The Creek (Skook West) occurrence is located along a small southeast-flowing creek that drains into Chuchi Lake, at an elevation of approximately 1020 metres and approximately 5.5 kilometres southeast of Lhole Tse Mountain.
The area north of Chuchi Lake is underlain by the southeastern end of the Hogem Intrusive Complex which comprises at least three main phases ranging in age from Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous. Mapping north of Chuchi Lake (Open File 1992-4), however, indicates that the intrusions in this area comprise mainly Early Jurassic monzonite and syenite. These rocks have intruded volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Lower Jurassic Chuchi Lake Formation, a new informal division of the Middle Triassic to Lower Jurassic Takla Group (Fieldwork 1990 and 1991).
At the Creek showing, narrow, high-grade chalcopyrite veinlets and minor disseminated pyrite occur in moderately to strongly epidotized and potassically altered fine-grained volcanics (latite) and plagioclase porphyritic monzonite.
Another zone of mineralization, referred to as the Bailey zone, is located along a logging road approximately 400 to 500 metres east-northeast of the Creek zone and comprises an intrusive hosting disseminated chalcopyrite, pyrite and possible bornite with malachite and azurite staining.
Work History
In 1967, Tro-Buttle Exploration Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Jay claims.
In 1971, the SRM 1-20, 25-66, and CIR 1-20 claims were held by S.E.R.E.M. Ltd. Work during the year included geological mapping, a geochemical soil survey and a 37.7 line-kilometre magnetometer survey. Further work during 1973 included a geochemical survey comprising 345 soil and 17 silt samples.
Nation River Resources Ltd. staked the Skook 3-6 claims in 1987 to cover old showings. These may have included the Creek (093N 083), Skook (093N 140) and Rig Breccia (093N 208) which occur within these claim boundaries. Initial work by Nation River during the fall of 1987 and spring of 1988 focused on gold; a small program of soil (173) and rock ((99) sampling, prospecting and hand trenching returned significant values in gold, copper and silver from veins in propylitically altered Takla volcanics near hypabyssal alklic intrusions (Assessment Report 18073).
Also in 1988, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc. completed a program of soil sampling on the surrounding area as the Klaw 1-9 claims.
In 1990, B.P. Resources Canada Ltd. optioned the Skook 3-6 and 16 claims from Nation River and conducted a helicopter-borne electromagnetic-VLF-EM survey of 210 line-kilometre over the property. The Wit was now covered by the Skook 16 claim. Purpose of the survey was to delineate magnetite-bearing intrusions that could host porphyry copper-gold deposits (Assessment Report 21108). During 1991 B.P. also cut and soil sampled 64.35 kilometres of line, collecting 1250 soil and 59 rock samples. B.P. also ran 66.5 kilometres of induced polarization surveys on the SKOOK 3-6 and 16 and 17 claims and completed 1243 metres of NQ diamond drilling in 11 holes (Assessment Report 21820).
In 1991, the Creek zone was considered the most prospective target on the property. It had moderate to strong induced polarization chargeability and a small coincident, circular magnetic high. Prospecting and mapping outlined strongly potassium-feldspar altered siltstone and andesite, proximal to plagioclase porphyritic monzodiorite. Disseminated chalcopyrite was seen in some of the altered outcrops. Three holes tested the zone. The copper mineralized sections in drillholes SK91-07 and 08 occur in late quartz veins, clay gouge and shear zones but the mineralization did not appear to be directly related to the alteration system. Holes 7 and 8 were followed up with drill hole SK91-11, designed to test a magnetic anomaly 150 metres south. No magnetic rocks were encountered.
Drilling intercepts yielded up to 0.32 per cent copper over 40 metres, including 1.27 per cent copper and 0.71 gram per tonne gold over 8 metres in hole SK91-07 and 0.13 and 0.8 per cent copper over 2 metres each in hole SK91-08 (Assessment Report 21820 and 27087). The drillholes cut monzonite and strongly potassium feldspar- and chlorite/epidote-altered andesite and siltstone. A later drillhole, SK91-11, intersected four intervals of quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite veining associated with chloritic fault zones yielding 0.94 per cent copper, 16.7 grams per tonne silver and 1.3 grams per tonne gold over 6 metres (38 to 44 metres down hole); 0.12 per cent copper over 4 metres (82 to 86 metres down hole); 0.36 per cent copper over 2 metres (108 to 110 metres down hole) and 0.20 per cent copper over 2 metres (132 to 134 metres down hole; Assessment Report 21820).
Also at this time, three 1.0-metre chip samples (101048 to 101050) each averaged 0.23 per cent copper, whereas a select grab sample (139033) yielded 0.74 per cent copper (Assessment Report 21820).
The Skook claims were returned to Nation River Resources Ltd. in 1992.
In 1994, Nation Rivers excavator trenching and pit digging on western portions of the Skook property. Trenches S-1 and S-2 were dug in the South Zone (093N 140) where hand trenches had previously exposed copper-gold mineralization. Five trenches were dug in the central zone to check for extension of the CL 11 Zone (093N 140) (Assessment Report 24172). Trenches were sampled and mapped. It was reported that no economic mineralization was found.
In 2002, Nation River Resources Ltd completed 227 metres of BQ diamond drilling in two holes on the Skook mineral claims (Assessment Report 27087). A BQ diamond drill hole (SKO2-01) was collared at the CL II (093N 140) to test gold mineralization previously found trench. Hole SKO2-02 was collared within a few hundred metres to the northwest of SKO2-01. It intersected 3.2 metres of overburden then variably carbonate altered andesitic to rhyolitic tuffaceous sediments to a depth of 100.9 metres. The best gold values were 83 parts per billion across 1 metre. Hole SKO2-02 was collared within a few hundred metres to the northwest of SKO2-01 in order to test a gold anomaly at the end of drillhole SK91-04, drilled by B.P. in 1991. SK91-04 was re-entered and reamed to a depth of 106.5 metres where BQ drilling continued to 120.75 metres and encountered a bleached, silicified and pyritized breccia zone which averages 0.059 gram per tonne gold, 0.017 per cent copper over 14.25 metres, with a maximum value of 0.376 gram per tonne gold.
During 2009 through 2019, Ronald J. Bilquist conducted programs of prospecting, rock, and soil sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Chuchi 1-10 claims. In 2010, three samples (CH-0026 to CH-0028) of mineralized quartz vein from the Bailey zone yielded values from 0.066 to 0.184 gram per tonne gold, 13.5 to 27.4 grams per tonne silver, 0.033 to 0.437 per cent zinc, 0.147 to 0.273 per cent lead and all greater than 1.00 per cent copper, whereas a sample (CH-0014) hosting disseminated mineralization from the south side of the Creek zone yielded 0.325 per cent copper (Assessment Report 31649).
In 2020, Cirrus Gold Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping, rock sampling and an airborne magnetic survey on the area as the Chuchi South project.
