The Daisie occurrence consists of skarn-hosted copper, molybdenum, zinc and tungsten mineralization. It is located on the southeast side of the northeast-trending Deschamps Creek Valley, which drains into Franklyn Arm of Chilko Lake. The mineralization was discovered in the 1920's, and was worked on in the 1950's and 1960's, and particularly between 1974 and 1980.
The Deschamps Valley is underlain mainly by a block of Upper Triassic rocks of the Mount Moore Formation, bounded on each side of the valley by northeast-striking, steeply-dipping faults. To the southeast and northwest of the faults are Lower Cretaceous rocks, which apparently indicates that the Upper Triassic rocks are an up-thrown block, despite being topographically lower (Bulletin 81). The Mount Moore block is in fault contact on northwest and southeast with Lower Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Tchaikazan River succession. Country rocks in the showing area are intruded by granodiorite and dioritic stocks of the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene Bendor suite.
The Daisie mineralization is related to skarn alteration and contact metamorphism that resulted from the intrusion of a hornblende granodiorite stock into the Upper Triassic sequence of volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The volcanics include andesitic to basaltic tuffs, breccias and feldspar porphyry flows. Interbedded with these are limestone, argillites and greywacke. Bedding strikes northeast and dips moderately to steeply northwest (Assessment Report 7574). Northwest-trending, mafic or lamprophyre dykes are also present. The hornblende granodiorite is elongate east-west, measuring about 2 by 1 kilometres. Diamond drilling indicates that other, unexposed intrusive bodies of diorite to granodiorite are present in the area (Bulletin 81).
The intrusions hornfelsed and altered the country rocks; the main granodiorite intrusion is itself altered. The main alteration aureole is about 1 kilometre wide. Locally the distinction between volcanic and clastic sedimentary protoliths is difficult because of the hornfelsing. Biotite is a common alteration product. Also, chlorite and epidote hydrothermal alteration, and silicification and sericitization are present locally, commonly accompanied by disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite. Gossanous alteration at intrusive contacts is common.
Limestone, interbedded with metavolcanics and metasediments, is recrystallized to a massive, grey or white, sucrosic marble. Relict bedding may be indicated by streaks of biotite. Lenses of hornfelsed mudstone or siltstone also occur in the marble and may contain andalusite. The marble units may be up to 100 metres thick. Of importance is the accompanying skarn alteration of the marble: calc-silicate minerals present include epidote, clinozoisite, grossularite to andradite garnet, diopside, wollastonite, actinolite, calcite, chlorite, apatite and sphene. Veins of these minerals or quartz cut most lithologies. Metavolcanics also have skarn alteration locally. Details of the skarn sequence and petrographic descriptions are given in Assessment Report 8295.
Mineralization on the Daisie claims occurs in a northeast-trending, 800-metre long, 60- to 120-metre-wide belt of marble and skarn, immediately south of the contact with the granodiorite stock (Assessment Reports 5712, 7574). The marble band is bounded by metavolcanics, and includes a few small, altered dioritic intrusions. The mineralization is exposed in a series of trenches and cuts on the claims. It may be concordant or discordant, following either bedding planes in the marble or crosscutting fractures; stronger mineralization is associated with the latter (Fieldwork 1986). Commonly, mineralization comprises disseminations or pods of massive sulphides consisting of variable amounts of chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, bornite, molybdenite and scheelite. In addition, veinlets of chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite occur in strongly silicified zones, partly oxidized to limonite. There are also quartz-molybdenite veins (Property File - Renshaw, 1975). Minor amounts of sphalerite and galena are common; malachite and azurite occur on fracture surfaces.
Four samples collected from massive sulphide pods and skarn mineralization yielded anomalous values of copper, zinc, molybdenum and silver (Bulletin 81). Samples ranged from 1.7 to 5.1 per cent copper, 0.14 to 0.76 per cent zinc, up to 0.5 per cent tungsten, and 30 to 80 grams per tonne silver (Bulletin 81). No significant gold values are reported. Notable results from earlier work include a sample analysed at 15.6 per cent copper, 117 grams per tonne silver and 1.8 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 5712). Drill core results include assays of 0.97 per cent molybdenum and 1.2 per cent tungsten (Assessment Report 7156).
Between 1978 and 1980, 1200 metres of diamond drilling was completed in 29 holes (Assessment Reports 7156, 7574, 8682). Some fairly long intersections of low-grade mineralization were encountered: for example, 0.416 per cent copper over 39.6 metres, 0.32 per cent molybdenum over 15 metres, and 0.3 per cent tungsten over 55 metres (Assessment Reports 7156, 8682).
Overall, however, skarn alteration in the area is irregular and thin, and associated mineralization is erratic in significance.
WORK HISTORY
Mr. Alec Ducharne and Mr. Thomas J. Gordon conducted exploratory work over the Daisie claims area for a number of years before the property was acquired by Gordon Resources Limited.
In July 1971, an airborne magnetometer survey was carried out over the eastern claims area for Conshell Resources Ltd. (Assessment Report 3477).
In October 1971, a geological Assessment Report was released on the Norfa claims for Beaumont Resources Ltd. (Assessment Report 3271).
In October 1972 the Alta claims were staked just south of Franklyn Arm on behalf of Conshell Resources Ltd. (Assessment Report 3948). An airborne geophysical survey consisting of combined aeromagnetic, electromagnetic and radioactivity testing was conducted. There was a coincidence of high magnetomer and high electromagnetic readings on Alta claims 5, 6, 7, 8, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. The survey covered an area of about 3000 acres.
During 1978, twenty-two EX diamond drill holes, totalling 705 meters, were drilled for Gordon Resources Ltd. on the Daisie 1-19 claims, which were staked in 1962. Trenching and stripping over the previous 20 years exposed intermittent mineralization over a 914 metre length (Assessment Report 7156).
In 1979, Gordon Resources owned 10 per cent and Canada Tungsten owned 90 per cent of the Daisie 1-8 claims (Assessment Report 7574). A small-scale diamond drill program, utilizing a Winkie diamond drill, was executed on the Daisie 3 mineral claim. Three AX-sized core holes were drilled at 2 sites for a total of 148 metres. Two of the holes, DDH 79-1 and 79-2, successfully penetrated the overburden; 34 metres and 111 metres of core were drilled respectively. Tungsten mineralization in both drill holes was low grade (trace of 0.01 per cent W03) even in skarnified sections that were encountered within the upper 4.6 metres of the limestone. No assays were run on the core because of the lack of visible copper, molybdenum and tungsten mineralization.
In 1979, the C.T. claim group consisting of 23 claims (460 units) were located and staked for Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation Limited. In 1980, a combined geological/geochemical program was carried out by Canada Tungsten using a field crew of seven (Assessment Report 8295). Geological mapping and heavy mineral sampling were done with continuous helicopter support. A total of 42 rock samples, 27 heavy mineral samples, and 660 silt samples were collected. A set of 1:5,000 orthophotographic maps with 20-meter contour spacing was used to produce a 1:25,000 geologic map. Heavy mineral, conventional silt geochemical and rock samples were also plotted on the geologic map. Analytical results of heavy mineral concentrates indicated five areas of interest.
In 1980, diamond drilling was conducted on the Daisie 1 to 8, 2-post claims by Gordon Resources Ltd. (Assessment Report 8295). Drill setups were placed on and near surface showings of copper, molybdenum and tungsten mineralization. The Daisie claims were completely encompassed by Canada Tungstens C.T. Claim group. Holes A, B and C were located near the Number 2 showings where four trenches exposed limestone, skarn and quartz containing chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, molybdenite and scheelite. Holes D and E were located 140 metres south between the Number 2 and 3 showings. Copper, molybdenum and tungsten were encountered in the five holes. Intersections from Hole A yielded 27.4 metres grading 0.127 per cent copper, 15 metres grading 0.325 per cent molybdenum sulphide (MoS2) and 54.9 metres grading 54.9 per cent tungstic oxide (WO3). Hole C yielded a 6.1 metre intersection grading 0.930 per cent copper and Hole E yielded a 4.6 metre intersection grading 1.89 per cent molybdenum sulphide (MoS2) (Assessment Report 8295).
