The West 16 showing, consisting of three shear zones with disseminated chalcopyrite in monzonite, is located 750 metres west of Lunar Creek and roughly 24 kilometres north of the confluence of Lunar Creek with Geese Creek, north of the Stikine River. Dease Lake is 135 kilometres to the northwest.
Regionally, the West 16 showing lies on the western edge of the Omineca Belt near the Kutcho fault, marking the boundary with rocks of the Intermontane Belt. The showing is along the margin of an unnamed Late Triassic to Early Jurassic granitoid pluton. At this showing the composition of this pluton is hornblende monzonite and biotite quartz monzonite. To the west lies the Middle Triassic Lunar Creek Complex.
The West 16 showing is underlain by three main rock types. The northern area is underlain by hypidiomorphic to locally porphyritic, hornblende monzonite. The hornblende monzonite flanks a west- northwesterly trending zone of biotite quartz monzonite. This biotite quartz monzonite is transected by at least three shear zones striking 280 to 290 degrees. Textures within these bands vary from schistose to gneissic, to schlieren, to lineated biotite quartz monzonite. These bands locally contain noticeable amounts of magnetite. The north band is roughly 90 metres long and widens to the west to about 250 metres, where it appears to be cut off by a north-striking fault. The zone consists of alternating bands of biotite quartz monzonite and schist. The middle band, about 365 metres south, is a wide zone of migmatitic interlayered biotite quartz monzonite, schist and gneiss. The band has roughly the same strike as the north band and is about 365 metres wide. The south band exceeds 30 metres in length, and it becomes covered by drift.
Mineralization at the West 16 showing consists of sparsely disseminated chalcopyrite with associated malachite staining on fracture surfaces and associated with biotite, in three faulted bands of sheared, biotite schist. The three bands are the North, Middle and South. At the North band, mineralization is erratic over any measurable width and the grade of the best visible mineralization is estimated to be less than 0.2 per cent copper over 60 centimetres (Assessment Report 3835). Except for heavy malachite staining over 3.0 to 4.5 metres width, mineralization is sparse and erratic on the Middle band. The South band contains some narrow veins and small stringers of massive pyrite, magnetite and occasionally disseminated chalcopyrite.
A private report is quoted in 2012 Assessment Report 33484 by Stratton Resource regarding previously undocumented 1971 drilling by El Paso. Hole W-3 was drilled in the West 16 vicinity under surface copper showing. Moderately sheared monzonite and ‘metasediments’, with secondary biotite carried chalcopyrite and a little bornite mineralization. One interval (69.19-123.14 metres) over 53.95 meters assayed of 0.23 per cent copper and, 0.8 gram per tonne silver and 0.3 gram per tonne gold, including 3.05 metres of 1.20 per cent copper, 5.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.65 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 33484). The drillhole locations are plotted on Geology map (Drawing 94E14-B8), Assessment Report 3835).
Work History
The earliest report of exploration in the Lunar area is by El Paso Mining and Milling Company, who in early 1970 completed a geological and geochemical program on their property then called “West Claims” (Assessment Report 2548). The company established about (9 kilometres) of cutline control grid from which 214 soils and 12 rocks samples were collected. A pole-dipole induced polarization survey on the cut line grid was completed (Dodds 1970 (private report)). The survey identified an open ended chargeability anomaly, measuring at least 1000 metre long by 250 metre wide.
In 1971, El Paso completed a large exploration program of grid expansion, soil sampling, geological mapping and diamond drilling (Taylor 1971 (private report)). A total of 567 soil samples were collected on grid expansion lines located to the north and southeast (east of Lunar Creek) of the 1970 soil-IP cutline grid. Despite generally poor quality soil, the sampling outlined broad copper anomaly north of the baseline. Five diamond drill holes (DDH W1 to W5) were drilled to test the main IP anomaly, two soil anomalies and a surface showing. A total of 905 metres of AQ diameter core was drilled. All holes, except W-4 yielded anomalous copper values over varying, generally narrow intervals.
In 1972, El Paso completed a follow up exploration program of grid expansion, silt sampling and local-regional geological mapping and prospecting (Assessment Report 3835). The 1970 cutline grid was expanded eastward to Lunar Creek and detailed geological mapped. A total of 67 silt samples were collected at about 150 metre intervals down the major drainages of the Lunar Creek Valley and also the large north-south trending drainage to the west.
In 1976, El Paso followed up on a few highly anomalous copper silt samples collected in 1972 from a north flowing drainage located north of the detailed work. The limited program included establishment of a small flagged control grid, silt-rock sampling, prospecting and a rock thin-section study (Assessment Report 5999). A total of 233 soil, 2 silts and 5 rock samples were collected.
In August of 1981, Hinterland Resources completed a pole-dipole induced polarization survey in an area north of the main 1971 IP chargeability anomaly (Assessment Report 10467). The survey grid area included drills holes W-3 to W-5, the main surface biotite quartz gneiss showings and potential on-strike extension to the west-northwest. A total of 10 kilometres of grid line was surveyed, on seven 200 metres spaced, north-south lines. The survey identified a large west-northwest trending chargeability anomaly on the northwest corner of the survey grid. This anomaly measures at least 950 metres long and up to 300 metres wide. A second prominent northeast ending chargeability anomaly on the southwest corner of the grid measured at least 750 metre by 100 meters.
In 2006, a prospecting and rock sampling program was conducted by Hard Creek Nickel Corp (Assessment Report 29063). The program followed up on minor chromite and sulphide occurrences reported by Nixon et al (Geological Fieldwork 1990) within the package of ultramafic-volcanic rocks (Lunar Creek Ultramafic Complex). No document work prior to Nixon's was known in this area.
The 2012 program of Stratton Resources was designed to test for areas of mineralization away from the known MINFILE occurrences and historic sampling areas. A total of 67 rock grab samples and 66 stream silt samples were taken over the four-day period of sampling on the Lunar claims. The Stratton claims contained previously documented MINFILE occurrences West 16 (094E 010), Mack (094E 060), Earl (094E 061) and West 8 (094E 204). Most of the area covered by Hard Creek Nickel in 2006 was contained within the 2012 Stratton claims. However, except for some stream sampling the area was not an area of focus by Stratton.
A number of samples taken in 2012 were significant, with seven out of 67 rock grab samples assaying greater than 1 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 33484). A new MINFILE showing (the Lunar East) was documented based on the highest result. It was not clear if all the samples were from outcrop though they were indicated to be grabs.
In 2016, C.J. Grieg and Associates Ltd. completed an exploration program on the property. In total, 106 soil and 14 rock samples were collected, and 43 geological stations were recorded. Large clusters of moderately to strongly anomalous copper in soil values ranging up to 0.09 percent were reported (Assessment Report 36520). Elevated molybdenum and zinc values correlated to locations of elevated copper.
