The Uduk Lake epithermal gold-silver prospect is located about 70 kilometres south-southwest of Burns Lake and 2 kilometres east of Uduk Lake.

The showing area is underlain by hydrothermally altered rhyolitic to dacitic flows, tuffs and breccias of the Eocene Ootsa Lake Group.

Outcrop on the property is sparse, however, bedrock is commonly within 1 or 2 metres of the surface. A porphyritic rhyolite with varying amounts of argillic alteration is the most common unit, while andesites of the Hazelton group and other granitic rocks occur in the northwestern and southwestern corner, respectively, of the claims. A zone of clay and silica-altered rhyolite in angular float and outcrop, measuring about 600 by 200 metres, occurs in the southwestern part of the property. Past exploration, including trenching and diamond drilling, focussed on a quartz-chalcedony (+/-pyrite) stockwork that locally grades into a more sulphide-rich, black matrix breccia. Hostrocks are typically moderately to intensely clay altered and locally moderately silicified. Pyrite is the only visible sulphide and is present in trace amounts ranging up to 5 per cent locally. It occurs mainly as fracture fillings and disseminations in vein, stockwork and breccia zones.

Work History

In 1981, Amax Exploration Ltd. carried out reconnaissance mapping and sampling in part of the originally staked area but allowed their claims to lapse. Grab samples from the area yielded up to 3.80 grams per tonne gold and 8.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 14557).

In 1984, the property area was re-staked by S. Travis. Asitka Resource Corporation optioned part of the property in 1985 and conducted rock and soil geochemical sampling the following year. Samples of quartz-veined rhyolite yielded up to 1.90 grams per tonne gold and 8.1 grams per tonne silver (sample 27080; Assessment Report 14557).

In 1986, Asitka Resources Corp. completed a program of geological mapping, rock sampling and three diamond drill holes, totalling 77.7 metres, on the Duk 1-3 claims. Drilling yielded intercepts of up to 0.90 gram per tonne gold and 3.1 grams per tonne silver over 3 metres and 0.28 gram per tonne gold with 17.4 grams per tonne silver over 3.35 metres in hole U86-1 (Assessment Report 14837).

Pacific Comox Resources Ltd. optioned the property from Travis in 1987 and, in 1988, sub-optioned to Chalice Mining Inc. Chalice conducted a program of line cutting, geological and geochemical surveys, an induced polarization geophysical survey and 358 metres of diamond drilling in five holes. Drilling yielded up to 0.25 gram per tonne gold over 12.07 metres and 1.06 grams per tonne gold over 3.05 metres in hole 88-1 (Assessment Report 18882). Chalice did not exercise their option and the property reverted to Pacific Comox.

In 1992, Homestake Canada Inc. completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the Duk claims. A float sample (BUR025) of quartz-veined breccia yielded 5.74 grams per tonne gold and 47.2 grams per tonne silver, whereas outcrop samples yielded up to 0.67 gram per tonne gold and 7.8 grams per tonne silver (Sample KUR041; Assessment Report 22906).

Pioneer Metals Corp. optioned the property in 1993 and carried out a soil geochemical program that year followed by further geochemical sampling, geological mapping and six mechanized trenches in 1994. All six trenches returned values greater than 0.1 gram per tonne gold with the whole 42 metres of TR-94-4 averaging 0.41 gram per tonne gold including six metres of 1.4 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 23154). Pioneer terminated its option in 1996. The trenching was completed about a kilometre northeast of the previous drilling that had occurred near/at the Uduk Lake showing.

In 1997, Atna Resource Ltd. purchased the property from Pacific Comox and optioned 60 per cent of the property to Gold Mountain Resources Ltd. Atna carried out a soil geochemical survey, geological mapping and an induced polarization geophysical survey in 1997 (Assessment Report 25136).

In 2011, Canarc Resource Corp. optioned the property from Atna and Dunn and carried out a soil geochemical and prospecting program. Subsequently, in 2012 and 2013, Canarc purchased 100 per cent of the property. In 2014, Canarc drilled 1149 metres of NQ core in three holes on the Windfall Hills property that contained the original Uduk Lake showing about 1 kilometre to the southwest. Drillhole WH-14-03 yielded 0.89 gram per tonne gold and 39 grams per tonne silver over 28 metres (11 to 39 metres down hole; Assessment Report 35644). A further 575 metres in parts of all three holes were anomalous (greater than 50 parts per billion gold) or highly anomalous (greater than 100 parts per billion gold) in gold (Assessment Report 35082). Generally, the top of all the holes were anomalous with values decreasing towards the bottoms. The 2014 drilling is located in the area of previous trenching.

In 2015, exploration work was conducted by B. Kreft and consisted of 10 vegetation (biogeochemical) samples, 11 rock samples and 29 C horizon soil samples.

In 2016, Canarc Resource Corp. completed a 3-D induced polarization survey covering an area of 3.8 square kilometres, about 10 per cent of the Windfall Hills property.

In 2017, John Kreft completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Uduk Epi property.

In 2018, Carnarc Resources Corp. completed a program of geochemical (rock, soil, and till) sampling, trenching and a 470.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and radiometric survey on the Windfall Hills property. The area of trenching and sampling is located on a small hill approximately 1 kilometre northeast of the main Uduk Lake occurrence. Two rock samples (1751853 and 1751854) of quartz veined and silica-sericite–altered rhyolite tuff from two separate trenches yielded 2.479 and 7.195 grams per tonne gold with 41.3 and 203.4 grams per tonne silver, respectively (Assessment Report 38405).