The Hiller 8-12 magnetite occurrences are located on a north-flowing tributary of the Artlish River referred to as Evans Creek and later Toray Creek, approximately 14 kilometres north of the community of Zeballos. The Hiller No. 8 zone is located at an elevation of approximately 510 metres.
Regionally, the area lies within a broad northwest-trending sequence of interbedded sediments and volcanics of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Parson Bay Formation (Bonanza Group) and Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group). This assemblage lies on the northeastern flank of the extensive granodiorite Zeballos intrusion phase of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite.
The area lies within a belt of mineralization comprising nine or more similar occurrences that extend from the Zeballos River for approximately 10 kilometres in a north-northwest direction. The mineralization occurs at or near the conformable contact between the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group—comprising Quatsino Formation crystalline limestone and overlying highly altered and folded Parson Bay Formation volcanic and sedimentary rocks—and the Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group.
Locally, a cluster of five massive magnetite lenses striking 315 degrees and dipping vertically occur over a 1.5-kilometre strike length in skarned andesite or at limestone-andesite contacts near to the Zeballos intrusive. Andesite dikes and porphyry feldspar dikes are common.
The Hiller No. 8, zone located on the eastern side of the Hiller 22 claims, consists of two magnetite pods striking east and dipping steeply south over a length of 90 metres and width of up to 24 metres.
In 1964, the average of 87 samples from 251.7 metres of drill core yielded approximately 42.0 per cent iron, 1.58 per cent sulphur and 0.04 per cent copper (Property File - J.J. McDougall [1965-01-12]: Report on Hiller Magnetite Properties 1964).
In 1965, drilling yielding intercepts of 54.71 per cent iron over 9.0 metres and 50.76 per cent iron over 12.6 metres in hole H-14; 60.09 per cent iron over 11.7 metres in hole H-16 and 31.58 per cent iron over 8.4 metres in hole H-20 (Property File - R.N. Saukko [1966-02-10]: Report on Hiller-Churchill Deposit 1965).
In 1967, drill-indicated reserves were reported to be 180 000 tonnes grading 30 to 40 per cent iron (Property File - R.N. Saukko [1967-05-21]: Report on Addendum to Hiller-Churchill Report 1966).
In 1988, ore reserves of approximately 272 000 tonnes averaging 30 to 40 per cent iron were reported for the Hiller No. 8 zone (Property File - Footwall Explorations Ltd. [1988-05-24]: Prospectus Report on the Hiller-Churchill Group).
The Hiller No. 9 zone, located approximately 200 metres southwest of the No. 8 zone and also on the Hiller 22 claim, is a flat-lying magnetite lens 0.3 to 1.5 metres wide at the limestone-andesite contact. It has been traced over 30 metres. Magnetometer surveys indicate limited potential.
The Hiller No. 10 anomaly is located on the border of the Hiller 25 and 27 claims, approximately 600 metres west of the No. 9 zone. The Hiller No. 11 anomaly is located immediately southwest and across a small creek from the No. 9 zone. The Hiller No. 12 anomaly is located on the border of the Hiller 25 and 26 claims, approximately 300 metres north the No. 10 zone and approximately 1.6 kilometres northwest of the No. 8 zone. This zone may be related to the A25 (MINFILE 092L 302) occurrence.
Work History
In 1956, the area immediately southeast was staked as the Artlish Group by Mr. Skogland. In 1961, BHP-Utah Mines optioned the Artlish Group claims and completed a program of geological mapping and ground and airborne geophysical surveys on the area.
During the early 1960s, Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. completed programs of ground and airborne geophysical surveys and staked the Hiller claims. The Hiller No. 8 occurrence was discovered in 1962. In 1964, a program of 10 packsack drillholes, totalling 288 metres, was completed on the Hiller No. 8 zone. In 1965, a program of further geological mapping, geophysical surveys and six diamond drill holes, totalling 491.7 metres, was completed on the Hiller No. 8 zone.
In 1986, Falconbridge Ltd. completed an airborne geophysical survey on the Hiller and surrounding Zeb claims. In 1988, Footwall Explorations Ltd. completed 900 metres of drilling on the Hiller-Churchill property.
In 2018, R.J. Billingsley completed a program of photo-geological and airborne geophysical interpretation on the area as the Hiller property. Additional work was done in 2020.
