The Gossan occurrence is located on a south-southeast–facing slope, northwest of Spius Creek and approximately 9 kilometres south-southwest of Stoyoma Mountain.

The upper Spius Creek area is underlain by Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous aged muscovite-biotite granite, granodiorite and pegmatite of the Eagle Plutonic Complex near their contact with rocks of the Mount Lytton Complex.

The geology in the area of the Gossan occurrence is characterized by biotite-hornblende granodiorite, feldspar porphyry and quartz-feldspar porphyry which have been intruded by felsic and lamprophyre dikes. Pegmatite and quartz veins are common in all these rocks except the quartz-feldspar porphyry. Locally, the granodiorite displays a strong north foliation, with steep west dip. Fracture density in the intrusives varies greatly from one in two metres to six per metre.

Locally, intrusive rocks have been kaolinized, although it is not known whether this is a result of hydrothermal activity or extreme surface weathering. Sericite has been noted as another common alteration mineral, both within the granodiorite and in quartz veining. Chloritic alteration and silicification also occur locally.

Pyrite, as disseminations and on fractures, was noted in concentrations up to one per cent in the granodiorite and on fractures and in quartz veins within the feldspar porphyry. Pyrite also occurs as perfect, up to two-centimetre cubes making up greater than two percent of the quartz-feldspar porphyry. Most of the quartz veins host pyrite with local malachite staining and rare molybdenite. Late quartz-carbonate-pyrite stockwork veins also host pyrite disseminations with rare malachite adjacent to the feldspar porphyry and granodiorite units. Minor occurrences of chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, bornite, azurite and chalcocite have also been observed locally.

Work History

In 1968, Orequest Exploration Syndicate optioned the Gassan property from prospectors Clayton Powney and John Nott and completed a program of geological mapping, trenching, geochemical sampling, geophysical surveys and five diamond drill holes. Drilling is reported to have intersected ‘good’ mineralization in the bottom 18 metres of DDH 2 yielding 0.226 per cent copper, including 0.42 per cent copper over the final 3.0 metres (Assessment Report 36631).

In 1969, Murray Mining improved the access road from Merritt and completed additional trenching, an electromagnetic survey and ten percussion drill holes on the property. No significant copper-molybdenum mineralization was reported to have been intercepted except for the final 17.4 metres of hole no. 2, which graded 0.188 per cent copper (from 42.3 to 59.7 metres down hole; Property File - 008727).

In 1970, Arrow Inter-America Corp. completed an induced polarization survey on the area as the Gossan claims. At least seven percussion and/or diamond drill holes are reported to have been performed the following year. No results from the drill program are known.

In 1974, Brascan Resources completed a program of prospecting and trenching on the area.

In 1976, Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling on the area as the Pat claim.

In 2012 a small prospecting, ground magnetometer and soil geochemistry program was completed south and east of the showings (Assessment Report 33913). Highly anomalous soil copper geochemistry values from 1190 to 4640 parts per million copper were reported along a roadside sampling zone.

In 2016, a program of prospecting, photo-geological review and geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling was completed on the area as the Spius claims. A large angular float boulder (sample 2018408) with potassic and sericitic alteration and disseminated chalcopyrite-bornite mineralization, located above the main mineralized area, assayed 2.53 per cent copper and 12.0 grams per tonne silver, whereas samples of bedrock outcrop from the main mineralized area yielded up to 0.21 per cent copper (Assessment Report 36631). Also at this time, float samples from another zone of poorly exposed mineralization, located in a small creek approximately 500 metres west of the main zone, yielded up to 0.684 per cent copper and 0.049 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 36631).

In 2017, a program of rock and soil sampling was completed. A felsic float boulder with disseminated chalcopyrite, located a short distance east and downslope of the previous year’s high-grade float boulder, yielded 1.43 per cent copper and 9.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 37323).

In 2018, Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling and a 11.5 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area. The following year, four diamond drill holes, totalling 1087.0 metres, were completed. All holes were reported to have intersected porphyry-style alteration and mineralization, with the best mineralization being encountered at the bottom of hole SP-19-03: 51.8 metres averaging 0.099 per cent copper, including 0.113 per cent copper over 39.0 metres (Assessment Report 38802). Other holes yielded intercepts of 0.071 per cent copper over 84.0 metres, including 0.116 per cent copper over 19.4 metres, in hole SP-19-04, located approximately 200 metres east-southeast of hole SP-19-3, and 0.557 per cent copper over 20.0 metres in hole SP-19-02, located approximately 250 metres southwest of hole SP-19-3 (Assessment Report 38802).