The Sooner occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1200 metres on a south-facing slope, approximately 3.3 kilometres southeast of the southeast end of Ahdatay Lake.
Regionally, the area lies within the Quesnel terrane, which is characterized by Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic volcanic and sedimentary rocks of island arc affinity that have been intruded by a variety of intrusive phases related to the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Hogem Intrusive Suite. Geology can be summarized as intermediate volcanics locally intruded by syenitic to dioritic dikes.
The area straddles the contact between intrusive rocks of the Hogem Intrusive Suite and volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Chuchi Lake succession. Chuchi Lake succession volcanic flows, pyroclastics and associated rock are predominate to the north and Hogem intrusive rocks are predominate to the south of this contact. The Chuchi Lake succession is dominated by subaerial to submarine, maroon to green, plagioclase ± augite phyric latite, trachyte and andesite flows and pyroclastics. Regional mapping has the Chuchi Lake succession dipping gently to the south at roughly 20 degrees. Intrusive rocks of the Hogem Intrusive Suite in the area of the property are highly differentiated and span a range from hornblendites and pyroxenites to diorites and syenites, with a predominance of monzonites to monzodiorites.
The Sooner occurrence is described as comprising molybdenite in fractures and veinlets in an alaskite cutting Upper Triassic Takla Group volcanics (Geology, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia 1973, page 367). The region is largely underlain by float of intrusive material probably derived from the nearby Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous Hogem Intrusive Complex—Early Jurassic in this region—and the Early Jurassic Aplite Creek Intrusive Complex (informal names). Nearby volcanics belong to the Lower Jurassic Chuchi Lake Succession of the Takla Group. Volcanics noted at the showing may be part of the same formation. The Sooner showing is not well documented and may be related to the nearby Aplite Creek (MINFILE 093N 085) prospect.
Work History
In 1970, the Luc 1-4 claims, located immediately east of the Sooner occurrence, were owned by John King. Work at that time included geological mapping, a magnetometer survey (7.3 kilometres) and a soil geochemical survey (192 samples) by the Luc Syndicate (Assessment Report 2450). The property was re-staked by G.C. Gutrath as the Cul 1-30 claims, with Cul 15-18 covering the former Luc 1-4 claims. Calico Silver Mines Ltd. optioned the property in November 1971. The former soil geochemical survey grid was extended and filled in along selected lines with 88 more samples. An exploration program consisting of line cutting, mapping, rock chip sampling and soil sampling was completed (Assessment Report 3865).
Following a reconnaissance geochemical program in August 1971, Noranda Exploration Company Ltd. staked 52 contiguous mineral claims (Sooner 1-36 and Sooner 1-16 Fr.) called the Ahdatay property in October and performed exploration work in 1972 and 1973. The property was believed to cover the contact between intrusive rocks of the Hogem Batholith and Takla Group volcanic rocks, but a blanket of glacial till masks almost all bedrock in the area. The property was described as being underlain by glacial rubble and detritus of chiefly an intrusive nature with intrusive float being dominated by granodiorite, granodiorite porphyries, syenites and diorites. Volcanic float was described as andesite and andesite porphyry (Assessment Report 3962). Several small copper anomalies with associated molybdenum anomalies were identified and a ground induced polarization survey was conducted over the area (Assessment Report 4431). Although no further work was filed for assessment purposes, it is believed that Noranda followed up with diamond drilling because historical drill core has been observed at this location by several author s. Four holes, totalling 266 metres, were reportedly drilled on Sooner 16 and 27, and Sooner 14 Fr. claims. Assessment Report 13342 describes abandoned core from an early 1970s drill program at a location near 379215 E/6131996 N, which falls in the current Pinnacle Reef property boundaries.
During 1972 through 1974, Pechiney Developments Ltd. completed soil sampling; magnetometer (Assessment Report 4430), induced polarization and resistivity surveys (Assessment Report 4653) and four diamond drill holes (Assessment Reports 5148 and 5212) on the Ian group (MINFILE 093N 236) of claims. The historical Ian claims were located approximately 800 metres north of the Later 11 mineral claim in the vicinity of what more recently is the L7 claim .
In 1983 and 1984, BP Exploration Canada Ltd. conducted exploration on the Phil claims. In the summer of 1983, a reconnaissance rock sample returned anomalous gold and copper values from altered Takla Group volcanics (Assessment Report 12149). BP Exploration Canada staked a 20-unit claim (Phil 2) and conducted soil sampling. Following positive results, an additional 72 units (5 claims) were staked (Phil 3-7). The soil geochemistry program (1100 samples) tested for gold, copper, zinc, silver and arsenic (Assessment Report 12149). Two anomalous zones were identified: the Aplite Creek (MINFILE 093N 085) zone and the Hilltop zone, where anomalous copper and gold was associated with strongly sheared and altered rocks. In 1984, a follow-up program consisting of geological mapping, prospecting and rock chip sampling was carried out to identify potentially economic mineralized zones (Assessment Report 13342). On the Phil 3 claim, more recently the Later 11 claim, a coincident copper soil anomaly and induced polarization anomaly was identified. This anomalous zone corresponds to the zone of primary interest outlined in Noranda’s 1972 work program on the Sooner claims (Assessment Report 3962) .
During 1989 through 1991, BP Exploration Canada continued work on the Phil A claims. In 1989, an airborne magnetometer and very low frequency electromagnetic survey was completed over the entire Phil 2-7 claim area in an attempt to delineate possible intrusive centres and/or major structures (Assessment Report 19615). Conclusions from the airborne survey describe an extremely broken magnetic pattern with no apparent trend and a vertical magnetic gradient signature suggesting an intensely complex lithologic structure. Very low frequency electromagnetic data revealed a general north–striking trend. In June of 1990, BP completed a ground induced polarization survey over the Phil 2, 4 and 5 claims. The report notes that three zones of anomalous induced polarization response were observed; one of the zones warranted immediate drilling (Assessment Report 20876). In September 1990, BP Resources completed 1067.8 metres of drilling in six holes on the Aplite Creek (MINFILE 093N 085) zone.
In 2000, the area was acquired by the Peregrine Syndicate as the Aplite 1-8 claims. Exploration in 2000 consisted of a 6.5-kilometre magnetometer survey over portions of the Aplite 2 and 4 claims to the north and south of BP’s 1990 auriferous drillholes AH 90-3 and AH 90-4 on the Aplite Creek (MINFILE 093N 085) zone. In 2001, a program of ground magnetics was conducted.
In 2007, Solomon Resources Ltd. completed a program of geochemical (soil and silt) sampling and a 1458.4 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area as the Col-Magnet property.
Following acquisition of the Later 1-12 claims in June of 2012, Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. (PEMC) conducted reconnaissance of existing logging roads, prospecting, data compilation and reconnaissance soil geochemistry. Logging roads and historic access trails were mapped and digitized and 72 soil samples were collected. The area of the Sooner showing was located and a subcrop rock sample (13124) was collected from a propylitic-altered volcanic rock with stringers and disseminations of pyrite yielding 0.103 per cent copper (Assessment Report 34320).
In 2013, Pacific Empire Minerals Corp., in conjunction with Nation River Resources Ltd. and Indata Resources Ltd., completed a program of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and historical data compilation on the area as part of the Col-Later-Klawback property.
On August 13, 2014, PEMC and OZ Exploration Pty Ltd. (OZE), a wholly owned subsidiary of OZ Minerals Limited, signed a Term Sheet for the potential acquisition by OZE of an interest in the Col-Later project. Between August 31 and December 18, 2014, Peter E. Walcott & Associates Ltd. completed a total of 44.33 line-kilometres of pole-dipole induced polarization surveying over three areas. Two of the survey areas (Elbow and Sooner) were completed using 150-metre a-spacing whereas the Later target area used 100-metre and 200-metre a-spacing. Surveyed lines were set at a nominal spacing of 600 metres. The induced polarization survey at the Sooner area targeted an ovate resistivity anomaly with a coincident magnetic anomaly identified from the 2007 Fugro DIGHEM survey. Two lines (L7400E and L8000E) were completed over this target area with positive results consistent with an interpreted porphyry copper-gold system. Pseudosections show a complex yet coherent induced polarization chargeability anomaly and the inverted resistivity data agrees well with the resistivity map from the Furgo airborne survey.
During 2015, PEMC/OZ Minerals conducted a diamond drill program consisting of 2492.9 metres in seven holes. Drilling focused on two target areas, the Elbow and Sooner areas where induced polarization surveys in 2014 identified areas of anomalous chargeability. At the Sooner target area, drillholes DD15SON001 and 002 intersected variably altered monzonite, diorite and syenite with lesser feldspar porphyry, diorite and heterolithic andesite breccia cut by late mafic and aplitic dikes. Moderate to strong calc-silicate alteration with coarse-grained magnetite alteration persists through roughly the first 200 metres of DD15SON001 and is locally associated with thin bands of semi-massive pyrite and trace chalcopyrite. Alteration is variable and predominantly propylitic with lesser potassium feldspar alteration. Drillhole DD15SON003 intersected fine-grained andesitic volcanics at the top of the hole to a depth of 350 metres. Below this, intrusive lithologies characterized by variably altered syenite and monzonite were encountered. Once into the intrusives, coarse-grained calc-silicate alteration persisted. Drillholes DD15SON001 and DD15SON003 yielded anomalous copper values of 0.030 and 0.036 per cent copper over 175.6 and 74.0 metres, respectively (Assessment Report 35824). Anomalous molybdenum and rhenium values were also reported.
In the fall of 2016, ML Gold Corp. completed a diamond drilling program totalling 1107 metres in three NQ-sized holes on the Elbow zone to the southeast. Anomalous gold values were present in all three holes although no significant copper values were encountered.
In 2017, a total of 12 line-kilometres of induced polarization geophysical surveys was completed over the southern portion of the Aplite Creek target area extending approximately from the Aplite Creek (MINFILE 093N 085) occurrence to the Sooner occurrence area. The intent of the survey was to obtain induced polarization chargeability and resistivity measurements at a greater depth of historical induced polarization surveys completed in the same area in 1990 by BP Minerals Canada.
