The Fortuna property is located about 12 kilometres east of the community of Louis Creek and accessed by following the road along Louis Creek eastwards from Highway 5. The old Crown grants are just north of the road at the old site of Blucher Hall. Property geology consists of a northwest trending, northeast dipping section of chloritoid-sericite schist and metasediments (argillite, quartzose grit to conglomerate, quartzite and dolomitic limestone) of the Devonian to Mississippian Eagle Bay assemblage. A distinctive quartz-eye sericite schist occurs towards the east end of the property. The rocks possess a strong pervasive foliation which generally masks bedding and where discernable, bedding parallels the foliation.
Three large, very prominent alteration zones occur. Characteristic alteration mineralogy in these zones consists of silica, sericite, kaolinite, gypsum and pyrite. The cores of the alteration zones are intensely sericitized and variably silicified. Silicification occurs in several forms: pervasive silicification of sericite schists, silicified pods which vary from tens of centimetres to tens of metres in size, and crosscutting quartz veins. The altered zones contain widespread disseminated pyrite and locally trace chalcopyrite; some galena has also been observed. Sulphide minerals are often weathered out, producing rusty yellow gossanous knobs and lenses. Generally, mineralization in the alteration zones consists of discontinuous, semimassive lenses and pods of pyrite-chalcopyrite conformable to the schistosity. Grab samples of the best mineralization analysed as high as 1.2 per cent copper, 0.33 per cent zinc, 14.6 grams per tonne silver, 0.45 gram per tonne gold and 0.47 per cent lead (Assessment Report 15438). Several zones of massive pyrite mineralization have been identified within the zones of alteration, and other zones up to 5 metres thick are reported from old adits, now caved.
Alteration and mineralization appear to be related to northwest trending faults. Northeast trending faults are also present and intersections may be important locations for concentration of mineralization.
A blasted trench and adit of unknown length is present at 1066 metres elevation about 800 metres north and above the Fortuna Crown grants and are probably the Skookum or Plato showings. Fracture controlled pyrite-chalcopyrite veins in bleached, silicified chloritoid schist appears to have been the target.
The Fortuna Nos. 2 and 3 claims (Lots 1593, 1594) were Crown granted to the Fraser River Copper Mining Co. in 1907. During 1907-8 about 143 metres of development work was carried out in 3 adits. One adit is 128 metres long and the others 9 and 6 metres, respectively. The main (lower) adit intersected 0.6 metre of massive pyrrhotite at the portal, 0.9 metre of pyrrhotite 27 metres in from the portal, and ended in a 4.8 metre wide body of pyrrhotite about 119 metres in. The property was subsequently acquired by G.N. Richmond of Philadelphia and in 1917 a contract was given to W.J. Smith to make a trial shipment of ore. The work was completed early in 1918 and two carloads were shipped to Republic, Washington; returns are not available for this shipment. The property was then acquired by W.J. Smith & associates and additional claims were staked, including the Plato (Lot 4463), Skookum (Lot 4464) and Skookum Boy (Lot 4466) which were Crown granted in 1925. H. Bendelin performed exploration work in 1927. In 1981, prospecting and a geological survey were carried out on behalf of L.E. Peckham. In 1986, BP Resources Canada Limited performed geological mapping and lithogeochemical sampling. In 1994, Discovery Consultants carried out a program of geological examination and evaluation on behalf of W.R. Gilmour.
