The Tournigan showing is located about 1 kilometre southwest of the confluence of American Creek with the Bear River, 900 metres northwest of the Stewart highway, 17 kilometres north of Stewart. The showing occurs on the Big Casino claim which is different from the Big Casino Crown grant Lot 4529 (104A 034). Four major vein structures have been identified to the west of this showing on the Independence property (104A 038).
The area is underlain by andesitic tuffs and flows of the Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation (Hazelton Group) (Bulletin 58; 63).
A fissure vein is exposed in an old prospect pit about 750 metres northeast of adit 1 (104A 038). The 30 centimetre wide vein contains quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite and malachite, strikes 080 degrees and dips 85 degrees south. A chip sample across the width of the vein assayed 4.5 grams per tonne gold, 53.8 grams per tonne silver and 1.27 per cent copper over 30 centimetres (Assessment Report 12973).
Work History
Little is known about the early exploration work on the showing. It was probably covered by the Independence group of claims during the 1920s. The old prospect pit may have been emplaced during that period. In 1984, Tournigan Mining Explorations Ltd. carried out a geological mapping program and stream sediment survey over the Independence claims and reported on the showing. In 1986, Moche Resources Inc. acquired the Rock of Ages group, including the Big Casino and Independence claims; the showing was included in the Big Casino claim. That year Moche Resources flew a heli-borne VLF-EM and magnetometer survey over the area, carried out soil, silt and rock sampling and conducted geological mapping. In 1988, Moche conducted follow-up exploration. In 1990, Remington Creek Resources Inc. subsequently acquired the Independence-Big Casino property and entered into an agreement with Armeno Resources Inc.-Armenex Resources Canada Inc. Further exploration work, including diamond drilling, was conducted in 1990. Armenex drilled 11 holes, mapped and sampled the area in 1991. In 2017, Richard Billingsley completed an airborne magnetic survey on the area. In 2019, AUX Resources Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Independence and Slippery Ian properties.
