The Serb Creek developed prospect is situated within a Eocene granitic stock of the Nanika Plutonic Suite that intrudes an Early Jurassic granodioritic stock of the Topley Plutonic Suite. These stocks are emplaced with strata of the Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation, Hazelton Group.
The Serb Creek deposit is associated with a multiphase stock comprising an elongate stock of (porphyritic) biotite granite some 5 kilometres in an east-west direction, a small plug of quartz diorite porphyry and a suite of northwest-trending felsic porphyry and mafic dikes. The biotite granite is the main host to the molybdenite mineralization and cuts a large pluton of leucocratic biotite granodiorite, which in turn intrudes a suite of Hazelton volcanic rocks.
A pyrite halo covers and extends somewhat beyond the granite plug. The low grade molybdenum mineralization is widely distributed within the biotite granite in quartz veins (up to 2 centimetres in width), quartz stockworks and dry fractures. Molybdenite-bearing veins are distributed over a zone some 1300 by 600 metres within which better grade material lies north of the body of quartz diorite porphyry (Main zone) and in a northwest vein and fracture zone to the east (East zone). The veins and veinlets are composed of varying amounts of quartz, pyrite, molybdenite and epidote. Sparse chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite mineralization are also present. Two types of alteration related to mineralization are sericite-orthoclase-carbonate and epidote-chlorite-orthoclase.
The area of the showings is dominated by a 320 to 330 degree striking fracture system that is evident in the dike swarm, main shears and alteration zone. A late vein system comprised of mainly drusy quartz with calcite hosts galena and sphalerite.
Twenty two drill holes were drilled in 1965, 1966 and 1975 to test the broad zone of molybdenite mineralization exposed throughout the Serb Creek gossan. Molybdenite grade throughout the zone is highly variable, with the best tenors generally concentrated in the Main and East zones
Probable reserves for the Serb Creek property are 41.15 million tonnes grading 0.048 per cent molybdenum (National Mineral Inventory card 93L/12 Mo1). Grade given was 0.08 per cent MoS2; conversion to molybdenum (Mo), using the factor 1.6681.
WORK HISTORY
Molybdenite mineralization was discovered at the headwaters of Serb Creek in 1964 by Southwest Potash Corporation. In 1965 Amax Exploration undertook an exploration program of mapping, soil sampling, magnetometer and induced polarization surveys and 5,018 meters of diamond drilling in 14 holes. This work was followed in 1966 by five drill holes (1,542 metres) comprising a fence of holes to test the northern extensions of a number of northwest trending zones determined from the 1965 program. Craigmont Mines optioned the property in 1975 and drilled three holes (878metres) near the valley bottom north of the main showings exposed along the lower cliff faces. No work has been done on the prospect since the 1975 Craigmont program. Rich Rock Resources optioned the property in 2009 and completed a soil and rock sampling program in 2010; eleven soil samples, geological mapping along the base of the exposures, and collection of 9 rock samples was completed (Assessment Report: 31701). The 2010 work defined three targets considered worthy of future follow-up work, the East, Northeast grid and Moraine Creek anomalies. In 2011, Rich Rock collected a further 43 soil samples along the base of the gossan exposures.
