The Coyne (Swan 7) occurrence is exposed in a series of trenches, approximately 550 metres northeast of Summers Creek, 900 metres north-northeast of the creek's confluence with Rampart Creek and 17 kilometres north-northeast 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.
The occurrence is hosted in bedded andesite tuffs, with minor interbedded siltstones and dacite tuffs of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group (Eastern Belt, Bulletin 69). The rocks exhibit limonite, calcite, secondary orthoclase and pyrite in the area of mineralization. Mineralization comprises irregular massive sulphide (pyrite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite) pods, up to 0.4 metres wide, whereas malachite occurs as narrow veinlets and fracture coatings associated with limonite and calcite.
In 1981, a rock sample (Snow 7) from the occurrence area yielded 0.310 per cent copper (Assessment Report 9896). The following year, a trench sample (R82 06940) assayed 0.114 per cent copper, 3.4 grams per tonne silver and less than 0.01 gram per tonne gold over 8 metres, whereas a second sample (R82 6934) assayed greater than 0.825 per cent copper, 9.2 grams per tonne silver and 0.088 gram per tonne gold over 1 metre (Assessment Report 10886, Plate 8).
In 1995, a grab sample (SW95-R1) from a massive sulphide pod exposed in a roadcut or historical trench assayed 2.26 grams per tonne gold, 0.585 per cent copper and 3.1 grams per tonne silver, whereas a 3.8-metre chip sample (SWCT-6) from a historical trench exposing malachite yielded 1.004 per cent copper, 6.1 grams per tonne silver and 0.057 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 24120).
In 1998, a rock sample (AR-14) of sheared and altered volcanics with malachite and minor chalcopyrite yielded 1.2 per cent copper, 7.7 grams per tonne silver and 0.085 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 25761).
Work History
The occurrence area was initially geologically mapped and soil sampled by Texas Gulf Sulfur Company Ltd. in 1971 and Iso Explorations Ltd. in 1972.
In 1981 and 1982, Cominco Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and ground geophysical surveys on the area as the Axe, BSM, Snow and Star claims of the Axe property.
In 1991, Fairfield Minerals Ltd. completed soil sampling, with a total of 458 samples collected, on the area as the Swan 6-11 claims. This program identified three copper anomalies with local associated gold enrichment.
In 1994 and 1995, Fairfield Minerals Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and trenching on the area as the Swan claims.
In 1998, Causway Mining Corp. completed a program of rock sampling and an 8.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as the Axe and Adam claims of the Summers Creek property.
During 2003 through 2010, the occurrence area was held by Bearclaw Capital Corp. and Westar Resources Corp. as part of the Axe property.
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 2018, Evrim Exploration Canada Corp. completed a program of rock sampling, geological mapping, 41 rotary drill holes, totalling 695.3 metres, and 4 diamond drill holes, totalling 2113.6 metres, on the Axe property.