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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  18-Jul-2020 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

Summary Help Help

NMI 103P5 Cu3
Name BLUE BELL (L.571), MAPLE BAY Mining Division Skeena
BCGS Map 103O050
Status Prospect NTS Map 103O08E
Latitude 055º 24' 38'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 130º 00' 05'' Northing 6140935
Easting 436600
Commodities Copper, Silver, Gold Deposit Types I05 : Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
G05 : Cyprus massive sulphide Cu (Zn)
Tectonic Belt Coast Crystalline Terrane Plutonic Rocks, Stikine
Capsule Geology

The Blue Bell vein is located 1.46 kilometres southeast of Maple Bay on the east shore of Portland Canal, 55 kilometres south of Stewart, about 12.5 kilometres due west of Anyox.

The region is underlain by a roof pendant, consisting of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, within the Eocene Coast Plutonic Complex. These pendant rocks have been correlated with Middle-Upper Jurassic Hazelton Group rocks and overlying upper Middle to Upper Jurassic Bowser Lake Group sedimentary rocks (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 3453). The Hazelton rocks consist of variably chloritized pillow and massive andesite and basalt with minor mafic tuffs. The overlying Bowser Lake sediments consist of argillite, siltstone and sandstone with minor chert and limestone. There are two observable phases of folding in the area, an initial north-northeast trending phase followed by a later east-northeast trending phase.

The Blue Bell occurrence comprises two veins, the Blue Bell and about 98 to 122 metres to the west, a smaller satellite vein. The Blue Bell vein has been traced along strike for 230 metres and varies from 0.46 to 1.52 metres in width, averaging 0.98 metre. The smaller vein has been traced along strike for 98 metres and varies from 0.30 to 0.91 metre in width. Both veins strike 010 degrees and dip 45 degrees to the east and appear to be hosted in greenstone and chlorite hornblende schist.

Mineralization consists of chalcopyrite and pyrite. High grade sorted material assayed 11.3 per cent copper, 178 grams per tonne silver and 0.69 gram per tonne gold (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1906). The Blue Bell vein averages 8.44 per cent copper over a length of 180 metres and an average width of 0.98 metre (Assessment Report 5550).

A limited amount of stripping, trenching and tunnelling failed to intersect the vein at depth. In 1906, about 1402 metres back from the bay and at an elevation of 487 metres, a tunnel had been run in 15 metres on a quartz vein from 45 centimetres to 1.5 metres wide. About 49 metres below this tunnel, a crosscut was being driven to intersect the vein and was in 56 metres and expected to cut the vein at 61 metres. By 1918, a tunnel was driven for a total of 109 metres but failed to intersect the vein.

In 2006, TA Minerals completed an airborne geophysical survey over the Maple Bay area. In 2010, a program of MMI soil sampling was completed on the area. In 2014, a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 4.3 line-kilometre ground magnetometer survey were completed on the Coastal Copper claim. In 2018, Golden Opportunity Resources Corp. examined the area as the Maple Bay property.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1904-100; 1905-80; 1906-H64; 1918-K75
EMPR ASS RPT 5550
EMPR BULL 63
EMPR FIELDWORK 1988, pp. 233-240; 1990, pp. 235-243; 2005, pp. 1-4
EMPR GEM *1970-77-81
EMPR MAP 8
EMPR OF 1986-2; 1994-14
EMPR PF (Sargent, H. (1942): Report; Pentland, A.G. (1969): Report)
GSC MAP 307A; 315A; 1385A
GSC MEM 175, pp. 100,101
GSC SUM RPT 1922 Part A, pp. 23-25
GSC OF 864; 3453
Wasteneys, H. (2018-09-28): NI 43-101 Technical Report - Maple Bay Property

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