The Sunset showing area is underlain by Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group) rocks comprised mainly of well bedded red and green andesite tuffs and minor flows. Bedding strikes north to northwest and dips 25 to 40 degrees west. Minor rhyolitic tuff occurs in a small cirque east of the property and a large granitic stock lies to the northeast of the headwaters of Sunsets Creek.
Alteration occurs as moderately strong, patchy epidote and prehnite in the bedded tuffs. This alteration appears to be regional and unrelated to the mineralization.
Mineralization occurs in outcrop south of Sunsets Creek. Andesite hosts quartz and minor carbonate in stringers and veins containing varying amounts of malachite, azurite, tetrahedrite, bornite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and native copper. The veining is often vuggy and contains subangular to angular andesite breccia with drusy quartz in open spaces. Veins and stringers are discontinuous and generally randomly oriented. The largest vein found was 0.35 metres wide and approximately 12 metres in length. Veining dominantly occurs as stringers, 1 to 4 centimetres in width, which anastomose and rapidly pinch out.
An old adit is located on the south side of Sunsets Creek at approximately 1,615 metres elevation. An irregular mineralized quartz stringer, 10 to 15 centimetres in width, striking 017 degrees and dipping 53 degrees southeast, extends for 3 to 4 metres above the tunnel entrance. A sample from this stringer (JR88-29) assayed 0.57 per cent copper and 41.485 grams per tonne silver. Near the adit, a grab sample (JR88-30) from a small pile of ore assayed 16.53 per cent copper, 2163 grams per tonne silver and 4.25 grams per tonne gold. Directly above the adit a 0.35 metre wide vein, striking 028 degrees and dipping 58 degrees southeast, outcrops at 1737 metres elevation. A sample from this vein (JR88-24) assayed 0.92 per cent copper and 33.256 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 17977).
WORK HISTORY
From 1912 to 1914, discovery of native silver from a narrow quartz vein was explored by a short adit (1615 metres elevation) and several open cuts were completed (Sunset showing) on cliffs on the south side of Sunsets Creek (1915).
In 1953, geological survey by New Jersey Zinc Exploration Ltd. in Dominion Basin with two chip samples from Deny North assaying 1.6 per cent copper, 13 per cent zinc, 7.2 per cent lead, 117.0 grams per tonne silver, 3.0 grams per tonne gold and 3.3 per cent copper, 21 per cent zinc, 0.4 per cent lead, 156.0 gram per tonne silver and 0.3 gram per tonne gold (Assessment report 13191).
In 1968 and 1969, geological and geochemical surveys, 27.6 metres of pack-sack diamond drilling in 3 holes on Deny North, intersecting minor copper-silver-zinc mineralization, and diamond drilling of several holes northeast of Deny South with the last 5 metres of core in one hole assaying 2.72 per cent copper and 25 grams per tonne silver, all by Falconbridge Nickel Mines Inc. (Assessment report 13191). Work during 1968 and 1969 included geological mapping, self-potential and geochemical soil surveys, the drilling and blasting of two trenches totalling 12 metres, and 395 metres of diamond drilling in 14 holes.
In 1973 and 1974, Maharaja Minerals Ltd conducted mapping and hand trenching on Deny North and South (Assessment report 13191) and Sunset showings A 2 kilometre magnetometer survey over North showing picked up known mineralization. Nine holes diamond drilled on Deny South but inconclusive due to core poor recovery.
In 1980 Mecca Minerals conducted a detailed chip sample survey at the North Showing on the "friendly trench" yielding an average of 70.2 grams per tonne silver and 2.21 grams per tonne gold for 34 samples along 8.5 metres of the vein; a maximum values of grams per tonne silver and 21.6 grams per tonne gold was obtained (Assessment report 10043).
In 1984, Mecca discovered the Deny East showing. A combined magnetometer and geochemical survey was completed on the Deny 1-4 claims. Copper and silver mineralization has been found to date at three locations: the North, South and East showings. The 1984 magnetometer survey has revealed several linear magnetic highs and lows. The geochemical soil sampling program revealed that several areas on the property contain moderate amounts of copper, lead and zinc. The silver and arsenic results revealed isolated highs at single survey points.
In 1988, Geostar Mining Corp conducted a program of reconnaissance geological mapping, prospecting and silt sampling was conducted on the Sunset showing. Geostar collected 8 rock and 9 silt samples while prospecting on the Sun property. Copper-silver mineralization was encountered in small quartz veins and local stockwork systems. Sampling occurred from the ore stockpile of an old adit which appears to have been driven on a 0.35 metre wide quartz vein with 025 degree strike and 55 degree southeast dip. A sample yielded 16.53 per cent copper, 2163.79 grams per tonne silver and 4.25 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 17977).
In 2007, Lions Gate Energy Corp conducted an Aerotem airborne geophysical survey on parts of their large El Toro property that included the following showings (Assessment Report 29456): MARMOT (093L 038), CRATER LAKE (093L 039), IDAHO (093L 040), KING (093L 041), HUNTER (093L 042), COLORADO (093L 043), RAINBOW (HUNTER BASIN), (093L 044), FOG (FLY), (093L 045), FOG (093L 046), DENY NORTH (093L 047), DENY SOUTH (093L 049), DENY EAST (093L 050), TRIBUNE (093L 255), SUNSET (093L 304). The airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey was completed over 628.8 kilometres.
The 2007 reconnaissance level exploration program of Lions Gate Energy was composed of a prospecting program during which 40 reconnaissance rock samples were collected from the following claims (Assessment Report 30188): #554998, 555000, 555001, 555003, 567390, 567391, and 567603 respectively in the Sunset, MSJ, Deny and Hunter Basin areas.
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), Santa Maria (093L 063), Evening (093L 064), Duchess (093L 066), Countess (093L 067), MSJ (093L 241), Ant 1 (093L 320). The survey of the East block covered: Old Tom (093L 034), Hankin (093L 035), Loring (093L 036), Lava (093L 037), Marmot (093L 038), Crater Lake (093L 039), Idaho (093L 040), King (093L 041), Hunter (093L 042), Colorado (093L 043), Rainbow (093L 044), Fog (Fly) (093L 045), Fog (093L 046), Deny North (093L 047), Deny South (093L 049), Deny East (093L 050), Hannah (093L 080), Tribune (093L 255), Sunset (093L 304).
In 2008, the 14-metre long Friendly Trench on the Deny North showing was located and sampled across 1 metre yielding 9.52 grams per tonne gold, 180 grams per tonne silver, 1.68 per cent copper, 15.7 per cent zinc and 0.95 per cent lead (sample 14503) (Assessment Report 31515). A grab sample of quartz-diopside-epidote-magnetite garnet skarn with minor chalcopyrite and sphalerite mineralization exposed above the vein yielded 0.73 gram per tonne gold, 4.7 grams per tonne silver, 0.14 per cent copper (sample 14504) (Assessment Report 31515). Magnetite-rich skarn did not contain significant values (sample 14505). The drill platforms at Deny South, on the steep north slope of Denys Creek, were visible from the air but the showing was not investigated. The Deny East showing could not be found. The Sunset adit was spotted from the air but not investigated.
In 2009, Lions Gate conducted a program that involved mapping, rock (37) and soil (568) geochemical sampling, and additional GPS surveying of previous diamond drill hole collars and old workings, concentrated on Hunter’s Basin, Hankin Basin (Loring Creek), the Loljuh and MSJ stocks, Wolverine showing and Starr Creek, and an MMI soil geochemical survey over the MSJ porphyry copper-molybdenum-gold target (Assessment Report 31515). The program identified additional copper-silver-gold vein mineralization in Hunter’s Basin, additional stratiform mineralization in Loring Creek.
Refer also to King (093L 041) for general information on the El Toro property, a large property that was worked by Lions Gate Energy from 2007 and (to date) 2015.
