The HU occurrence is located near "Stain Creek", a tributary to Tanzilla River, about 15.5 kilometres south-southwest of the community of Dease Lake.
The showing area is underlain by northwest striking volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Upper Triassic Stuhini Group which have been intruded by an Early to Middle Jurassic diorite to monzonite body and an east trending composite syenite body. Basaltic and felsic dikes also occur.
The volcanic sequence comprises predominant crystal lithic tuffs intercalated with crystal tuffs, lapilli tuffs and tuff breccias which dip from 40 to 75 degrees north to 50 to 60 degrees south. These are underlain by augite and feldspar porphyry andesite. The volcaniclastic sedimentary sequence include tuffaceous argillite, siltstone, and greywacke. The sediments are usually well bedded, locally display graded bedding and strike 340 degrees with variable dips. Small lenses of limy argillites and tuffaceous siltstone, exposed by trenches, have been partially altered to skarn and hornfels.
The intrusive rocks include coarse-grained hornblende-biotite diorite or monzonite, fine-grained diorite, and foliated hornblende diorite or monzonite. These rocks normally contain abundant magnetite. A variety of syenitic rocks comprise an irregular, east-west elongate body and consist of medium to coarse-grained, equigranular to slightly porphyritic syenite, aplitic biotite syenite, aphanitic syenite (may be altered andesite), and hornblende biotite syenite (may be K-feldspathized diorite or monzonite).
Several felsite dikes are exposed in trenches where surrounding lapilli tuffs and sediments are intensely hornfelsed, partially bleached, and contain disseminated pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. The felsite dikes strike west-northwest or northwest and are vertical. Their widths vary from 0.6 to 9 metres. Carbonate altered, pyritic fault and shear zones cut sediments, volcanic rocks and syenite.
The alteration assemblage on the property is consistent with those associated with alkalic porphyry deposits. Alteration observed includes hornfels, skarn, patchy clay-carbonate associated with shear structures and, potassic alteration with associated copper mineralization.
Potassic alteration consists of potassium feldspar, epidote, chlorite, magnetite, and biotite and is predominantly found along "Stain Creek" where it is closely associated with chalcopyrite mineralization. This alteration is weakly developed in diorite, but strong in areas of intense fracturing or faulting within and in close proximity to the syenite or monzonite intrusive rocks. Hornfels and amphibole-magnetite-epidote skarns are found in the volcanic and sedimentary units. A trench exposes a skarn for at least 15 metres within interbedded crystal tuffs and andesitic flows. Hornfels is weak to non-existent except along the edges of the felsite dikes.
Copper mineralization is evident in two areas on the property: within a trench north of "West Branch Creek", and in the upper parts of "Stain Creek". Large gossans observed at "Stain Creek" result from weathering of fracture fillings and disseminated pyrite within the shattered host rocks. Numerous potassic altered zones trending either in a north or east direction and hosted within intrusive and volcanic rocks or along their contact, contain abundant pyrite with or without chalcopyrite and malachite. Significant chalcopyrite is confined to fault zones or intensely fractured areas along a 100-metre long exposure. Moderate to intense potassic alteration is associated with the fracturing or surround the fault zones, which are usually marked by a recessive clay gouge. The highest copper values are from areas of intense fracturing where grab samples yielded up to 1.14 per cent copper. High gold values were obtained from a fault contact, where a grab sample from fault gouge yielded 1.3 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21707, page 12).
In a trench north of "West Branch Creek", about 3000 metres west of the mineralization at "Stain Creek", trace chalcopyrite, pyrite and molybdenite occurs along fractures in syenite.
In 2007, rock sampling in a 50-metre-wide zone of structurally controlled quartz and carbonate vein mineralization in the upper part of the section averaged 0.30 per cent copper and 0.06 gram per tonne gold (samples 147703-147705 and 149515-149519). Strongly pyritic zones are associated with syenite below this zone, but generally contain very low copper values. Basaltic andesite above this zone is only weakly mineralized (Assessment Report 29434).
In 2012, a grab sample (966982) of potassium feldspar rich syenite hosting fine disseminated pyrite assayed 2.02 per cent copper and 0.708 gram per tonne gold (Bowen, B.K. (2013-04-30): Technical Report on the Galaxie Project).
Work History
The HU 1-32 claims were staked in June 1969 on behalf of Tournigan Mining Explorations Ltd., after the investigation of a gossan zone at the head of Stain Creek. Later in the summer Silver Standard Mines Limited optioned the property and staked an additional 30 claims (HU 33-62). Work by Silver Standard in 1969 and 1970 included trenching, geological mapping, and a geochemical soil survey over nearly 32-line kilometres. The option was allowed to terminate in September 1970. During 1972, Tournigan Mining carried out an induced potential survey over 26 line-kilometres covering the east end of the property, and a geochemical soil survey over the southeast part of the property. Amax Exploration Inc. optioned the property in June 1973 and carried out geological mapping over five square kilometres, a geochemical survey (283 samples of which 206 were soil samples), and a magnetometer survey over 45 line-kilometres. The option agreement was terminated in November 1973. In 1990, the Huey and Duey claims were staked to cover the showing and in 1991 Equity Engineering Ltd. carried out a limited exploration program consisting of geological mapping, prospecting, silt sampling and soil sampling. In 2007, Paget Resources Corporation examined the property and collected 23 rock samples from a well- exposed section along Stain Creek in the eastern part of the property. In addition, two silt samples were taken from Stain Creek above and below a section of strongly gossanous alteration. In 2011, Finsbury Exploration Ltd carried out exploration over the Property as part of a soil and silt sampling program over a much larger 168,983 hectare property area known as the Galaxie property. In 2012, Quartz Mountain Resources Ltd, on the Galaxie property, conducted systematic soil and IP surveys over eight high-priority grids and two target areas identified by the 2011 stream sediment and soil geochemical results. This work included an IP survey over almost the entirety of title 512878 and the southeastern third of title 604847.
In 2017, a total of 15 rock, 30 biogeochemical and 51 soil samples were collected by Kestrel Gold Inc over the Hu claim block. Rock sampling returned a few encouraging results with sampling ranging up to 0.14 per cent copper (LHUR-03) described as a fine-grained syenite with potassic alteration and trace chalcopyrite with fracture-filled malachite and azurite (Assessment Report 37064). Samples from the soil survey yielded gold values ranging up to 16.2 parts per billion and copper up to 616 parts per million (Assessment Report 37064).
