The Tex (Long Beach Porphyry Cu-Mo) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 400 metres on a northeast-facing slope on southern Texada Island and approximately 1.8 kilometres north-northwest of Mount Grant.

Regionally, the area is underlain by undivided sedimentary rocks of the Mississippian to Lower Permian Nanoose Complex (Buttle Lake Group), limestone, marble and calcareous sedimentary rocks of the Middle to Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group) and basaltic volcanics of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group). The sedimentary and volcanic rocks have been intruded by granodioritic rocks of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite.

Locally, the area is predominantly underlain by basaltic volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group) that have been intruded by granodioritic rocks of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite. The basalts range from feldspar porphyritic to augite porphyritic with amygdaloidal and aphanitic varieties also present. Pillow basalt flows are common. Limestone occurs locally as narrow lenses with limited lateral extent. The intrusive body consists of a medium-grained quartz diorite. The core of the intrusion is apparently more biotite rich whereas the margin, near the volcanic contact, is more hornblende rich. A weak, steeply dipping lamination of platy potash feldspar crystals was observed near the margin along with low retrograde alteration of hornblende to actinolite with sparse epidotic alteration. Both rock units are cut by narrow, northeast-trending dikes of variable textures and composition. The most prominent unit is a porphyritic dacite that forms sills and crosscutting dikes. The composition of andesite dikes, crosscutting the intrusive and volcanics, appears to grade to a hornblende microdiorite.

Persistent northeast-trending and subvertically dipping fracture zones transect the intrusive as well as the volcanics near the contact with the intrusive. The fractures control multiple zones of quartz-sulphide mineralization including pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite. Mineralization has been intermittently traced over an area of approximately 600 metres in diameter. A granite hosting minor molybdenite mineralization is reported to be exposed by a creek to the northwest of the plotted location of the occurrence, whereas other zones of mineralization are reported along the BC Hydro Service Road to the east.

Work History

During 1969 through 1971, Falconbridge Nickel Mines is reported to have conducted programs of geophysical and geochemical surveys and six shallow diamond drill holes, totalling approximately 490 metres, on the area as the Tex claims. Drilling intercepts included 0.21 per cent copper over 6.1 metres in hole 70-2 and 0.24 per cent copper over 3.0 metres in hole 70-3, whereas other drillholes yielded numerous visual estimates in the 0.05 to 0.15 per cent copper range (Property File – Wares, R. (1971-04-01): Mickle-Samuelson Option Texada Island, B.C. PN158).

In 1979 and 1981, F. Brennan conducted programs of prospecting and several short diamond drill holes on the area immediately northwest as the Hernando claims.

In 1988, Echo Bay Mines entered into a joint venture with Rhyolite Resources Inc. who then completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping, trenching and geochemical (rock, silt, soil and heavy mineral) sampling on the area as the Angel property. Two rock samples (XR32333 and XR32334) from the occurrence area yielded values of up to 0.04 gram per tonne gold, 3.6 grams per tonne silver, 0.183 per cent copper and 0.116 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 18671).

In 2001, Northstar Mining Ltd. conducted a program of geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Dude claims. Rock samples (BB-01-9R and -12R) of quartz veining with molybdenite and/or chalcopyrite mineralization, located along the BC Hydro Service Road several hundred metres to the east, yielded values of up to 0.095 per cent molybdenum and 0.43 gram per tonne gold, and a rock sample (BB-01-2R) from a narrow pyrite-molybdenite-chalcopyrite vein within quartz diorite, taken several hundred metres southeast of the occurrence, assayed 0.029 per cent molybdenum, 0.225 per cent copper, 5.0 grams per tonne silver and 0.32 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 26690).

Also at this time, Homegold Resources Ltd. conducted a geological mapping program on the area immediately east as the Longbeach claims.

In 2004, Pathfinder Resources and Fjordland Exploration Inc., on the behalf of Northstar Mining Ltd., conducted a program of prospecting and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the Dude claims. The following year, Homegold Resources Ltd. conducted a program of geological mapping, test pitting, a 2.4 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey and 75.6 metres of Becker Hammer drilling in three holes on the Longbeach claims to the east.

In 2005, Pathfinder Resources Ltd. completed six diamond drill holes, totalling 1269.5 metres, on the Dude claims. Drilling intercepts yielded values of up to 0.1 per cent copper and 0.01 per cent molybdenum over 6.1 metres in hole 05-03 and 0.09 per cent copper and 0.01 per cent molybdenum over 54.9 metres in hole 05-01 (Assessment Report 28183).

In 2007, Northstar Mining Ltd. conducted a 2257.6-hectare remote sensing program on the area as the Dude-Tak properties. The following year, a prospecting program and a 500.0-hectare remote sensing (gamma-ray) survey was conducted.

In 2013, Northstar Mining Ltd. conducted a 19 000-hectare remote sensing (spectral analysis) survey on the area as part of the regionally extensive Texada Island property. In 2014 and 2015, Northstar Mining Ltd. conducted a geological interpretation program to identify future target areas for exploration on the Texada Island property.

During 2022 through 2024 Quadra Coastal Resources Ltd. conducted programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, LIDAR data reprocessing and a total of 553.2 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic surveys on the Texada Island property. In 2022, two grab samples (1531483, 1531477) from the occurrence area yielded 0.204 and 0.136 per cent copper (Assessment Report 40479).