The Prospect Valley (North Discovery) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1580 metres on a northeast-facing slope in the southern headwaters of Nuaitch Creek.
Regionally, the area is underlain by andesitic volcanic rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Spius Creek Formation (Spences Bridge Group), which are locally overlain by andesitic volcanic rocks of the Eocene Princeton Group. Granodioritic intrusive rocks of the Permian to Triassic Mount Lytton Complex outcrop to the southeast.
Locally, the area is underlain by a northeast-trending (040 degrees) and variably dipping (50 degrees west through vertical to 40 degrees east) sequence of variably silica-chlorite-carbonate–altered amygdaloidal basalts with stockwork and sheeted microcrystalline quartz veining that hosts gold mineralization on the hangingwall of the west edge of the early fault zone, which extends south to the South Discovery (MINFILE 092ISW111) occurrence. The veins vary in width from 1 to 200 centimetres, averaging approximately 5 to 10 centimetres in width, and strike 026 to 065 degrees with a dip of 50 degrees east to vertical. Sulphide mineralization is dominated by limonite±hematite with lesser disseminations and clots of pyrite and arsenopyrite. Native gold has also been reported.
The mineralized zone is associated with the southwest-striking Early fault zone, which is indicated to have been a major control for gold mineralization in the area. The Early fault zone unit varies from 1 to 12 metre wide, dips moderately to the southwest at 30 to 45 degrees and has been traced over a strike length of 1.7 kilometres. The Early fault zone unit is interpreted as a fissure/structural vein with similar characteristics to a fault breccia and/or hydrothermal breccia. The Early fault zone cuts multiple rock types within the Spences Bridge Group and separates two distinct volcanic sequences: a hangingwall sequence of intercalated amygdaloidal basalt, mafic-phyric basalt, intraformational flow breccia, andesite flows and lesser tuff breccia; and a footwall sequence dominated by mafic-phyric basalt and volcaniclastic rocks primarily comprising tuff breccia with lesser interbedded sequences of crystal tuff, lapilli tuff, tuffaceous sandstone and carbonaceous argillite. A complete description of the Early fault zone and its relationship to mineralization can be found in Assessment Report 30560.
Work History
In 2001, the Prospect Valley property was staked by Fairfield Minerals Ltd. In early 2002, Fairfield Minerals merged with Almaden Resources Corp. Later that year, Almaden Resources completed a program of prospecting, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and 2836 metres of trenching in 35 trenches on the property.
In 2003, Almaden Minerals Ltd. completed a program prospecting, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and a 5.9 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the property. This work first identified the occurrence.
In 2004, Almaden Minerals Ltd. and joint venture partner Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. continued grassroots prospecting. Chip sampling of a trench yielded an average of 0.475 gram per tonne gold over 6 metres (Assessment Report 27779).
In 2005, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd., in conjunction with Almaden Minerals Ltd., completed a program of geological mapping, soil sampling and 324 metres of trenching in 33 trenches on the property. A chip sample (D198643) from outcrop yielded 6.23 grams per tonne gold and 23.6 grams per tonne silver, whereas trenching yielded up to 1.63 grams per tonne gold over 10.0 metres in trench 20 (Assessment Report 28162).
In 2006, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. completed a 28-hole drill program, geophysical surveys and geochemical sampling on the Prospect Valley property. Highlights of this program include hole RM-2006-04, which assayed 1.24 grams per tonne gold and 4.0 grams per tonne silver over 27.2 metres (Assessment Report 29316).
In 2007, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. completed an airborne magnetometer survey, mapping and trenching and a drill program on the Prospect Valley property. The drill program included values of 0.84 gram per tonne gold and 0.46 gram per tonne silver over 5.56 metres from drillhole DDH-2007-07 (Assessment Report 30560).
In 2008, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. had a National Instrument 43-101 compliant report completed, which identified 13 exploration target areas (Press Release, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd., April 30, 2008). Also at this time, a program of prospecting, geological mapping and hand trenching was completed on the property. This work focused on the Bonanza zone, located south of the South Discovery (MINFILE 092ISW111) occurrence.
In 2009, Altair Ventures Inc. optioned the property from Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. Altair Ventures Inc. completed an exploration program through late 2009 and 2010 consisting of soil sampling, prospecting and a drill program.
In 2010, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. changed their name to Berkwood Resources Ltd.
In 2011, Altair Ventures Inc. completed sampling as well as prospecting on the Prospect Valley property.
In early 2012, Berkwood Resources Ltd. regained 100 per cent control of the Prospect Valley property and had a National Instrument 43-101 compliant report compiled for the Prospect Valley property, which reported an inferred mineral resource estimate for the North Discovery showing of 3 955 976 tonnes grading 0.433 gram per tonne gold using a cut-off grade of 0.3 gram per tonne (Press Release, Berkwood Resources Ltd., January 25, 2012). Later in 2012, Berkwood Resources Ltd. completed a summer program of soil and rock sampling, trenching and mapping throughout the Prospect Valley property.
In 2014, Berkwood Resources Ltd. completed a magnetic survey on the area south of the South Discovery (MINFILE 092ISW111) zone.
In 2015, Berkwood Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, core re-logging and a 3.5 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey on the property.
In 2016, Westhaven Gold Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, 148.1 metres of trenching in four trenches and eight diamond drill holes, totalling 1519.2 metres, on the Prospect Valley property. Trenching on the Dome zone, located approximately 600 metres north of the North Discovery zone, exposed a 4- to 5-metre wide zone of northeast-striking and west-dipping quartz veins and veinlets yielding up to 0.166 and 0.179 gram per tonne gold over 0.7 and 0.3 metre in trenches NWD-T03 and NWD-T02, respectively (Assessment Report 36768).
In 2017 and 2018, Westhaven Ventures completed programs of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, 2376 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys, 31.8 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys, a 6 line-kilometre passive seismic survey and 29 diamond drill holes, totalling 11 882 metres, on the area as part of the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.
In 2019, Westhaven completed a program of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, petrographic and Terraspec analysis on select 2018 drillcore samples, a LiDAR survey, 327 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys, a 20.3 line-kilometre DC resistivity survey and 49 diamond drill holes, totalling 21 849.3 metres, on the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.
In 2020, Westhaven completed a further program of geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling, various ground geophysical surveys and 102 diamond drill holes, totalling 43 268.7 metres, on the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.
