The Axe (Adit zone) prospect outcrops along the steep west side of the Summers Creek valley, approximately 600 metres west of the creek and 21 kilometres north of Princeton.
The area along Summers Creek is underlain by the Eastern volcanic facies of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, comprising mafic, augite and hornblende porphyritic pyroclastics and flows, and associated alkaline intrusions. These rocks are intruded by granodiorite and quartz diorite of the Middle to Upper Cretaceous Summers Creek pluton.
This prospect is part of the Axe property, a large porphyry system some 3.2 kilometres in diameter that contains three significant zones of copper mineralization, including the Adit zone. The other two zones are the South (MINFILE 092HNE040) and West (MINFILE 092HNE142) zones. The Adit zone is 800 metres north of the South zone and 930 metres east-southeast of the West zone. This porphyry-copper hydrothermal system is related to the intrusion of small stocks and dikes of fine-grained diorite and monzonite through the West and Adit zones. These intrusions are interpreted to be part of the Nicola magmatic suite and may represent the deeper part of Nicola volcanoes.
The Axe (Adit zone) is largely hosted in a stock of porphyritic micro-monzonite, 1500 by 500 metres in area, intruding basaltic to andesitic flows and tuffs of the Nicola Group (Central Belt, Bulletin 69). The micro-monzonite is composed of 25 to 45 per cent plagioclase crystals and up to 10 per cent hornblende crystals in a matrix of orthoclase. The stock is cut by a few coeval porphyritic diorite dikes. The northern one-quarter of the deposit is hosted in sericite schist derived from strongly sheared flows or tuffs. Minor andesitic to basaltic, Cretaceous or Paleogene granodioritic and rhyolitic dikes cut all other rock units.
The hostrocks are strongly faulted, fractured and sheared in all orientations. One prevalent fracture set strikes 045 degrees. A major northeast-striking fault, dipping steeply northwest, traverses the area of copper mineralization. This structure is part of the north-striking Summers Creek fault system.
The monzonite stock and surrounding volcanics are strongly chloritized pervasively and along fractures. Epidote commonly accompanies the chlorite and also forms fracture fillings and irregular veins, usually with calcite. Strong zones of albitization are locally present. Fine-grained biotite often accompanies chlorite. Gypsum veins up to 1.5 centimetres wide occur at depth. Limonite and manganese staining are very common in the upper 30 metres of the zone. Malachite and azurite occur frequently in outcrop, usually along shears and fault zones. Surface exposures are intensely leached and clay altered. Clay is also developed along the numerous shears and fault zones.
Sulphides form up to 20 per cent of the zone and consist of pyrite, chalcopyrite, minor molybdenite, chalcocite and bornite and rare pyrrhotite. They are commonly disseminated and occur to a lesser extent in veins and fracture fillings. Chalcopyrite exceeds pyrite in areas of stronger mineralization. Chalcopyrite and pyrite tend to be disseminated in pervasive chlorite, epidote and albite, and along fractures with chlorite and epidote. Molybdenite occurs in chlorite-lined fractures, as irregular stringers and as disseminations in locally strong, pervasive epidote alteration. The bulk of the copper mineralization appears to be older than molybdenum mineralization, which may be associated with the Summers Creek stock.
The numerous scattered copper occurrences comprising the Adit zone outcrop over a north-south distance of 1400 metres and an east-west distance of up to 800 metres. Diamond drilling has intersected significant copper mineralization in a 500 by 400 metre area in the southwestern part of this zone.
Work History
The Axe (Adit zone) was first explored with a 30-metre-long adit, excavated sometime in the mid to late 1930s. In 1968, Quintana Minerals Corporation conducted geological mapping and drilled several rotary holes. Between 1969 and 1971, Amax Exploration Inc. completed various geological, geophysical and soil geochemical surveys and drilled 7 percussion holes and 6 diamond drill holes. In 1972 and 1973, Adonis Mines Ltd. carried out additional geological mapping and drilled 24 percussion holes and 9 diamond-drill holes.
Drilling up to 1973 has defined indicated reserves of 14 513 600 tonnes grading 0.56 per cent copper (Northern Miner - September 6, 1973). Silver values are generally low. In 1973, a drill hole (73-3) assayed 0.54 per cent copper and 3.3 grams per tonne silver over 53.6 metres, whereas two other holes (73-1 and 73-2), located west of the previous hole, yielded 0.33 and 0.12 per cent copper over 24.0 and 155.1 metres, respectively (Assessment Report 9896 and 10886).
No work was done on the property from 1974 to 1979. In 1980, the property was optioned by Global Energy Corporation (formerly Adonis Mines) to Cominco Ltd.
During 1980 through 1993, Cominco earned a controlling interest in the claims by completing work. During this period, they compiled all historical data, abandoned all original claims and re-staked the Axe 3000, 4000, 5000 and 6000 claims. They also completed magnetometer, very low frequency electromagnetic surveys, rock and soil geochemistry, and six diamond drill holes, totalling 765 metres.
In 1981, three rock samples (AD-1 through -3) from the Adit zone yielded from 1.64 to 2.97 per cent copper and 2.6 to 7.4 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 9896).
In 1982, a drillhole (82-3), located east of the 1973 drillholes, yielded intercepts of 0.065 per cent copper, 0.492 per cent zinc, 11.3 grams per tonne silver and 0.123 gram per tonne gold over 15.0 metres (30.0 to 45.0 metres down hole), including 0.0677 per cent copper, 0.420 gram per tonne gold, 35.2 grams per tonne silver and 1.038 per cent zinc over 3.05 metres; 0.408 per cent copper with 2.6 grams per tonne silver over 22.0 metres (60.0 to 82.2 metres down hole), including greater than 2.980 per cent copper and 17.0 grams per tonne silver over 0.6 metre and 0.764 per cent copper with 4.4 grams per tonne silver over 15.9 metres (95.4 to 111.3 metres down hole; Assessment Report 10886). Another drillhole (82-1), located east of the previous hole, yielded 0.1 per cent copper over 112.5 metres (Assessment Report 10886).
In 1991, Cominco drilled 11 percussion holes, totalling 375 metres, in an area of gold soil anomalies. This program was unsuccessful for the most part in penetrating deep overburden.
In 1994, Cominco sold the claims to the Predator Syndicate, who maintained the claims to their status in 2004. The claims were transferred to Kenneth L. Daughtry, who held the claims in trust for the syndicate until March 2003. From 1997 to 2000, the property was optioned to Causeway Mining Corp, who performed a work program in 1998 consisting of an induced polarazation survey, reviews of available drillcore, rock chip sampling and the staking of five additional claims. A select grab sample (ADIT-R7) from the Adit zone yielded 2.4 per cent copper and 4.3 grams per tonne silver over 1.5 metres, whereas a rock sample (AR-08), taken approximately 500 metres north of the Adit zone, yielded 0.798 gram per tonne gold over 1.6 metres (Assessment Report 25761).
In 2003, Bearclaw Capital Corp. entered into an agreement to option the Axe property. John Kerr prepared an Instrument 43-101 report on the Axe Property in October 2003. In his report, Mr. Kerr reported a total resource for the Axe (South, West, Adit and Mid) zones at 39 100 000 tonnes indicated and 32 000 000 tonnes inferred grading 0.39 per cent copper was reported, including a resource of 6 100 000 tonnes indicated and 6 100 000 tonnes inferred, both grading 0.59 per cent copper, from the Adit zone and 300 000 tonnes indicated and 300 000 tonne inferred, both grading 0.55 per cent copper, from the Mid zone (Assessment Report 29096). The overall resource is said to include an inferred oxide resource of 8 500 000 tonnes grading 0.54 per cent copper. The resource was based on a 0.25 per cent copper cut-off grade. The gold content has not been determined.
In 2004, Bearclaw Capital Corp. drilled three diamond drill holes, totalling 297.8 metres, on the Adit zone of the Axe property in March and early April 2004. The holes were drilled to test the oxide copper potential of the weathered zone of a previously drilled porphyry copper prospect and the following results are derived from Bearclaw Assessment Report 27516. Two holes have intersections of oxide-only mineralization. The oxide zones are 13.5 and 43.5 metres in length, with grades of 0.10 and 0.13 per cent oxide copper, respectively. Two holes have intersections of oxide and possibly supergene sulphide copper mineralization. These zones are 33.0 and 10.5 metres in length, with grades of 0.19 and 0.11 per cent sulphide copper and 0.12 and 0.22 per cent oxide copper, respectively. The total copper grade is approximately 0.3 per cent copper. All holes encountered primary copper sulphide mineralization. The intersections are 15.0, 3.6 and 23.6 metres in length, with grades of 0.17, 0.15 and 0.52 per cent copper, respectively. Later in 2004, a reverse circulation program was completed on the property and yielded intercepts of up to 0.32 per cent copper over 71.7 metres (4.0 to 75.6 metres down hole) in hole 04-005 (Assessment Report 27891).
In 2005, Westar Resources Ltd. entered into an option agreement with Bearclaw Capital Corp. and completed a 26.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Axe property. The following year, five diamond drill holes, totalling 689.0 metres, were completed on the Axe (West) zone. In 2009, a further four diamond drill holes, totalling 503.3 metres, were completed on the Axe (West) and Axe (Mid) zones.
In 2012, Xstrata Canada Corp. optioned the Axe property and completed a program of prospecting, soil sampling, a 35.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and a 954.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and radiometric survey. In 2014, Copper Mountain Mining Corp. completed four diamond drill holes, totalling 1595 metres, on the Axe (West) and Axe (South) zone.
In 2017, Evrim Exploration Canada Corp. completed a program of historical drill core re-logging and re-interpretation on the Axe property. The following year, a program of rock sampling, geological mapping, 41 rotary drill holes, totalling 695.3 metres, and 4 diamond drill holes, totalling 2113.6 metres, were completed on the property. A drillhole (AXD18-04) on the Adit zone yielded intercepts including 0.233 and 0.203 per cent copper with 0.136 and 0.027 gram per tonne gold over 28.0 and 63.0 metres (196.0 to 224.0 and 270.0 to 333.0 metres down hole), respectively (Assessment Report 38199). Also at this time, a grab sample (Y096039) of propylitic-altered diorite, located approximately 330 metres north-northwest of the Adit zone, yielded 0.704 per cent copper and 0.094 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 38199).
