The Shred occurrence is centred on the 1979 diamond drill hole SDH 79-1, located just west of Wrede Creek, approximately 5 kilometres south of Fleet Peak (Assessment Report 8213), 40 kilometres south of the Kemess mine and 215 kilometres north of Smithers.
Regionally, the occurrence lies within the Quesnel terrane. Quesnellia rocks comprise a volcanic and sedimentary assemblage assigned to the Upper Triassic Takla Group and a poorly defined sedimentary and volcanic suite belonging to the Pennsylvanian to Permian Lay Range assemblage, which is believed to be part of the Harper Ranch subterrane (Geological Survey of Canada, Geology of Canada Number 4). These rocks are intruded by Early Jurassic monzodiorites, Early Cretaceous quartz monzodiorites and Late Triassic Alaskan-type ultramafics.
This package of sediments, volcanics and intrusions is bounded to the east by the north-northwest–trending Swannell fault and to the west by the north-northwest–trending Ingenika fault. The Swannell fault separates the Quesnel terrane from the para-autochthonous Cassiar terrane represented by Upper Proterozoic rocks assigned to the Ingenika Group. The Ingenika fault separates the Quesnel terrane from the Stikine terrane, an aggregate of allochthonous Paleozoic and Mesozoic magmatic arc assemblages and overlying sedimentary sequences (Monger, 1984).
Locally, the Takla Group is represented by a volcaniclastic unit, a feldspar hornblende crystal tuff and a feldspar porphyry dyke. The volcaniclastic unit consists of sandy limestone, fine-grained andesitic tuff, crystal tuff and agglomerate. The limestone bed strikes 140 degrees and dips 76 degrees to the east (Assessment Report 8213). The dike is a grey rhyodacite and the contact with the crystal tuff unit is sheared and brecciated. The breccia fragments are deformed, chlorite altered and rimmed with pyrite (Assessment Report 8213). Ultramafic peridotite dikes also intrude the tuffs.
The Red property is underlain by Takla Group augite±feldspar phyric basalts, basaltic andesite flows, tuffs (including lapilli tuff and volcanic breccias) and related intrusions, argillites and dark carbonate rocks. The Takla Group rocks are intruded by diorite, quartz diorite, hornblende diorite, quartz diorite porphyry and diorite porphyry related to the Early Jurassic Fleet Peak pluton. The dioritic rocks predominantly occur as dikes and sills and generally form west-northwest–trending lenticular slivers. The Red property is characterized by a northwest-trending structural corridor that controls the emplacement of the broadly dioritic intrusive complex. The dioritic intrusives are located between the North Lineament and South Lineament creeks’ drainage and the Bird and North Canyon creeks’ drainage.
Alteration is generally phyllic and argillic, becoming increasingly more propylitic with depth. Alteration minerals include sericite, quartz, epidote, chlorite, pyrophyllite and calcite.
Surface mineralization occurs as massive pyrite and chalcopyrite lenses within an ultramafic outcrop. Diamond drill holes SDH 79-1 through 79-4 are in close proximity to this surface mineralization and vary between 3 and 39 metres in depth. Only drillhole SDH 79-1 contained mineralization, which consisted of malachite, pyrite and chalcopyrite and in a sheared peridotite (Assessment Report 8213). Approximately 250 metres to the east of the cluster of drillholes, chalcopyrite is found in minor amounts as disseminated blebs in widely spaced quartz veins (Assessment Report 6369). These veins occur in an area of small localized faults that trend northwest and cut dioritic, ultramafic and schistose rocks.
Results of the 1984 drill program by the Cominco and BP Resources joint venture included 81 metres averaging 0.22 per cent copper and 0.109 gram per tonne gold, 51 metres averaging 0.21 per cent copper and 0.076 gram per tonne gold, and 36 metres averaging 0.24 per cent copper and 0.125 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 28496). The best result obtained from the Gitennes Exploration 2004 drill program was a 36.5-metre section grading 0.26 per cent copper and 122 parts per billion gold (Assessment Report 27622). Significant results from the 2005 drill program included 9 metres averaging 0.53 per cent copper and 266 parts per billion gold and 48 metres averaging 0.16 per cent copper (Assessment Report 28496).
WORK HISTORY
In the 1970s, BP Minerals Ltd.’s follow-up program on the Shred property identified massive sulphide lenses in an ultramafic intrusion, fracture-fill mineralization in the intermediate intrusions, disseminated mineralization in the tuffaceous andesites and gold soil anomalies.
The first placer operations began in the area in the early 1900s. In the 1930s, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada staked an area with prominent gossanous alteration, iron staining and gold- and copper-bearing quartz veins in the approximate area of the current Red property. The claims were allowed to lapse but the company, then known as Cominco, restaked the claims in 1968 after recognizing the potential for a bulk-tonnage, low-grade copper deposit. That year, exploration consisted of geological mapping, prospecting and soil sampling. A 450 by 2400-metre copper soil anomaly was defined by the soil sampling program. In 1969, Cominco completed five diamond drill holes totalling 303.9 metres. Four of the drillholes intersected anomalous copper values, including drillhole R84-03 with 20.12 metres (66 feet) grading 0.46 per cent copper and 0.015 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 28496).
In 1973, Union Miniere Explorations and Mining Corporation Ltd. conducted grid soil sampling and ground magnetic surveying on the Bow claims (now mineral tenure 513378), approximately 3 kilometres to the northwest. The following year, one drillhole was completed to 61.6 metres depth. BP Minerals Ltd. conducted regional geochemical exploration surveys of the ‘NIK belt’ from 1973 to 1976. In 1974, BP Minerals Ltd. carried out geological mapping, soil, stream and seep sediment sampling, drilling and ground magnetic and induced polarization geophysical surveying on the Bird claims (MINFILE 094D 101) to the northwest of the Red showing, an area that overlaps and extends north of the current mineral tenure 513425. Two diamond drill holes totalling 285.3 metres were completed. The drillholes intersected propylitically altered diorite with pyrite, pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite and molybdenite.
From 1976 to 1977, BP Minerals carried out grid soil, talus and steam sampling, geophysical surveying and overburden drilling on the Shred claims (MINFILE 094D 111; covering current claims Red 12 [mineral tenure 391065] and Red 13 [mineral tenure 513434]). At approximately the same time, Cominco staked additional land in the area and carried out induced polarization, resistivity and magnetic geophysical surveys that led to the delineation of a northwest-trending high-chargeability, low-resistivity anomaly. Between 1978 and 1979, BP Minerals followed up previous exploration results with a program of overburden and core drilling. In 1981, BP Minerals carried out rock-chip sampling and reanalyzed previous soil and stream sediment samples collected in 1974. Cominco and BP Resources Canada Ltd. formed a joint exploration venture in 1984 to confirm historical copper values and to determine the gold potential of the area. The joint exploration program consisted of geological mapping, rock and soil geochemical sampling, electromagnetic, magnetic and induced polarization geophysical surveying and diamond drilling. Seven drillholes were completed totalling 1003.5 metres. Mineralization encountered in the drillcore included vein- and fracture-controlled pyrite and minor fracture-controlled chalcopyrite and molybdenite.
The Red, Hat, Bird and Shred claims were eventually permitted to lapse and were acquired by D.L. Cooke and Associates Ltd. in 2001. That year, Brett Resources Inc. optioned the property and carried out geological mapping, stream sediment and rock sampling and drilling. Drilling encountered weak low-grade copper porphyry mineralization associated with chlorite–trace sulphide assemblages. Solomon Resources Ltd. acquired an option on the property in 2002 and carried out 3 line kilometres of pole-dipole induced polarization geophysical surveying on the Red property to further investigate porphyry-style copper-gold mineralization encountered during previous exploration programs. Later that year, Solomon Resources terminated all agreements with Brett Resources and the property was relinquished back to D.L. Cooke. In 2004, Gitennes Explorations Inc. optioned the property and hired Equity Engineering Ltd. to carry out a two-phase exploration program of geological mapping, prospecting, soil sampling, induced polarization geophysical surveying and diamond drilling. Two diamond drill holes totalling 448.7 metres were completed on induced polarization and geochemical anomalies.
In 2005, Buffalo Gold Ltd. acquired a 60 per cent interest in the property from Gitennes Exploration Inc. That same year, Buffalo hired APEX Geoscience Ltd. to manage a drill program on the property. Four diamond drill holes totalling 626 metres were completed on targets outlined by geochemical soil and induced polarization anomalies identified by Gitennes Exploration during the 2004 exploration season.
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 surrounding area as the regionally extensive Cookie property.
