The Nakinilerak (Nak) occurrence is located 3 kilometres east of Nakinilerak Lake, approximately 85 kilometres northeast of the community of Smithers. The property is accessible via helicopter or on an overgrown foot trail connecting to the end of the Nakinilerak hauling road.
North to northwest striking, east dipping andesitic tuffs, breccias and grey to black argillites of the Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group) are intruded by granodioritic biotite feldspar porphyry stocks, sills, and dikes of the Eocene Babine Intrusions (Babine Plutonic Suite). Conglomerates, possibly correlative with the Middle-Upper Jurassic Bowser Lake Group, are exposed on the west side of the property near Nakinilerak Lake.
Propylitized andesite is intruded by a hornblende biotite feldspar porphyry and quartz diorite stock, approximately 600 metres in diameter, and a 100-metre-wide hornblende biotite feldspar porphyry sill. The western side of the quartz diorite stock is cut by a north trending, high-angle fault that is coincident with a prominent lineament. Drillholes intersected this, and other parallel faults which are mineralized.
Chalcopyrite, pyrite, and minor bornite mineralization occurs as disseminations and in 3 to 4 millimetre wide quartz veinlets. The mineralization occurs in the sill and stock over an exposed area approximately 60 metres square (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1966, page 95). Alteration consists of silicification, pyritization, sericitization and kaolinization.
Alteration at Nak is comprised of an early prograde potassic alteration, overprinted by a late stage retrograde phyllic to argillic alteration. The potassic alteration is characterized by the presence of veinlets of biotite and potassium-feldspar, accompanied by magnetite, quartz, chalcopyrite, pyrite, bornite, and rare molybdenite in hornfelsed sedimentary rocks along southern quartz diorite stock. Advanced argillic alteration is peripheral to, and superposed upon, the potassic zone. This zone includes pervasive feldspar, destructive clay, quartz, tourmaline alteration and veins with quartz and tourmaline with or without chalcopyrite, pyrite, magnetite, and sericite. Carbonate-pyrite-chalcopyrite-bornite veins with phyllic alteration cut nearby hornfelsed volcanic and sedimentary rocks.
High-grade copper veins have a copper-to-gold ratio greater than 2.0. These veins are known to be located to the north and south of the western margin of the quartz diorite intrusion. The veins are 0.5 to 200 centimetres thick and are composed of tourmaline-quartz pyrite-chalcopyrite with minor magnetite. The veins appear singly or in a stockwork of parallel veins dipping either vertically or steeply to the east. Arsenopyrite veins occur in the southern portion of the drilled area of the Nak deposit. Quartz-arsenopyrite veins have elevated gold values where they occur in black graphitic shale in drillhole N 96-62. Tourmaline-carbonate-arsenopyrite-pyrite veins up to 5 centimetres thick were intersected in drillholes N 96-60 and N 96-61, but do not have elevated gold values.
A historic resource estimate for the Southern zone is 54 million tonnes grading 0.17 per cent copper and 0.254 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 24928). The northern zone is immediately west of the quartz diorite stock and is defined by disseminated, fracture- and vein-controlled chalcopyrite, bornite and molybdenite in zones of potassic, phyllic, and argillic alteration. Mineralization and alteration are spatially associated with biotite feldspar porphyry dikes that cut volcanic and sedimentary rocks and the quartz diorite stock. Like the southern zone, a late, fault-controlled argillic alteration has been superimposed on the earlier alteration and mineralization. A resource estimate for the Northern zone, which is gold poor relative to the Southern zone, is 217 million tonnes grading 0.187 per cent copper and 0.0398 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 24928).
Work History
From 1964 to 1974, Noranda Exploration Company Ltd. performed mineral exploration work on the ground covered by the Nak property between 1964 and 1970. This included soil geochemical, surface geophysical, and geological mapping surveys. As well, limited trenching and the diamond drilling of 28 holes totalling 1837 metres in length was performed. In 1971, geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys were also conducted by Noranda on the Sno claim group southeast of the main Nak property. This area became the southwestern part of the Nak claims.
In the early 1970s, Ducanex Resources performed geophysical and geochemical surveys on the Lynn property, which was subsequently included into the northern part of the Nak claims. Ducanex also performed 480 metres of diamond drilling in eight holes. This area is well north of the 1995 and 1996 drill programs of Hera Resources Inc.
In 1992, the Nak 1, 2, 3 and 4 claims were located by L.B. Warren. In 1992 and 1993, Tri-Alpha Investments began a new grid on the ground but subsequently cancelled their exploration program and returned the property to owner L.B. Warren.
In 1993, an airborne geophysical survey (16 line-kilometres helicopter-borne magnetometer, electromagnetic and Very Low Frequency Electromagnetic) was carried out on behalf of Noranda Exploration Company Ltd. over the central portion of the Nak claims. Also, Teck Exploration Ltd. had some petrographic and lithogeochemical studies done on surface rock and drill core samples collected from the Nak property.
In 1994, the property was re-staked and the claims optioned by Hera Resources Inc. In late 1994, a camp was established and an induced polarization and magnetic survey was conducted on the Nak 1 to 5 claims over a newly constructed grid. A total of 45.2 kilometres of grid line was cut. The induced polarization survey outlined several anomalous zones worthy of further mineral exploration including a central zone of lower chargeability surrounded by higher chargeability indicating a potential pyrite halo to a mineralized porphyry system.
In 1995, Hera Resources Inc. extended the 1994 grid and did additional induced polarization and magnetometer surveys. These surveys outlined a large, low chargeability response coincident with rare outcrops of a quartz diorite and other intrusive rocks containing up to 5 per cent chalcopyrite. Most of the anomalous areas were covered by glacial till. Hera Resources Inc. carried out a drill program on the Nak 95-1 and Nak 95-2 claims that consisted of 43 BQ diamond-drill holes totalling 8007.30 metres. This work identified two areas (North and South zones) of copper mineralization. The North zone lies on the northwest margin of the biotite-feldspar intrusive and comprises disseminated chalcopyrite and bornite with in the intrusive and fracture-controlled mineralization within the adjacent volcanics. The mineralized zone is reported to be a tabular body striking north 20 degrees west over a 700-metre strike length and dipping 65 degrees east. Drilling intercepts included 0.248 and 0.198 per cent copper with 0.055 and 0.075 gram per tonne gold over 229.3 and 408.0 metres in holes 95-2 and 95-21, respectively (Assessment Report 24273). The South zone of mineralization is located on-strike to the south of the North zone and comprises mineralized volcanics bounded to the east by a barren biotite-feldspar porphyry and to the west by a zone of altered dikes. Drilling intercepts included 0.352 per cent copper and 0.646 gram per tonne gold over 168.5 metres in hole 95-15 (Assessment Report 24273).
The eastern and northern edges of the low chargeability area were also drilled and all but one drillhole intersected only trace amounts of copper and/or gold mineralization. Drillhole 95-35, located on the eastern edge of the anomaly and approximately 900 metres east of the North zone, yielded 0.108 per cent copper and 0.102 gram per tonne gold over 276.4 metres, whereas drillhole 95-41, located on the eastern edge of the anomaly and approximately 900 metres north of the North zone, yielded 0.22 per cent copper and 1.140 grams per tonne gold over 3.6 metres (Assessment Report 24273).
Also in 1995, Teck Corporation conducted a large airborne magnetic and scintillometer survey, totalling 4200 line-kilometres, that covered many prospects in the region including the Nak occurrence.
In 1996, Hera Resources Inc. drilled the north-trending highs in the centre of the induced polarization anomaly. In all, 28 BQ diamond-drill holes were drilled totalling 5304.10 metres. The 1996 drilling program resulted in the identification of a zone of significant copper-gold mineralization in the south of the known mineralized area called the Southern zone. A study of copper-gold ratios in drill core also suggested possible mineralized extensions of the Southern zone elsewhere on the property. As well, the Southern zone was found to host localized high-grade copper veins (1.318 per cent copper and 0.203 gram per tonne gold over 18.28 metres) and associated disseminated mineralization in adjacent sedimentary units, with 0.143 and 0.203 gram per tonne gold over 12.5 and 18.28 metres in hole N96-58 and N96-65, respectively (Assessment Report 24928). Drilling highlights from the south zone included 0.248 per cent copper and 1.166 grams per tonne gold over 70.72 metre in hole N96-70 (Assessment Report 24928).
The Nak property, staked in 2002, is Imperial Metal Corp.'s most recent exploration property acquisition. Early this year a geophysical exploration program was carried out to help establish the basis of the company's 2003 summer field program.
In 2007, Copper Ridge held the Nak tenure and tenures south to include that included the Dorothy occurrence (093M 009). A total of 14 kilometres of induced polarization surveying and 13.7 kilometres of magnetometer surveying was done but was terminated before planned completion on the Dorothy due to severe winter conditions.
In 2008, the Copper Ridge Explorations Inc. exploration program included prospecting, soil sampling (consisting of 735 samples) a 54.54 line-kilometre induced polarization survey (started late in 2007) and a magnetometer survey. The soil survey extended from north of the Nak prospect to south of the Dorothy prospect. The induced polarization survey covered the Nak and the Dorothy prospects. This was followed up by drilling five holes, totalling 1265 metres. One hole was drilled on the Dorothy to test a soil anomaly and coincident chargeability high, whereas the remaining four holes were drilled on the Nak to test the eastern extension of the Southern zone and a possible southwestern extension of this zone. The Dorothy hole intersected predominantly disseminated pyrite with minor chalcopyrite and appeared to be drilled within the pyrite halo of the deposit. At the Nak, the Southern zone drillhole was mineralized from the collar to the end (316.5 metres) and assayed 0.115 per cent copper and 0.257 gram per tonne gold with significant higher-grade intervals (Assessment Report 32356). The other holes intersected mainly pyrite and narrow zones of low copper.
Historical drilling (including 2008 drilling) is reported to consist of 107 core holes, 29 on the Dorothy occurrence on the southern part of the Babine property, and 98 on the Nak occurrence on the northern part of the property.
In 2009, a two-day till sampling program resulted in the collection of 11 samples. The 2010 work program of Copper Ridge Explorations Inc. consisted of the collection of 460 soil samples over the Nak deposit. A helicopter ZTEM survey was flown totalling 506 line-kilometres. The most significant result of the soil survey was three coincident copper-molybdenum-bismuth anomalies at the Nak prospect. The ZTEM survey was reported to have corroborated the results of previous ground surveys and provided continuous magnetic and electromagnetic coverage of the entire property.
In 2014, Redtail Metals Corp. held a 100 per cent interest to the property subject to two separate underlying agreements. During the period of time between when the work was completed and the time of the assessment report, Redtail Metals Corp. merged with Northern Tiger Resources Inc. and changed its name to Golden Predator Mining Corp. The property covers two distinct zones, Nak and Dorothy. In 2014, an airborne geophysical survey was carried out and a total of 581 line-kilometres were flown covering approximately 11.0 by 8.5 kilometres. The airborne survey produced high quality magnetic data for the property showing the relative lows of the intrusions surrounded by relatively high magnetic hornfels zone around the intrusions. Several north-northwest and northwest structures were also outlined by the survey. A drill program is recommended to test several structures for additional copper-gold mineralization.
In 2016, John B. Kreft completed a program of prospecting and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the Nak claims.
In May 2017, B. Kreft of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory contracted R. Beck Consulting Services of Smithers to conduct a field exploration program on the Nak property claims. The program comprised soil and biogeochemical sampling over specified gridded areas within the middle of the claim group. The sampling was designed to provide additional data layers to an area identified by geophysical surveys as having mineral potential. The property reverted to B. Kreft and the Nak claims were subsequently optioned to Generation Mining Limited.
In 2018, Generation Mining Limited relogged hole BB08-04 in the South zone, which yielded the best results of the four holes in the 2008 Copper Ridge drilling program. Up to 0.232 per cent copper and 0.705 grams per tonne gold were found (Assessment Report 37959). Re-sampling of the historical drillcore yielded similar results to those initially found. A metallurgical study was taken from half-core sampling of historical drillcore BB08-04, and it was found to have a head grade of 0.303 per cent copper and 0.587 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 37959).
In 2019, Generation Mining Limited completed a program of soil/till and biogeochemical (mainly balsam fir) sampling. A total of 96 soil/till samples and 96 biogeochemical samples were collected. Copper anomalies were found on the western side of the sampling grid, with soil sample results of up to 0.0417 per cent copper (Assessment Report 38720). An area of anomalous biogeochemical samples was found in the eastern area of the grid as well as anomalous results in the western part of the grid, which correspond with the induced polarization Embayment target. Three main targets were identified: the induced polarization Embayment, the Northeast Extension, and the South zone.
Refer to Dorothy (093M 009), located 6.1 kilometres south-southeast, for related information and a common property work history.
