The CE zone and 5 occurrences along the Snip-Bronson Trend are located 3 kilometres south of the Bronson Airstrip on the Iskut River, on northeast facing slopes above Bronson Creek. The west-northwest trending Snip-Bronson Trend was explored by VLF-EM ground surveys, trenching, rock sampling and drilling in 2011 over a length of 700 m south of Bronson Creek. Trenching from west to east include Mary-Anne, Leam & David Arthur, Sandra & Bill's Gully, Stroke of Luck, CE-14 and Fuchsite Gully & Extension (ARIS 33535).
Three stratigraphic assemblages have been mapped in the region: (1) Upper Palaeozoic sediments and volcanics of the Stikine Assemblage, (2) clastic sediments of the Triassic Stuhini Group, and (3) Lower Jurassic sediments and volcanics of the Hazelton Group.
Four plutonic suites intrude the above: (1) Late Triassic calc-alkaline intrusions coeval with Stuhini Group stratigraphy, (2) Jurassic Copper Mtn, (3) Jurassic Texas Creek and (4) Tertiary Coast Plutonic suite. Metallogenically , Texas Creek potassium feldspar megacrystic porphyries are of primary interest as they are spatially associated with a number of gold deposits and showings in the area. In this area the Iskut River (Bronson) stock forms part of the Texas Creek suite.
The CE zone sits in a continuous structural corridor that extends from the Snip gold deposit to the northwest, striking about 110 degrees and dipping steeply to moderately to the southwest. At the CE zone the corridor is characterized by moderate to strong biotite-potassium feldspar alteration that has been overprinted by quartz-sericite-pyrite (phyllic) alteration. The alteration forms an oblong halo about the Red Bluff (Bronson Slope) potassium feldspar mega-crystic monzonite intrusion that has been altered and mineralized itself. Mineralization in the CE zone occurs within altered clastic sediments and consists of multiple structures that are variably mineralized with pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena and native gold.
Mineralization typically includes 3 to 5 per cent disseminated pyrite, with trace to 0.3 per cent chalcopyrite commonly associated with the pyrite. Biotite commonly occurs as envelopes to coarser pyrite blebs. Zones containing about 0.5 per cent fine to coarse-grained sphalerite and trace to 0.3 per cent galena appear to be later and occur interstitially with pyrite and within late milky, locally vuggy quartz veins. Irregular stringers of sphalerite and pyrite are also common, and occasional bands of sphalerite up to 0.3 metre thick have been intersected. Bands of semi-massive to massive pyrite with interstitial silica are common and range from a few millimetres to greater than a metre wide. The pyrite sections commonly contain abundant, locally massive, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and galena. Visible gold and electrum were noted in drill core at several locations.
In 2009, it was reported that significant mineralization was intersected over a horizontal distance of 120 to 150 metres perpendicular to the general strike of the zone, and it is open to the southwest.
Work History
The 2009 drill program of Skyline Gold Corporation on the Snip 1 consisted of 2 diamond drill holes, drilled from one set up, for a total of 728.78 metres of NQ core. The holes were drilled from the site used in 1988 for drill hole 911; the holes were drilled to intersect the CE zone (Assessment Report 31387). The CE Contact occurrence is a different structure off the Snip 1 claim to the southwest.
During 2010, eighteen diamond drill holes totalling 3,570 metres were cored in the Snip 1 claim by Skyline Gold Corporation. The programs objective was to test CE zone mineralization that had been confirmed by drilling in 2009.
In 2011, Skyline Gold conducted a program of VLF-Em ground survey, rock sampling, trenching and three diamond drill holes, resulting in several new showings.
In 2011, a chip sample (DUPSP9-8-3) from a trench assayed 1.145 grams per tonne gold, 26.7 grams per tonne silver, 0.10 per cent copper, 0.64 per cent lead and 3.57 per cent zinc over 1.00 metre, while a channel sample (L991964), taken approximately 350 metres to the north east on the 11-Oz zone, assayed 102 grams per tonne gold, 26.1 grams per tonne silver and 0.11 per cent zinc over 0.8 metre (Burgoyne, A.A. (2012-05-07): Technical Report on The Iskut Property with Special Reference to Johnny Flats & Burnie Trend Target).
Several samples were taken within Bill’s Gully containing combinations of significant gold, silver, copper and zinc concentrations. Most notable was sample BG11-7-10A which contained 3.30 grams per tonne gold, 202.0 grams per tonne silver, 1.565% copper and 4.92% zinc.
From Big Slump Gully sample SP11-7-5-2 was collected as float and contained 8.13 grams per tonne gold, 182 grams per tonne silver, 0.61 per cent copper and 1.67 per cent zinc. Sample L991965 was collected from the historic 11 Oz. Vein area and confirmed the presence of high-grade gold with significant assay values of 102.0 grams per tonne gold and 26.1 grams per tonne silver. Sample L991963 was taken approximately one hundred and eighty five metres east of Johnny Creek, with significant assay grades for this sample of 2.99 grams per tonne gold and 54.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 33535).
Drill Hole SK11-19 was drilled to target the Upper Johnny Creek East Anomaly consisting a gold-in-soil anomaly and a ground IP anomaly. Setup was on the eastern side of Johnny Creek. Results included 7.5 metres of 0.72 gram per tonne Au and 4.6 grams per tonne Ag at 234.15 metres depth and 6.95 m of 0.81 gram per tonne Au and 43.7 grams per tonne Ag at 424.94 metres depth.
Drill Hole SK11-20 was drilled targeting the Fuchsite Zone which was discovered and trenched in 2011 and included panel samples up to 11.65 grams per tonne gold and channel samples across 2.0 metres containing 6.03 grams per tonne gold and 205.5 grams per tonne silver. SK11-21 also targeted the Fuchsite Zone at a greater depth to better understand width, orientation, and down-dip potential of mineralizing structures. These two holes were also intended to test a second zone of mineralization located 30 metres down slope from the Fuchsite Zone which was exposed by historic trench CE-14. Hole SK11-21 returned 41.40 metres of 1.66 grams per tonne gold and 5.1 grams per tonne silver beginning at a depth of 304 metres. This interval included 1.10 metres of 8.22 grams per tonne Au and 35.2 grams per tonne Ag and 1.10 metres of 6.18 grams per tonne Au and 4.1 grams per tonne Ag. Further up the hole, a 1.40 m interval of 12.25 grams per tonne Au and 151.0 grams per tonne silver was intersected at 124.60 metres depth (Assessment Report 33535).
See Bronson Slope (MINFILE 104B 077), Snip (MINFILE 104B 250) and Johnny Mountain (MINFILE 104B 107) for related geological details and a common work history.