The WRICH 2 occurrence is located on a ridgetop at an elevation of approximately 1700 metres, east of the Finlay River and approximately 9.5 kilometres east-northeast of its confluence with the Firesteel River, about 198 kilometres north-northwest of the community of Germansen Landing.
Regionally, the area is situated within a Mesozoic volcanic arc assemblage, which lies along the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt, a northwest-trending belt of Paleozoic to Paleogene sediments, volcanics and intrusions 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 Takla Group andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks, and marine sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Hazelton Group. These 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 calc-alkaline volcanics of the Toodoggone Formation (Hazelton Group).
The dominant structures in the area are steeply dipping faults that define a prominent regional northwest structural fabric trending 140 to 170 degrees. In turn, high-angle (approximately 060 degrees), northeast-striking faults 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 occurrence area is underlain predominantly by lithologies of the Attycelley and Saunders members of the Toodoggone Formation. Non-welded lapilli-ash tuff, subordinate lapilli-block tuff with interspersed ash flows and lava flows, and interbedded epiclastics comprise the Attycelley Member. The Saunders Member consists of partially welded, crystal-rich dacitic ash flows. To the southwest these rocks are in fault contact (Pillar Fault) with Takla Group volcanics. Rocks of the Takla Group consist of generally massive, dark, coarse-grained porphyritic augite basalt, fine-grained aphyric basaltic andesite lava flows with subordinate interbeds of lapilli tuff, and volcanic breccia (Bulletin 86). A major fault has a variable strike from 010 to 160 degrees and is in turn crosscut by a later fault striking 070 degrees, displacing stratigraphy for approximately 15 metres.
Locally, a zone of intense clay-pyrophyllite alteration (advanced argillic) 700 metres long by 150 metres wide, trends approximately 160 degrees and occurs in Upper Toodoggone (Saunders Member) crystal and lapilli tuffs. Alteration consists of chalcedony, clay, iron oxides, manganese oxides, quartz, alunite and pyrophyllite. This alteration zone is bordered by a propylitic zone consisting mainly of chlorite.
Mineralization is generally sulphide poor and probably represents an oxidized and, in part, leached cap. A combination of strong pervasive limonite/hematite and boxwork texture is common in siliceous zones but pyrite is rare. One exception is strong pyrite (as blebs and lenses) found in gougy fault zones within and adjacent to the Saunders-Wrich fault. Dominant sulphides consist of pyrite and fine-grained, black silver sulphosalts in association with silica, occur as disseminations or interstitial fillings and are associated with quartz veins/veinlets, quartz breccias, chalcedony veinlets, quartz-chalcedony breccias/veinlets and zones of silica flooding, barite veinlets and gougy fault zones proximal to the Saunders-Wrich fault. Nearby at the Wrich Hill occurrence, two samples of rounded semi-massive and massive galena were found in float samples and appear to have come from some distance away.
In 1980, initial silt sampling of the area by Serem Ltd., the predecessor to Cheni Gold Mines Inc., resulted in the staking of the Wrich claims in 1981. A grab sample (SC-48-81-12) of chalcedony, clay and iron oxides collected from the alteration zone assayed 699.43 grams per tonne silver and 6.58 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 10705).
Subsequent work, during 1982 through 1985, included geological mapping, prospecting, rock and soil geochemical sampling and geophysics, consisting of VLF-EM and VLF-EMR surveys. Anomalous gold and silver values in soils were found in the early 1980s and exploratory drilling was recommended to test the potential of the property. In 1982, a sample (EDW-1) of hematized and clay-altered tuff yielded 1.37 grams per tonne gold and 3.4 grams per tonne silver, whereas a float or subcrop sample (EDW-43) of oxidized quartz vein material, located near outcrop to the south, assayed 1.03 grams per tonne gold and 37.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 10705). In 1985, four rock samples (WR-851 to WR-854) yielded from trace to 1.37 grams per tonne gold and 3.4 to 20.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 14069). In 1987, Cheni conducted a program of rock and soil sampling, geological mapping and five diamond-drill holes, totaling 883.36 metres. Drilling over the zone of fumarolic-type alteration associated with quartz-chalcedony breccia zones confirmed the presence of intense faulting characterized by several large clay zones. An option agreement was made between Skylark Resources Ltd. and Cheni Gold Mines Inc. following this program. Diamond drilling yielded intercepts of up to 1.37 grams per tonne gold and 126.9 grams per tonne silver over the 1-metre interval from 81 to 82 metres downhole in drillhole 87-W3, and 1.03 grams per tonne gold with 3.4 grams per tonne silver over the 1-metre interval from 224 to 225 metres downhole in drillhole 87-W2 (Assessment Report 16470). The 1988 exploration program by Skylark on the Wrich claim consisted of drilling 10 BQ thin-wall diamond-drill holes, totaling 963.35 metres. Additional surveys conducted during the 1988 program included geochemical and geophysical consisting of VLF-EMR and magnetometer.
Stealth Minerals Limited (formerly Stealth Mining Corp.) optioned a large package of claims in the region during the summer of 1997 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.
During 2000, Stealth further evaluated the potential of the Wrich and several other prospects on its Pine property with geological mapping, detailed prospecting and rock sampling. At this time, rock samples from the area yielded up to 0.131 gram per tonne gold and 19.5 grams per tonne silver, whereas a sample of subcrop, taken approximately 200 metres to the south, of hematite-stained crystal lithic tuff hosting a 5-centimetre wide chalcedonic quartz-clay vein, assayed 46.39 grams per tonne gold and 71.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 26545). In 2002, Stealth collected 11 reconnaissance soil samples and a total of 76 grab, continuous chip and float prospecting samples. Approximately 525 metres of machine trenching was done and 2 kilometres of geological mapping was completed. Ground induced polarization and resistivity surveys were also performed. Mineralized zones appeared continuous in the four trenches over a strike length of approximately 150 metres, and favorable geology, alteration and gold-silver values in rock and soil occur along the Wrich fault trend for a combined strike length of 850 metres and remain open to the northwest and southeast. The four machine trenches exposed a 100- to 150-metre-wide zone of intense kaolinite-dickite-silica alteration with hematite, quartz-chalcedony breccia in proximity to the regional Wrich fault. The zone strikes approximately 140 degrees and dips steeply. Overall, chip sampling of trenches 1, 2 and 3 assayed 0.81 gram per tonne gold and 9.2 grams per tonne silver over an average 105 metres, and selected sections include 20.0 metres yielding 2.86 grams per tonne gold and 7.0 grams per tonne silver, including 12.0 metres containing 2.65 grams per tonne gold and 18.0 grams per tonne silver in trench 2 (Assessment Report 27160). In 2003, Stealth Minerals completed 1121.1 metres in seven diamond-drill holes on the Wrich Hill prospect. Drilling was directed beneath the 2002 trenches that had produced significant values of gold and silver. This drilling traced the Wrich zone for a strike length of approximately 350 metres and from 50 to 80 metres in width and remains open to the northwest. Wide zones of oxidized, quartz-illite-kaolinite-dickite altered Toodoggone Formation dacite tuff occur in contact with Takla Group andesite to the west and in spatial proximity with the regional-scale, northwest trending Wrich fault. Intense oxidation occurs to depths of approximately 100 metres. Excavator trenching was also completed on the prospect. Rock and trench sampling performed during this time yielded up to 81.1 grams per tonne gold and 405 grams per tonne silver, whereas three samples taken from an area located approximately 500 metres to the north-northeast, yielded up to 2.46 grams per tonne gold and 409.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 27429). In the 2003 drill area, Toodoggone Formation dacitic pyroclastic rocks are strongly brecciated, faulted and fractured near the regional Wrich-Pil fault. Alteration is dominantly dickite-kaolinite with zones of intense silicification, and oxidation occurs to a minimum depth of approximately 75 metres in the hangingwall of the Wrich fault. At depth, the Wrich Hill prospect contains potassium feldspar adularia veins and flooding with illite, barite/silica±pyrite, chalcopyrite±tennantite, sphalerite and galena. Drilling results, from southeast to northwest, include 0.10 gram per tonne gold and 9.9 grams per tonne silver over 18.0 metres in hole W03-03, 10 to 20 grams per tonne silver over 83 metres in hole W03-04, 0.26 gram per tonne gold and 11.3 grams per tonne silver over 67 metres in hole W03-05, 0.11 gram per tonne gold and 8.1 grams per tonne silver over 98.2 metres and 0.29 gram per tonne gold over 39.1 metres in hole W03-06, and 0.12 gram per tonne gold with 13.4 grams per tonne silver over 82.8 metres in hole W03-07 (Assessment Report 27429). In 2009, Gold Fields Toodoggone Exploration Corporation and Cascadero Copper Corporation entered into an Option and Joint Venture Exploration agreement. The primary focus of the exploration activities was to expand known and locate new porphyry copper-gold targets. Most of the road-accessible prospects were reviewed regardless of target type. Program activities included a 2778 line kilometre airborne magnetic survey over most of the claim group.
From 2016 through 2024, Amarc completed exploration programs of historical core logging at Pine, Mex (094E 057) and Fin (094E 312), induced polarization and airborne magnetic surveys, prospecting, mapping, geochemical soil and rock sampling and diamond drilling on the Joy property. Amarc Resources Ltd. consolidated the Joy Project mineral tenure through a series of agreements concluded between 2017 and 2019. In 2019, Amarc gained a one-hundred per cent interest in the Pine property under agreements with Gold Fields and previously Cascadero (Press Release, Amarc Resources Ltd., Dec. 19. 2019).
In 2022, drilling at the Joy Project totaled 15,427 metres in 37 drill holes at Pine, Canyon, South Mex, SWT, Twins, Wrich, North Finlay, South Finlay and CT geophysical targets (Press Release Amarc Resources Mar. 2, 2023). The Wrich target area includes the Wrich 1 and Wrich 2 showings. One hole totaling 180 metres was collared approximately 180 metres northwest of the Wrich 2 prospect.
Drill hole JP22044 intersected 108 metres of 0.03 per cent copper, 0.23 gram per tonne gold and 6.4 grams per tonne silver. (Assessment Report 40912). The 2023 exploration program had the goal of identifying and refining porphyry copper-gold deposit targets occurring in several previously identified target areas across the JOY project (Assessment Report 41856).
Refer to Pine (094E 016) and Tree (094E 045) for details of work on the Pine property throughout the 1990s and 2000s, primarily by Stealth Minerals.
