The CHITA prospect is located approximately 3 kilometres east of Lower Taseko Lake and 139 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, BC.
Regionally, the Chilko-Taseko Lakes area lies on the boundary between the Coast Plutonic Complex to the southwest and the Intermontane Belt. The Intermontane Belt consists of three northwest- southeast–trending fault-bounded blocks of Triassic to Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Andesitic flows and associated tuffs, and breccias constitute the bulk of the volcanic rocks. Intercalated with waterlain tuffs, siltstones, shales, minor sandstone and carbonate rocks, they are unconformably overlain by scattered outliers of Oligocene and Pliocene plateau lavas.
Plutonic rocks emplaced during Cretaceous and Tertiary periods are granodiorite, quartz diorite and diorite. They form the main mass of the Coast Mountains to the southwest; however, related dikes, stocks and sills intrude the volcanic and sedimentary rocks throughout the Taseko-Chilco Lakes area.
The Taseko-Chita property is located on the southwestern flank of what was once the Tyaughton trough, an Early Cretaceous volcanic island arc environment transitional to a marine sedimentary basin environment. Intrusive rocks of the Coast Plutonic Complex truncate the volcanic and sedimentary sequences, and have uplifted the volcanic arc, exposing it to erosion.
Locally, the Taseko-Chita property is underlain by Upper Cretaceous andesite to basaltic flows, lithic and crystal tuffs and breccias, and andesitic tuffaceous sediments and minor rhyolite trending northwards with moderate easterly dips. These rocks are extensively intruded by various phases of hornblende feldspar porphyritic diorite to granodiorite. Fine- grained felsic to intermediate dikes and irregular plugs crosscut both the volcanic and intrusive rocks. Dikes vary from 0.5 to 25 metres in width and occur in a northwest trending swarm, capped by volcanic rocks, in the area of Easy Peak on the east side of Taseko Mountain.
The dominant structures are shears trending 330 and 40 degrees, with related splays. The northwest- trending, sub-vertical dipping shear zone is approximately 1 kilometre in width and extends from the southeast corner of the property to the northwest corner. Parallel faults occur in the valley and ridge to the east of Easy Peak.
The Chita (Banner) porphyry copper-molybdenum occurrence has been explored intermittently since the early 1960's. In 1962, geological mapping by Phelps Dodge outlined a widespread mineralized system. By 1963, Phelps Dodge had drilled four short diamond drill holes, with a best result of 0.13 per cent copper over 53 metres.
In 1968, grid work, mapping, soil sampling and trenching by Bethex outlined a mineralized area measuring 610 by 1,828 metres. Forty-three trenches were blasted with a best result of 0.193 per cent copper over a 36-metre length.
In 1969, Bethlehem Copper diamond drilled four holes totalling 393 metres, with a best result of 0.19 per cent copper over 50 metres. The following year, Bethlehem Copper completed 21 more short percussion drill holes totalling 1,280 metres. The most significant value was 0.144 per cent copper over 60 metres (Assessment Report 28192).
In the 1980’s, Barrier Reef outlined a copper soil anomaly (up to 0.0119 per cent copper) measuring approximately 1,219 by 2,194 metres. Rock samples assayed up to 3 per cent copper and 140 parts per billion gold (Assessment Report 28192).
In 1991, Reliance Geological and two major mining companies conducted a geochemical rock sampling program. Eleven of 26 samples produced results greater than 0.1 per cent copper, with a high of 0.44 per cent copper (Assessment Report 28192).
In 1998, Jaguar International Equities Inc. completed a program of grid cutting, geological mapping and stream sediment sampling in addition to induced polarization and total field magnetics. The geophysical surveys defined an interpreted pyritic halo and the stream sediment survey returned anomalous values for gold.
Revolver Resources carried out the initial phase of an exploration program on the property in May, 2010. The program consisted of a 920-kilometre airborne geophysical survey, using magnetics and very low frequency electromagnetics. Results of the airborne geophysics combined with a review of historical data established an 8- square- kilometre portion of the property that warrants detailed ground surveys (www.revolverresources.com).
In 2012, Revolver Resources Inc. carried out an AeroTEM 1V time-domain electromagnetic survey and a magnetic survey over a 35-square-kilometre block within the company's Chita property claim block. The survey was successful in mapping the magnetic and conductive properties of the geology throughout the survey area. The magnetic data provided a high-resolution map of the distribution of the magnetic mineral content of the survey area (V STOCKWATCH, April 25, 2012). In 2014, a structural analysis was completed over the CHITA and TASEKO MOUNTAIN areas (Assessment Report 35349).
