The Bird occurrence, located on the 1979 diamond-drill hole BDH 79-1, is approximately 6 kilometres southwest of Fleet Peak, 40 kilometres south of the Kemess mine (MINFILE 094E 094) and about 215 kilometres north of Smithers.
The regional geology is similar to that of the Shred occurrence (MINFILE 094D 111) which is located 6 kilometres southeast of the Bird occurrence. Takla Group volcanics overlie an Early Permian Asitka Group volcano-sedimentary package. A broadly granitic suite of Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous intermediate to felsic intrusions intrude the Takla volcanics. Structure in the area is dominated by a series of north-northwest trending faults that form terrane boundaries between the Stikine, Quesnel and Cassiar terranes.
The Bird showing area is largely underlain by Upper Triassic Takla Group andesite fragmentals and andesite porphyries. These volcanic rocks are intruded by northwest trending fault-controlled porphyritic quartz diorite to granodiorite intrusions and related dikes on the southern half of the property. The southwestern boundary of the main porphyritic intrusion is presently in fault contact with andesite, and it would appear that faulting which controlled emplacement of the intrusions has been reactivated as alteration and mineralization across this fault appear related.
Earlier exploration has delineated a northwest trending corridor of porphyry copper±gold mineralization and associated geochemical soil anomalies and chargeability anomalies. Porphyry copper-gold mineralization within this corridor comprises largely fracture-controlled chalcopyrite, pyrite and lesser molybdenite associated with sericite, silica, and quartz veining in porphyritic intrusions and andesite. Two limited drill campaigns have been undertaken in the area covered by the current Fleet property; 61.6 metres in one hole in 1974, and 285 metres in two holes in 1975. This limited drilling intersected propylitically-altered andesites locally cut by porphyritic diorite and intrusive breccia with pyrite, pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite and malachite. However, there are no analytical results reported from this drilling. Although this drilling appears to have intersected the fringes of a porphyry system based upon the alteration and mineralization, geological mapping undertaken in 2004 identified potassic alteration in porphyritic granodiorite, suggesting that there may be multiple mineralizing centres.
Work by previous operators identified an extensive gold-molybdenum soil anomaly on the Fleet claim that appears to be underlain by andesitic volcanic rocks. This anomaly is located northeast of the porphyritic granodiorite and limited rock sampling in 2004 suggests that the andesites flanking the intrusion display stronger mineralization than the intrusion, which appears to have been the target of the 1975 drilling. The presence of molybdenum in this area contrasts with the mineralized system on the adjacent Red property (094D 034), located about 2.7 kilometres to the southeast. In addition, there is little recorded work carried out on the Fleet 1 claim, aside from one short diamond-drill hole and limited soil sampling that only analyzed for molybdenum and zinc. This area is on strike with the mineralized corridor that extends across the Fleet claim and Red property to the southeast. Limited drilling in this corridor, primarily on the Red property, has intersected significant widths of porphyry copper-gold mineralization with grades that compare well with those at the Kemess deposits. Geological and geochemical evidence indicates that mineralization on the Fleet property, albeit slightly different in character, is continuous with that identified to the southeast on the Red property.
Work History
In 1974, BP Minerals Limited carried out geological mapping, grid and contour soil sampling, geochemical stream and seep sediment sampling, and ground magnetic and induced polarization (IP) surveys on the Bird claims. A total of 604 rock, soil and sediment samples were analyzed. Ground geophysical surveying was conducted over a 10.4 line-kilometre grid. In 1975, BP followed up this program with two BQ drillholes totalling 285.3 metres. Hole BD-1 intersected propylitically altered variably porphyritic diorite with pyrite, pyrrhotite and lesser chalcopyrite and molybdenite. Hole BD-2 intersected propylitically altered andesite agglomerates and finer grained fragmentals cut by variably porphyritic diorite and intrusive breccia with pyrite and pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite.
In 1981, BP Minerals carried out rock chip sampling on the Bird and Shred (094D 111) claims and re-analyzed soils and stream sediments collected in 1974. The Shred showing is located 6 kilometres southeast of the Bird showing.
In 2001, the Red 011 claim was staked by D.L. Cooke after the Red, Hat, Bird and Shred claims were allowed to lapse, and subsequently optioned to Brett Resources Inc. Brett carried out limited rock and stream sediment sampling in conjunction with geological mapping in 2001. Brett also located the Red 012 and 013 claims in 2001. Solomon Resources Limited entered into an agreement to earn an interest in the Red 011-013 claims and conducted a program of IP surveying in 2002. Three line-kilometres of pole-dipole IP were surveyed on an area of the Red 011 claim where previous workers intersected porphyry-style copper-gold mineralization.
In 2007, Serengeti Resources Ltd. carried out a geophysical survey over the Fleet claims which included: airborne EM, magnetic, and radiometric surveys over 434 km. The radiometric survey highlighted an area of high potassic/low thorium count in the extreme north of the claim block which could be indicative of potassic alteration. A number of magnetic highs were also outlined which are generally indicative of intrusive bodies. The survey covered the following MINFILE showings (Assessment Report 29768): Wrede Creek (094D 009), QUYZVHX (094D 010), Wrede Creek Chromite (094D 026), Red (094D 034), (NIK (094D 109), Shred (094D 111), Fox (094D 156), Hound (094D 157), Hat (094D 158), Midas (094D 159), Fisher (094D 160), Inge (094D 161), Redgold (094D 162), Grapes (094D 163), 04PSC-94 (094D 186). The magnetic survey showed a sharp linear gradient trending northwest through the southern-central portion of the survey block, indicative of a fault contact between intrusive rocks on the east and Takla volcaniclastics on the west. A linear northwesterly trending magnetic high is seen to the west of the northwesterly trending fault. The Shred, Hound, Fox, Wrede Creek and possibly Fisher showings appear to be related to it, at least spatially.
In 2008/2009, a limited induced polarization (IP) and magnetic survey was conducted on the Nik and the Fleet claims on behalf of Serengeti Resources Inc. Although the results on the Nik were complicated by the strike direction three zones of higher chargeability were observed generally trending northwesterly across the lines, while a wide zone trending in the same direction was detected on the Fleet (Airborne Magnetic Survey Maps (Fleet Project), Assessment Report 31136). The Midas occurrence and some of the headwaters of the creek were covered by the geophysics survey completed on the Fleet property.
In 2015, on behalf of D.L. Cooke, a survey of linear features mapped from satellite remote sensing data was completed (Assessment Report 35425). The purpose of the study was to identify geological structures which may be associated with gold and/or copper occurrences several of which occur in the area of interest: Wrede Creek (094D 009), Red (094D 034), Bird (094D 101), Shred (094D 111), Hat (094D 158).
In 2018 to 2019, Intact Gold Corp. held the Little Phoenix Property which covered the following mineral occurrences: Hound (094D 157), Fox (094D 156), Shred (094D 111), QUYZVHX (094D 010), Fisher (094D 160), and Inge (094D 161). Precision Geo Surveys Inc. completed a 349-kilometre magnetic airborne survey on behalf of Intact (Assessment Report 38448).
In 2021, Wedgemount Resources Corp. completed a program of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and spectral analysis on the area as the regionally extensive Cookie property. Three float samples (D704051, D704052 and D704123) of oxidized and malachite-stained quartz veins located on the northeast side of a northwest trending ridge, approximately 2.5 kilometres southwest of the Bird occurrence, assayed from 0.74 to 5.17 per cent copper, 26.8 to 85.8 grams per tonne silver and 9.12 to 32.60 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 40029).
