The Hannah occurrence is a showing of gold, silver, copper and molybdenum mineralization in altered intrusive rocks. It is located 1.5 kilometres southeast of Breccia Mountain, 25 kilometres north-northeast of the head of Knight Inlet.
The Hannah occurrence is within the Jurassic to Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 1163). The oldest rocks in the area of the occurrence are Mesozoic foliated granodiorite and quartz diorite. These are overlain by intermediate volcanic agglomerate and flows. All rocks are intruded by a Tertiary(?) biotite quartz monzonite stock, which is altered and mineralized and is the most economically important rock unit. The youngest rocks are outliers of unaltered, post-mineralization volcanic tuffs in the northwest of the area, which are probably the continuation of the Tertiary intrusive-extrusive complex that is well documented at the Hoodoo North occurrence (092N 029), 15.5 kilometres to the west-northwest.
The quartz monzonite stock intruded the dioritic rocks along a north-northwest trending structural lineament; the contacts are highly fractured. The stock is cut by numerous mafic to felsic dikes, typically intermediate feldspar porphyry, thought to be comagmatic with the stock (Assessment Report 18202).
The quartz monzonite stock itself is also fractured, and has pervasive hydrothermal alteration, primarily clay (argillic) and sericitic alteration of feldspars, and silicification. Associated quartz-pyrite stockwork veining may be accompanied by chalcopyrite, molybdenite and locally by minor specularite, magnetite and chlorite. The main altered area is described as "hybrid rocks", and is attributed to metalliferous hydrothermal fluid migration along contacts and late-stage fractures (Assessment Report 8744). Assay results from channel and chip samples (total 64) revealed that gold and molybdenum were more significant than copper and silver: the average assay for gold was 1 gram per tonne (maximum 11.3), and for molybdenum was 0.087 per cent (maximum 1.25) (Assessment Report 8744).
An important area is the Discovery zone where a shear zone in the quartz monzonite stock is intruded by felsic to intermediate porphyritic dykes (Assessment Report 18202). The area is marked by anomalous copper, molybdenum, silver and gold, and by a magnetic low and a Very Low Frequency (VLF) electromagnetic conductor; the report cited suggests the anomaly and alteration zonation are typical of a porphyry copper-molybdenum environment. The rocks are highly fractured, altered, veined, and mineralized with pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite, associated with secondary quartz and carbonate. The zone has been explored by diamond drilling and trenching; one 1 metre section in a trench assayed 18 grams per tonne gold, 44 grams per tonne silver and 3.26 per cent copper (Assessment Report 18202). However, the mineralization was judged to be sporadic, and apparently decreases with depth and along strike.
Elsewhere on the property (Conductor "F") the sheared contact (striking 150 degrees) between a feldspar porphyry dyke and silicified monzonite is marked by strong sulphide mineralization. A select grab sample from here assayed 126 grams per tonne gold and over 1 per cent copper, and a 2-metre channel sample averaged 85 grams per tonne gold and 51 grams per tonne silver, and over 1 per cent copper (Assessment Report 18202).
WORK HISTORY
In November of 1979 the Big Frank 1 and 2 Claims were staked by R. Dickenson of United Mineral Services Ltd. These claims were staked to cover the central portion of the Knight and Nunatuk Claims, staked in 1976 and allowed to lapse without significant work being performed. In February of 1980, MacMillan Energy Corperation acquired the Big Frank 1 and 2 Claims from United Mineral Services Ltd. Sawyer Consultants Inc carried out work during the 1980 field season. The work completed, included establishment of a control grid, geological mapping and sampling of mineralized zones, geochenlcal soil and stream sediment sampling and a ground magnetometer survey (Assessment Report 8744). Work carried out in the 1980 field season confirmed the existence of a mineralized zone within the quartz monzonite stock. However, the Big Frank claims were allowed to lapse without further work, in 1987.
The 1988 exploration program by United Pacific Gold Mines on the Hannah Claims consisted of diamond drilling, trenching, mapping, geological and geochemical sampling and geophysical surveys (Assessment Report 18208). The dominant effort was expended in the Saffron Creek area (formerly held as the Big Frank claims) with lesser work done in the Hoodoo Creek and Confederation Glacier areas to the northwest. Diamond drilling and trenching tested the “Discovery Zone” in the Saffron Creek area. A total of 273 samples consisting of 61 soils, 123 rocks and 89 drill core samples were collected on various areas.
In 2002, operator Saxony Explorations Ltd explored three non-contiguous claim blocks totaling 207 units: Hoodoo 1 and 2; Lancer 2; and Saffron 2,4 and 5 Mineral Claims. Saxony collected a total of 31 rock samples over the 3 blocks. The company conducted trenching and rock chip sampling on their Saffron 2, 4 and 5 mineral claims in order to evaluate results obtained on the Hannah showings in 1988. A total of 18 samples were collected on the Saffron claims, the best sample being at the “Discovery” showing which graded 12.41 grams per tonne gold, 7.0 grams per tonne silver and 0.042 per cent copper (Assessment Report 27198). This sample was described as a grab-chip over 1 by 3 metres.
In 2007, United Exploration Management Inc. conducted an evaluation of satellite imagery (“iron oxides”) and an exploration program consisting of prospecting and sampling on the LR Property. New areas of porphyry type mineralization and a new, previously unknown, silicified polymetallic vein system (LR Vein) were located. In 2009, UEMI completed preparatory surveys and geological and GIS work on the LR Claims.
In 2021, Goldplay Mining Inc. conducted prospecting and rock and soil geochemical in the area as the Big Frank Property.
