The Giant (Big Kidd Breccia) occurrence is located approximately 2.5 kilometres east-northeast of Aspen Grove and 2.75 kilometres northwest of the north end of Alleyne Lake.
The deposit is located along the northern margin of an area of hilly upland known as the Fairweather Hills, which is situated in the centre of the Aspen Grove copper camp. The Fairweather Hills region is underlain by the Central volcanic facies of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, comprising intermediate, feldspar and feldspar augite porphyritic pyroclastics and flows, and associated alkaline intrusions. The intrusions vary in composition from diorite to monzonite and are thought to be comagmatic with the Nicola Group, ranging in age from Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic.
Locally, the area is underlain by red and green laharic breccias, augite andesite porphyry and minor sediments of the Nicola Group (Central Belt, Bulletin 69). The units generally strike north-northwest and dip east. This sequence is broken up into a series of tilted fault blocks trending north.
A vertical or subvertical breccia pipe, nearly circular in outline and approximately 300 metres wide, is developed in a body of fine-grained diorite, which may in part be recrystallized volcanics. The pipe consists of angular to subrounded clasts of volcanics, fine-grained diorite (microdiorite) and pinkish grey monzonite and syeno-monzonite porphyry in a matrix of altered diorite intrusive material and finely comminuted rock. The fragments are 1 centimetre to several metres in diameter. The breccia zone is a maximum of approximately 600 metres long and 300 metres wide, narrowing to the south.
Parts of the breccia, especially on the north and east sides of the pipe, show extensive late magmatic and/or hydrothermal alteration and recrystallization. Breccia clasts in these areas have pronounced grey and pinkish grey alteration rims, and the matrix is extensively replaced by epidote, chlorite and calcite.
Mineralization is erratic and consists of abundant magnetite, and pyrite, lesser chalcopyrite, and traces of bornite and chalcocite, as disseminations, lenses, scattered blebs and veinlets. Cuprite and native copper are also reported. This mineralization tends to favour the zones of alteration but is not proportional to the intensity of alteration. The sulphides are in part controlled by zones of shearing and fracturing in the northeastern portion of the deposit. Limonite, malachite and azurite are present at or near surface. Pyrite occurs primarily as disseminations up to 5 millimetres in diameter. The mineral also occurs along fractures in association with chalcopyrite, orthoclase, quartz and/or carbonate. Chalcopyrite tends to be finely disseminated and is usually associated with magnetite, intimately associated with pyrite, and forms pseudomorphs after pyrite. Pyrite-chalcopyrite intergrowths are prevalent along fractures. Bornite is often found in magnetite-chalcopyrite blebs and veinlets, which often display epidote halos.
Copper content is quite variable, and precious metal values are low but anomalous.
Work History
This occurrence was first explored by H.H. Schmidt between 1900 and 1915, with the excavation of several trenches and one adit, 69 metres long. An additional three adits, 12 to 90 metres long, were excavated sometime between 1916 and the 1950s. The deposit was trenched and drilled by Noranda Mines Ltd. in 1956 after completing geological and geophysical surveys. Drillholes 2, 3, 4 and 5 were reported to have been drilled in the northern part of the Big Kidd Breccia zone and yielded intercepts in the 0.10 to 0.36 per cent copper range (Assessment Report 22720). Drilling intercepts included 0.28 per cent copper over 36.3 metres (103.2 to 139.5 metres down hole) in hole No. 2 and 0.10 per cent copper over 38.9 metres (3.0 to 41.9 metres down hole) in hole No. 3 (Property File - 861157).
In 1966, B & B Mining and Exploration Ltd. completed a 12.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Corky and Dote claims. Samples from a volcanic breccia zone with chalcopyrite mineralization on the Dote 10 claim is reported to have yielded from 0.35 to 1.45 per cent copper with 11.3 grams per tonne silver over 15 metres (Property File – 8531 and 8532).
In 1968, David Minerals Ltd. examined the occurrence area as the Halo claims. Later that year, Norranco Mining and Refining Co. Ltd. completed 20.0 line-kilometres of combined ground magnetic, induced polarization and self-potential surveys on the Broatch, Halo and Ram claims.
In 1971, Frontier Explorations Ltd. and David Minerals Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling and a 32.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Halo, Ram, Lou, Chalco, Magnus and Touch claims of the Hans Haveroen Copper property. The following year, Amax conducted programs of geological mapping, geochemical sampling, ground geophysical surveys and 23 percussion drill holes on the area. Drillholes 72-6 and 72-7, located on the occurrence area, yielded 0.16 and 0.14 per cent copper over 12.0 and 22.5 metres, respectively, whereas another drillhole (72-12), located several hundred metres to the north yielded an average of 0.14 per cent copper over 90 metres (Property File – 681185).
During 1975 through 1980, David Minerals Ltd. conducted programs of geological mapping, self-potential surveys, trenching and five diamond drill holes, totalling 169 metres, on the area as the Halo, Touch and Broatch claims.
In 1978, channel sampling of adit no. 1 yielded 0.901 per cent copper, 0.141 gram per tonne gold and 13.66 grams per tonne silver over 14 metres, while channel sampling of adit no. 3 yielded 0.304 per cent copper and 3.31 grams per tonne silver over 22 metres (Assessment Report 7100). Also at this time, channel sampling of trench no. 12, located approximately 140 metres west of adit no 1, yielded 0.237 per cent copper, 0.095 gram per tonne gold and 3.37 gram per tonne silver over 35 metres (50 to 85 metres along the trench), whereas five grab samples from 100 to 180 metres along the trench yielded an average of 0.221 per cent copper with 3.16 grams per tonne silver and a further channel sample (taken from 185 to 190 metres along the trench) yielded 0.618 per cent copper with 5.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 7100).
In 1980, trenching and sampling of the northern margin of the breccia pipe exposed in trench 80-4, located northwest of the no. 1 adit, yielded 0.115 per cent copper and 1.23 grams per tonne gold over 12 metres, including 0.121 per cent copper and 1.97 grams per tonne gold over 6 metres (Assessment Report 8743).
In 1991, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Dawn 100 and Halo 100 claims of the Shear property. A select grab sample (114214) from the adit/shaft area yielded 1.357 per cent copper and 0.320 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21824).
In 1992, Placer Dome Inc. completed a program of geological mapping, trenching, soil sampling and six diamond drill holes, totalling 1020 metres, on the Shear property. Drilling yielded intercepts of up to 0.75 gram per tonne gold and 0.2 per cent copper over the final 71 metres of hole 91-1 located in the north zone of the Big Kidd breccia (Assessment Report 22720). Also at this time, sampling of trench 92-2 is reported to have yielded 0.56 gram per tonne gold and 0.112 per cent copper over 32.5 metres (Assessment Report 26138).
In 1993, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a further program of rock sampling on the property.
In 1997, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, 10 diamond drill holes, totalling 2078.8 metres, and a 13.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as the Big Kidd property. Drill hole BK97-05, located near the 1992 hole 92-1, yielded a 115.96-metre intersection grading 0.801 grams per tonne gold and 0.124 per cent copper, including a higher-grade section of 19.46 metres grading 3.09 grams per tonne gold and 0.113 per cent copper, whereas hole BK97-04 extended the mineralized zone over 40 metres laterally yielding 0.93 gram per tonne gold and 0.18 per cent copper over 59.56 metres (Assessment Report 25611; Exploration in B.C. 1997, page 38). This intersection is from the North zone and lies at approximately 140 metres depth, where it possibly connects with a breccia-hosted gold-copper zone exposed in trench 92-02 and located vertically above the intercept. The Southwest zone, 350 metres to the south, and the Northeast zone also contain mineralization. Drilling on the Southwest zone yielded an average of 0.262 gram per tonne gold and 0.32 per cent copper over 40 metres in holes BK97-06 and -07 (Assessment Report 25611). Also at this time, surface sampling results included a chip sample (125888) from the southwest side of the breccia pipe that yielded 1.02 per cent copper, 8.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.825 gram per tonne gold over 1 metre, whereas a grab sample (95600) from a trench on the east end of the breccia yielded 1.81 per cent copper and 0.785 gram per tonne gold, and a composite of grab and chip samples (125880) taken to the south of the previous sample yielded 1.38 per cent copper, 11.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.07 gram per tonne gold over 7.0 metres of subcrop (Assessment Report 25611).
The next program by Christopher James Gold was a two-stage drilling program completed during the fall in 1999. This program drilled a fan of three holes to the southwest and one parallel hole along the Big Kidd Breccia north contact. All four 1999 holes intersected significant lengths of gold-copper–mineralized intrusion breccia with late porphyritic monzonite dike and potassic (K-feldspar) alteration zones. The work identified two or possibly three mineralized zones interpreted on section as an upper, steeply dipping, 15- to 36-metre-wide mineralized zone correlating with surface mineralization exposed in trench 92-2 and a lower broader mineralized zone, 60 to 70 metres wide, centred on a narrow porphyritic monzonite dike that is displaced at depth along steeply dipping faults. Drilling on the upper and lower zones yielded 0.182 and 0.622 gram per tonne gold with 0.112 and 0.204 per cent copper over 35.90 and 70.28 metres, respectively, in hole NBZ99-02; 0.11 and 0.24 gram per tonne gold with 0.15 and 0.17 per cent copper over 41.80 and 67.34 metres, respectively, in hole NBZ99-03 and 0.37 and 0.21 gram per tonne gold with 0.10 and 0.10 per cent copper over 51.5 and 98.16 metres, respectively, in hole NBZ99-04 (Assessment Report 26138).
In 2003, Christopher James Gold Corp. drilled 10 holes, totalling 1579.0 metres, and dug three trenches to test alkalic porphyry hosted by the Big Kidd breccia. Broad intervals of low-grade mineralization were encountered. Drilling yielded intercepts including 0.51 gram per tonne gold and 0.10 per cent copper over 56 metres in hole 03-05 (Folk, P.G. (2011-05-12): Technical Report on the Big Kidd Property). Other drilling intercepts included 0.33 gram per tonne gold and 0.15 per cent copper over 61.59 metres (192.00 to 253.89 metres down hole) in hole 03-07; 0.24 gram per tonne gold with 0.12 per cent copper over 187.4 metres (3.60 to 191.11 metres down hole) in hole 03-10 and 0.21 gram per tonne gold with 0.13 per cent copper over 126.0 metres (66.0 to 192 metres down hole) in hole 03-12 (Assessment Report 27298).
In 2008, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a 1113.5 line-kilometre airborne magnetic-radiometric survey on the Big Kidd property.
In 2011 and 2012, Xstrata Copper Canada Corp. completed programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, six diamond drill holes, totalling 1808.7 metres, and a 56.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Big Kidd property on behalf of Jiulian Resources Ltd. In 2018 and 2019, Jiulian Resources Ltd. completed an 84.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey, an 18.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and 11 diamond drill holes, totalling 4239.8 metres, on the Big Kidd property. Drilling yielded intercepts of 0.32 gram per tonne gold and 0.11 per copper over 156.0 metres (6.0 to 162.0 metres down hole), 1.15 grams per tonne gold and 0.19 per cent copper over 16 metres (283.0 to 299.0 metres down hole), 0.53 gram per tonne gold and 0.37 per cent copper over 18 metres (362.0 to 380.0 metres down hole) and 0.99 gram per tonne gold with 0.08 per cent copper over 20 metres (501.0 to 530.0 metres down hole) in hole BK-19-002; 0.34 gram per tonne gold and 0.10 per cent copper over 112.0 metres (187.0 to 299.0 metres down hole) in hole BK-19-004; 0.31 gram per tonne gold and 0.11 per cent copper over 204.0 metres (97.0 to 291.0 metres down hole) in hole BK-19-005; 0.30 gram per tonne gold and 0.13 per cent copper over 161.5 metres (65.0 to 226.5 metres down hole) in hole BK-19-008 and 0.21 gram per tonne gold with 0.13 per cent copper over 214.5 metres (192.0 to 406.5 metres down hole) in hole BK-19-009 (Assessment Report 38825).
