The Nie 3 occurrence area lies within rocks of the Stikine Terrane along the western margin of the Intermontane Belt. The stratigraphy is dominated by the Stikine Assemblage, which is basal to the Stikine Terrane, and in the property area comprises Permian limestones; Upper Carboniferous felsic to mafic volcanics, phyllite and limestone; and Lower Carboniferous rocks consisting of pyroxene-phyric mafic flows and tuffs, as well as intercalated sediments which include limestone, black, carbonaceous, slightly fetid calcsiltite and argillite. Large areas of the region are intruded by plutons that are Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous or Eocene in age. Tertiary volcanics rocks overly older strata.
A number of mineral occurrences, including the Nie 3, occur along the Ophir Break fault zone, an economically important system that extends at least 15 kilometres from Bearskin Lake to Tatsamenie Lake, and possibly another 10 kilometres south to the Samotua River. This fault zone is thought to act as a conduit for the mineralizing fluids that created deposits such as those at the Golden Bear mine (104K 079), about 6 kilometres south of the Tatsamenie Project property. The Ophir Break diverges into two main strands, the eastern Black fault and the western Fleece fault in the area of the Golden Bear deposit. The Fleece fault is called the West Wall fault north of Sam Creek. This fault zone is defined by areas of intense fracturing with abundant slickensiding; areas of carbonaceous and siliceous black siltstone and gouge; and linear quartz-iron carbonate-pyrite-fuchsite(?) (listwanites) and quartz-dolomite alteration zones. The listwanites occur in the tuffs.
The Nie 3 showing is documented as the result of a mineralized 1987 drillhole intersection (hole N-38) of black carbonaceous, graphitic siltstones interbedded with grey limestone. Tuff and altered feldspar porphyry dike rocks also occur in the 1987 drill hole. These rocks belong to an Early to Middle Triassic package that occurs as fault slivers along the West Wall Fault.
Mineralization consisted of disseminations, blebs and stringers of pyrite and sphalerite associated with calcite and quartz veins. A 1.5 metre section of drill core assayed 0.37 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 16523). The Spire grid was established within a few hundred metres to the northeast in 1990. The rocks in this area are reported to be mafic volcanics along with siliceous to calcareous sediments and minor carbonate units. Mineralization is reported to consist of quartz-carbonate breccia zones with pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and galena. Up to 2.71 grams per tonne gold, 13.77 per cent zinc and 1.71 per cent lead were reported from three different samples (Assessment Report 20655).
The 2012 MMI soil anomalies on the Opher North grid just northwest of Nie 3 area are as follows (Assessment Report 34648):
Anomaly ON-A is a gold-silver-copper anomaly with some correlating anomalous values in molybdenum, antimony, and arsenic. It is lineal-shaped striking in north-northeasterly direction. Its minimum strike length is 1,025 meters with it being open both to the north-northeast and south-southwest, and its average width is about 100 meters. The gold is up to 50 times background, the silver, 29, and the copper, 30. The correlation with the antimony and arsenic anomalous results is partial with the antimony-arsenic anomaly occurring along the west side of the gold-silver-copper anomaly. The molybdenum is strongest within ON-A with its values being up to 127 times background.
Anomaly ON-B is a gold-silver-copper-molybdenum anomaly that is lineal-shaped and strikes parallel to ON-A, that is, in a north-northeasterly direction. It has a minimum strike length of 500 meters with it being open both to the north-northeast and south-southwest, and its average width is about 125 meters. The gold is up to 42 times background, silver, 24, copper, 17, and molybdenum, 103. There is no correlating anomalous values in arsenic and antimony.
Anomaly ON-C is a gold-silver-copper anomaly occurring at the northwest corner of the grid. Thus, its strike and dimensions are unknown. However, it is a strong anomaly with its values being up to 66 times background in gold, 63 in silver, and 24 in copper.
Anomaly ON-D is a strong zinc-cadmium anomaly occurring within the southern part of the grid and over the south-western part of anomalies ON-A and ON-B. The zinc reaches a high of 152 time background, and the cadmium, 60. Anomalous nickel values also correlate with ON-D which could be due to nickel mineralization, or a basic to ultrabasic host rock to the possible zinc-cadmium mineralization. The anomaly appears to be striking easterly and its size appears to be a minimum 500 meters in strike length being open to the east or southeast, by 250 meters in width.
Work History
In 1981, the Misty 1, 2; Nie 1, 2; Pole and Sam 1, 2 were staked by Chevron Canada Resources Ltd. In 1982 and 1983 Chevron followed with reconnaissance contour soil and rock sampling and prospecting on this group. Also in 1983, detailed rock sampling on the ridge west of the Shoulder Vein (new MINFILE occurrence) was carried out and on the Pole and Sam 2 claim work included geophysics (VLF-EM and magnetometer). In 1984, on the Misty and Nie claims, grid soil sampling, trenching, geophysics, and geologic mapping was completed. The Nie grid was established (68.2 kilometres of line) covering Nie 3 and 4; one trench (DS-337), 14.6 metres long, was blasted on a ridge exposing the Nie (2 Oz Notch) mineral occurrence. VLF-EM and magnetic surveying on the grid were carried out and geologic mapping at 1:10,000 scale was conducted. In 1985, reconnaissance rock and contour soil sampling were completed on the Misty claims. Sam 1 work included reconnaissance rock sampling (6 rocks). In 1987, work was conducted by the Chevron-Dia Met Joint Venture on the Misty and Nie claims and included: diamond drilling, geophysics, detailed geologic mapping and sampling. The West Wall fault was targeted every 200 metres with 30 drillholes (including one on Nie 3). Geophysics included 15.7 kilometres of VLF-EM. Detailed geologic mapping at 1:2000 scale was done in two blocks. Sam 1 work included: geologic mapping at 1:5000 scale on orthophotos. Limited rock and silt sampling was completed. Thie work was conducted by the Chevron-Dia Met Joint Venture. In 1988, Shannon Energy Ltd. entered into the Chevron-Dia Met Joint Venture and some field work was done by Stetson Resource Management Corporation, but no reports are available.
In 1990, Homestake Mineral Development Company, on behalf of North American Metals Corp., performed: reconnaissance mapping and sampling on the Misty and Nie claims under an option agreement with Chevron to earn 50 per cent interest in the property. The Shoulder Vein and Honk occurrence were discovered, and the Spire (Nie 3) showings were explored.
In 1991, further work was completed on the Misty and Nie claims by Homestake. Geophysics included 6.9 line kilometres of VLF-EM and magnetometer surveys. Detailed geologic mapping around the Shoulder Vein and Nie (2 Oz Notch) was done and the northwest corner of the Nie 3 claim was mapped. Five of the 1987 diamond-drill holes in the Nie (2 Oz Notch) zone were relogged. Seventy-two silt samples, 361 soil samples and 182 rock samples were collected from the property for analysis. The Honk (Ultramafic Vein showing) was trenched using a high-pressure water pump. Sixty-five metres in 8 trenches were reported excavated on the property.
In 1992 on the Sam claims, a new grid was established over the 1982 grid with mine grid coordinates. Soil sampling occurred on the grid. Geologists John Bradford and Derek Brown of the provincial Geological Survey Branch mapped the area at a 1:50,000 scale and discovered new showings such as the Barron.
In 1994, owner/operator North American Metals Corp conducted work on the Misty-Nie-Sam claims which included: establishing mine grid survey control stations, establishing the Backbone and Shoulder grids, grid and reconnaissance soil sampling, rock sampling, grid geophysics, 1:5000 scale geologic mapping, and prospecting. Eight mine grid survey stations were established on the property. Grid soil sampling was done. Reconnaissance-style contour soil sampling was completed. Geophysics comprising a magnetometer and VLF-EM survey was conducted on the Backbone and Shoulder grids. A total of 19.0-line kilometres of each survey were completed. Geologic mapping at 1:5000 scale was conducted on and around the Backbone and Shoulder grids covering an area of approximately 3.5 square kilometres. Detailed mapping at 1:500 scale was conducted on the Patella Vein.
In 2012, Nakina Resources Ltd. Collected 257 soils samples on Extension showing (104K 137) and the Ophir North Grid, just north of the Nie 3 showing (104K 092) MINFILE plot. The MMI survey results on the Ophir North Grid revealed numerous elements with anomalous results. As a result, Nakina created 14 plan contour maps showing these anomalies including: silver, arsenic, gold, cadmium, cerium, cobalt, copper potassium, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc. The anomalies have been grouped into four anomalies, or anomalous zones, labeled ON-A to ON-D. Three of these have been defined by gold anomalous results and include anomalies ON-A to ON-C, inclusively; the remaining anomaly, ON-D, has been delineated by zinc anomalous results.
Refer to Nie (104K 081), LCZ (104K 080) and Extension (104K 137) for details of a common work history.
In 2020, Brixton Metals Corporation completed a program of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, a 12.5 line-kilometre ground induced polarization survey, a 715 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey and 19 diamond drill holes, totalling 5292 metres, on the area of as part of the Thorn property. Drilling was performed on the Outlaw (MINFILE 104K 176) occurrence area.
