The HA-1 showing is located on the HA-1 claim approximately 3 kilometres north of the junction of Taslincheko and Hatdudatehl creeks. The showing is about 5.5 kilometres south of the Tas property (093K 080).
The region is underlain by sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Takla Group within the Quesnellia Terrane. The group comprises the informally named Inzana Lake, Rainbow, Witch Lake and Chuchi Lake formations. These have been intruded by alkaline intrusives believed to be coeval with the volcanics. The Witch Lake Formation is composed predominantly of augite ± plagioclase porphyry flows and agglomerates. It is underlain by the younger Inzana Lake Formation (epiclastic volcanic sediments) and the older Rainbow Formation made up of fine-grained sediments derived (in part) from a continental source. Amygdaloidal maroon and green subaerial flows and lahars of the Chuchi Lake Formation overlie the Witch Lake Formation.
The showing consists of 5 per cent pyrite and less than 1 per cent chalcopyrite disseminated in siliceous black argillite of the Inzana Lake Formation. Quartz, plus or minus carbonate, stringers are abundant in the rocks and may contain minor pyrite. Abundant hematite coated fractures occur in silicified sediments in a trench exposure. Previous drilling on the property has shown the presence of sub-surface diorite and gabbro intrusions. Fine to coarse-grained gabbro has 20 to 25 per cent hornblende phenocrysts and contains 2 to 3 per cent pyrite and pyrrhotite. Fine to medium-grained, equigranular to weakly porphyritic diorite has less than 1 per cent pyrite. Hornfelsed sediments contain 2 to 5 per cent disseminated pyrite and quartz carbonate altered zones contain 5 to 10 per cent (Assessment Report 16272).
Rocks exposed in the 1991 trenches on the BIO 2 claim were faulted and folded, resulting in the development of joints, shears and, in several subintervals, fault gouge zones up to 8 metres wide. The few anomalous lithogeochemical copper and gold assays in the trenches correlate with the soil geochemical anomalies obtained during the 1989 soil sampling program. These lithogeochemical anomalies were interpreted to be the result of localized quartz veins and sulphide filled fractures in the rocks and not part of a widespread porphyry system.
In 1982, drillhole 42-1-1 yielded 0.13 gram per tonne gold and 3.5 grams per tonne silver over 2 metres (Assessment Report 11255).
In 1991, chip sampling of trench 4 yielded an average of 0.209 gram per tonne gold over four consecutive samples (11930 through 11393), whereas drilling yielded up to 0.195 gram per tonne gold over 2.0 metres in hole 91-B2 (Assessment Report 21867).
Work History
The earliest record of staking in the vicinity of the BIO property is the Hat claim group staked by N.B.C Syndicate in 1968. The Hat (093K 004) claims were staked over outcrops of basic intrusive rocks and associated pyrite and chalcopyrite mineralization discovered by an NBC syndicate crew while prospecting aeromagnetic highs, outlined on government survey maps.
Subsequent to staking, N.B.C carried out a magnetometer and horizontal loop EM survey on the property in 1968. In 1969, two diamond drill holes were drilled on an EM conductor and encountered argillaceous metasedimentary rocks of the Takla Group and hornblende diorite. Drill core and surface exposures of diorite are reported to have been extensively epidote altered.
In 1981 and 1982, Selco Explorations carried out an airborne EM and magnetometer survey over the area of the BIO option. Subsequent ground follow-up highlighted two conductors. One conductor, on what is now the BIO 5, was drilled and encountered alkaline intrusive, volcaniclastic rocks and argillite. The other conductor, situated on what is now the BIO 2 claim, was drilled and the hole intersected shale, basic volcanics, argillite, carbonate, and sulphide-bearing chert.
In 1986, Noranda staked the HA 1 claim (093K 004) over the N.B.C copper discovery. Later in 1986 and in early 1987, Northwest Geological Consulting Ltd, in partnership with A. D. Halleran and A. A. Halleran, staked the BIO 1-6, BOB 1 and TUG 1 claims to the north, east and south of Noranda's HA1 claim.
In 1987, Big Valley Resources Inc optioned the BIO property and carried out grid soil sampling over five separate areas of the claims. This survey defined two copper-gold anomalies in the north-central and northeastern part of the property, but Big Valley dropped their option in 1989.
In 1989, Rio Algom optioned the BIO property and subsequently carried out 633 line-kilometres of helicopter-borne magnetics and VLF-EM surveying and collection of 1700 soil samples over a gridded area. In 1990, grid soil sampling was extended to cover the southern and western claim areas and hand trenching of the two copper-gold anomalies in the north central and northeastern part of the property was carried out. In 1991, Rio Algom’s exploration focused on the unexplained copper and gold-in-soil anomalies on the BIO 2 and BOB 1 claims. Evaluation of the soil anomaly on the BIO 2 consisted of approximately 581 metres of excavator trenching in 3 trenches and test pitting on the Ha occurrence. Positive results of a 10 line-kilometre induced polarization survey near the BOB 1-BIO 1 boundary (northeast of the Ha-1 prospect) prompted diamond drilling of two holes, totalling 243.8 metres, into a chargeability anomaly.
In 2007, Rimfire Minerals Corporation conducted a reconnaissance airborne magnetic survey over seven groups of claims (including the Mags, Axys and Bark) in the Quesnel Trough region consisting of a total of 1,927 line-kilometres. The geophysical survey targeted magnetic anomalies, identified in regional geophysical surveys, which are hosted in geological units favorable to alkalic porphyry Cu-Au mineralization in the Quesnel Trough. Favorable magnetic anomalies on the Mags, Axis, Eye and Bark claim groups were identified.
In 2009 and 2011, Xstrata Canada Corp. completed programs of soil sampling, a 75.6 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and a lone diamond drill hole (FSJ-10-01) on the area as the Bio 1-7 and Mags 1-4 claims of the Hat Super Block property. No drilling results are known for the drillhole.
In 2012, Xstrata completed 10 diamond drill holes, totalling 2326.3 metres, were completed on the Hat, Axis and Mags claims of the Hat Super Block property. Drilling results were general low, yielding up to 0.150 gram per tonne gold over 1.0 metre in hole MAGS-11-01 and 0.120 gram per tonne gold over 0.6 metre in hole MAGS-11-03 (Assessment Report 33677). These drillholes were located on a magnetic anomaly located approximately 1.5 kilometres south-southeast of the HA-1 occurrence.
