The Backbone occurrence is associated with three north-northwest trending faults that have associated subparallel structures. The faults crosscut a thick package of Devonian or Mississipian intermediate to mafic volcanics interbedded with limestone lenses of the Stikine Assemblage. The faults are host to rhyolite dikes, with probable Eocene Sloko Group affinity, averaging 1 metre in width and 500 metres in length. Local high gold and polymetallic anomalies were discovered in discontinuous massive quartz veins in the volcanics as well as along the north-northwest trending structures. The limestone is locally mineralized with skarn-like assemblages. The best analysis results include: 9.8 grams per tonne gold rock chip of a massive quartz vein pod (0.3 by 1 metre) (Assessment Report 23621).
A 50 by 800 metre soil-grid gold anomaly ranging from 100 to 325 parts per billion gold is subparallel to the north-northwest trending structures. The plotted location of the 9.8 grams per tonne gold quartz vein sample is approximately 350 metres southwest of the Misty showing (104K 091).
The Backbone showing was discovered by North American Metals Corp during 1994 reconnaissance work on the Nie-Misty property. Grid work, mapping, geophysics and sampling occurred in the Backbone grid area, mostly north and east of the showing. Please refer to Nie (104K 081) for details of a common geology and work history.
In 2018 DeCoors Mining Corp. sent a 3-man crew to collect MMI soil samples and 20 rock samples on their Tatsamenie property. Ten rock samples were collected on the Extension (104K 137) and 10 on the Backbone (104K 135) occurrences.
Several 2018 samples are described as follows: Sample B00261142 is described as grey chert with coarse calcite-chalcopyrite+/-enargite +/- sphalerite veins. Copper oxide staining on surfaces. The sample assayed 0.24 per cent copper and 1.1 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 37796). Sample B00261143 is a siliceous tuff with disseminated hematite, chalcopyirite and pyrite. It assayed 0.18 per cent copper and 1 gram per tonne silver (Assessment Report 37796). Sample B00261144 of green-grey quartz crystal tuff with 1 per cent disseminated chaclcopyrite, 1 per cent pyrite and trace trace sphalerite and minor copper oxide staining on surface. This sample assayed 0.27 per cent copper and 1.4 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 37796). Sample B00261145 of coarse white quartz vein, 5 centimeters thick, with seams and nodules of coarse chalcopyrite, up to 2 centimeters across, and with malachite staining assayed 1 per cent copper, 10 grams per tonne silver, 0.03 gram per tonne gold and 0.003 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 37796). Sample 3577 of chert or possible tuff with nodules of nodules of chalcopyrite, pyrite, malachite and hematite assayed greater than 1 per cent copper and 8.2 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 37796). Sample 3578 of massive subhedral-euhedral coarse chalcopyrite hosted in cherty mudstone(?), and with malachite and iron oxide on fracture faces, assayed greater than 1 per cent coper, 0.54 gram per tonne gold and 63.2 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 37796).
See Nie (104K 081), LCZ (104K 080) and Extension (104K 137) for related details of the Tatsamenie property.
