On the Duchess, a mineralized shear zone occurs in volcanic rock of the Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation, Hazelton Group. The zone has an attitude of 170 degrees and dips 80 degrees east with mineralized widths ranging up to about 3.7 metres. Mineralization consists of chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, sphalerite, galena, hematite, and pyrite with quartz. The shear is near the contact between fine-grained epidotized andesite to the west and tuff to the east. The volcanics are cut by feldspar porphyry dikes that carry only minor amounts of sulphide. Pre-mineral and post-mineral faulting and shearing is common.
A major fault strikes 350 degrees and dips 70 degrees west approximately 150 metres west of the Duchess adits. The fault is exposed along the bottom of a steep gully, where it parallels a basic dike with narrow breccia zones. A zone of quartz-garnet-epidote skarn extends from the west side of the gully eastward to the workings and bulldozer trenches.
WORK HISTORY for Howson Basin showings.
From 1905 to 1910, exploration by open cuts, shafts and 2 adits were completed on the Duchess; 1 adit was 21 metres on Evening, and work on War Eagle by Telkwa Mines Ltd.
From 1915 to 1917, exploration by Jefferson-Dockrill Syndicate occurred.
From 1928 to 1929, extension of adits by Cominco on Duchess was completed with only narrow zones of mineralization found. A total of 1224 metres of underground workings is reported in 2 adits with the upper adit encountering good mineralization averaging 4-5 per cent copper in the first 27 metres after which the zone is cut off by faulting. Only narrow zones of mineralization were encountered in the lower adit.
In 1952, hand trenching of the Princess showing was completed on the rim of the cirque by Kennecott (Kennco Explorations).
Bethex Explorations Ltd. optioned the Norcan Mines property in November 1966. Work on the Duchess showings in 1967 included considerable trenching and diamond drilling.
In 1966 and 1967, an airborne electromagnetic survey followed by induced polarization, electromagnetic and self-potential geophysical surveys, a soil geochemical survey, geological mapping, trenching and diamond drilling of 6 holes on the Duchess were completed by Norcan Mines Ltd. Coincident geophysical anomalies were outlined in a drift covered area.
Bethex Explorations Ltd. optioned the Norcan Mines property in November 1966. Work on the Duchess showings in 1967 included considerable trenching and diamond drilling. Further work by Bethex in 1967 included geophysical and geochemical surveys. In 1968, mapping, prospecting, sampling, geophysics and trench rehabilitation was completed by Bethex on the Duchess and Evening. The option was subsequently given up.
From 1966 to 1970, a 2.5 kilometres induced polarization survey, soil geochemical surveys, and in 1968 a deep drill hole, were completed by Pathfinder Resources Ltd. A broad east-west trending magnetic anomaly and copper soil anomalies were outlined associated with a stock at the War Eagle pyrite zone and the drill hole intersected porphyry style alteration.
By 1970 an agreement between Norcan Mines and Pathfinder Resources Ltd., Pathfinder acquired the right to earn 50 per cent interest property. The company name (Norcan) was changed in 1972 to Accent Resources Ltd.
From 1969 to 1973, access trail construction, minor trenching, followed by mapping and sampling by Maharaja Minerals Ltd on the Tom showing. Two vein/shear zones are reported with maximum values of 16.9 copper and 225.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 4812).
In 1983, minor sampling and VLF-electromagnetic geophysics by Joyce Warren returning 7 per cent copper and 196.8 grams per tonne silver on the Duchess (Assessment Report 21722).
In 1991, minor sampling and examination of Duchess and Evening adits by Skeena Resources Ltd occurred, with the best sample yielding returning 9 per cent copper and 88 gram per tonne silver over 1 metre on the Duchess and 1.9 per cent copper from the Evening (Assessment Report 21722).
The 2008 El Toro program of Lions Gate Energy Inc involved mapping, prospecting, 87 rock and 15 soil geochemical samples, GPS surveying of previous diamond drill hole collars, and underground and surface workings, an evaluation of the property (Assessment Report 30731), followed by a 1495 line kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical survey (Assessment Report 30982). The survey on the West block covered Princess (093L 061), War Eagle (093L 062), Evening (093L 064), Duchess (093L 066), Countess (093L 067), MSJ (093L 241), Ant 1 (093L 320). A chip sample (14521) across the Duchess vein and adjacent wall rock at the adit portal assayed 0.82 per cent copper and 22.5 grams per tonne silver over 2 metre with samples (14522) of vein material yielding up to 7.91 per cent copper and 100 grams per tonne silver, while samples (14519 and 14520) of the vein and wallrock from a pit located approximately 140 metres to the north yielded values up to 1.13 per cent copper and 90.2 grams per tonne silver (Pautler, J. (2009-07-15): Technical Report on the El Toro Project).
Refer also to King (093L 041) for general information on the El Toro property, a large property that was worked by Lions Gate Energy Inc from 2007 to present (2015) and encompassed the Howson basin area. This area included Princess (093L 061), War Eagle (093L 062), Evening (093L 064), Silver Heels (093L 065), (Duchess (093L 066), Countess (093L 067), Tom ((093L 068) and Starr (093L 069). The Evening, Starr and Tom showings were not investigated in 2008 or 2009, though the Evening was covered by the 2008 airborne survey.
