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File Created: 31-Jan-1992 by Keith J. Mountjoy (KJM)
Last Edit:  16-Feb-2023 by Larry Jones (LDJ)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name ELECTRUM, GRACE, GRACE 5, GRACE 1-5, GRACE 1-14, CONCHA, CONCHA 1-7, ERROR, ERROR 1-8, JOK, JOK 1-6, FINLAY RIVER, SKARN, SKARN 1-4, VIP, VIP 1-40, PINE Mining Division Omineca
BCGS Map 094E016
Status Prospect NTS Map 094E02W
Latitude 057º 11' 15'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 126º 49' 39'' Northing 6340350
Easting 631297
Commodities Silver, Gold Deposit Types H05 : Epithermal Au-Ag: low sulphidation
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Stikine
Capsule Geology

The Electrum occurrence is located west of the Finlay River and 5.75 kilometres east-southeast of Drybrough Peak in the Omineca-Cassiar mountains approximately 275 kilometres north of Smithers. The prospect is at the southern end of the Toodoggone Gold Camp which lies within the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt and is underlain by a northwest-trending belt of Paleozoic to Tertiary sediments, volcanics and intrusions. The Electrum prospect is situated within a Mesozoic volcanic arc assemblage bounded to the east by the Omineca Belt and to the west and southwest by the Sustut and Bowser basins.

Permian Asitka Group crystalline limestones are the oldest rocks exposed in the region. They are commonly in thrust contact with Upper Triassic Stuhini Group andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks. These Stuhini rocks have been intruded by plutons and other bodies of the mainly granodiorite to quartz monzonite Early Jurassic Black Lake Suite and are in turn unconformably overlain by or faulted against Lower Jurassic calcalkaline volcanics of the Toodoggone Formation (Hazelton Group).

The dominant structures in the area are steeply dipping faults which define a prominent regional northwest structural fabric trending 140 to 170 degrees. In turn, high angle northeast-striking faults (approximately 060 degrees) appear to truncate and displace northwest-striking faults. Collectively, these faults form a boundary for variably rotated and tilted blocks underlain by monoclinal strata.

The Electrum prospect is underlain by Toodoggone Formation grey, orange and green andesite, and quartz-eye andesite crystal and crystal lapilli tuff. The contact between these two units is faulted. Lesser red, hematitic ash-fall tuffs interbedded with crystal tuffs also occur. These are variably chlorite and epidote altered. To the southeast, outcrops consist of Stuhini Group andesitic flows and volcanic tuff. The quartz monzonite to granodiorite Black Lake stock lies immediately to the west and intrudes Stuhini Group volcanics.

The mineralization consists of chalcedony breccia and fracture-controlled veinlets with minor amounts of argentite, electrum and less than 1 per cent pyrite. Calcite is abundant as fracture filling and vein centres. The chalcedony is banded; hematite and jasper are also present within the chalcedony matrix. The veins and breccia zones are surrounded by up to 4 metres of intensely bleached and argillic-altered wallrock. Drilling results indicate that the electrum and argentite is predominantly within hangingwall shoots, and lesser within footwall shoots, striking 325 degrees and dipping 60 to 80 degrees to the northeast. Shoots appear to converge to the southeast. The footwall shoot consists of rounded re-brecciated chalcedony fragments in a gouge-like silicified matrix and has a faulted contact with unaltered rock below. The hangingwall shoot is cut off by welded tuff.

In 1988, a drill program consisting of 17 holes was conducted on the Electrum prospect. Assay results from drill core range from 24.70 grams per tonne silver over 2 metres to 852.70 grams per tonne silver over 0.3 metre, and 0.172 gram per tonne gold over 1 metre to 10.153 grams per tonne gold over 0.3 metre (Assessment Report 18313). Drillhole 88-16 yielded the best values overall, with a 2.6-metre interval grading 459.62 grams per tonne silver and 4.939 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18313).

A total of nine additional percussion-drill holes were drilled during a 1989 drill program; seven to the northwest and two to the southeast. Assay results from the drillholes to the northwest indicated an extension of the Electrum prospect mineralization. Sample APH-75 170-180 assayed 18.2 grams per tonne silver and 0.209 gram per tonne gold while sample APH-80 10-20 assayed 4.9 grams per tonne silver and 1.03 grams per tonne gold over a 10-metre interval (Assessment Report 18856).

In 1973, Amax Exploration Inc. originally staked the Grace claims. Geophysical and geochemical surveys, and geological mapping were conducted in 1974 and the claims subsequently lapsed. Restaking occurred in 1978 and additional surveys were conducted, followed by more staking in 1980.

In 1981, Tunkwa Copper Mines Ltd. carried out work on the property. In 1983, Asitka Resources Corp. acquired the property. Astika carried out induced polarization (IP) and magnetic surveys followed by 291 metres of diamond drilling. The Jok claims (northern portion of claims group) were previously held by Lacana, Taiga Resources (1980) and Golden Rule Resources Ltd. until 1987. In 1987, Skylark Resources Ltd. carried out regional geological mapping, prospecting, stream, soil and lithogeochemical surveys and a limited amount of trenching. This work generated several exploration targets, one notable one being the Beaverdam zone on the Grace 5 claim. Subsequently, additional ground was staked (Concha) and an option agreement was made on ground held by Asitka Resources Corp. In 1988, Skylark Resources Ltd. carried out geological mapping, prospecting, geochemical and geophysical surveys, trenching and diamond drilling. This work outlined gold and silver mineralization of potentially economic grade in the Electrum zone. In 1989, Skylark carried out a deep overburden sampling program and a percussion drill program to test for gold-bearing mineralization.

In 1997, Stealth Minerals Limited (formerly Stealth Mining Corp.) optioned a large package of claims in the region during the summer and additional claims were staked, covering the Goat, Wrich, VIP, Electrum, and Nub Mountain prospects. Most of Stealth’s subsequent work was initially directed towards the Pine deposit (094E 016) and later to a variety of other showings on the Pine property.

In 2003, drilling by Stealth Minerals on the Electrum prospect was done in order to expand upon the previously explored epithermal zone where 1988 drilling intersected significant silver and gold, and to explore till and bedrock geochemical anomalies developed by 1989 vertical percussion overburden and bedrock samples to the north. Three holes were reported and indicated the presence of at least two separate probably en echelon vein structures appearing as splays off the northwest trending regional Sanders-Wrich fault and Pill fault. The Electrum zone remains open to depth and along strike. In 2009, program activities by Goldfields/Cascadero included a 2778 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey over most of the Pine claim group including the Electrum/Beaver Dam area (Assessment Report 31564). Also, a prospect-specific field mapping and sampling program (soil, rock, talus fines and stream sediment samples) was completed over several prospects including the Pine, Tree, Mex, VIP, Electrum, 10K and Canyon Creek areas. A unique east-west magnetic high was ground-truthed. Highly magnetic mafic volcanics were mapped over the magnetic anomaly, and were broken into three rock types; the dominant rock type was andesitic basalt, basalt and feldspar megacrysic mafic volcanic.

Refer to the Pine (094E 016) for details of the Pine property which contained the Electrum/Beaver Dam occurrences from the late 1990s to 2014.

Bibliography
EMPR BULL 86
EMPR EXPL 1975-E163-E167; 1976-E175-E177; 1977-E216-E217; 1978-E244-E246; 1979-265-267; 1980-421-436; 1982-330-345; 1983-475-488; 1984-348-357; 1985-C349-C362; 1986-C388-C414; 1987-C328-C346; 1988-C185-C194; 1993-17; 1997-25; 1999-19; 2000-15; 2002-13-28; 2003-19; 2004-43; 2005-45; 2006-64; 2007-44; 2009-34; 2010-6; 2012-13
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EMPR GEM 1971-63-71; 1973-456-463
EMPR GEOLOGY 1977-1981, pp. 156-161
EMPR MAP 61 (1985)
EMPR MER 2003-17
EMPR OF 2004-4
EMPR PF (Photogeologic Interpretation Map of the Northern Omineca area, (Oct. 1964), Canadian Superior Exploration Limited-in 94E General File)
GSC BULL 270
GSC OF 306; 483
GSC P 80-1A, pp. 27-32
W MINER April, 1982
N MINER Oct.13, 1986; Dec.22, 2003
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GCNL #189(Sept.29), 1983; #195(Oct.10), 1984; #28(Feb.28); #71(April 12), 1985; #23(Feb.1); #111(June 11); #165(Aug.27), 1986
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ECON GEOL Vol. 86, pp. 529-554, 1991
MIN REV September/October, 1982; July/August, 1986
WIN Vol. 1, #7, June 1987
PR REL Stealth Minerals Ltd. Jul.*11, Aug.28, Nov.6,24,27,28, 2003, Jul.6,12,16, Oct.28, Nov.15, Dec.8, 2004, Sept.29, Oct.3,11,17, 2005
Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. (2020-05-14): Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the JOY Project, Toodoggone Region, British Columbia, Canada
Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. (2020-05-14): Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the JOY Project, Toodoggone Region, British Columbia, Canada (Revision 1)

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