The Suskwa or Hot occurrence is located on the north side of Mount Thoen on a steep ridge about 43 kilometres northeast of Hazelton.
The area is underlain by hornfelsed clastic sediments of the Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Bowser Lake Group which are intruded by dikes of quartz biotite feldspar porphyry immediately east of the Mount Thoen stock. The quartz dioritic stock is an apophysis of the Late Cretaceous Bulkley Plutonic Suite.
The copper and molybdenum mineralization is related genetically to an intrusive porphyry which occurs as dikes in hornfelsed Bowser Lake Group sediments and as a small intrusive unit. This small unit measures 300 by 3 to 50 metres in width next to the Mount Thoen stock. Bowser Lake sediments are heavily pyritized and hornfelsed to argillites and quartzites in the contact aureole next to the Mount Thoen stock.
Mineralization is in the form of chalcopyrite and molybdenite and rare bornite associated with pyrite and pyrrhotite associated with an east to northeast trending fracture system. The mineralization is associated with a potassic alteration zone marked by the presence of biotite. Sericitic and propylitic alteration zones have also been mapped as zones around the mineralization.
The 1974 drill core penetrated two mineralized zones, named the Primary and Secondary copper zones. The Secondary copper zone was intersected from 147 to 213 metres in drillhole MT74-1 where it was expressed as a 66-metre long zone containing an average of 0.082 per cent copper with minor amounts of molybdenum. In drillhole MT-74-2, the Secondary zone was intersected from 184 to 204 metres resulting in a 15-metre long intersection containing an average of 0.148 per cent copper with minor amounts of molybdenum at the contact of the Mount Thoen monzonite.
The Primary copper zone was intersected from 270 to 342 metres in drillhole MT-74-1 in metasedimentary rocks that contains numerous potassic alteration areas, quartz-feldspar porphyry and granitic veins and dikes. Molybdenite, mostly oxidized to ferrimolybdite, and chalcopyrite with accessory bornite occurs as fine-grained disseminations throughout the metasedimentary rock and as blebs and stringers in the potassic alteration and quartz feldspar porphyry veins. Subsequent granitic veins and dikes are commonly barren. The Primary copper zone extends for 72 metres and contains an average of 0.14 per cent copper and 0.011 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 30829).
The location of mineralized zones directly beneath surface rock chip anomalies suggest that zones of mineralization are steeply dipping in the area of drilling. In drillhole MT74-1, the Secondary copper zone is interpreted to persist for a depth of at least 220 metres beneath surface. The Primary copper zone is interpreted to persist for a depth of at least 340 metres beneath surface.
Work History
Of the following documented mineral occurrences explored in 1929 and before, only Copper Basin, Bergsten and Babine vein mineralization are found within present Hot property tenures. Most of the following history of exploration is derived, largely in whole, from Ostler (Assessment Report 30829).
In 1890, the Suskwa trail (later developed by loggers into the Denison main road) was used by prospectors to investigate the area from Hazelton, British Columbia on Bulkley River to the northern end of Babine Lake (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1921).
Henry Thoen and his partner had staked the O.K. claims at the head of Thoen Basin. There, several narrow high-grade silver veins were being developed. A 9.8-metre long tunnel had been driven on one of them. Thoen had also staked a "deposit of low-grade copper" near the head of Copper Basin.
In 1929, J.A. Rutherford had gained control of the properties around the peak of Mount Thoen. The mineral showings in the area were examined by Douglas Lay, resident mining engineer for the North-eastern Mineral Survey District.
The tunnel on the True Fissure vein had been driven in 9.8 metres from the portal along the vein. The O.K. claim group was extended northward across a low pass into Bergsten Basin by the staking of nine additional claims. The new Bergsten claims covered several mineral showings in the upper part of that basin. Lay noted that the granitic rocks that formed the eastern wall of the basin were variably mineralized with chalcopyrite. The most notable showing on the Bergsten claims was reported to have been on the basin floor at an elevation of about 1542.3 metres. Prospecting since 1921 had revealed that several of the gently dipping galena-bearing seams on the O.K. claims had significant strike lengths. A new showing reported to have been at 1920.2 metres elevation, near the summit of the mountain and west of the pass between Thoen and Bergsten basins in the vicinity of an intrusion of granodiorite, contained copper, silver and gold values
Disseminated copper mineralization near the southern, upper end of Copper Basin occurred in several dikes and shears related to granodiorite intrusion of the country rocks. One dike on the eastern side of the basin at an elevation of 1725.2 metres was 1.52 metres thick and was mineralized with chalcopyrite over a width of 61 centimetres.
In 1968, Mastadon-Highland Bell Mines Ltd. conducted a program of prospecting, sampling and minor trenching around the Hot prospect in the lower part of Copper Basin.
In 1971, the Hot group of 26 two-post claims was staked in 1971. The United Minerals claim group of four two-post claims were also staked. It was located about 2.25 kilometres east-southeast of the 1971 Hot claims.
Cobre Exploration Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia contracted with Min-Ex Services Ltd. to conduct a program of mapping, and rock chip sampling around the main Hot prospect. An area of about 22.3 hectares was explored along a 1220-metre long baseline (Assessment Report 3970). Potassic alteration and copper mineralization was found in quartz feldspar porphyry dikes and in surrounding hornfelsed metasedimentary rocks. Mineralization coincided with 600-metre long copper and molybdenum rock chip anomalies. The core of the copper anomaly contained in excess of 0.1 per cent copper. The core of the molybdenum anomaly had concentrations in excess of 0.01 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 3970).
Although most of the rest of Copper Basin was covered with an intense gossan, no detailed exploration was reported from that area.
In 1973, Cobre had Min-Ex conduct a ground magnetometer survey over the grid that had been established in the Hot showings area the previous year (Assessment Report 4699). Three mild anomalies were identified. They were interpreted to have been related to pyrrhotite concentrations or intrusive contacts.
In 1974, Cobre Exploration Ltd. optioned the 1972 Hot property to Cities Service Minerals Corporation which drilled two BQ holes into the potassic alteration zone. The two holes were drilled from the same location at UTM coordinates 6141619N, 623990E southeastward at minus 45 degrees into the hillside. The holes were 377.3 metres and 276.8 metres long, respectively. Chalcopyrite and molybdenite were reported in both drillholes. Although all of hole MT-74-1 and the upper part of hole MT-74-2 were sampled, the results of that sampling were not included in the assessment report for that work (Assessment Report 5149), and no record of that sampling is reported. However, the core was recovered and partly re-sampled as part of the 2008 exploration program (Assessment Report 30829).
In 1980, Short Staun Minerals Corporation acquired the OK claim group which covered all of the known mineralization in the basins around the peak of Mount Thoen with the exception of the True Fissure workings area. The 1980 OK claims tied onto the southern boundary of the 1972 Hot claims, which were still in good standing at that time.
Arctex Engineering Services was commissioned to map the OK claims and sample any mineralization found on them (Assessment Report 8711). The OK-I claim covered the upper southern end of Copper Basin; the OK-IV claim covered the Babine vein area, both located in the southern part of the current Hot property.
Arctex encountered mostly granitic rocks near the head of Copper Basin which were variably mineralized with chalcopyrite. The 1.52-metre thick mineralized shear described from that area in 1929 was not found. However, several smaller shears that contained from trace to 0.3 per cent copper were located and sampled. Arctex encountered vein float in the eastern part of the current Hot property area that contained 0.36 per cent copper and 1189.6 grams per tonne silver (sample T-19-1, Assessment Report 8711). Also, Arctex found the Bergsten showings (sample T-13-4) and the veins reported in 1929 to have been located and the "galena seams uphill of and to the west of the Bergsten shear" (samples T-13-5, T-19-2, T-19-3, Assessment Report 8711). However, positive identification was not made.
In 1984, Arctex Engineering returned to the OK property to conduct a soil survey but was snowed out before much was accomplished (Assessment Report 13502).
In 2007, the Hot property was map-staked by J.T. Lawrence, J.D. Ostler, and B.M. Squinas. On August 27, 2007, John Ostler and Bruce Squinas made a brief visit to the Hot property. Parts of the precious metal halo around the Hot porphyry prospect had been staked by other parties. In 2008, Lawrence, Squinas, and Ostler entered into an option agreement with Iciena Ventures Inc. whereby Iciena could acquire 100 per cent ownership of the Hot property subject to a 1.5 per cent net smelter return. In April 2008, John Ostler conducted an investigation of the false-colour satellite imagery of the property area using ortho-rectified ASTER satellite images. The main Hot gossan coincided with an intense iron oxide anomaly and was surrounded on three sides by siliceous zones. An area of sericitic alteration extended southeast from the main gossan (Assessment Report 29873).Ostler inferred from old reports that the Bergsten showings were located about four kilometres southeast of the main Hot showings and conducted an exploration program for Berger Ventures Inc. east of the Hot property during August, 2008 partly in search of them. Mapping during that program revealed that they were located near the southeastern corner of the Hottie (557871) claim about 2.5 kilometres southeast of the Hot showings at the location described by Logan et al. in 1980 (Assessment Report 8711). Also during the August, 2008 exploration along the eastern boundary of the Hot property, intensely gossanous zones were seen on the cliffs in the United Minerals area during a low level helicopter reconnaissance of the area. Those gossanous zones may have been the targets over which the United Minerals claims were staked in 1972. The 2008 exploration program comprised recovery, re-logging, and re-sampling of the 1974 Cities Service core and mapping, examination, and sampling of the Bergsten area. Upon learning that it did not have control of the Bergsten showings, Berger Ventures Inc. allowed the 2008-era Berger claims to lapse.
In 2009, Iciena Ventures (Lawrence, Squinas, and Ostler) allowed its Hot property option from Lawrence, Squinas, and Ostler to lapse. The owners financed the cost of re-assaying the 1974 core and completed an assessment report themselves.
In 2011, Hot property optioner Xander Resources Inc. conducted a rock sampling program that consisted of 464 rock chip samples on seven grids and 48 grab samples within the WR area, which targeted the most gossanous outcrops seen in the project area. The chip sampling was done along 10 metres within the DH Grid, but this proved to be problematic and thus it was reduced to 5 metres for the rest of the DH grid and the other six grids. For the Crater Lake Grid, 308 mobile metal ion (MMI) soil samples were taken along eight lines with a line separation of 50 metres, for a total survey length of 7425 metres. All samples were picked up every 25 metres. The magnetic survey was carried out along the same eight MMI survey lines. The total survey length was 7562.5 metres. The sampling undertaken on the DH area showed significant and extensive copper and molybdenum zones. These zones appear to strike parallel with the intrusive/hornfels contact and may continue into the covered area where the MMI survey was conducted. The MMI soil sampling revealed a significant anomaly labelled the Crater Lake MMI anomaly. It is a molybdenum-copper-gold-silver-zinc anomaly with additional values in lead, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, and nickel. The size of the anomaly is a minimum 900 metres in an east-west direction with it being open to the east, and a minimum 350 metres in a north-south direction with it being open to the south.
In 2014, Xander Resources Inc. completed an airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the Hot property totalling 937 line kilometres.
