The Saunders Northwest showing is located approximately 6.5 kilometres east-northeast of the Lawyers mine (094E 066), some 280 kilometres north of Smithers. The occurrence lies within the Omineca-Cassiar Mountains at the southern end of the Toodoggone gold camp. It 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 Tertiary 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. These Takla 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 Saunders Northwest showing is underlain by a succession of lower to middle subaerial volcanics and associated volcaniclastic sediments of the upper volcanic cycle of the Toodoggone Formation. Lithologies underlying the Saunders Northwest showing consist predominantly of latite lava flows with interflow lahar and mixed epiclastic and pyroclastic rocks of the Metsantan Member. To the south and west, Toodoggone Formation volcanics are composed of partly welded, crystal-rich dacitic ash flows of the Saunders Member. The dominant lithologies southeast of the showing are delineated into two informal units. The first unit consists of pyroxene-biotite- hornblende porphyry flows with interbedded breccias and lapilli tuffs. The other unit consists of well-bedded lapilli, crystal and ash tuffs with interbedded sandstone and siltstone. The area is also disrupted by a conjugate set of northwest and northeast-striking faults that appear to have substantial displacement.

The occurrence comprises several narrow quartz-pyrite veins up to 5 centimetres wide forming a zone 10 to 20 centimetres wide striking 130 degrees within a 50 metre-wide intensely pyritized sericitic and argillic altered zone alongside a basalt dike that intrudes a latite flow unit of the Metsantan Member. A highly visible gossan is developed over the altered zone.

The best assay values have come from one of several weakly pyritic, brecciated quartz veins in a system 10 to 20 centimetres wide. Sample DD-S-5 from this vein assayed 1.42 grams per tonne gold and 11.7 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 14487). Sample DD-S-10, of argillic-altered quartz-eye andesite porphyry, assayed 0.022 gram per tonne gold and 3.4 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 14487).

In 2004, a sample from the Saunders Northwest occurrence area assayed 1.42 grams per tonne gold and 11.7 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 27760).

Work History

In 2003, Stealth Minerals staked the Swan claims. During the same year field crews completed a program of prospecting, stream geochemical sampling, and, in participation with the Geological Survey of Canada/Private Partnership Toodoggone Initiative, completed a helicopter airborne magnetic and radiometric survey. The survey recorded 2 magnetic parameters and eight gamma-ray spectrometer parameters flown at a line spacing of 400 metres and a sensor height of 60 metres over the entire property including the Saunders Northwest showing area (Assessment Report 27442).

In 2004, a geological traverse was coordinated along the ridge west of the Saunders showing on Swan 1 and 4 Mineral Claims to explore the potential northerly strike extension of the Saunders structure. This traverse also served to examine the Saunders Northwest showing on which an attractive surficial gossan is developed. Preliminary interpretation indicates that an intensely pyritized zone is developed along the contact of a basalt dike. Chip samples across the gossan returned low values.

Refer to Saunders (094E 017) for complete details of the Saunders/Swan property work history.