The Rox prospect is located at the headwaters of Lois River near Mount Diadem, 38 kilometres northeast of Powell River and at an elevation of approximately 1100 metres.
The area lies within the Jurassic-Cretaceous Coast Plutonic Complex near its western boundary with the Insular Belt. The complex consists of diorites and granodiorites enclosing a series of northwest- trending pendants. In the Mount Diadem area, feldspar-rich diorite and quartz diorite dominate. These pendants, occurring along Howe Sound and Jervis Inlet, are interpreted to be part of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Bowen Island Group, coeval with volcanic rock of the Bonanza Group and the Harrison Lake Formation.
Mount Diadem forms part of a ridge consisting of Bowen Island Group sediments and volcanics that form a 15- kilometre long by 1 to 2 kilometre wide roof pendant. Lithologies along the eastern portion of the pendant consist of dark- green, chlorite-rich, massive volcanic flows and tuffs intercalated with grey to black cherty tuff and foliated, pyritic argillaceous siltstone. The western portion of the pendant contains well- bedded clastic sediments and, minor carbonate with intercalations of intermediate to mafic tuffs, flows and sills. In all, six stratigraphic units have been defined and are, in ascending order: 1) tuffaceous sandstone, minor argillite and lapilli tuff, 2) chlorite-rich tuff with interbedded tuffaceous sandstone, minor argillite, 3) thin-bedded argillite, minor carbonate and lapilli tuff interbeds, 4) banded argillite, sandstone, chert, minor lapilli tuff, 5) siliceous argillite, siltstone, tuff, chert and 6) andesitic breccia.
Volcanics and sediments have a near-vertical bedding and cleavage that form a series of tight upright folds that plunge moderately to the north.
Property exploration between 1947 and 1950 led to the discovery of a narrow shear containing a gold-bearing quartz vein. The shear host rocks are silicified and argillic (clay) altered. The vein has a vertical dip and can be traced along a strike of 040 degrees for greater than 244 metres. For the greater part of this distance the vein traverses various members of the volcanic assemblage, but at its north eastern end it persists into the plutonic rocks for greater than 30 metres. Mineralization is sparse, consisting of pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, minor galena and a few rare specks of native gold. The vein averages 20 centimetres in width but does not exceed 23 centimetres.
The Rox claims also hosts vein/replacement mineralization consisting of pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and greenockite in quartz veins and clay fault gouge, and traced along a shear contact between sediments and volcanics for 475 metres. The veins vary from 0.1 to 0.3 metre wide. Silicified and clay gouge wall rocks with fracture-filled mineralization range from 0.5 to 2.0 metres wide. For further information on this style of mineralization refer to the Mt. Diadem occurrence (MINFILE 092K 084).
A sample in 1950, over a width of 2.54 centimetres, assayed as much as 179.79 grams per tonne gold (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1950, page 177).
In 1982, exploration by Anaconda Canada Explorations Ltd. led to the discovery of two 0.8-metre wide quartz veins exposed in three separate creek gullies and separated by 2 metres of altered rock. Three chip samples yielded 24.3 grams per tonne over 16 centimetres, 30.4 grams per tonne gold over 7 centimetres and 27.0 grams per tonne gold over 30 centimetres, respectively (Assessment Report 11641).
In 1983, a chip sample across a width of 0.16 metre assayed 24.3 grams per tonne gold, 1.0 per cent zinc, 0.068 per cent copper and 23 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 11641).
Drilling in 1984 returned a 12-metre intersection of 0.79 per cent copper, 2.74 per cent lead, 1.61 per cent zinc, 135.0 grams per tonne silver and 3.94 grams per tonne gold (George Cross Newsletter #27 [February 9], 1998).
In 1991, samples are reported to have yielded up to 1141.47 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21459).
In 1992, 20 trenches were excavated; 10 of these trenches were excavated along the No Man's Creek quartz-sulphide vein. The best results from these trenches were from Sample 8, which yielded a weighted average of 94.97 grams per tonne gold over 2.18 metres (Assessment Report 22397). The sample also yielded 3.16 per cent zinc and 0.18 per cent copper over 18 centimetres. Sample 1 yielded the lowest values, a weighted average of 11.79 grams per tonne gold over 0.95 metre (Assessment Report 22397).
In 1995, samples from a trench on the vein yielded up to 226.8 grams per tonne gold, 88.4 grams per tonne silver, 0.983 per cent zinc and greater than 1.0 per cent copper over 0.2 metre (Sample 66613; Assessment Report 24447). The following year, diamond drilling yielded up to 16.6 grams per tonne gold and 6.6 grams per tonne silver over 0.99 metre from DDH RX 96-2; while another drill hole (RX 96-8) intercepted values of 23.0 grams per tonne gold and 6.3 grams per tonne silver over 0.15 metre (Assessment Report 24572).
In 2009, two composite samples, weighing 35.2 and 5.6 kilograms, of mineralized vein material yielded 54 and 89 grams per tonne gold, respectively (Assessment Report 31276). Rock samples taken at the same time yielded up to 1.90 per cent zinc, 0.12 per cent copper, 122.0 grams per tonne silver and 615.0 grams per tonne silver over 0.35 metre (Sample 1+50 N AR-6; Assessment Report 31276).
In 2013, six samples (23244 to 23249) taken along a 65 metre strike length of the main vein yielded from 2.4 to 121.5 grams per tonne gold and 21 to 85 grams per tonne silver over widths of 0.2 to 0.55 metre (Assessment Report 34211).
Several parallel quartz-sulphide veins occur above and below the 1,100 metre elevation gold-bearing quartz vein. In 1991, a 0.4 metre wide layer consisting of approximately 30 per cent pyrrhotite, located 250 metres to the northwest, yielded 8.6 grams per tonne gold (Sample 57; Assessment Report 21459). In 1995, a 5 metre wide quartz stock work vein system, located at the base of the cliffs at an elevation of approximately 900 metres, yielded 0.5 gram per tonne gold over 0.2 metre (Sample 66629; Assessment Report 24447). In 2013, a zone of quartz-sulphide veining, located 50 to 110 metres south west of the main gold- bearing vein, assayed 2.78 grams per tonne gold over 0.42 metre (Sample 23249; Assessment Report 34211).
The Mount Diadem area has received intermittent exploration since the 1920s. In 1927, Brittan R. Mining Co. drove two small adits 1.5 kilometres northwest and 2.0 kilometres north-northwest of Mount Diadem, respectively. Between 1947 and 1950, Inco Canada Ltd. and Bralorne Mines excavated several open cuts and a short adit in the area of the headwaters of No Man's Creek. In 1954, Copper Ridge Silver Zinc Mines Ltd. held 19 claims in the area. In 1965, Vanco Explorations Ltd. held 17 claims northwest of Mount Diadem, called the Linda group. Citation Explorations Ltd. held 73 claims and optioned the Linda group in 1967. Tiger Silver Mines optioned the Linda group in 1970, and carried out geochemical and geophysical surveys. In 1971, Brittan R. Syndicate optioned the 23 claims and performed geophysical and geochemical surveys. The claims lapsed and were restaked by Fury Explorations Ltd. (Diadem claim) and R. Schmidt (Fox claim). In 1982, Anaconda Canada Explorations Ltd. performed a regional stream sediment survey in the Mount Diadem area. During the following year, an exploration program was carried out on the optioned Diadem and Fury, and other staked claims surrounding Mount Diadem. White Channel Resources Inc. staked the Rox 1 to 5 claims and conducted property exploration in 1991 and 1992. In 1994, Noranda Exploration Company Limited optioned and explored the property for volcanogenic massive sulphide-type mineralization. In 1995 and 1996, Navarre Resources completed programs of rock and soil sampling, geological mapping and eight diamond drill holes, totalling 547.7 metres. Stirrup Creek Gold Ltd. optioned the property in 1998 and completed a program of geological mapping and ground electromagnetic and magnetic surveys on the area. During 2001 through 2005, Fundamental Resources completed programs of rock and soil sampling, geological mapping and 3.0 line-kilometres of ground electromagnetic and magnetic surveys on the area. In 2009, Sunshine Global Mining purchased the Rox claims and completed a minor program of sampling. In 2013, Fundamental Resources completed a program of rock sampling and geological mapping. In 2015, Asia New Energy Corporation completed 112.0 line-kilometres of combined airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys on the area.
