The Spokane porphyry copper prospect is 2 kilometres northeast of Mount McClure,148 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, B.C.
The prospect is within Late Cretaceous biotite-hornblende granodiorite of the Coast Plutonic Complex, about 0.5 kilometre south of the contact with Lower Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Taylor Creek Group.
Mineralization is exposed over an area of about 125 metres by 160 metres, within which the granodiorite is heavily fractured; most fractures are steep and strike northeast or northwest. Pyrite is disseminated in the country rock; and pyrite and chalcopyrite with lesser arsenopyrite and minor scheelite also occur in quartz veins, and in pockets of quartz-sericite alteration along fractures. The granodiorite adjacent to mineralized veins and fractures is altered to a pink colour due to hematized plagioclase and chloritized mafic grains. Malachite and chrysocolla occur locally on weathered surfaces. The best gold values reportedly come from pyrite-rich rocks, rather than in association with chalcopyrite.
A 4-metre drill hole intersection assayed 0.53 gram per tonne silver, 0.213 gram per tonne gold and 2.53 per cent copper (de Quadroz, 1981).
Work History
In 1956, Canex Aerial Exploration Ltd. completed three shallow drillholes, totalling 69.5 metres, on the area. Drillhole 56-2 is reported to have yielded 1.39 per cent copper, 12 grams per tonne silver and 0.686 gram per tonne gold over 22.86 metres (Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. [2020-05-29]: Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the IKE Cu-Mo-Au-Ag Project, British Columbia, Canada).
In 1963, Phelps Dodge completed two drillholes, totalling 115.21 metres. Drillhole PDS-1 is reported to have yielded 1.69 per cent copper over 48.76 metres (Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. [2020-05-29]: Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the IKE Cu-Mo-Au-Ag Project, British Columbia, Canada). No assays for other elements were reported.
In 1969, Scurry completed six drillholes of unknown length on the area.
In 1989, Canmark International Resources completed a single 8.7-metre-long drillhole. In 1993, Canmark completed a further four diamond drill holes, totalling 701.95 metres, on the area.
In 2008, Galore Resources completed a single diamond drill hole, totalling 154.90 metres, on the occurrence. Drillhole 08TSK-12 is reported to have yielded 1.63 per cent copper, 17.4 grams per tonne silver and 0.301 gram per tonne gold over 21 metres (Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. [2020-05-29]: Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the IKE Cu-Mo-Au-Ag Project, British Columbia, Canada). No assays for other elements were reported.
During 2014 through 2019, Amarc Resources Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (talus fines, rock chip and stream sediment) sampling, 163.6 line-kilometres of induced polarization surveys, 1069 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic surveys and 18 157 metres of diamond drilling on the area as part of the IKE project. The majority of the drilling (15 455.34 metres in 26 holes) was completed on the IKE (MINFILE 092O 025) occurrence. The SPOKANE prospect lies within Amarc's Empress high-grade copper-gold-silver deposit area (PR REL Jan 19, 2021).
