The Tannis (Middle Ridge) prospect is located 2.5 kilometres west of Tutshi Lake near Paddy Pass. The Catfish property includes the Catfish (104M 061) and Catfish-South Mountain showings (104M 075).
The region of the Tannis prospect is underlain by sedimentary, intrusive and metamorphic origin. The oldest of these units is the Devonian-Triassic Boundary Ranges Metamorphic Suite. The Lower Jurassic Laberge Group consisting of volcanic-derived clastic sedimentary rocks in the form of argillites and conglomerates with an interval of limestone toward the base. An unnamed package of Jurassic volcanics occurs as a northwest-trending belt to the south of the Missing Link-Tannis-South Mountains zones. The Upper Triassic Stuhini Group forms a northwest trending volcanic belt to the northeast of the Middle Ridge area.
There are two Late Cretaceous intrusions on Middle Ridge consisting of equigranular biotite granite and finely crystalline rhyolite.
The greatest concentration of mineralized veins occurs on Middle Ridge on the Tannis Block. They occur on both sides of the ridge in the fine-grained rhyolite and in the Boundary Range Metamorphic rocks. The mineralization is reported occurring in two forms: arsenopyrite-rich cores with scorodite envelops in the rhyolite host; and coarse arsenopyrite with rare chalcopyrite in quartz veins with no alteration in the metamorphic rocks. The veins are up to 3.1 metres wide, strike roughly east-west and dip near vertical.
Property-wide exploration straddled the contact between granite and rocks Boundary Ranges Metamorphic Suite. The metamorphics form a 200 metre thick exposure consisting of quartz-feldspar-chlorite gneiss and chlorite-sericite schist. A well defined fault, striking 160 degrees and dipping vertically, marks the gneiss and granite contact. Overlying the metamorphic rocks are very gossanous volcanics of the Upper Triassic Stuhini Group.
The Tannis (Middle Ridge) property followed the regional northwest trend; foliations average 140 to 160 degrees with near vertical dips. Numerous quartz veins, ranging from 1.0 centimetre to 1.5 metres, crosscut both the granite and metamorphic rocks. The first set, which trends east-southeast, are generally barren. The major mineralized veins trend northeast. Mineralization is confined to quartz veins which have an arsenopyrite-rich core and a green to yellow alteration envelope (scorodite).
The lowest adit, at 1200 metres, is 12 metres long and was driven to test a 1.35 metre wide quartz vein exposed on surface. The adit is about 7 metres long and was abandoned before reaching the vein. The entrance is almost totally caved in.
About 85 metres above this adit a major trench and a partially caved adit occurs. The trench exposed a quartz vein, up to 0.85 metres wide, and the adit was started 5 metres below this.
The vein is mineralized with bands, up to 0.2 metre wide, of massive arsenopyrite. To the northeast, the vein extends for at least 200 metres where it is 0.4 metre thick. To the southwest the vein thins and appears to be truncated by the intrusive.
Several quartz veins are located on the north side of the Middle Ridge. One highly mineralized vein is located at 1308 metres elevation in a steep gully. This vein trends 60 degrees and is at least 1.4 metres thick with bands of massive arsenopyrite. A sample from this vein assayed 37.7 grams per tonne gold, 22.3 grams per tonne silver, 0.0318 per cent copper, 0.0218 per cent lead, 0.0484 per cent zinc, 0.0302 per cent antimony and 5.1 per cent arsenic (sample C8R 100R, Assessment Report 18522).
The 2003 trenching program on the Tannis property confirmed the highly anomalous gold-bearing nature of the quartz-arsenopyrite veins on Middle Ridge and determined that the veins are not isolated veins, but part of a sheeted vein system throughout much of a rhyolite body. The quartz-arsenopyrite veins in the sheeted vein system vary from millimetre scale up to 2 metres wide with some of the larger veins traceable for up to 200 metres before being lost under talus. The sheeted vein system occurs mainly in the rhyolite, with some of the wider, individual veins extending into the Boundary Range Metamorphic host rocks on the north and south side of Middle Ridge. Assuming the veins in the metamorphic rocks are extensions of those in the rhyolite, the strike extent of individual veins could be 300 metres or more. The veins contain variable amounts of arsenopyrite from traces to up to 30 per cent locally and traces to 10 per cent pyrite. Gold content generally correlates with arsenopyrite content. The best gold values were obtained from the larger veins, however trench T-9 yielded 2.83 grams per tonne over 15.5 metres from a wide zone of sheeted quartz veins in quartz-eye rhyolite (Assessment Report 27674).
2008 work on behalf of Troymet Exploration on the very westerly extent of the Tannis zone showed the equigranular granite is in contact with the Laberge Group sediments toward the base of the ridge. A total of four, relatively short (up to 5 metres), quartz-sulphide veins were sampled and contained high grade grad. These veins are initiated at the intrusive contact between the granite and the sediments and continue into the sediments before pinching out. The mineralogy of these three veins is practically identical to the vein system observed in the eastern part of the Tannis Zone. The 12 diamond drill holes completed in 2008 indicated the highly variable nature of the quartz-sulphide veins both in terms of metal content and continuity along strike and at depth. The best intersections returned 5.09 metres grading 7.93 grams per tonne gold and 23.8 grams per tonne silver and 4.3 metres grading 2.05 grams per tonne gold and 43.8 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 31079).
Work History
Previous work consists of mapping and prospecting (adits, trenches and blast holes) and is largely undocumented. The property was explored for molybdenum in the 1970s and for gold at the turn of the century. The four adits and trenching are circa 1900.
In 1986, Hugh Copland staked his Catfish claim to the southeast of Texaco’s Ben claims on North Mountain, reporting an old 15 metre adit on a less than 1 metre wide quartz-pyrite-stibnite-arsenopyrite-galena vein with up to 23.3 grams per tonne Au and 147 grams per tonne Ag (Assessment Report 15972).
In 1987, the BC Geological survey conducted a program of reconnaissance stream sediment and lithogeochemical sampling in the region and found the creek draining Paddy Pass and its most easterly, south tributary to be anomalous in gold, arsenic and antimony. In 1988, Mihalynuk, Rouse, Moore and Friz from the BC Geological Survey re-mapped the area in greater detail.
Frame Mining acquired their Catfish claims over North and South Mountains and Middle Ridge in 1988. In 1988, (Assessment Report 18522) Frame mapped the Catfish property, re-discovered three old adits on Middle Ridge and described a zone of quartz-arsenopyrite veining (now termed the “Tannis Zone”) with up to 47.3 grams per tonne Au, which could be “traced for 2.5 kilometres”. Frame’s 1989 program focused on Middle Ridge, with trenching confirming the gold-bearing nature of the Tannis Zone quartz-arsenopyrite veins (Assessment Report 19527). An induced polarization (IP) survey showed moderate to strong chargeability anomalies over the known veins and a large, complex zone of unexplained moderate to strong chargeability on the south slopes of Paddy Pass Creek, in an area of little outcrop (Assessment Report 19794).
In the Tannis (Middle Ridge) area, there are 2 adits and a major trench.
The Catfish claims lapsed, were restaked as the Tutshi Lake property and a short VLF-EM survey was run in 1997 over Paddy Pass Creek, between Middle Ridge and North Mountain, without any significant results (Assessment Report 25096).
In 2001, Marksmen Resources Ltd. examined and optioned R. H. McMillan’s Golden Eagle property southeast of Tutshi Lake (Assessment Report 26760) and staked claims over Middle Ridge. In 2003, Marksmen surveyed 10 lines with IP and magnetics over the Carbonate and Camp Zones and 3 more in the Tannis Zone area on Middle Ridge, identifying interesting chargeability anomalies in each area (Assessment Report 27196).
In 2003, Marksmen purchased the Bennett property from Westmin; these claims are not covered by the McMillan option agreement. Their 2003 program consisted of mapping and geochemical sampling in the vicinity of old showings across the property; they also re-sampled Frame’s Tannis Zone trenching (Assessment Report 27474).
The Tannis is part of the Golden Eagle Project which is divided into three property areas: the Bennett Lake Block (Pavey), the Tannis Block and the Golden Eagle Block. Marksmen purchased the Bennett Lake Block outright in 2003 and had an option to acquire 100 per cent interest in the Tannis and Golden Eagle blocks.
In 2004, Marksmen commissioned a 670 kilometre helicopter-borne magnetic/EM/radiometric survey over the entire Golden Eagle property (Assessment Report 27674 (Appendix VI)), with limited follow-up groundwork designed to investigate anomalies. A northerly-trending magnetic high, associated with a number of less than 500 metre strike-length quadrature lows, was identified in the Camp Zone/Carbonate Zone area; volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization was suggested as a possible source. Similar magnetic/EM signatures, although not as well defined, were noted also east of the Skarn Zone and west of the Plateau Zone; rhyolite-hosted quartz-arsenopyrite veining in the Tannis Zone did not show any significant magnetic or electromagnetic signature (Assessment Report 27674).
In October 2005, Marksmen's mineral properties were transferred to Signet Minerals Inc. In 2005 ground geophysical surveys were carried out and 7 core holes were drilled on the Skarn, Tannis and Camp zones. Two holes were drilled in the Skarn or Bennett Lake zone (MINFILE 104M 085), 3 in the Tannis zone (MINFILE 104M 074), also known as Middle Ridge, and 2 in the Camp zone (MINFILE 104M 057), also referred to as the Carbonate zone. On the Tannis Zone, intercepts yielded 2.9 metres at 14.39 grams per tonne gold and 5.5 metres at 10.73 grams per tonne gold and 104.2 grams per tonne silver (Casselman, 2007; private report for Troymet Exploration Corp., filed on SEDAR).
In 2006, Signet built an ATV road up to the Tannis Zone on Middle Ridge and carried out detailed mapping there. Signet drilled one hole on the Skarn Zone, to test a chargeability high and intersected 1 to 3 per cent pyrrhotite without significant gold grades. A hole testing a chargeability high on the Plateau Zone intersected graphitic mudstone and shale, with no significant precious metals. Three holes on chargeability anomalies at the Carbonate Zone intersected carbonate alteration with disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite; the best intersection graded 2.64 grams per tonne gold across 3.1 metres core-length. Four drill sites were prepared in the Tannis Zone, but only one could be drilled due to winter weather conditions. It intersected two quartz-arsenopyrite veins with lower grades (3.1 metres as 1.58 grams per tonne gold and 2.0 metres 0.58 grams per tonne gold), but indicating their continuity to depth (Casselman, 2007; private report for Troymet Exploration Corp., filed on SEDAR). In August 2007, Signet's mineral properties were transferred to Troymet Exploration Corp.
The 2008 exploration program consisted of diamond drilling on the Tannis Zone and geologic mapping and prospecting on North Mountain, Middle Ridge and South Mountain. Mapping and prospecting further defined the distribution of rock units and quartz-sulphide veining along a northwest trend nearly 5 km in length and resulted in the collection of 124 rock samples. Drilling in 2008 expanded upon previous drill holes in the Tannis zone that were directed solely at quartz-sulphide veins within rhyolite and rhyolite breccia to now include similar veins within equigranular biotite granite and the Boundary Ranges Metamorphic Suite. Twelve diamond drill holes totalling 2306 metres were completed on behalf of Troymet Exploration Corp.
In 2009, on behalf of Troymet Exploraiton Corp, Casselman Geological Services Ltd. and Coureur Des Bois Ltee-Ltd completed an exploration program that consisted of stream sediment sampling and a small diamond drilling program on previously undrilled gold targets. Five drill holes were completed to test four targets on the West Gully, LQ, Stibnite and Cowboy Zones. The 2009 exploration work was not filed for assessment, however, in an unpublished internal report provided to Troymet by Casselman Geological Services. Significant results from the 2009 drilling program included 87.84 metres grading 0.11 grams per tonne gold, including 15.24 metres grading 0.33 grams per tonne gold in Hole N0901 (hole was stopped in mineralization on the West Gully zone) and 6.12 metres grading 0.19 grams per tonne gold in Hole N0905 on the Cowboy zone (as reported in Assessment Report 33081).
In November and December, 2010, Aurora Geosciences Ltd. was contracted to conduct a modified pole-dipole induced polarization (IP) survey over the Plateau area on the Northwest Block of the property. A total of 350 metres of modified pole-dipole data were obtained on a single line (Line 400). The area surveyed on the Plateau Zone was re-done in 2011 by Aurora Geosciences (Assessment Report 33081). Other work completed in 2010 included a petrographic study by Mineral Services Canada Inc. A total of 22 core samples were examined from the 2009 drill core. Representative samples were taken from each of the five holes drilled in 2009.
The 2011 exploration activities of Troymet Exploration Corp were confined entirely to the Northwest Block of the property (which encompasses the Plateau area, Stibnite, LQ, West Gully, Skarn, North and Cowboy). In 2011, field work conducted by Aurora Geosciences Ltd on the Northwest Block included a 10.5 line-kilometre modified pole dipole IP survey on the Plateau area followed by a brief six-hole NQ diamond drilling program. Five holes totaling 825.81 metres were completed to test coincident geochemical and IP chargeability anomalies in the West Gully - Plateau area (North prospect) to follow up on the wide but low-grade gold mineralization intersected in 2009 drill hole N0901.
