The Crine veins, on the TP 9 and TP 6 claims, are located on the southwest side of Teepee Peak, about 54 kilometres west of Atlin. Refer to the TP-Main (104M 048) showing for details on the Teepee property.
The claim area is underlain by the Devonian to Middle Triassic Boundary Ranges Metamorphic Suite comprising phyllite, quartzite and schist. These are intruded by dikes of variable composition.
The Crine veins occur on the northeast part of the Teepee property over a 1-kilometre area. The veins comprise the Crine, Crine #1, Crine #3 and Scotia veins as well as the BX and Quartz zones. The veins occupy zones of weakness parallel to the Llewellyn fault system. The Crine, Crine #1, Crine #3, and Scotia veins are all arsenopyrite-rich veins with gold, silver, galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite and minor chalcopyrite. Areas of the veins exhibit a massive nature to the galena and sphalerite although along strike the veins change to dominant arsenopyrite in a quartz host with a lower base metal content. The average width of the veins is 10 centimetres to 4.1 metres, and they can be traced intermittently on surface for up to 1.7 kilometres. The veins strike between 150 to 160 degrees and dip 44 to 70 degrees west.
The Crine vein is a vertical, brecciated, sheared, silicified and quartz veined zone. The vein is podiform, pinching and swelling up to 4.11 metres in width, and has been traced for 650 metres at a strike of 150 degrees. The vein becomes wider where crosscutting, sometimes parallel, andesitic dikes occur. The faulted western margin is in some places well defined. The vein has zones of massive arsenopyrite and scorodite, pyrite and disseminated galena with small amounts of sphalerite. Some sections of the vein contain up to 50 per cent sulphide mineralization as lenses of pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and/or stibnite. Samples from the vein assayed 3.64 to 33.2 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18766). Fourteen chip samples of 1 to 3 metres width over the 650-metre strike length average 4.45 grams per tonne gold, 29.8 grams per tonne silver and 5.45 per cent arsenic (Assessment Report 19438).
The Crine #1 and Crine #3 arsenopyrite-rich veins strike 150 degrees and may be persistent along strike for up to 700 metres as traced by float. These contain small pods of massive to disseminated dark brown sphalerite and galena with disseminated pyrite.
Drilling on the Crine #3 vein intersected narrow vein material, up to 0.50 metres in width, dipping steeply to the west between 69 and 73 degrees. A drill core sample across 0.50 metres assayed 0.78 grams per tonne gold, 20.22 grams per tonne silver, 0.92 per cent arsenic, 0.78 per cent lead and 1.46 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 19438).
The Crine #1 vein, up to 4.11 metres wide, is podiform. The vein is highly brecciated and silicified and dips 43 to 50 degrees west. Massive and disseminated arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite and lessor pyrite are common. Drilling suggests this vein to be fairly shallow, tabular and possibly zoned, becoming more silver-rich to the south. A feldspar porphyry dike commonly occurs as a footwall marker. A drill core sample across the 4.11 metre width assayed 3.70 grams per tonne gold, 326.69 grams per tonne silver, 3.45 per cent arsenic, 0.67 per cent lead and 2.30 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 19438).
The BX zone, exposed along a steep hillside, is the northern extension of the Crine #1 vein and, due to the low gold values, possibly indicates mineral zonation. The zone exhibits intense quartz stockwork and brecciation in a clay altered felsite dike. Mineralization consists of disseminated chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, galena, arsenopyrite, pyrite and minor sphalerite. The zone outcrops over 100 metres and is 0.50 to 1.8 metres wide. Chip samples assayed 34.28 to 377.08 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 19438), but drill results were negative.
The Quartz zone, located at the southeast end of the projected Scotia vein, consists of a quartz graphite mix with high gold values. The vein is generally narrow, less than 1 metre in width, poddy, and dips 60 to 70 degrees west. Minor pyrite and arsenopyrite occur with small amounts of silver from assays. Drilling indicates a flat lying zone and float found on the surface indicates a steeply west dipping zone (faulting is suggested to explain this). Drilling also indicated the similarity between this zone and the Crine and Scotia veins. A drill core sample over 3 metres assayed 4.76 grams per tonne gold, 15.08 grams per tonne silver, 0.69 per cent arsenic, 0.09 per cent lead and 0.09 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 19438).
The Scotia vein is about 550 metres west of the Crine #3 vein. This arsenopyrite-rich vein trends 160 degrees and pinches and swells over a 700-metre strike length as indicated by float samples. Drilling in 1989 indicated that the vein is narrow, less than 1 metre in width, and dips 69 degrees west. Drilling in 1990 indicated that there is a small higher-grade pod of mineralization plunging southeast. A drill core sample taken in 1989 over 0.95 metres assayed 7.98 grams per tonne gold, 14.05 grams per tonne silver, 8.70 per cent arsenic, 0.13 per cent lead and 0.84 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 19438).
Work History
The original Crine vein showing is reported as being discovered by a British Columbia Geological Survey team during the 1980's while mapping the eastern flank of Teepee Peak4.
Teepee Peak area received attention in 1981 when Du Pont of Canada Ltd initiated a large-scale stream sediment survey, under a project code named "Kulta". As the result of a gold stream anomaly detected on the northeast flank of Teepee Peak, Du Pont staked three mineral claims to cover the anomaly. No mineralization was found but further detailed soil sampling was recommended. Records do not show further work by Du Pont in the area, and it assumed the 3 claims were allowed to lapse.
During 1983, Texaco Canada Resources Ltd carried out geological mapping, prospecting, trenching, and sampling on the southwest slopes of Teepee Peak, on gold and cobalt showings discovered in 1982. No further work was recommended from this program. Claims staked by Texaco in 1982-83 were kept in good standing and optioned to Cypress Gold (Canada) Ltd under a joint venture agreement.
In 1988, (Assessment Report 18766), 1989 (Assessment Report 19438) and in 1990 (Assessment Report 20790), Cyprus Gold (Canada) Ltd conducted exploration programs on their Teepee property (TP, Fill claims) which included the Crine (104M 081) and TP-Main (104M 048) prospects. During 1988, Cypress Gold reports indicate that the company and the BC Geological Survey discovered a quartz vein hosting polymetallic and precious metals, on the northeast side of Teepee Peak, to which they gave the name, the Crine vein. In 1989, Cypress Gold completed a comprehensive exploration program including prospecting, soil sampling, ground magnetometer, CEM (Shoot Back), VLF-EM-16 and a 13-diamond drill hole program, totaling 1371.69 metres. The 1989 diamond drill holes (size NQ) are coded as TP-89-1 to TP-89-13. Core is currently on site at 519892E/6619862N, as reported by Aspinall (Assessment Report 33469), although that could have changed in the meantime. In 1990, drilling was carried out on the Teepee Mountain mineral property.
In 1996, Westmin Resources Ltd drilled a gold-cobalt zone on their Racine mineral claims. The zone of interest was a 15 by 150 metre north-trending skarn. Drill results showed insignificant down dip extensions (Assessment Report 24844).
Since 1996, the Teepee Peak region continued to experience lapsing and re-staking of mineral claims up to 2012. In 2012, Blind Creek Resources staked around the known Crine vein, held within tenure 941734. Shortly after, Blind Creek purchased tenure 941734, along with others in the region, from De Coors Mining Ltd.
In 2006, Xplorer Gold held a very large mineral tenure position stretching from the Crine area north to the Yukon border. Xplorer used a helicopter to land near the Crine #1 vein showing where two significant quartz vein outcroppings were sampled. An additional sample was taken from the host rock. Results were not significant.
In 2012, a Blind Creek Resources Ltd team investigated the Crine vein system. The team collected 94 soil samples, 25 rock chips, rock float and outcrop samples from a northwest trending ridge on Teepee Mountain. They reported known zones of mineralization as outlined by Cypress Gold in 1989, These veins and zones, illustrated in Assessment Report 19438, include the Crine vein, Crine 1, Crine 3, the Phantom Zone, the Quartz zone, BX Zone, and the Scotia vein. Despite work being focused on locating all vein systems differentiated by Cypress Gold, the Blind Creek team, after referring to Assessment Report 19438, were only successful in differentiating the Crine 1 vein, the Quartz zone, and the BX zone. The BX zone was verified by the Blind Creek team, but not sampled. In general, Aspinall stated, that north-northwest-trending quartz veins are ubiquitous in the Crine area but are generally less than 3 metres thick and 10 metres long before pinching-out or being cut off by faulting; and the majority of quartz veins are not visibly mineralized, analytically yielding only trace sulphide elements (Assessment Report 33469).
In 2013, Blind Creek Resources collected 4 rock samples from the Quartz Zone, Crine Quartz Vein System (Assessment Report 34804). All rock samples were submitted to Vancouver Petrographics who carried out a petrographic analysis. The samples consist of varying amounts of quartz, pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, and galena. An early precipitation of arsenopyrite was followed by pyrite, and then crosscut by a quartz-rich infill, and was partially overprinted by sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite.
In 2017, 43 soil samples and an unreported number of rock samples were analyzed by portable XRF in the Crine showing area on behalf of Grey Rock Resources Ltd (Assessment Report 37229). A portable XRF was used by field crew that were reported to be certified for field operation of XRF instruments by NRCAN National Non-Destructive Testing Certification Body (NCB) CGSB 48.9712 Certification. Sample locations were plotted on maps, but assay units were not included.
In 2018, DeCoors Mining Corp. collected 8 rock samples from the Crine showing area for analysis. Float samples containing trace amounts of galena, pyrite, and copper oxides were taken. Two float samples (3876 and 3877) of argillite with quartz, galena, arsenopyrite, and pyrite produced the highest gold grades of, respectively: 1) 9.6 grams per tonne, along with greater than 100 grams per tonne silver, greater than 1 per cent lead, greater than 1 per cent arsenic and 0.1 per cent antimony; and 2) 21 grams per tonne gold, along with greater than 100 grams per tonne silver, greater than 1 per cent lead, greater than 1 per cent arsenic, 0.08 per cent copper and 0.15 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 38297). The best outcrop sample was collected within a few hundred metres of the high-gold float samples and graded 1.1 grams per tonne gold with no significant values from any other element (Sample 3871). Sample 3871 also consisted of argillite with quartz veins; its location was given as UTM 519587 east and 6621618 north.
