The Boyes 3 occurrence is located at Boyes Creek, an east flowing tributary of the Adam River, at an elevation of approximately 590 metres.
The area, on the east side of Vancouver Island, is underlain by gently to moderately dipping massive and amygdaloidal basalts of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation of the Vancouver Group. Interbedded with the basalts are minor limestone strata, 15 metres thick. The Adam River defines the contact between sediments and volcanic rocks to the west and the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite to the east.
The occurrence is hosted by amygdaloidal basalt directly below a thin limestone bed contact and is associated with a 280-degree striking, steeply south dipping fault structure in which a sheeted or braided zone of stringers, lenses, and disseminations of chalcopyrite and bornite, minor chalcocite and native copper occurs. Fault-offsets and weak chlorite-epidote alteration occur.
A second zone of mineralization, located approximately 450 metres west of the main zone, comprises a basalt hosting a 0.3- to 0.5-metre-wide vein or dike trending 40 to 50 degrees north and dipping 75 degrees north. Mineralization includes disseminated to semi-massive pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, and malachite associated with epidote and chlorite.
In 1969, the main occurrence was explored by 13 trenches over a strike length of 305 metres, ranging from 0.3 to 4.6 metres in width. On the western-most section, 7 channel samples over 116 metres averaged 3.9 per cent copper over an average width of 1.2 metres. Associated silver and gold values are low, with maximum values of 18.66 grams per tonne and 0.62 grams per tonne respectively but averaging much lower (Assessment Report 1993).
In 2019, 12 of 13 samples (19045, 19046, 19077, 19078, and 19087-19095) from the main Boyes 3 occurrence yielded from 1.085 to 38.60 per cent copper with an average of 18.37 per cent copper and up to 167 grams per tonne silver and 0.422 grams per tonne gold, whereas nine samples (19039, 19041-19043, 19049, 19050, 19075, 19076 and 19201) from the afore-mentioned second zone of mineralization (located approximately 450 metres west of the main zone) yielded from 0.164 to 2.280 per cent copper with up to 25.7 grams per tonne silver and 0.135 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 39053).
Work History
In 1969, Bethlehem Copper completed a program of geological mapping, trenching, and soil sampling on the area as the Boyes claims. In 1971, Conoco Silver Mines completed a program of soil sampling and an induced polarization survey. In 1991, West Pride Industries completed a program of geological mapping, rock -, silt -, and soil sampling, as well as sampling of previous drill cores on the area as the Boyes 1-5 claims, Adam River property. In 1994, Lucky Break Gold completed ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys. During 2005 through 2013, M. Schau completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, and rock sampling on the area as the Kringle South property. During 2018 through 2020, Altum Resource Corp. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, a 3.5 line-kilometre induced polarization survey, and a 361.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetometer survey on the area as the Adam West property.
