Rock and silt geochemistry sampling discovered base and precious metal mineralization in highly leached, sericite altered lapilli tuff and crystal tuff west of Downpour Creek, just south of the Goz/RDN claims.
Grab samples from the Forgold epithermal gold and silver-bearing pyrite and chalcopyrite stringer veins yielded up to 30.5 grams per tonne gold and 15.85 per cent copper (Assessment Report 20540). Malensek et al (Assessment Report 20722) divided the veins into three types, all of which appear to be structurally controlled by the Forrest Kerr fault. Steeply dipping chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite stringers contain 31.50 per cent copper and up to 0.9 grams per tonne gold. Quartz-carbonate stockwork veins contain sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite. A silicified, disseminated chalcopyrite zone grades up to 2.09 grams per tonne gold and 14.70 per cent zinc. Disseminated chalcopyrite associated with the stringers grades up to 112.46 grams per tonne gold and 17.16 per cent copper.
A small drill program in 1992 outlined two significant zones: 3.87 grams per tonne gold over 1.58 metres, and 19.20 grams per tonne gold over 0.82 metre (Assessment Report 22623). The drilling indicated that the gold mineralization appears to be narrow and discontinuous.
The mineralization appears to be hosted by tuffaceous rocks of the Upper Triassic Stuhini Group. Proximal stocks of monzonite (Unit LTmz, Open File 1990-2) may be associated with the alteration, as it appears to be to the north on the Goz/RDN claims (104G 144).
Work History
In 1989 the Forgold Central Area was staked as the Forgold property for Ecstall Mining Corporation, Omega Gold Corporation and Manridge Exploration Limited (Assessment Report 20540). Preliminary stream sediment sampling (30 silt and 15 moss mat samples) of the west-facing slope of the Nelson Creek valley returned very encouraging concentrations of gold, silver and copper, as well as anomalous lead, zinc and mercury values. The focus of work subsequently shifted to this area, where significant mineralization was discovered over a 500 by 100 metre long trend (90 rock samples). Both base and precious metal mineralization were located in high-grade concentrations, apparently related to an extremely leached, sericitic alteration zone trending north-south along the valley wall. Highly anomalous base and precious metal values were recovered from an area on the west-facing slope of the Nelson Creek valley. Grab samples grading 30.50 grams per tonne gold and 15.85 per cent copper, 9.60 grams per tonne gold, 16.8 per cent copper; and 4.39 grams per tonne gold and 2.27 per cent zinc were recovered. As well, highly anomalous silt-sample values were recovered from a number of streams draining the same general area.
In 1990, Santa Marina Mining optioned the claims from Ecstall Mining Corporation, Omega Gold Corporation and Manridge Exploration Limited (Assessment Report 20722). Santa Marina Mining collected 116 rock samples that returned excellent high-grade base and precious metal assays. In the NE part of the area three grab samples of a massive chalcopyrite vein 30 cm wide assayed: 29.50 per cent copper, 45 ppb lead, 270 parts per million zinc and 115.20 grams per tonne silver; 31.50 per cent copper, 37 parts per million lead, 0.127 zinc, 76.80 grams per tonne silver and; 26.00 per cent copper, 300 parts per million lead, 680 parts per million zinc, 270.86 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 32093). The highest gold result was 0.89 gram per tonne. A grab sample along Nelson Creek assayed 15.39 grams per tonne gold, 4.67 per cent copper (Assessment Report 32093).
In 1991, Gold Fields Canadian Mining optioned the claims from Ecstall Mining Corporation (Assessment Report 21866). Gold Fields collected 244 rock samples and 1475 soil samples for assay. The soil geochemical survey was successful identifying four zones (Zone A, B, C and D). Later in 1991, Gold Fields carried out a limited drill program completing a total of 935 metre in 5 holes in the northern part of the 2000-meter-long soil geochemical anomaly that was defined by the soil sample data (Assessment Report 22623). The first four drill holes (FG-1 to 4) were designed to test the southern strike extent of the Noranda/High Frontier drill intersection. Two significant zones of gold mineralization were intersected in holes FG-2 and FG-3 (3.87 grams per tonne over 1.58 metres and 19.20 grams per tonne gold over 0.82 metre respectively). A fifth drill hole (FG-5) was located 915 meters to the south and intersected two narrow zones of copper mineralization (2.97 per cent copper over 0.31 metre and 1.14 per cent copper over 1.16 metres respectively) (Assessment Report 32093).
In 1992, Bond (Assessment Report 22623) concluded that the gold mineralization is narrow and discontinuous, however, the amount of drilling did not test the highly anomalous geochemical signature that extends well over 2 kilometres in a north-south trend and is over 500 metres wide.
In 2009 and 2010 respectively, 46 and 24 soil samples were collected on behalf of the Forgold Syndicate Ltd, whose property covers the historic Forgold, For and FK properties (Assessment Reports 31344, 32094, 32574).
In 2011, Azincourt Resources Ltd. completed a soil sampling (281 samples) program on the Forgold occurrence area that identified an anomalous zone approximately 400 by 750 metres in size.
