The Buzzer porphyry copper prospect is on the south side of Taseko River, 800 metres above its confluence with Battlement Creek and approximately 144 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, B.C.
The prospect is within intensely altered and vuggy Late Cretaceous porphyritic quartz diorite of the Jurassic to Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex. Locally, chalcopyrite occurs as disseminations throughout and on fracture surfaces within the medium-grained biotite granodiorite. Pyrite is the primary sulphide mineral and molybdenite occurs as irregular pods and in localized quartz veinlets within the biotite granodiorite. Alteration includes sericitization of feldspars, chloritization of hornblende and pervasive silicification. Vugs are commonly lined with crystalline quartz and pyrite, with flaky sericite and rare tremolite and carbonate. Malachite staining is also reported. Past drilling (1963 to 1970) has indicated that copper-molybdenum mineralization continues at depth.
Work History
The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Taseko (MINFILE 092O 033) occurrence and a complete property exploration history can be found there.
Assays reported in 1928 include from 0.6 to 0.9 per cent copper with trace gold and silver (Minister of Mines Annual Report, 1928, page 213).
In 1965, Phelps Dodge completed five drillholes, totalling 795.53 metres, on the Buzzer occurrence area. Drillhole no. 3 is reported to have yielded 0.43 per cent copper and 0.042 per cent molybdenum over 99.06 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 gold or silver were reported.
In 1969, Scurry completed a further five drillholes, totalling 295.2 metres, in the area of the 1965 drillholes. Drillhole X-3 is reported to have yielded 0.67 per cent copper, 0.046 per cent molybdenum, 5.3 grams per tonne silver and 0.496 gram per tonne gold over its entire 44.20-metre length and bottomed in mineralization (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 1970, Sumitomo completed 12 percussion drill holes, averaging 57 metres in length. Drillhole S-12 is reported to have yielded 0.42 per cent copper and 0.032 per cent molybdenum over 33.5 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 1976, the Buzzer zone was reported to contain 4.99 million tonnes grading 0.35 per cent copper and 0.031 per cent molybdenum (Westphal, M.W. (2011-03-10): Technical Report – Taseko Mineral Property).
In 1989, Westpine completed two angled diamond drill holes, totaling 255.82 metres, on the area.
In 1993, Westpine Metals Ltd. discovered the Buzzer West showing, a region of mineralized float coincident to a large soil anomaly extending 2.4 kilometres west of Buzzer (Assessment Report 30169).
In 1995, with Explore BC Program support, Westpine Metals Ltd. conducted a program of rock and soil sampling and 14.2 line kilometres of induced polarization surveying on the Rowbottom and Buzzer zones. Three areas of elevated metal values were defined on the Rowbottom grid (Explore BC Program 95/96 - M114).
In 1998, Westpine Metals changed its name to Great Quest Metals Ltd. In the same year, they conducted a soil sampling and geological mapping program of the Buzzer West soil anomaly. Additional mapping and sampling flowed in 2007.
In 2010, Granite Creek Gold Ltd. acquired a 51 per cent interest in the property and conducted a program of soil sampling and trench examination in the Buzzer West area. The trenches show biotite-granodiorite bedrock with malachite and weathered chalcopyrite pods and veinlets.
In 2011, Granite Creek Gold preformed a six-drillhole program totalling 1290.5 metres. Results confirmed the southern limit of mineralization in the Buzzer and Buzzer West zones. Drilling at the Buzzer zone encountered 57.6 metres averaging 0.237 per cent copper, 0.17 gram per tonne gold and 1.52 grams per tonne silver. Mineralization was primarily observed associated with disseminated chalcopyrite. Isolated irregular molybdenite veins were observed in narrow zones and do not seem to correlate with other elements.
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 BUZZER prospect lies within Amarc's Empress high-grade copper-gold-silver deposit area (PR REL Jan 19, 2021).
