The Snow (Purdex) prospect is located on a south-facing upper ridge side north of Zymoetz (Copper) River, approximately 38.5 kilometres east of Terrace.
The Purdex (Snow) prospect is within a greater than 14 kilometre north trending zone of copper+/-silver mineralization extending from Clore River valley to Kleanza River valley.
The area is underlain by volcanic rocks of the Jurassic Hazelton Group which include 020 degrees trending, 35 to 50 degree east dipping purple lapilli tuff and vitrophyre. A brown feldspar porphyry sill intrudes the volcanics. Chalcocite, bornite and minor chalcopyrite and pyrite occur as disseminations and veinlets along a bed of the pyroclastic rock. The mineralized block is about 60 metres long, 10 metres true width and 36 metres downdip length. A gouge-filled shear zone cuts the zone to the east, with a continuation of the zone east of the fault (drill intersections).
A 26-metre surface chip sample assayed 2.44 per cent copper and 0.4 gram per tonne silver (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1965). The mineralized block is estimated to contain 40,820 tonnes of about 2 per cent copper (Property File - Campbell, 1964). Unclassified reserves are 28,120 tonnes grading 1.7 per cent copper (Statement of Material Facts - June 19, 1973 - Spectroair Explorations Ltd., T. Sadlier-Brown, October 1972).
A parallel zone, similar in character and 60 metres to the west, measures 30 by 10 metres. Surface samples average 3.26 per cent copper (Property File - Campbell, 1964).
The Treasure Mountain area has been explored since shortly after 1900 as it was thought that the Grand Trunk and Pacific Railroad would go through the Copper (Zymoetz) River valley and open up the district. When the railway was routed along the Skeena River valley most exploration work died after 1915 when the camp was reported in the Minister of Mines Annual Report. There were periodic resurgences of exploration on the various copper showings. The mineralized zones usually were several per cent of copper, generally chalcocite, bornite, and sometimes chalcopyrite with low associated gold and silver values in both high grade and low grade occurrences. In the 1920s and 1930s, Fred Wells of the Cariboo gold mines fame explored the Northwest and other showings. After World War II there were exploration campaigns in 1946, 1956, 1964, and 1965. The explorers of that time generally stated that although the grades were excellent, the showings of high grade were of limited size and the lack of access precluded developing the larger lower grade showings. In 1965, a rough track to the Purdex showings was built. This track later was improved to make a good quality road to a south peak on the upper slope of Treasure Mountain where a micro wave tower for radio transmission was built. After the logging bridge across the Copper (Zymoetz) River washed out the road fell into disrepair and became choked with small trees and bushes. From that time on the microwave tower was serviced by helicopter.
In 2005, Trade Winds Ventures Inc. optioned the property from the owner, W.H. McRae of Terrace. Work completed in 2005 comprised diamond drilling and locating the old drill sites and blasted rock trenches; two vertical holes were drilled. They were on the road about 22 metres apart at the only sites suitable to set up the drill to be as close as possible to the 1964 horizontal drillhole 1-64 high grade copper intersection. Hole T Mtn. 2005-1 was drilled to 79.4 metres, and hole T Mtn 2005-2 was drilled to 81.8 metres, both vertical. They both intersected what appeared to be the same volcanic fragmental bedded horizon cut in the 1964 horizontal hole, but yielded much lower copper values (Assessment Report 28304).
In 2008, Trade Winds Ventures Inc. conducted exploration and a diamond drilling program on its wholly owned Treasure Mountain copper project. Diamond drill results averaging 2.68 per cent copper and 25.5 grams per tonne silver were intersected at the Purdex zone from 0.5 to 4.5 metres in depth confirming historical drilling (DDHTM08-04). The 2008 field program was designed to follow up the historical data at the Purdex zone and to continue work on the Danee zone where disseminated copper mineralization was discovered in 2007. Due to time and weather constraints a shortened program was undertaken with four shallow diamond-drill holes totalling 125 metres collared in mineralized zones of the Purdex zone. One of the drill holes, DDHTM08-02, was abandoned due lack of recovery (Press Release – Trade Winds Ventures Inc., November 19, 2008).
In 2011, Trade Winds Ventures Inc. contracted Fugro Airborne Surveys Corp. to fly an electromagnetic and magnetic airborne geophysical survey over the Treasure Mountain property. The purpose of the survey was to determine the geophysical signatures over known areas of mineralization, to detect any other conductive sulphide mineralization, to locate any (porphyritic) intrusions, and to provide information that could be used to map the geology and structure of the survey area (Assessment Report 33288).
Decade Resources Ltd. acquired the Treasure Mountain property in 2017 and conducted a small mapping, prospecting and sampling program. The Purdex zone was mapped in the scale 1:5000. Rock sampling was supplemented by microscopic examination of 6 thin sections. Nine rock samples collected from the Purdex (Snow) prospect gave a weighted average of 3.37 per cent copper and 30.68 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 37213).
