The Scotia (Albere) occurrence is located between the Ayton Creek and Scotia River valley, approximately 40 kilometres southeast of Prince Rupert.
The Scotia property is situated on the east side of the Ecstall pluton and is underlain by an assemblage of gneissic rocks which are part of the Paleozoic(?) Central Gneiss Complex. The gneissic rocks include felsic gneiss, mafic gneiss and amphibolite. Severely deformed volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization occurs mainly within the felsic gneiss.
Zinc, silver, lead and gold mineralization occur within an Upper-Middle-Lower zone striking 160 degrees for 228 metres, dipping 40 degrees southwest and plunging 9 degrees south. The ore zones are interpreted to lie within an overturned fold with related drag folding caused by shearing (Assessment Report 13794). The Albere Zone lies along the western limb of a broad south-plunging anticline and is characterized in outcrop by a well-developed gossan which is readily apparent from the air. A very similar gossan outcrops in cliff faces which lie along the eastern limb of the anticline adjacent to the Albere Zone (the “East Limb” gossan zone).
The Albere Zone is characterized by thick, massive to interweaving pods, lenses and stringers of coarsely crystalline massive to semi-massive, very dark brown sphalerite, with lesser amounts of pyrite, galena, pyrrhotite, magnetite and chalcopyrite in decreasing abundance. The Main Showing exposes some of the thickest known mineralization, and outcrops with a pod-like core of massive mineralization almost 10 meters in diameter with bands, pods and stringers striking up-dip to the east and down dip to the west by approximately 20 to 30 degrees. The massive sulphide zone occurs at the contact between an overlying felsic tuff and underlying mafic gneiss in the vicinity of a cross-cutting late-stage pegmatite dike.
The up-dip extensions of the mineralized zone pinch out completely or occur as thin but high-grade sphalerite sheets up to 30 centimetres thick that decrease in size and intensity to the east. These often occur at the sharp, abrupt contact between black biotite schist-gneiss and felsic gneiss. The down-dip extensions to the west usually grade into increasingly iron sulphide-rich disseminated mineralization. This mineralization is associated with sericite- and muscovite-rich rocks that may be the hydrothermally altered equivalents of black biotite-bearing rocks.
Drilling indicates that this 'core zone' strikes at 340 degrees and plunges about 8 degrees to the south-southeast. Up to six zones have been intersected with mineralization being open to the north and west.
The East Limb zone is located down slope to the southeast of the main (Albere) zone. The zone comprises a prominent gossanous and limonite-sericite altered area in rhyolite with pyrite and magnetite.
In 1984, indicated potential reserves for the Scotia volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit were reported at 150,000 tonnes grading 13.3 per cent zinc, 1.4 per cent lead and 25.0 grams per tonne silver (Statement of Material Facts - Andaurex Resources Inc., August 29, 1984).
The 1997 drill program extended potentially economic grades in the Albere Zone by about 45 meters, to 205 meters north of the outcrop of the main Albere Showing, and it remains open in this direction. The vertical extent of the mineralization encountered is increasing to the north. Results established a vertical range of sub-economic to economic grades of mineralization of 95 meters, and a horizontal range of over 60 meters at the base of the zone. The high grade "core" area widened to about 30 meters about 190 meters north of the main showing. A global resource is contained within an east-west dimension of about 100 metres while a drill indicated resource is within a 50-metre width. Resource calculations are for the Albere zone. The measured drill indicated and probable resource was 224,000 tonnes grading 12.2 per cent zinc, 1.2 per cent lead, 0.2 per cent copper, 23 grams per tonne silver and 0.55 gram per tonne gold. This resource was calculated using a cut-off of 4 to 5 per cent zinc over a 1.8-metre width (George Cross News Letter No.7(January 12), 1998).
The global resource was calculated using 1 per cent zinc over a 0.5-metre width. This global drill indicated resource is calculated to be 1,240,000 tonnes grading 3.8 per cent zinc, 0.4 per cent lead, 0.1 per cent copper, 13 grams per tonne silver and 0.25 gram per tonne gold. The alteration zone hosting sulphide mineralization is considered to be open downdip to the west and along strike to the north.
In 2015, Measured plus Indicated resources were 802,000 tonnes at 4.9 per cent zinc, 13.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.2 gram per tonne gold; Inferred resources were 702,000 tonnes at 4.5 per cent zinc, 13.7 grams per tonne silver and 0.2 gram per tonne gold (Information Circular 2016-1, page 135).
In 2017, an inferred mineral resource of 632,000 tonne grading 7.6 per cent zinc, 0.74 per cent lead, 0.11 per cent copper, 19.75 grams per tonne silver and 0.28 gram per tonne gold (at a NSR US$75 cut-off) was reported (Harrington, E., Giroux, G. (2017-09-18): Technical Report on the Scotia Property).
Work History
In 1958, the Albere zone at the Scotia deposit was discovered by Texas Gulf Sulphur during a regional reconnaissance program. In 1960, 10 holes totalling 570 metres were drilled by Texasgulf Inc. with seven holes reporting significant base and precious metal mineralization intersections between 2.2 to 7.7 metres in length. The best intersection yielded 19.9 per cent zinc and 26 grams per tonne silver over 7.7 metres in hole S-01-60 (Birkeland, A.O., Giroux, G. (2009-10-07): Technical Report - Scotia Property).
No further work was reported until 1970, when Texasgulf conducted a small mapping and soil geochemical program resulting in a multi-element soil anomaly covering the Albere zone.
In 1980, Kidd Creek Mines Ltd. drilled 7 holes for an aggregate 960 metres, with massive sulphide mineralization intersections in six of the holes. Highlights of the drilling program include hole S-11-80 which yielded 9.78 per cent zinc, 1.01 per cent lead, 0.08 per cent copper, 13.7 grams per tonne silver and 0.1 gram per tonne gold over 18.1 metres (Birkeland, A.O., Giroux, G. (2009-10-07): Technical Report - Scotia Property).
In 1981, Kidd Creek Mines Ltd. continued to work the project, culminating with a 1:5000 scale map of the south-central area of the project and 4 step-out drillholes totalling 1104.2 metres. No massive sulphide mineralization was encountered within the holes from this program. A downhole pulse electromagnetic (EM) geophysical survey was also conducted on holes S-l1, 14, 16, 17, 19 and 20.
In 1984, Andaurex Resources Inc. optioned the Scotia property and conducted a 767 metre, 11 drillhole program, which highlighted the continuity of the massive sulphides within the Albere zone. Andaurex subsequently forfeited the option and in 1987 Kidd Creek worked 10 line-kilometres of grid-based magnetometer, VLF-EM and lithogeochemical surveys; 159 grab samples were collected during this program and the geophysical surveys found conductors associated with the massive sulphide mineralized zones.
In 1996, Bishop Resources Inc. entered into an option agreement with Falconbridge Limited to acquire 100 per cent interest in the Scotia property. In 1997, a 10-hole drill program was conducted within a north-south strike length of 310 metres. Mineralization intersected in nine of the ten holes drilled; in addition, mineralized intersections greater than 15 metres were intersected in two of the drillholes. The thickest intersection yielded 9.0 per cent zinc, 1.2 per cent lead, 21.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.3 gram per tonne gold over 26.7 metres in hole S-37-97 (Birkeland, A.O., Giroux, G. (2009-10-07): Technical Report - Scotia Property). In 1999, Doublestar Resources Ltd. plans to acquire the property from Falconbridge Limited.
In 2005, Doublestar Resources Ltd., conducted a core re-sampling program and project reconnaissance program. In 2006, Geo Minerals Ltd. (a predecessor of GeoNovus Minerals Corp.) completed a grid-based soil geochemical program comprising a total of 114 soil samples and also completed a remote sensing interpretation study. In 2008, Geo Minerals Ltd. conducted a helicopter-borne AeroTEM system electromagnetic (EM), magnetic and radiometric survey of the Scotia property. The total survey coverage was 525.2 line-kilometres; several EM anomalies were discovered from this program and prioritized for follow-up mineral exploration work.
In 2010, Geo Minerals Ltd. conducted a field exploration program; in total, 64 rock chip, 136 moss mat-active stream sediment and 67 soil samples were collected from areas defined as anomalous from the 2008 remote sensing program. In 2012, GeoNovus Minerals Corp. completed an exploration program comprising surficial terrain assessment and mapping. The 2012 program was designed to complete surficial terrain assessment and mapping as a basis for strategizing site-specific approaches for soil and stream sediment sampling. The surficial terrain mapping was conducted to provide a property-wide base map database for future site and route selection (e.g., access roads, facilities, etc.) and terrestrial ecosystem mapping (a requirement of the environmental assessment process).
In the fall of 2014, a preliminary program of geological mapping, soil geochemistry and prospecting was conducted on the Scotia property on the behalf of Geonovus Mineral Corp. Later that year, Glenmark Capitol Corp. entered into an option agreement with Geonovus. In 2015, Glenmark Capitol completed a program of rock and soil sampling and minor drilling. Drill hole SCI5-014, located on an anomalous zone located approximately 350 metre north of the main Albere zone, yielded 0.25 per cent zinc over 5.05 metres, including 1.88 per cent zinc and 0.126 per cent copper over 0.19 metre (Harrington, E., Giroux, G. (2017-09-18): Technical Report on the Scotia Property).
In 2017, Zinc One Resources Inc. and Aldever Resources Inc. examined the Scotia property.
