The Fairweather Zone is underlain by dacitic fragmentals and fine-grained siliciclastics and massive andesite of the Hazelton Group. These are intruded by feldspar porphyry which is highly fragmented.
Before 2009, previous workers excavated an array of trenches arrayed in a northwest orientation over approximately 120 metres. The most significantly-mineralized trench defined a 60 cm wide quartz-pyrite-sphalerite-tetrahedrite vein striking approximately 222 degrees/45 degrees dip northwest. Two of the remaining three blast trenches host similar mineralization comprising quartz veining with galena, and quartz breccia-veining with pyrite and tetrahedrite (another remaining trench was still filled with snow). These trenches display open space fill textures that appear to be dilational zones related to moderately to steeply northeast-dipping shearing. This southwest-striking shearing has produced a strong fracture foliation and locally truncates mineralization. The veining in these trenches does not comprise one continuous vein, but it appears that they are en echelon veins within a northwest trend. Sampling of trenches in this zone yielded gold values in the 1 to 5 grams per tonne range with anomalous silver, arsenic, copper, lead, antimony and zinc (Assessment Report 31162). Samples G0672895 and G0672896 were collected 570 metres west of the Fairweather trenches from a zone of ankerite alteration with narrow (2 centimetres in the case of G0672895) quartz-carbonate-tetrahedrite-chalcopyrite veinlets that returned silver values of up to 5750 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 31162).
Mineralization consists of quartz-calcite veinlets hosting galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite with significant amounts of silver. Mineralization in a fault containing galena and sphalerite, as well as malachite, and azurite staining assayed 0.17 grams per tonne gold, and 60.5 grams per tonne silver. In 1986, a grab sample from a quartz vein hosting tetrahedrite, sphalerite, and galena assayed up to 12,900 grams per tonne silver and 1.99 grams per tonne gold. Also in 1986, a 2.0 metre trench channel sample from a tetrahedrite-rich shear contained over 2000 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 15644). A pyritized structure between 5 and 15 metres in width with a 125 metres strike length was sampled yielding a weighted average 0f 4.04 grams per tonne gold over a 7.15 metre width (Assessment Report 17028).
Work History
In 1986 the Gamma claim was part of a large parcel of ground optioned by Teuton Resources Corp to Territorial Petroleum Ventures. A limited prospecting and rock geochemical program disclosed a number of significant mineral occurrences including certain argentiferous quartz veins and pyritized agglomerate carrying anomalous values in gold and arsenic. A small soil geochemistry grid outlined a prominent silver-gold-lead-zinc-arsenic anomaly roughly in the center of the claim.
In 1987 the claim was under option to Wedgewood Resources (Assessment Report 17028). Trenching of the agglomerate returned a best value of 4.05 grams per tonne gold over a width of 7 metres (as reported in Assessment Report 23365). A small follow-up program carried out the next year was not rewarding, resulting in Wedgewood dropping the option.
A 1991 geochemical soil survey (168 samples) by Teuton personnel located several gold and two prominent silver-lead-zinc anomalies. These soil anomalies were interpreted as conforming to the types of mineralization previously observed on the property. The extent of the anomalies suggested that such mineralization may have been more widespread than previously indicated.
The object of the 1993 work program by Teuton was to search for extensions of mineralization defined during programs carried out between 1986 and 1991 (Assessment Report 23365). Stations from the 1991 Fairweather grid were relocated and a "Beep Mat" was used to survey the area around the most promising occurrences. Results were poor and the work program was switched to sampling. Altogether four rock geochemistry samples and three petrographic samples were collected.
In 2007, Hathor Exploration had an airborne electromagnetic, magnetic and radiometric survey conducted on several claim blocks in the 104B mapsheet area including the Delta, Gracey, BJ, Knip, Pearly, Hawlison, Macgold, Flory, Quillan, Sun and King Creek. The survey totalled 5611 kilometres of flight lines (Assessment Report 30282). The Delta claims covered the Delta, Gamma (Fairweather) (104B 169) and Theta showings (104B 169).
In 2009, (owner) Halthor Exploration and (operator) Max Minerals Ltd conducted wide ranging exploration program on their Pac (104B 310), Delta, Griz and New claim blocks blocks (Assessment Report 31162). Work was done on the Max deposit, Rock and Roll prospect, Fairweather (104B 168), Delta Northeast (104B 289), Gracey Creek area (104B 117), Collagh (104B 352) and the Divelbliss Creek area. In total, 287 rocks, 28 silt and 997 soil samples were collected. In 2009, two showing areas were investigated on the Delta claim group; the Fairweather (MINFILE 104B 168) and Delta Northeast zones (MINFILE 104B 289).
Contour soil sampling carried out in 2009 and grid soil sampling carried out by previous workers have defined mineralization at the Fairweather zone as a 200 metre long gold-silver-arsenic-copper anomaly open along trend to the northwest. Approximately 300 metres east of the Fairweather zone is a one-station gold, silver, arsenic, copper, antimony, zinc anomaly with 4030 parts per billion gold that is not associated with any known mineralization. A multi-station arsenic-stibnite-gold-copper-zinc anomaly west of the Fairweather zone is thought to be related to narrow quartz-carbonate-sulphide veinlets that yielded significant silver values.
In 2010, MAX Minerals Ltd targeted precious metal-rich quartz-carbonate veining on its Delta block of claims and discovered a new zone of mineralization named the Ptuck (Assessment Report 31747). Contour and ridgeline soil sampling was carried out in 2010 on the Delta claims. A ridgeline traverse was completed on the ridge between the Delta MINFILE occurrences (104B166, 104B 202, 104B 241, 104B 242, 104B 341, and Delta Northeast) to the north and the Fairweather showing (104B 168) to the south. The western end of the line exhibits gold plus/minus arsenic plus/minus copper plus/minus cobalt plus/minus nickel plus/minus lead plus/minus antimony plus/minus zinc anomalies extending approximately 500 metres east. However, the end of the zone is also marked by a change in lithology from Hazelton Group sedimentary rocks to volcanic rocks. Mapping and prospecting in this area did not uncover any significant mineralization.
