The Blackhorn Mountain (Homathko Gold) occurrence refers to several significant occurrences of gold and silver-bearing quartz veins, which outcrop in the mountainous terrain south of Blackhorn Mountain. The Homathko (McDuck) adit is located west of the southern end of Razor (Wolverine) Lake at an elevation of approximately 2130 metres and 3.5 kilometres south-southeast of Blackhorn Mountain.
The area lies in the Cadwallader terrane and the overlap assemblage near the northeastern margin of the Jurassic to Paleogene Coast Plutonic Complex, within a complex stack of recumbent folds and imbricated, gently southwest-dipping thrust sheets (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 1163, Map 1713A). The northeast-directed thrusting placed Upper Triassic (Carnian) and Lower Cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary rocks over Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian) sedimentary rocks (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 1163, Papers 88-1E, 89-1E; Geology 1991). The thrusting took place during the Late Cretaceous because the thrusts are cut by a quartz diorite intrusion dated at 68 million years by the uranium-lead method on zircon (Geological Survey of Canada Paper 88-1E). The area of economic interest lies within the imbricated Upper Triassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks. The local geology probably involves more than one thrust sheet, but because thrusts were not recognized as such in the pertinent data sources, a structural interpretation of the local stratigraphy is not attempted here.
Most of the area of the occurrence is underlain by andesitic tuff and breccia, metamorphosed at greenschist grade and usually described as greenstone, or as chlorite schist where the rocks are sheared. Minor shale or argillite or sericitic schist is intercalated with the volcanics. Locally there are units of sedimentary rocks, including limestone, shale, greywacke and conglomerate. In general, the strata strike north to northeast and dip moderately to the northwest. The area is intruded by numerous felsic to intermediate porphyritic dikes and sills; the dikes are generally steep, and strike east.
The known mineralization of Blackhorn property occurs as five probably interrelated types of epigenetic vein and replacement vein occurrences. These subtypes may form a continuum where one subtype is more common in any one area due to the current level of exposure within the partially exposed systems. Also, the host rock type, including both its physical and geochemical characteristics would affect the upward and laterally migrating acidic occasionally deposit forming auriferous fluids and the deposits they formed.
The first type occurs over several areas throughout the property as bedrock and float hosted banded to massive to vuggy quartz and quartz-carbonate sulphide veins within a phyllitic to schistose host usually located within the imbricated Late Triassic to Cretaceous Eastern Waddington thrust belt imbricate zone, formed from slices of 6 units the most significant being the lower Cretaceous Cloud Drifter Formation (lKCD) consisting sandstone, siltstone and minor conglomerate and the Lower Cretaceous Ottarasko Formation lKCD) consisting of basalts, andesites and rhyolite flows, tuffs and breccias. The other 4 units that occur include, uTrMo, uTrlm, uTrsv and uTrMM units (see MaPlace geology).
The vein-hosted sulphide mineralization consists of variable amounts of disseminated to banded weak to semi massive arsenopyrite and pyrite, with up to 5 per cent galena and sphalerite and up to 2 per cent localized chalcopyrite. Microscopic free gold was reportedly found in a float sample at the test pit of the Blackhorn Vein. The veins are generally confined to northeast-southwest trending structures or along structures, which sub parallel but underlie and postdate the thrust faults. The vein occurrences along the Blackhorn Trend and the Champagne Vein in the Feeney Area are bedrock examples of this style of mineralization.
The second type are quartz chalcopyrite veins that are usually only weakly auriferous. Although often occurring near to and sometimes within or adjacent to the gold bearing quartz-carbonate sulphide veins their very different mineralogy may indicate they were formed during a different and possibly later event.
A third type of mineralization not noted prior to Travis' work in 2007 and 2009 are highly to non-auriferous massive and semi massive sulphide float occurrences that are usually spatially associated with auriferous quartz vein float occurrences in the eastern portions of the property south and west of Razor Peak. This type of mineralization has been seen in 3 Oz valley.
Large gossanous areas (tuffs) noted in the Blackhorn and Ottarasko areas hosting finely disseminated sulphide mineralization are usually barren. Similar areas at the HW area host undetermined gold values.
A fourth style of gold mineralization explored for (Copeland, 1988 (Assessment Report 17858)) are rusty volcanic conglomerates hosting very weakly auriferous sulphides in the Blackhorn area. These directly underlie the Blackhorn Vein and may be related to that mineralizing event.
A fifth style of mineralization discovered by Travis in 2007 are weakly auriferous haematite-bearing massive carbonate veins that also host highly anomalous stibnite and arsenopyrite. These veins may be distal representatives of deeper more auriferous gold bearing quartz-carbonate veins and/or replacement deposits.
The several known mineralized areas lie within the Blackhorn Trend and the Feeney Area. The Blackhorn Trend consists of several fault-hosted gold and copper bearing quartz to quartz-carbonate and/or calcite veins and within schistose volcanics or sediments found along a 4.5 kilometres long north-south strike. Of these, the Blackhorn Vein, centrally located within the trend has been considered the most important and has been the focus of the greatest amount of exploration. Also, on the Blackhorn trend are, from south to north the HW, Homestake, Galena, and Milk Can showings. All except the Homestake Showing host multigram gold from repeated prospecting programs. The HW area was discovered in 1987 and in 2007 one samples grading 101 and 226 grams per tonne gold were taken in areas that reported high grade mineralization from earlier programs.
The Feeney Area covers an over 4 kilometre by up to 800 metre area hosting sub to multigram gold values from float and bedrock samples. The area strikes from the upper Ottarasko Creek valley northwest towards the Blackhorn, Galena, and Milk Can showings. Since 1983, the Lori intrusion hosted gold vein (seven kilometres southeast of the Blackhorn vein), 3 Ounce Valley and B3 Valley targets, among others have been discovered. Some of these are areas of mineralized float and not recorded in MINFILE unless their source is seen to be local.
Blackhorn Gold Mines Ltd (Kasper, 1998) was the first to document the presence of at least three styles of mineralization on the property (Assessment Report 25551). ”At least three different styles of mineralization have being recognized on the Niut Range Property: gold plus arsenic quartz-carbonate veining in which arsenopyrite plus pyrite are the main sulphides present; copper-rich quartz veins in which copper sulphides predominate and arsenopyrite is lacking; and copper-nickel sulphides related to mafic intrusives. Examples of the gold plus arsenic-bearing veins include the Blackhorn Trend and the Champagne Vein. Occurrences of copper-rich quartz veins are confined to either float samples or narrow vein occurrences associated with the volcanic rocks. Copper-nickel sulphides are confined to the mafic intrusives exposed in the Atwood area (southeastern part of the Niut Range property (?)). Of the three different styles of mineralization, the gold plus/minus arsenic veining is the most significant mineralization discovered on the property to date. All auriferous samples collected during the 1997 exploration program were determined to belong to this category of mineralization. The most significant gold showings and occurrences of this style of mineralization occur along the Blackhorn Trend located on the western side of the valley at the headwaters of Razor Creek.”
Blackhorn mineralization is associated with large quartz veins, which are generally concordant with bedding or foliation in the hostrocks, although most are irregular and discontinuous. The most important vein is hosted by pyritic andesitic volcanics at the Homathko adit and is referred to as the Black Horn vein. The vein varies from 0.2 to 1.6 metres in thickness, averaging 0.8 metre, and strikes 050 degrees and dips 80 degrees northwest. The vein has a strike length of at least 60 metres, but is locally offset by steep, northwest-striking faults and by a vertical, 2-metre-thick quartz porphyry dike. The vein also contains calcite, mainly along fractures. The main quartz vein pinches out into a quartz-veined, chlorite schist shear zone, but its actual limits have not been defined. Two other major veins are reported and referred to as the Upper and Lower veins. Chloritic and sericitic alteration of the hostrock, or of inclusions in the quartz vein, is common, as is some silicification. The Black Horn vein contains up to 10 per cent sulphides, averaging 2 per cent; in order of abundance, these are arsenopyrite, pyrite or pyrrhotite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and galena. Pyrite is disseminated whereas the other sulphides tend to be in small masses. Visible gold occurs as fine grains on fracture surfaces, suggesting that it may have been introduced later than the other minerals (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1938). The Upper and Lower veins also host tetrahedrite and covellite mineralization but lack arsenopyrite and contain a greater amount of calcite than the Blackhorn vein.
An area of approximately 1 square kilometre centred on the Homathko adit contains several other mineral showings in pyritic or limonitic (oxidized) sheared volcanics (Assessment Reports 9575, 12691) or in oxidized conglomerate (Assessment Report 17858).
Typical values of samples from the Homathko adit vary from 5 to 50 grams per tonne gold and 7 to 40 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Reports 9575, 12691; Minister of Mines Annual Reports 1937, 1938).
In 1981, two samples (McDuck and McCope) assayed 243.1 and 111.8 grams per tonne gold with 47.9 and 6.8 grams per tonne silver, respectively, while a third sample (McDon) assayed 1.81 per cent copper (Property File - G. McConnell [1982-09-10]: Geological Report - McDuck, McDon, McCope and McMul Claim Group).
In 1982, a select sample (187P) hosting visible gold from the Homathko adit assayed 653 grams per tonne gold and 148 grams per tonne silver, while an uncut average of five chip samples, taken from the adit over 0.56 metre in sulphide-bearing quartz or quartz-carbonate vein material and locally with visible gold, yielded 71.7 grams per tonne gold and 56.2 grams per tonne silver and up to 237.1 grams per tonne gold over 0.5 metre (Assessment Report 10654). Also at this time, a surface sample (185P) of mineralized quartz veining, taken 25 metres vertically above the adit, assayed 18.8 grams per tonne gold and 20.2 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 metre, whereas a grab sample (188P) yielded 74.1 grams per tonne gold and 47.2 grams per tonne silver (Property File - G. McConnell [1982-09-10]: Geological Report - McDuck, McDon, McCope and McMul Claim Group).
In 1983, a sample (6658) assayed 14.9 grams per tonne gold and 3.8 grams per tonne silver (Property File - N.C. Carter [1983-08-18]: Property examinations McDuck Claims Blackhorn Mountain - For Levelland Energy and Resources Ltd.).
In 1984, sampling of the Homathko adit yielded up to 104.4 grams per tonne gold with 88.9 grams per tonne silver over 0.42 metre from the western half of the drift, 49.5 grams per tonne gold with 64.6 grams per tonne silver over 0.51 metre from a vein exposed near the centre of the drift and 14.5 grams per tonne gold with 23.9 grams per tonne silver over 1.11 metres from the eastern end of the drift (Property File - G. McConnell [1982-09-10]: Geological Report - McDuck, McDon, McCope and McMul Claim Group).
WORK HISTORY
Work on the occurrences took place in two phases. The first was from their discovery in 1936 until 1939, and the second phase was between 1979 and 1988. Detailed information on the early work is given in the Minister of Mines Annual Reports for 1937 and 1938.
Most of the development work that has been done took place between 1936 and 1939, during which time the Homathko Gold Mines Limited company was formed. This work included the driving of a 30-metre adit, 58 metres of underground drifting, trenching and 640 metres of diamond drilling over several holes. In addition, a mill was constructed locally, which processed 3.18 tonnes of high-grade ore from the Homathko adit and surface workings. This resulted in the recovery, by amalgamation, of 275 dollars of gold, from an average grade of milled ore of approximately 79 grams per tonne gold (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1937).
During 1981 through 1984, Levelland Energy and Resources and Great Western Petroleum completed programs of prospecting, geochemical sampling and geological mapping on the area as the McDuck claim.
From 1987 to 1994, Mr. (Louis) Berniolles conducted several prospecting campaigns, through Blackhorn Gold Mines predecessor organizations. These campaigns were successful in uncovering a number of new mineral occurrences including: copper-nickel sulphides related to mafic intrusives in the Atwood area (south of the current claims); numerous areas of copper-rich quartz float; and auriferous quartz veining of “The Stack” in the HW area, the Milk Can Showing on the Blackhorn trend and the Champagne Vein in the Feeney area. In 1988, a program of bulk sampling and 10 short drill holes, totalling 15 metres, were completed on the area as the J.J. claims.
In May of 1987, the area originally outlined by Homestake was restaked in part as the Loot l-2 claims. Equinox Resources Ltd. and Canada Orient Resources then carried out prospecting and stream sediment sampling programs over the next two summers (Culbert, 1988 and Culbert et al, 1988). Their work confirmed Homestake’s results and the presence of gold-bearing float down slope from the Champagne vein, but again, the source of the anomalies was not located. In the fall of 1987, the core area around the Blackhorn Vein was later re-staked as the J.J. #1 and #2 claims”
In the summer of 1988, a shallow diamond drill and percussion blast hole program (total individual hole depth 3.3 metres) was carried out on the JJ claims to test the gold potential of a 1500-metre strike by 400-metre width portion of a rusty weathering chloritic conglomerate bed below the Blackhorn vein (Assessment Report 17858). Several diamond holes produced weakly anomalous gold results between 60 and 274 ppb gold.
During September of 1997, Blackhorn Gold Mines Ltd. carried out a small, detailed exploration program whose purpose was to determine the significance of the main mineral prospects outlined in a technical report (authored by G. R Peatfield, (P. Eng)). The exploration program consisted of geological mapping, prospecting and rock sampling (Assessment Report 25551). General mapping and prospecting were carried out at a scale of 1:10,000 for the whole region. Detailed mapping and sampling were conducted at scales ranging from 1:100 to 1:1,000 for the Blackhorn Vein, Champagne Vein and Galena and Milk Can showings. A total of 163 rock samples were collected for analysis.
In 2003 Skeena Resources Limited (Skeena) optioned the Blackhorn property from Adam Travis which covered all the previously mentioned mineral occurrences in the area, however it was not until 2007 that they completed any field work which included a reconnaissance prospecting and sampling program in the area. On November 5, 2007, Skeena reported the results of all samples exceeding 10 grams per tonne gold) from the 163 samples taken. The Skeena work was not filed for assessment. Since 2007 several changes in tenure occurred with Travis under Cazador Resources Ltd. eventually reacquiring ownership of the mineral rights to all key showings and exploration areas.
In 2009 Travis completed a prospecting style rock sampling program of the Blackhorn vein (Assessment Report 31381). This program, due to inclement weather, was restricted to resampling of some of from the Homathko adit as well as two surface chips of the glory hole from which the material from the historic production was reported have come from. Also, in 2009 Travis (with Cazador Resrouces Ltd.) explored the “Blackhorn East” claims about 4 to 5 kilometres east of the Blackhorn property at the Lori showing (092N 047), the Champagne vein (092N 059) and surrounding area (Assessment Report 31382). Sampling was focused on the origin of previous mineralized float samples.
The 2010 prospecting and sampling program was completed (Assessment Report 32152). A total of 107 sediment samples (talus fines, silts, till, soils and moss mats) were taken. A total of 119 rock samples were taken with about 114 sent for analyses. Samples were collected in the Lori showing and several other areas but with the exception of the Blackhorn Vein, no other high grade bedrock vein has been located.
