The Whipsaw prospect is located 1.2 to 2.4 kilometres north of the confluence of Forty-three Mile and Whipsaw creeks, approximately 26 kilometres southwest of Princeton.
The region in the headwaters of Whipsaw Creek is underlain to the west by intrusive and metamorphic rocks of the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Eagle Plutonic Complex and to the east by greenschist facies metavolcanics and metasediments of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group. The contact between the two units strikes north-northwest. The Nicola Group rocks exhibit a strong foliation striking 150 to 160 degrees and dipping moderately to steeply west.
A steep-sided, crescent-shaped body of feldspar-quartz-biotite porphyry, 1500 metres long and up to 600 metres wide, intrudes rocks of the Eagle Plutonic Complex and the Nicola Group. A narrow apophysis of the stock extends southeast along the moderately to steeply west-dipping contact between the two units. The Eagle Plutonic Complex consists of foliated biotite granodiorite and granitic gneiss, containing bands of biotite gneiss, biotite amphibole schist and quartzite. The Nicola Group is comprised mostly of amphibole and chlorite schists with lesser quartzite, grit and chloritoid schist. An intrusive breccia, containing clasts of schist or granodiorite in a feldspar porphyry matrix, is occasionally present along the stock's margin. Various dikes and sills of feldspar porphyry, striking north-northwest, intrude the Nicola Group north and south of the stock.
The Nicola Group rocks are altered and extensively pyritized near the stock. Epidote and chlorite are the most common alteration minerals. Argillic alteration is best developed in the margins of the stock. The porphyry also exhibits quartz-sericite alteration, which appears to be associated with the argillic alteration. Feldspars are replaced by kaolinite and minor epidote and sericite in the more altered sections of the stock.
Sulphide mineralization is developed over a widespread area, as disseminations and fracture fillings, and in quartz and calcite veins. Pyrite is most abundant, occurring in quantities of 2 to 10 per cent. The stock contains significant amounts of finely disseminated pyrite when altered. Trace amounts of chalcopyrite, molybdenite, bornite, chalcocite and covellite occur with up to 10 per cent magnetite, primarily in the Nicola Group and Eagle Plutonic Complex rocks flanking the stock, and in the feldspar porphyry dikes and sills. Chalcopyrite is closely associated with pyrite and occurs as disseminations in the porphyry and schist, as fracture fillings, and in quartz-carbonate veins in schist. Molybdenite forms fine-grained coatings along fractures and along margins of quartz and quartz-carbonate veins in the Nicola Group, Eagle Plutonic Complex and feldspar porphyry dikes extending south of the stock. Bornite is closely associated with pyrite and occurs as fine disseminations in the porphyry. Thin blebs and rounded coatings of chalcocite and covellite are present in porphyry dikes to the south.
Stronger mineralization occurs along the stock's northern contact and near the southern contact, where the south east--trending apophysis extends from the main body. Diamond drilling and trenching has traced a zone of richer copper mineralization in Nicola Group schists, over a distance of 600 metres, along the stock's northern margin. The zone averages 0.20 to 0.30 per cent copper and 3.4 grams per tonne silver over a thickness of 76 metres (Property File - G.E. Paulus, 1972, pages 7, 8). A second hole intersected 0.177 per cent copper over 188.4 metres (Hole 72-W-3, 9.7 to 198.1 metres; Property File - G.E. Paulus, 1972, page 6). Copper grades gradually decrease away from the stock. A chip sample taken across altered quartz-feldspar-biotite porphyry, approximately 300 metres northwest of the percussion drilling, assayed 0.10 per cent copper and 0.005 per cent molybdenum disulfide over 97.2 metres (Property File - D.K. Mustard, 1969, page 28, Figure 5, trench 8).
In 1990, diamond drill hole W90-7 intercepted 0.298 per cent copper and 0.015 per cent molybdenum over 26.8 metres,; while another hole (W90-8) intercepted 0.360 per cent copper and 0.024 per cent molybdenum over 21.0 metres (Assessment Report 20165).
In 1991, a diamond drill hole (91-9), located approximately 100 metres north near 47 Mile Creek, returned 0.16 per cent copper over 25 metres from a pyritic intrusive breccia (Assessment Report 22147).
In 2004, diamond drill hole W04-11 intercepted 37.86 metres averaging 0.277 per cent copper and 0.013 per cent molybdenum; another section 32.03 metres long yielded 0.281 per cent copper and 0.016 per cent molybdenum. A second drill hole, W04-12, intercepted 22.68 metres averaging 0.248 per copper and 0.013 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 27780).
-----------------------------------------------------------In 2005, highlights from diamond drilling included: DDH From To Length Copper Molybdenum (No.) (m) (m) (m) (%) (%) 2005-1 12.19 185.93 173.74 0.196 0.012 2005-2 39.62 182.88 143.26 0.231 0.009 2005-2 131.07 182.88 51.82 0.268 0.011 2005-5 6.71 73.15 66.45 0.241 0.018 2005-7 121.92 353.57 231.65 0.209 0.013 (Assessment Report 28401) ----------------------------------------------------------- |
This prospect was discovered by Texas Gulf Sulfur Company Ltd. in 1959. Various operators, including Texas Gulf, conducted geophysical, geological and soil surveys, trenching and 2572 metres of drilling in 22 holes between 1959 and 1981. The deposit was more recently explored by World Wide Minerals Ltd., with the completion of geological mapping and soil surveys, and 467 metres of drilling in three holes between 1987 and 1993. An additional 22 holes, totalling 2066 metres, were drilled by Phelps Dodge Corporation of Canada Ltd. in 1991. Altogether, 3678 metres of diamond drilling (25 holes) and 1427 metres of percussion drilling (19 holes) was completed between 1961 and 1991. During 1995 through 1998, Martech Industries completed 10 diamond drill holes, totalling 1033.5 metres, on various targets over the Whipsaw property. In 2000, a pulp sampling program was completed to test for platinum group elements from former trenching and drilling programs but results were disappointing. In 2004, two diamond drill holes, totalling 145.04 metres, were completed on the north zone. In 2005, Canfleur Mining completed a program of sampling and seven diamond drill holes, totalling 1452.8 metres, on the area. During 2010 through 2015, Martech Industries completed programs of rock and soil sampling.
