44; 76-1A; 79-30
Carson, D.J.T. (1968): Metallogenic study of Vancouver Island with emphasis on the relationships of mineral deposits to plutonic rocks, Ph.D. Thesis, Carleton University
Falconbridge File

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