The Spur occurrence is located near the ridge top approximately due west of the southern tip of Bear Lake.
Regionally, Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation rocks are intruded by a quartz-monzonite stock of the Eocene Kastberg Intrusions. A potassium-argon date of 53 Ma has been obtained from the Kastberg Intrusions (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 342). The major faults in the area trend northwest, dip steeply to the west and separate rock types of different groups. The strata strikes northwest and dips moderately to the northeast.
Locally, the Spur claims are underlain by northwest trending Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group) basic to intermediate volcanics and interflow volcaniclastics. Intercalated andesites and basalts, with variably hematized plagioclase, are locally amygdaloidal or porphyritic. Pyroxene phenocrysts are found in some of the porphyritic phases. Conglomerates, sandstones and siltstones exhibit: cross-bedding; convoluted bedding; load casts; channeling; grading in individual beds; and bed disruption near volcanic domes. Smaller, localized, east-trending faults are associated with the major faults.
Mineralization occurs as disseminations in volcanics, volcaniclastics and fracture fillings. The most prevalent sulphides are chalcocite, covellite, bornite and chalcopyrite. Galena is the only other sulphide found. The mineralization is strongly associated with the contacts between the volcanics and volcaniclastics (Assessment Report 5681).
A 5.79-metre drill intersection assayed 2.36 per cent copper and 48.34 grams per tonne silver (Property File - Vincent, J. S., 1978, Letter).
WORK HISTORY
The SAY claim group covers the SPUR MINFILE occurrence, the discovery and initial staking of which was undertaken by the Canadian Nickel Company Ltd. (INCO) in 1974. A program consisting of grid establishment, soil sampling and geologic mapping was conducted the following year in preparation for a diamond drilling carried out in 1976 (Assessment Report 5681). Results from this work include the definition of a number of copper, zinc and silver soil geochemical anomalies; the main body of which trend discontinuously north-northeast across an approximately 0.4 by 1 kilometre grid. Geological mapping shows these anomalies as being spatially associated with basalt/volcaniclastic contacts and a north-northeast trending linear feature dubbed the “Hunter Fault” (Assessment Report: 6503). Where this gully cuts through the eastern side of the ridge, at a significant break in slope, a relatively large area of malachite-stained scree and talus is exposed. Just uphill a few 10’s of metres, to the north of the malachite-stained scree area, are some old drill collars; and it was in this vicinity that the 2012 rock samples were collected.
Based on observations and data within historical and more current assessment reports, mineralization is primarily bornite, occurring as sulphide bands (vein form) within the fault structure over widths ranging from 2 to possibly as much as 10 metres.
The area was restaked by Electrum Resource Corporation who, in 2007, who conducted two days of helicopter supported reconnaissance designed to verify earlier work. Conclusions obtained from this work (Assessment Report 30028) were that the extent of known mineralization is “limited” and, among other recommendations, that a stream sediment program would be warranted.
The Spur occurrence was examined in 2012 over a strike length of approximately 500 metres and appears to be closed off in an area of reasonable exposure at its northern extent; while it is possibly open along strike to the south where it trends down a steep slope covered in scree and increasing amounts of sub-alpine growth at lower elevations. It is hosted in a strong topographic lineament which is interpreted as a fault structure (Hunter Fault) and so it is reasonable to expect that mineralization could have significant strike and down-dip extents.
In 2013, the SAY exploration program was directed towards determining if the northern extension of the fault hosting the Spur showing was also mineralized and thereby establishing some size potential for the mineralization. A total of 13 stream sediment samples (including 2 moss mats) and 56 soil samples were collected along 3 traverses, approximately parallel to the structure.
A reconnaissance-scale ‘Lithic Drainage Sediment’ (LDS) method stream silt sampling program was carried out in 2016 when 44 stream sediment samples were collected by Electrum Resources Ltd. Each mineral claims property, the SAY, MOT and SUSTUT PORPHYRY, was sampled by Electrum Resources. The majority of the most mineralized base and precious metals rocks were collected at each of the dominant mineralized showings on the three properties, the ‘Spur’ showing on the SAY claims. The highly anomalous copper, platinum, palladium, silver values present in two LGS samples, SZ004 and SZ005, point to likely presence of copper mineralization at depth in the northwest sector of the SAY mineral property, hosted in mafic-lithology breccias, as indicated by strongly anomalous mafic major and trace pathfinder elements, magnesium, cobalt, chromium, nickel, plus aluminium and manganese. Relatively anomalous multi-element geochemical signatures of mineralization potential were obtained on Electrum’s three claim areas, the SAY, MOT and SUSTUT PORPHYRY, away from their known mineral showings respectively, the Spur, Huestis and Jake, utilizing the wet-sieved high-quality ‘Lithic Drainage Sediment’ sampling method.
